Designated Safeguarding Lead (DSL)

Bracken Hill School, Nottingham, Nottinghamshire, NG17 7HZ

32 days remaining to apply

• Start date details

  As soon as possible

• Closing date

  27 February 2026 at 10am

• Date listed

  22 January 2026

Job details

• Job role:
  • Other leadership roles
• Visa sponsorship: Visas cannot be sponsored
• Working pattern: Full time
• Contract type: Permanent
• Full-time equivalent salary: £34,434.00 - £39,152.00 Annually (Actual) Support Pay Scale Band A (Points 23-28 ) Actual Salary £34,434 - £39,152

Designated Safeguarding Lead (DSL) job summary

Job Title: Designated Safeguarding Lead

Location: Bracken Hill School

Grade/Scale: Support Pay Scale

Contract: 37 hours per week, all year round

As our student population continues to grow and their needs evolve, we are introducing an innovative standalone post to further strengthen our provision. We are seeking an experienced, organised, and committed individual to join our academy as the Designated Safeguarding Lead.

Bracken Hill School is an all‑age Special School for pupils aged 4 to 18 years with a wide range of complex educational needs, often accompanied by social and emotional difficulties and challenging behaviour. We currently have 176 pupils on roll.

This role will suit someone who thrives in a fast‑paced environment, is proactive, and can act as an excellent role model for our pupils. Applicants should have strong knowledge and experience of working with vulnerable young people, either in a school or an alternative educational setting.

We are looking for someone with high levels of mental and physical resilience, high expectations, and a genuine sense of humour. The successful candidate must be able to build positive, trusting relationships with our students and be willing to think creatively to meet their diverse needs.

Candidates are required to have daily access to a car with business use included on their car insurance before they start the role. They may be required to transport pupils in their own car, and carry out safe and well visits.

Please see the attached Application pack including a Welcome from The Head Teacher and more information about Bracken Hill School and Esteem MAT.

Please review the attached Job Description to learn more about the role and what we are looking for in the successful candidate.

Benefits Include:

- LGPS Pension Scheme (16.6% employer contributions)

- Generous holiday entitlement

- Access to Westfield Health membership scheme including cashback schemes for health and retail benefits, discounted gym memberships, and free confidential advice.

- Access to National College CPD platform.

For further information, please contact Heidi Bonser (School Business Manager) on hbonser@brackenhill.notts.sch.uk

We reserve the right to interview suitable candidates upon application and may close the application process prior to this date

Esteem Multi-Academy Trust is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of all its students. We expect all staff, volunteers and agency staff to share this commitment. The successful candidate will be required to undertake a Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check. The possession of a criminal record will not necessarily prevent an applicant from obtaining this post, as all cases are judged individually according to the nature of the role and information provided.

We are committed to creating a diverse and inclusive workplace. We welcome applications from all individuals, regardless of age, disability, sex, gender reassignment, sexual orientation, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief, marriage and civil partnership status.

Perfection is not required, if you are excited by the role and our organisation, but not sure if you meet 100% of the criteria, we would still love to hear from you!

Further information about the job

The candidate will be required to undergo a full enhanced DBS check and must be eligible to work in the UK.

Visas cannot be sponsored.

If you're interested in teaching or training to teach in England as an international citizen, we can help you understand your next steps.

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.

Applying for the job

This school accepts applications through their own website, where you may also find more information about this job.

CVs will not be accepted for this application.

About Bracken Hill School

• School type: Academy, ages 4 to 18
• School size: 173 pupils enrolled
• Age range: 4 to 18
• Ofsted report: View Ofsted report
• School website: Bracken Hill School website
• See more jobs: teaching-vacancies.service.gov.uk/organisations/bracken-hill-school-nottingham

The school ethos should be felt as you walk around and meet the staff and pupils. We are a small school and therefore are able to prioritise the individual needs of each child. Nevertheless, we have high aspirations and expectations and particularly value co-operative, sharing and group work which represents developing social maturity in young people. Each class teacher has pastoral responsibility for their own class and will always endeavour to maintain good communications with home.

To enhance knowledge, develop skills and provide enriching experiences that enable young people to embrace opportunities and be successful in the modern world.
• We aim to provide a broad, interesting and accessible curriculum, including the National Curriculum, for all pupils.
• We aim to challenge each pupil to perform to the best of his/her ability.
• We aim to help each pupil develop the skills they need towards independent and responsible living.
• We aim to help meet each pupil’s personal priority needs alongside parents, carers and relevant agencies.
• We aim to provide pupils with a wide range of age appropriate experiences that helps to foster functional daily life resilience.
• We aim to help develop relationships characterised by kindness, helpfulness and respect.
• We aim to enable each pupil to confidently participate in, and contribute to, their local community life.
• We aim to foster knowledge and respect for other people, nationalities, beliefs and ways of life.

At Bracken Hill school, every individual is valued for who they are and what they contribute to the school. Values are intended to support the personal, social and spiritual development of every pupil throughout the school. Through these values we aim to:
• Promote positive behaviour, conduct and self-confidence by developing strong values within the pupils at the school.
• Develop pupils understanding of what values are and why they are important in life.
• Encourage children to ‘live the values’ in all aspects of their lives both in school and out.
• Promote values to pupils in every aspect of school life.
• Promote values in the way in which adults interact with each other and with pupils
• Display our school values and encourage all visitors to take account of them in their time in the school.
• Enable children to focus upon the positive aspects of themselves that they can value, thereby reminding them of their individual worth, their worth in the school and wider communities and the worth of those communities themselves.

Further information about our academy can be found on the website at:
https://www.brackenhillschool.co.uk/

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