How to Become a Head of Year

Becoming a Head of Year is a popular and rewarding career step for teachers who enjoy supporting pupils’ personal, social, and emotional development. The role sits at the heart of pastoral care in many UK secondary schools and provides an opportunity to make a meaningful difference to pupils’ wellbeing, behaviour, attendance, and overall school experience. 

Whether you are an early career teacher beginning to explore pastoral leadership or an experienced classroom teacher seeking new challenges, understanding the route to becoming a Head of Year can help you plan your next steps with confidence.

A Head of Year oversees a specific year group and acts as the key point of contact for pupils, families, and staff. It is a varied role, balancing leadership, organisation, safeguarding, behaviour management, and relationship building. For teachers who are passionate about pastoral care, it can be an ideal way to take on additional responsibility and gain experience that can lead to middle or senior leadership positions in the future.

Key Takeaways

• A Head of Year oversees a year group’s wellbeing, behaviour, attendance, and personal development, working closely with tutors, staff, and families.

• Relevant skills include communication, empathy, behaviour management, organisation, resilience, and pastoral leadership.

• Aspiring Heads of Year can gain experience through form tutoring, mentoring, behaviour support, and extra-curricular involvement.

• Strong applications demonstrate measurable impact, safeguarding knowledge, and a clear understanding of pastoral systems in UK secondary schools.

What Does a Head of Year Do?

Although responsibilities vary from school to school, the core elements of the Head of Year role remain consistent across the UK. The role focuses on supporting pupils as individuals and ensuring that the year group meets expectations for progress, attendance, behaviour, and personal development. 

Common responsibilities include:

• Safeguarding - Safeguarding is one of the most significant responsibilities of the role. According to the Department for Education’s (DfE) statutory guidance Keeping Children Safe in Education (opens in a new tab), “all school staff should be aware of systems within their school which support safeguarding”. Heads of Year are often a key point of contact for concerns and must understand referral processes. Heads of Year work closely with the Designated Safeguarding Lead to record concerns, liaise with families, and support pupils who are experiencing difficulties. 

• Attendance Monitoring - Attendance has a direct impact on pupil achievement. The DfE’s guidance Working together to improve school attendance (opens in a new tab) emphasises that early intervention and strong relationships with families are crucial for improving attendance. Heads of Year help identify patterns of absence, work with families, and support pupils who are struggling to attend regularly.

• Behaviour and Conduct - A Head of Year supports consistent behaviour across the year group and works closely with tutors and teachers to respond to incidents. According to Ofsted’s Education Inspection Framework (opens in a new tab), effective behaviour cultures are those where “clear routines and expectations are in place”. Heads of Year help apply behaviour policies fairly, support restorative approaches, and ensure that pupils understand expectations.

• Supporting Wellbeing - Pupils often seek support for friendship issues, stress, anxiety, or personal challenges. Heads of Year provide day to day wellbeing support, refer pupils to specialist services when needed, and help create an inclusive and respectful year group environment.

• Liaising with Families - Communication with parents and carers is a major element of the role. Heads of Year lead meetings, respond to concerns, and build trust with families. This partnership strengthens consistency between home and school.

• Leading the Tutor Team - A Head of Year leads, guides, and supports their tutor team. This includes coordinating tutor time activities, monitoring pastoral programmes, sharing information, and ensuring consistency across the year group.

Skills and Qualities You Need to Be a Head of Year

A successful Head of Year combines pastoral sensitivity with leadership and organisational skills. Key qualities include:

• Communication Skills - Heads of Year communicate throughout the day with pupils, staff, parents, and external professionals. Clear, calm communication helps them manage difficult situations effectively.

• Empathy and Pastoral Awareness - The ability to listen, show understanding, and build trust is central to the role. Pupils need to know that they can approach their Head of Year with concerns and be supported.

• Behaviour Management Expertise - Strong behaviour expertise helps Heads of Year guide staff and pupils. They model consistent expectations and support restorative and preventative strategies.

• Organisation and Time Management - The role involves balancing long term responsibilities with urgent issues. Strong organisation allows Heads of Year to manage their workload confidently.

