Assistant Head - Pastoral
Full-time
Permanent contract
Salary: Competitive plus benefits
Start date: Negotiable
Take the next step in your leadership career at one of the UK’s leading girls’ schools.
South Hampstead High School is seeking an outstanding pastoral leader to join our senior team as Assistant Head - Pastoral. Working closely with the Senior Deputy Head - Pastoral, you will help shape the strategic direction of pastoral care while ensuring an exceptional day-to-day experience for pupils in Years 7–11. It is a significant leadership opportunity, offering genuine scope to influence whole-school development and particularly suited to someone with ambitions towards Deputy Headship and potentially Headship in the future.
At the heart of the role will be ensuring that every pupil feels supported, understood and able to flourish. You will oversee and support Heads and Assistant Heads of Year, take a lead on complex pastoral and safeguarding matters as a Deputy DSL, use pupil data and voice to inform pastoral strategy, and help ensure the pastoral curriculum is intellectually challenging.
You will also play an important role in pupil transition, co-curricular life and wider initiatives that strengthen the sense of community across the school.
We are looking for an accomplished leader and pastoral practitioner who can combine strategic thinking with a warm, visible and practical approach to leadership. You will be confident supporting colleagues and pupils through sensitive or complex situations, able to build strong relationships with pupils, parents and staff, and excited by the opportunity to contribute more broadly to senior leadership.
The successful candidate will have a teaching timetable, including a time remission which is commensurate with the role.
About the School
Working at South Hampstead is stimulating, challenging and fun. Located in leafy Hampstead, with the buzz of central London’s cultural life close at hand, the school is very well served by public transport and there are excellent local amenities nearby.
The school is part of the GDST, the UK's leading network of independent girls' schools. We offer a variety of benefits, such as:
- Competitive salaries and pay progression
- Access to extensive professional development opportunities
- Training grants for qualifications
- Generous pension schemes
- Free life assurance benefit
- Interest free loans for training, computer purchase loans and travel season ticket loans
- A Cycle to Work scheme
- Competitive terms and conditions of employment
- A discount of up to 50% on fees for children at GDST schools
To find out more and to apply, please click the apply button.
The closing date for applications is Thursday 1 October 2026 at 9am.
Applications will be reviewed as they are received and suitable candidates may be invited to interview before the published interview date, so early applications are encouraged.
The school may also conduct online searches (including publicly available social media searches) as part of our recruitment processes.
The GDST is committed to diversity, inclusion and real change: a family where every individual is valued, respected and included.
We are committed to the safeguarding of children and child protection screening will apply to this post.
The Girls’ Day School Trust is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, and applicants must be willing to undergo child protection checks appropriate to the post, including online searches and checks with past employers and the Disclosure and Barring Service.