A head of year is a senior teacher responsible for the pastoral care, wellbeing, and behaviour of all pupils in one year group. They oversee form tutors, manage escalated pastoral concerns, and are the main parent contact when a concern cannot be resolved at form-tutor level.
What does a head of year do?
The head of year works at a level above the individual form tutor and below the senior leadership team, acting as the year group's pastoral manager. Typical responsibilities include:
- Monitoring attendance: Tracking patterns of absence across the year group and following up persistently poor attendance with parents and, where necessary, the local authority
- Managing behaviour: Handling detentions, referrals, and behaviour interventions for pupils in their year group who have been referred by subject teachers or form tutors
- Pastoral casework: Leading the school's response to individual pupil wellbeing concerns — bullying, family difficulties, bereavement, mental health needs — and coordinating with the school counsellor, SENCO, or external agencies
- Year group assemblies: Leading or contributing to weekly assemblies for the year group, covering themes of wellbeing, behaviour, achievement, and school values
- Parent communication: Writing to or meeting with parents about pastoral concerns, supporting them in understanding school processes, and advocating for their child within the school system
- Transition support: Leading the Year 7 induction process at the start of the year; supporting the Year 11 or Year 13 pupils through the pressures of external exams
How does a head of year differ from a form tutor?
Parents sometimes find it difficult to know which staff member to contact. The table below sets out the key differences:
| Feature | Form tutor | Head of year |
|---|---|---|
| Responsibility | One form group (25–30 pupils) | Entire year group (150–300 pupils) |
| Daily contact with pupils | Yes — registration every morning | Less frequent — mainly in year assemblies and specific cases |
| Type of concern handled | Day-to-day pastoral: lost PE kit, minor friend disputes, routine communications | Escalated issues: persistent bullying, attendance problems, behaviour referrals, complex family situations |
| When to contact | First point of contact for minor concerns | After the form tutor has been informed, or for serious/urgent matters |
| Report writing | Individual pupil report comment | Oversees the process; may write a year-group-level statement |
The form tutor is the daily pastoral relationship; the head of year is the strategic pastoral manager who acts when more serious or sustained intervention is needed.
What is a year leader or pastoral manager?
Some schools use different titles for the same role: Year Leader, Year Manager, Pastoral Manager, Head of House, or Progress Leader. In most cases these are interchangeable with Head of Year. The key indicator is whether the person is responsible for the wellbeing and pastoral oversight of an entire year group; if so, they are the equivalent of a head of year regardless of the specific title.
A small number of schools use a vertical pastoral structure — where form groups span multiple year groups rather than being organised by year. In these schools there may be a House Leader or Pastoral Director whose remit covers pupils from Year 7 to Year 11, rather than a single-year Head of Year. The principle is the same.
How many pupils does a head of year oversee?
A head of year is responsible for every pupil in one year group. In a secondary school with five or six forms per year, that typically means 150 to 200 pupils. In a large secondary or academy with seven or eight forms per year group, it may be 210 to 280 pupils.
Heads of year are normally subject teachers as well — they teach their curriculum subject for some of the week and carry out their pastoral role for the rest of their timetable. The pastoral role typically receives a responsibility payment and, in many schools, a reduced teaching timetable to allow time for meetings, correspondence, and casework.
When should parents contact the head of year?
Contact the head of year (rather than the form tutor alone) when:
- Bullying or harassment is involved and an initial conversation with the form tutor has not resolved it
- Attendance is a concern and your child's absences are building up
- A significant family change (bereavement, parental separation, serious illness) is affecting your child and you want the year group team to be aware
- A safeguarding concern needs to be raised — though in urgent cases, contact the school's designated safeguarding lead directly
- Behaviour or exclusion is an issue — the head of year will be leading the school's response
- You are not satisfied with the response received from a form tutor and want to escalate
For GCSE or academic concerns, the subject teacher or head of department is usually more appropriate than the head of year.
Frequently asked questions
Can parents request a meeting with the head of year?
Yes, at any time. Email or phone the school office, explain that you would like to speak with the head of year for your child's year group, and the office will pass the request on. Most heads of year are responsive to parent concerns — being accessible is a core part of the role. Allow 48 hours for a response; if you do not hear back, a follow-up to the school office is reasonable.
Is the head of year responsible for my child's academic results?
Not directly. The head of year's primary focus is pastoral. If you have concerns about academic progress in a specific subject, the subject teacher or head of department is the right first contact. However, the head of year often holds an overview of a pupil's overall attainment and may notice where pastoral problems are affecting academic performance. They can broker communication between you and the relevant subject teachers.
Do heads of year change every year?
Policies vary. Some schools keep the same head of year with the same cohort — moving from Year 7 to Year 11 together over five years, which builds strong relationships. Others assign heads of year permanently to a specific year group (e.g., there is always a Head of Year 10, and a different teacher always leads Year 9). Ask your child's school which model they use, especially if continuity of pastoral support matters to you.
What should I do if I feel the head of year has not helped?
After raising a concern with the head of year, if you are not satisfied with the response, the next step is to contact a member of the senior leadership team — the deputy headteacher with pastoral responsibility, or the headteacher. A formal written complaint to the school's complaints procedure is also an option and is documented, which means the school must respond within a defined timeframe.
For academic support alongside your school's pastoral care, visit aitutors.me.