At a Glance
- Tasks: Lead and support students' wellbeing and academic progress in a nurturing environment.
- Company: St Mary's and St John's CofE School, a diverse and supportive all-through school.
- Benefits: Flexible working, paid lunch duties, early finishes, and access to wellbeing support.
- Other info: Opportunities for career progression and a focus on innovative teaching practices.
- Why this job: Make a real difference in students' lives while developing your own career in education.
- Qualifications: Strong commitment to pastoral care and effective communication skills.
The predicted salary is between 47000 - 55000 € per year.
This role requires a clear commitment to implementing high-quality, consistent practices and policies that ensure disruption-free learning for all students, while also supporting the development of resilient young people who are well-prepared to face both the challenges and opportunities of the future.
What we offer:
- Two-week October Half Term
- Support for flexible working and family-friendly policies
- In-class feedback policy which eliminates retrospective marking
- Curriculum-driven assessment rather than exam weeks encouraging staggered assessment marking
- Concise curriculum design and centralised planning and resourcing
- Consistent, whole school commitment to learning systems leading to excellent student behaviour
- High quality CPD with implementation time to embed training
- Established coaching culture and focus on career progression
- Supportive appraisal policy and no formal observations
- No written school reports
- Paid lunch duties
- Centralised reflections (detentions)
- Colleagues can leave school every Wednesday, Thursday and Friday from 3:15pm (Monday/Tuesday - 4pm finish)
- Early finish at the end of the Autumn, Spring and Summer terms
- Nursery wrap around provision for staff members with children at SMSJ, staff are allocated a place for their children (in line with The School's Admissions Policy)
- Access to free counselling and other wellbeing support
- Termly staff social events and tea and cake Fridays
- SMSJ school personalised staff planners
- Car park and off-street parking
We are looking for somebody who:
- Demonstrates a strong commitment to the pastoral care of students, with a clear focus on supporting their wellbeing alongside academic progress
- Builds positive and trusting relationships with young people, helping to motivate and encourage them to engage fully in school life and achieve their best
- Applies careful planning and organisation to pastoral systems and interventions, including monitoring and improving attendance and punctuality, ensuring consistent support for students' individual needs
- Is effective in identifying and addressing behavioural, attendance, punctuality, and wellbeing concerns, using a calm and solution-focused approach to manage situations in and out of the classroom
- Remains resilient when dealing with complex or challenging pastoral issues, maintaining a professional and steady approach under pressure
- Is reflective in practice, regularly reviewing pastoral strategies and seeking ways to improve support for students' personal development, welfare, and engagement in school
- Communicates clearly and sensitively with students, staff, and parents/carers, ensuring attendance, punctuality, and welfare information is shared appropriately and relationships are maintained effectively
Career Opportunities:
- A high-trust, supportive culture focused on innovation and continuing professional development
- Access to a confidential coach who will support you to hone your teaching practice
- Research-led attitudes towards teaching and learning including a real focus on exploring new ideas and taking risks
- A robust secondary phase feedback policy which eliminates the need for hours of unnecessary marking
- A focus on collaborative working in high performing subject teams
- A unique opportunity to develop skills and expertise in an all-through setting
- Opportunities for career progression
- The opportunity to teach A Level
Who we are:
St Mary's and St John's CE School is an all-through school in Hendon, North London, successfully providing high quality education and academic achievement for children and young people from Nursery to Sixth Form. We are proud to be a diverse, multi-faith, harmonious school, with a distinctive Christian ethos, resolute in the belief that "With God, all things are possible". In a changing world our values; Wisdom, Service and Hope, define us, strengthen relationships with our parents and children, and provide guiding principles that enable us to deliver academic excellence and promote self-discipline and resilience.
Please contact Ms Ryan (recruitment@smsj.london) for further information or a confidential discussion. Closing date for applications: Friday 15th May 2026. We reserve the right to close the application process early if suitable candidates apply.
St Mary's and St John's CE School is committed to the highest standards of safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people and expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment. Our recruitment process follows the keeping children safe in education guidance. Offers of employment may be subject to the following checks (where relevant): childcare disqualification, Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS), medical, online and social media prohibition from teaching, right to work, satisfactory references, suitability to work with children. You must tell us about any unspent conviction, cautions, reprimands or warnings under the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975. The school embraces diversity and promotes equality of opportunity. We wish to further develop a diverse community and encourage applications from all sections of society.
Head of Year at St Mary's and St John's CofE School employer: St Mary's and St John's CofE School
St Mary's and St John's CE School is an exceptional employer, offering a supportive and innovative work culture that prioritises the wellbeing and professional development of its staff. With flexible working arrangements, a strong focus on career progression, and a commitment to maintaining a positive environment for both students and employees, this all-through school in Hendon provides unique opportunities for personal and professional growth while fostering a diverse and harmonious community.
Contact Detail:
St Mary's and St John's CofE School Recruiting Team
StudySmarter Expert Advice🤫
We think this is how you could land Head of Year at St Mary's and St John's CofE School
✨Tip Number 1
Network like a pro! Reach out to current or former staff at St Mary's and St John's. A friendly chat can give you insider info about the school culture and what they really value in a Head of Year.
✨Tip Number 2
Show your passion for pastoral care! During interviews, share specific examples of how you've supported students' wellbeing and academic progress. Make it clear that you're all about building those positive relationships.
✨Tip Number 3
Be prepared to discuss your strategies for managing behaviour and attendance. Think of real-life scenarios where you've successfully tackled these issues, and be ready to explain your calm, solution-focused approach.
✨Tip Number 4
Don’t forget to apply through our website! It’s the best way to ensure your application gets noticed. Plus, it shows you’re serious about joining our supportive community at SMSJ.
We think you need these skills to ace Head of Year at St Mary's and St John's CofE School
Some tips for your application 🫡
Show Your Passion for Pastoral Care:Make sure to highlight your commitment to the pastoral care of students in your application. We want to see how you can support their wellbeing alongside academic progress, so share any relevant experiences or strategies you've used in the past.
Build Trusting Relationships:Demonstrate your ability to build positive and trusting relationships with young people. We love seeing examples of how you've motivated and encouraged students to engage fully in school life, so don’t hold back on those stories!
Be Organised and Reflective:We appreciate candidates who are organised and reflective in their practice. In your application, mention how you've planned and monitored pastoral systems and interventions, and how you've sought to improve support for students' personal development.
Communicate Clearly:Effective communication is key! Make sure to showcase your skills in communicating sensitively with students, staff, and parents/carers. We want to know how you’ve shared important information and maintained strong relationships in your previous roles.
How to prepare for a job interview at St Mary's and St John's CofE School
✨Know Your Pastoral Care
Make sure you understand the importance of pastoral care in a school setting. Be ready to discuss how you would support students' wellbeing alongside their academic progress, and share examples from your past experiences where you've successfully built trusting relationships with young people.
✨Demonstrate Resilience
Prepare to talk about how you handle complex or challenging situations. Think of specific instances where you've remained calm under pressure and effectively managed behavioural or attendance issues. This will show that you can maintain a professional approach when things get tough.
✨Showcase Your Planning Skills
Highlight your ability to plan and organise pastoral systems. Be ready to discuss how you monitor and improve attendance and punctuality, and how you tailor support to meet individual student needs. Concrete examples will help illustrate your strategic thinking.
✨Communicate Effectively
Communication is key in this role, so be prepared to demonstrate how you would engage with students, staff, and parents. Share examples of how you've communicated sensitive information clearly and maintained positive relationships, as this will reflect your commitment to collaboration and community.