• Resilience and Emotional Strength - Pastoral leadership can involve challenging situations. A resilient approach helps Heads of Year remain calm, reflective, and supportive under pressure.

• Leadership Potential - Heads of Year lead a tutor team and collaborate with senior staff. Schools look for individuals who can inspire others, problem solve, and work collaboratively.

• Safeguarding Knowledge - Understanding safeguarding legislation and school policies ensures that Heads of Year make informed decisions. 

What Experience Do You Need?

There is no single route to becoming a Head of Year, but schools typically look for evidence of pastoral commitment and positive impact on pupils.

Gaining Pastoral Experience

Even without any previous formal pastoral responsibilities, teachers can gain valuable experience that supports progression into a Head of Year role. Examples include:

• Supporting tutor groups - This helps teachers understand daily pastoral routines, build relationships with pupils, and gain experience in attendance monitoring and wellbeing conversations.

• Joining behaviour panels or meetings - Participation in behaviour reviews or restorative discussions provides insight into behaviour systems and helps teachers learn how decisions are made.

• Shadowing Heads of Year. Observing the role directly gives teachers a realistic understanding of pastoral duties, communication with families, and the pressures of the job.

• Helping to organise assemblies or events - Leading or contributing to assemblies, celebration events, or PSHE activities demonstrates leadership, planning skills, and enthusiasm for wider school life.

• Mentoring individual pupils - Mentoring builds experience in supporting pupils with academic, social, or emotional challenges and shows schools that you can make an impact on individual outcomes.

• Assisting with attendance or wellbeing checks - Helping pastoral teams with attendance follow ups or wellbeing calls provides practical experience of key pastoral processes and strengthens understanding of safeguarding.

Each of these activities helps build confidence and creates meaningful evidence that can be used in applications and interviews.

Building a Track Record of Impact

To become a strong candidate for a Head of Year role, teachers need to show that their actions have made a measurable difference to pupils or groups. 

Schools look for impact because it demonstrates effectiveness, reliability, and the ability to create positive change. Examples include:

• Supporting improvements in attendance - Raising the attendance of a tutor group or targeted pupils shows an understanding of attendance barriers and the ability to work with families and staff to overcome them.

• Reducing behaviour incidents - Helping pupils improve their conduct through restorative conversations or consistent routines demonstrates strong behaviour management and pastoral influence.

• Providing successful mentoring - Working with individuals or small groups to improve confidence, behaviour, wellbeing, or progress highlights your ability to build trust and support vulnerable pupils.

• Improving engagement through clubs or activities - Running a club or activity that boosts participation shows initiative, enthusiasm, and commitment to pupil development beyond the classroom.

• Supporting vulnerable pupils effectively - Helping pupils with SEND, social difficulties, or mental health needs shows empathy, patience, and the ability to put pastoral principles into practice.

Impact is essential because it gives schools evidence that you can contribute positively to the pastoral culture of the school.

Qualifications and Training

There are no mandatory qualifications for becoming a Head of Year. Schools place greater emphasis on pastoral skills, professional attitude, and practical experience. 

However, a range of training opportunities can strengthen your understanding, develop your confidence, and demonstrate commitment to the role. Helpful CPD includes:

• Safeguarding and child protection training - This is essential for understanding statutory duties, recognising early signs of harm, and working effectively within school safeguarding systems.

• Mental health and wellbeing courses - These help teachers support pupils experiencing anxiety, stress, or emotional difficulties and develop strategies for promoting positive wellbeing.

• Behaviour management development - Training in behaviour systems or restorative practice helps teachers manage challenging situations and support pupils in making positive choices.

• Restorative practice - This training develops skills in conflict resolution and helps create a positive, respectful school culture where pupils can repair harm and learn from mistakes.

• SEND awareness training - Understanding the needs of pupils with SEND helps Heads of Year make inclusive decisions and work effectively with specialist staff.

• Leadership qualifications such as the Leading Behaviour and Culture National Professional Qualification (opens in a new tab) - Leadership training builds skills in leading teams, managing change, and improving behaviour and culture across the school.

These courses strengthen your application by showing commitment to pastoral development and preparing you for the complex responsibilities of the Head of Year role.

