About this Role

This is a rare and exciting opportunity to be part of shaping an exceptional comprehensive school in the early stages of its journey. As a member of The Swan School's team, you will help to build the foundations of an outstanding secondary school from the ground up.

We are looking for an Assistant Head of Year to work closely with a Head of Year, team of tutors, and other pastoral colleagues to ensure that students' personal and social needs are met, allowing them to achieve more than they ever believed possible. As well as helping to establish a positive ethos for all students, Assistant Heads of Year work closely with members of staff on all aspects of pastoral support including attendance, behaviour, home-school liaison, and student well-being. You will also have the chance to work closely with individual students and families. Assistant Heads of Year are essential members of our pastoral teams and are also involved in delivering our enrichment programme.

This is ideally a full time role but flexible working may be considered for the right candidate.

What skills/experiences are required?

The successful candidate will share our ambitions for our students and be passionate about the role that schools can play in breaking down barriers to help students to achieve success. You will relish the challenge of creating a new school that will be different to other comprehensive schools in the city. You will be a highly motivated team player who is keen to get involved in all aspects of school life and learn new skills. Development opportunities will arise as the school continues to grow.

The successful candidate will have some experience of working with children and young people. This will ideally be in a secondary school setting (but this is not essential). You should have a good understanding of some of the barriers that young people face.

This role will require good organisation and communication skills as you will be working with a range of different groups of people - students, parents, staff, and external agencies.

How to apply

If you have any questions or would like to speak to someone about this post, please contact us via headteacher@theswanschool.org.uk or on 01865 416070. You are advised to visit our website to find out more about working at The Swan. Website: https://theswanschool.org.uk/work-at-the-swan/

We would be delighted to arrange an opportunity to visit the school and or speak to existing members of staff.

Applications for this post should be made through the My New Term recruitment portal. Please contact us if you have any queries regarding the application process.

The deadline for applications is 08.00am on Monday 16th February 2026, with interviews to be held the week commencing 23rd February 2026. Please note that applications will be considered as they are submitted and the school reserves the right to withdraw the advert early if a suitable candidate is found.

About the school

The Swan School, part of the River Learning Trust, is Oxford’s first new secondary school for over 50 years, and opened in September 2019. When full, we will have approximately 1,200 students on roll, of whom around 300 will be in the Sixth Form. Our students are drawn from a local catchment area and the school is at the heart of the community.

Learning from the most successful approaches at the best schools, The Swan School provides a uniquely challenging and structured experience in a caring and disciplined environment. The ethos is academic; we regard an excellent academic education as the entitlement of all young people, no matter what their background or previous experiences of learning. Students are inspired and nurtured, acquiring the knowledge and skills to think critically and creatively. They will learn to be confident, resilient and ambitious, and will have high expectations in terms of their own achievements and their contribution to wider society.

Student outcomes at The Swan School are exceptional - our first cohort of GCSE students achieved a Progress 8 score of +0.55, placing The Swan in the highest category of schools across the country. In 2023, the school was graded by OFSTED as outstanding for Behaviour and Attitudes, Personal Development, Leadership and Management, and Sixth Form.

The Swan School is part of the River Learning Trust, which facilitates collaboration, professional development, and opportunities across a wide range of other highly successful schools.

About the River Learning Trust

Education has the power to change lives, communities and society for the better. At RLT we believe that we can achieve more for our pupils, trainees, staff and communities by working together rather than alone. Schools in RLT are united by a common belief in the benefits of working together, and by our commitment to shared principles.

OUR VISION is for our schools and SCITT to improve rapidly, continuously and sustainably: to be better faster together.

OUR ‘WHY?’ is that children and young people ‘only get one go’ in school and therefore as part of RLT we aim to ensure the best possible ‘go’ for our pupils.

OUR ‘HOW?’ is through the highest support and challenge for our schools and each other, underpinned by our principles.

Our employees benefit from a wide variety of support including extensive continuing professional learning and development opportunities, wellbeing and staff networks and access to Defined Benefit Pension Schemes (TPS and LGPS) for all staff. For more information on what it is like to work for the Trust, and the benefits you could access, please see the Working in RLT Guide 

Safeguarding

The River Learning Trust and The Swan School are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of all children and preventing extremism. All staff must ensure that the highest priority is given to following the guidance and regulations to safeguard children and young people. The successful candidate will be subject to an enhanced DBS check. Employment will also be conditional on the receipt of at least two acceptable references (one from current/latest employer) and evidence of the formal qualifications required for the role. This role includes regulated activity relevant to children. It is an offence to apply for certain roles within schools if you are barred from engaging in regulated activity relevant to children. You should contact the school if you are unsure if this role includes regulated activity relevant to children.  

For all RLT Safer Recruitment Documentation candidates should click on this link 

The Swan School's Safeguarding and Child Protection Policy can be found on this link