Head of Year

What skills and experience we're looking for

Who we’re looking for

We’re looking for a talented individual to help foster a caring and supportive learning environment for our young people. Your experience of pastoral care will place our learners’ welfare at the heart of the school.

The successful candidate will be a committed team player with excellent organisational and technical skills. You will have the ability to problem solve and provide excellent customer service to our community.

You will have

• 5 GCSEs including English and Maths at grade 9-4/A*- C.
• Experience of working with young people in an education setting.
• Experience of providing pastoral support within an education setting.
• The ability to maintain positive relationships with students and other adults.
• The ability to speak in front of large groups of students and small groups of staff.

What the school offers its staff

About The Valley Leadership Academy

The Valley Leadership Academy is a secondary school for 11 to 16-year-olds in Bacup. We joined Star Academies in 2019 and, like all Star schools, we have a leadership specialism.

When inspected by Ofsted under the new framework and ‘report card’ grading system in April 2026, the school secured its best-ever outcomes. We achieved ‘Expected standard’ in three areas and ‘Needs attention’ in the remaining three areas, reflecting the significant progress made since the previous inspection.

We are a rapidly improving school with high ambitions and expectations for all our pupils. We provide a knowledge-based academic curriculum alongside a rich and diverse leadership programme that grows character and inspires charitable and social action. Our pursuit of educational excellence is based upon our fundamental belief that every pupil has the capacity to become a successful and inspirational leader.

Commitment to safeguarding

Our organisation is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and vulnerable adults. We expect all staff, volunteers and trustees 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.