How to Apply for a Head of Year Role

Applying for a Head of Year role involves understanding the pastoral needs of the school and presenting clear evidence of your experience. Begin by researching the school’s behaviour systems, pastoral structure, and improvement priorities so that your application aligns with their context. Vacancies are commonly advertised on school websites, local authority websites, multi academy trust websites, and internal staff bulletins.

Before applying, reflect on your pastoral contributions, such as mentoring, behaviour support, attendance work, or involvement in wellbeing initiatives. Use these examples to shape your application. 

For interviews, review safeguarding procedures, think about how you would lead a year group, and prepare examples that show strong pastoral judgement and effective communication.

Writing a Strong Personal Statement

A strong personal statement should show that you understand the Head of Year role and have the pastoral skills required. Start by explaining your interest in pastoral leadership and summarising your relevant experience. 

Include specific, measurable examples of impact, such as improved attendance, reduced behaviour incidents, or successful mentoring outcomes.

Demonstrate leadership potential by highlighting contributions to tutor teams, extra-curricular activities, or pastoral events. Finally, show that you understand the school’s values and priorities, and explain how your experience and approach would support their pastoral aims.

Common Interview Questions

Head of Year interviews often explore safeguarding knowledge, pastoral judgement, and communication skills. Many questions are scenario based. Common examples include:

• How would you respond to a safeguarding disclosure?

• What steps would you take to raise attendance in your year group?

• How would you support a pupil with repeated behaviour concerns?

• How would you build effective relationships with parents?

• What would your priorities be in your first term?

When preparing, reflect on real examples from your practice and demonstrate an understanding of safeguarding, behaviour systems, and the importance of consistency and communication.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I become a Head of Year as an early career teacher?

Yes. Early career teachers can become Heads of Year if they demonstrate strong pastoral awareness, effective behaviour management, and clear leadership potential.

Is Head of Year a teaching or non-teaching role?

Most Heads of Year are classroom teachers who receive an additional responsibility payment for their pastoral leadership. They teach a normal timetable, although it may be slightly reduced, and manage pastoral duties alongside their teaching workload. 

Some schools employ non-teaching pastoral managers, but these roles are usually operational and do not include teaching responsibilities.

What’s the difference between Head of Year and Head of House?

Heads of Year focus on the pupils in a single year group and oversee their behaviour, attendance, wellbeing, and personal development. Heads of House oversee a house system that includes pupils from multiple year groups. The Head of House role involves coordinating house events, supporting the broader pastoral culture, and leading cross year activities or competitions. Both roles require pastoral leadership, but the structures and focus areas differ.

Can primary school teachers become Heads of Year?

Yes. Primary teachers often have strong pastoral skills because they work closely with families, support pupils’ emotional needs daily, and teach with a whole child perspective. 

These experiences transfer well to secondary pastoral leadership. During applications, primary teachers should highlight their safeguarding experience, communication with parents, behaviour management, and track record of pastoral impact.

What career paths can follow from being a Head of Year?

Many teachers use the Head of Year role as a stepping stone into wider leadership. Common progression routes include:

• Head of Key Stage, where you oversee several year groups.

• Pastoral Manager, a role focused on behaviour, wellbeing, or inclusion.

• Designated Safeguarding Lead, which involves leading on child protection and safeguarding systems.

• Assistant Headteacher or Deputy Headteacher, particularly in pastoral, behaviour, or inclusion leadership.

The Head of Year role develops valuable leadership skills that prepare teachers for both pastoral and whole school leadership pathways.

Final Thoughts

Becoming a Head of Year is a fulfilling career step that allows teachers to make a meaningful difference to pupils' lives. The role requires empathy, leadership, organisation, and a commitment to safeguarding and wellbeing. 

By gaining pastoral experience, building measurable impact, and preparing a strong application, teachers can confidently work towards this important position. Pastoral leadership plays a crucial role in shaping school culture, and skilled Heads of Year have a positive influence on the experiences and outcomes of pupils across the year group.

References

Keeping children safe in education (opens in a new tab)

Working together to improve school attendance (opens in a new tab)

Education inspection framework (EIF) (opens in a new tab)

Leading behaviour and culture national professional qualification (opens in a new tab)