Safeguarding Lead

Bottisham Village College, Cambridge, Cambridgeshire, CB25 9DL

19 days remaining to apply

• Earliest start date

  1 June 2026

• Latest start date

  1 September 2026

• Closing date

  19 April 2026 at 11:59pm

• Date listed

  31 March 2026

Job details

• Job role:
  • Pastoral, health and welfare
  • Other support roles
• Visa sponsorship: Visas cannot be sponsored
• Working pattern: Full time (Can be done as a job share): Full time - 37 hours, 52 weeks. Monday to Friday 8 to 4 (exact hours to be agreed) Also welcome applications for flexible working - eg variation to hours per week, and also open to applications for term time plus 6 weeks across the year (44 weeks total)
• Contract type: Permanent
• Full-time equivalent salary: NJC Scale PO3A points 35 to 38 (£46,142 to £49,282 FTE) Pro rata if part time or term time only
• Pay scale: NJC Scale PO3A points 35 to 38 (£46,142 to £49,282 FTE) Pro rata if part time or term time only

What skills and experience we're looking for

We are seeking an experienced and committed professional to join our school as Safeguarding and Mental Health Support Lead, a pivotal senior role at the heart of the school community. Combining the responsibilities of Designated Safeguarding Lead (DSL) and Mental Health Lead, you will hold operational responsibility for safeguarding, pastoral systems and mental health provision, ensuring the highest standards of practice, compliance and care across the school.

You will lead safeguarding provision, ensuring that all concerns are identified, recorded and acted upon promptly and in line with statutory guidance. You will maintain robust, compliant systems and provide confident leadership in multi-agency working, securing effective collaboration with external professionals to achieve the best outcomes for vulnerable students.

You will lead a team of experienced pastoral and safeguarding staff, establishing clear expectations and holding colleagues to account for the quality, consistency and impact of their work. You will oversee and coordinate in-school counselling provision, ensuring it is strategically deployed, aligned with safeguarding priorities, and subject to regular quality assurance to maximise impact.

You will drive a coherent whole-school approach to mental health, shaping strategy, building staff confidence and ensuring early intervention, inclusion and resilience are embedded in practice. In this role, you play a key role in supporting students whose attendance is affected by mental health needs, ensuring barriers to learning are identified and addressed effectively.

Working in partnership with families and external agencies, you will ensure a coordinated and proactive approach to safeguarding and wellbeing, with a clear focus on improving outcomes for the most vulnerable students.

You may be our ideal candidate if you:

• have experience as the DSL, or ready to step into this role
• demonstrate secure knowledge of statutory safeguarding guidance and multi-agency working
• have successful leadership experience within pastoral, safeguarding or wellbeing teams
• have a strong understanding of mental health and the impact it can have on young people’s engagement and attendance
• are highly organised and able to manage complex caseloads
• are passionate and committed to improving outcomes for vulnerable students

This is a rewarding opportunity for a knowledgeable and compassionate leader who is committed to making a lasting difference to the lives of young people.

What the school offers its staff

Please view our application information pack for details on staff benefits, and more information on why you want to work for Anglian Learning.

Flexible working opportunities

We welcome discussions around flexible working - there is potential for hybrid working in this role although the majority of time will be school based in term time. Whilst we have advertised the role full time, we are actively considering applications from those who wish to be considered for term time (plus 6 weeks across the year) rather than 52 weeks.

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 Safer Recruitment processes follows the Keeping Children Safe in Education guidance. Offers of employment may be subject to the following checks (where relevant):
Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) including Children's Barred List
Medical Clearance
Online checks
Prohibition (teaching roles)
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

Apply for the job by following the link below.

CVs will not be accepted for this application.

Additional documents

If you need these documents in an accessible format, please contact the school.

BVC Safeguarding Lead Info Pack BVC - March '26.pdf - 4.78 MB (opens in new tab)

About Bottisham Village College

• School type: Academy, ages 11 to 16
• Education phase: Secondary school
• School size: 1465 pupils enrolled
• Age range: 11 to 16
• Ofsted report: View Ofsted report
• School website: Bottisham Village College website
• Email address: hrhub1@anglianlearning.org
• See more jobs: teaching-vacancies.service.gov.uk/organisations/bottisham-village-college

We are an ambitious, innovative, comprehensive school, based in the heart of rural East Cambridgeshire and we take great pride in our vision: to inspire, to care for and to enrich the lives of every student within our community. Our maximum capacity of students is 1500 and we are committed to providing an outstanding education to all of our students, enabling them to develop into mature, independent young people, ready to take their place in society. In addition to our academic rigour, our relationship-driven approach permeates throughout all aspects of college life, from the maths classroom to the sports field, from the music room to the ICT suite and from the library to the auditorium, this is a college where we recognise the transformative power of positive relationships. Students will only succeed if they are happy and we make every effort to achieve this.

The college was opened in 1937, and remains a focal point for village life and a community ethos: a comprehensive adult education programme, a community sports centre and extensive provision for the arts and physical education as well as a well developed enrichment programme for all. In essence, the facilities are the gateway to connecting all our catchment communities. Henry Morris, the founding father of the Village College ideal, believed that schools should be the pulse of the local community, open to all and offering an attractive stimulating environment. As our college grows, we shall never lose sight of the Henry Morris ideal: community is at the heart of all we do.

Arranging a visit to Bottisham Village College

To arrange a visit and increase the chance of a successful application email hrhub1@anglianlearning.org.

School location

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