Year Leader (Year 7) - Permanent, full time, L9 (2025-2026: £63,070)
Lord Lawson of Beamish Academy
Gateshead
- £63,070 per year
- New
- Salary:
- Leadership, Scale 9
- Job type:
- Full Time, Permanent
- Start date:
- September 2026
- Apply by:
- 30 April 2026
Job overview
Required from September 2026 - subject to all clearances and references being in place.
Further details and application form available at https://lordlawson.academy/about-us/vacancies/ Please note: Application is by application form only; we do not accept CV applications.
Year Leaders are essential pillars of our pastoral structure. They help ensure both the academic progress and personal development of all students within a year group. For this post, the successful candidate will be appointed as the Year 7 Leader. Working closely with senior leaders, their Deputy Year Leader and tutors, Year Leaders coordinate the wellbeing and progress of students while communicating with teachers and senior leaders, parents and carers. They enact the academy’s vision and values and drive progress towards our strategic goals. Under our current pastoral structure, the Year Leader and Deputy Year Leader for Year 7 remain consistent throughout each academic year. This continuity ensures robust, sustained support for students during the critical transition from primary to secondary school and into Year 8. The Year 7 leader holds responsibility for transition. The other year teams take their students from Year 8 through to Year 11.
The pastoral team at Lord Lawson of Beamish Academy brings together a broad range of expertise to support our students to grow, learn and succeed. As Deputy Principal for Pastoral Care and Inclusion, I hold overall responsibility for the pastoral team. Each year group has a teaching Year Leader and a non-teaching Deputy Year Leader, enabling the team to be proactive and visible throughout the school day. The pastoral team also includes attendance officers, a school counsellor and our learning support room team.
Our students are well known locally for their exceptional engagement in a wide range of sporting activities, and our visual and performing arts provision is particularly strong. Students take advantage of more than fifty lunchtime and after school opportunities each week and have raised thousands of pounds for local and national charities. Opportunities for student leadership are plentiful. Classrooms are calm and settled, creating a purposeful atmosphere. Our professional development programme for staff is evidence led and flexible, and colleagues at all levels value the opportunities to discuss, reflect on and develop their practice. This is a pivotal and exciting time to join our pastoral team.
Our students deserve the best and most effective pastoral support we can offer so they can be happy and successful now and in the future. Working together, colleagues have significantly improved our culture for the benefit of our students. In recent years, attendance has risen by more than 6% and behaviour has been transformed. These improvements have created the conditions for far more effective teaching and learning. Despite local and national challenges, we continue to strengthen our culture, and Year Leaders are central to the next phase of this development.
To be considered for this post you must have UK Recognised QTS or equivalent. You will be passionate and eager to make a transformative difference to students in a school that prioritises the support and development of their staff.
If this sounds like the opportunity for you, please access the attached application pack where you will find a letter from our Principal, Dr Andrew Fowler, a letter from Ian Cooper, Deputy Principal, the job description and person specification. Should you wish to pursue this opportunity, please complete the application form.
Lord Lawson of Beamish Academy is committed to ensuring the highest levels of safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, and we expect all our staff and volunteers to share in this commitment. All offers of employment are subject to an Enhanced DBS check, references, and, where applicable, a prohibition from teaching check will be completed for all applicants. In accordance with DfE Keeping Children Safe in Education, an online search will be completed on all shortlisted applicants prior to interview. Any relevant information will be discussed further with the applicant during the recruitment process. Please supply an email address for each of your referees; all references will be taken up and verified prior to interview.
This post is exempt from the provisions of the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act and is subject to an enhanced DBS check.
Application Forms to be submitted: via recruitment@lordlawson.academy
Advert closes: Thursday 30 April 2026, 9am
Shortlist: Friday 1 May 2026
Interview: Thursday 7 May 2026
Attached documents
About Lord Lawson of Beamish Academy
- Lord Lawson of Beamish Academy
- Birtley Lane, Birtley, Chester le Street
- County Durham
- DH3 2LP
- United Kingdom
Lord Lawson of Beamish Academy is a successful 11–18 mainstream co‑educational academy that continues to improve rapidly. Our work is underpinned by our values of trust, respect, courage and ambition. In our most recent Ofsted inspection in December 2025, inspectors recognised the significant progress we have made, stating that “pupils achieve well, enjoy their learning and blossom at this welcoming school”. Attendance and behaviour were judged to be at a Strong standard, reflecting the calm, orderly and respectful culture that has been established. Inspectors also highlighted the strong relationships across the school and the inclusive pastoral support that ensures pupils feel safe, cared for and able to thrive. The other six areas were all judged to be at Expected standard. Achievement remains in line with national averages and continues to improve across a range of subjects. We are committed to embedding improvements so that future cohorts achieve well.
We are a school that is an excellent place to work and learn. Our ambition is to offer outstanding education – within the classroom and far beyond – that engages and stretches all our students. Our staff are energetic, committed and able; our leaders are strategic and well-motivated; our governors are hugely supportive and suitably ambitious. The school is full, and parents want their children to do well. We have a sixth form that is small but focused and successful. Our facilities are outstanding and well maintained.
We have high expectations of our staff. We also recognise that our staff are our greatest asset, and we treat them with respect and care for their wellbeing. We are currently aiming to implement our Vision for Staff, which we co-developed with staff. Staff are happy here; Lord Lawson of Beamish Academy is a good place to work. 82% of staff respondents to the SSAT annual survey agreed or strongly agreed with the statement ‘I would recommend this as a good place to work’. The national average for secondary schools in the survey was 74%.
We value the development of all our staff, and you will develop further during your time here. We provide an exceptional programme of CPD for staff. 82% of respondents to the SSAT annual survey agreed or strongly agreed that they have opportunities to participate in high quality professional learning and development (national average for secondary schools: 68%). Staff develop rapidly here; and consequently, we have very low levels of staff turnover.
Our next steps are to build on our recent achievements, and to further improve the attainment and progress of our disadvantaged students, including those with SEND. We also want to engage more effectively with our community and continue to expand our already thriving extra-curricular offer for our students. Alongside these aims, we will expand our sixth form further, by attracting applications from other local schools, as well as ensuring more of our students’ complete key stage 4 with the qualifications and aspirations required for further academic study.
Principal
Dr Andrew Fowler
Our vision for outstanding education
“Together we grow, learn and succeed”
Students, staff and governors have set an inspiring new vision for the school. This vision shows our belief that, when we work together as a community, every child and adult can reach the very highest standards. We believe that we are strongest when we work together, and that through excellent pastoral care and inspiring teaching, children will be able to grow and learn. Success comes in many different forms, and is important in all aspects of school life, including examinations.
Strong values for growth and success Trust Respect Courage Ambition
Our academy’s strong values capture the spirit of our vision. By showing respect for each other, we learn to trust and be trusted. We show courage in tackling new and complex tasks. We are ambitious for ourselves, and we encourage one another to attain ambitious goals.
For more information please visit our website, http://www.lordlawson.academy
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