Deputy Designated Safeguarding Lead

At Bridgwater College Academy, effective safeguarding extends beyond processes and procedures. It is about building strong relationships with children, families and staff, identifying concerns early and ensuring that support is delivered effectively. The successful candidate will work closely with the Trust Safeguarding Lead, academy leaders, pastoral teams and external agencies to ensure safeguarding practice remains robust, responsive and child-centred.

This is a role within a large all-through academy and forms part of a wider safeguarding team. This role will act as Designated Safeguarding Lead for the Primary Phase with 560 pupils on roll.

We are seeking a committed and highly effective Deputy Safeguarding Lead to provide operational leadership for safeguarding and child protection across the Primary Phase (including online safety).

The successful candidate will lead on day-to-day safeguarding operations, ensuring timely, appropriate and high-quality responses to concerns. This will include responsibility for safeguarding records, chronologies, case management and decision-making. You will deputise for the academy DSL when required, represent the academy at multi-agency forums as required, and contribute to multi-agency working to secure the best outcomes for children. This role offers genuine leadership responsibility and the opportunity to influence safeguarding strategy across the primary phase.

The postholder will be expected to challenge practice, escalate concerns where necessary and influence decision-making in the best interests of children.

You will also play a key role in supporting and advising staff, promoting a strong safeguarding culture, and ensuring all processes align with statutory guidance and best practice.

Who We’re Looking For

We are seeking an experienced and committed safeguarding professional who is passionate about ensuring the safety and wellbeing of children and able to make a significant impact within a school on a rapid improvement journey. The successful candidate will demonstrate:

• A strong commitment to safeguarding and child protection, with the ability to act decisively to secure the best outcomes for pupils, alongside a clear expectation that the postholder will challenge practice, escalate concerns where necessary, and influence decision-making in the best interests of children.
• Proven experience in a safeguarding, pastoral or child protection role, ideally within an educational setting.
• A secure understanding of statutory safeguarding guidance (including KCSIE) and the confidence to apply this in practice.
• The ability to manage complex and sensitive cases with professionalism, resilience and discretion.
• Strong interpersonal skills, enabling them to build effective relationships with pupils, families, staff and external agencies
• High levels of organisation and attention to detail, with a commitment to accurate and timely record-keeping
• The confidence to support, challenge and advise colleagues to ensure consistently strong safeguarding practice across the school and escalate concerns appropriately where required
• A reflective, resilient and values-driven approach, with a relentless focus on improving outcomes for vulnerable children
• Designated Safeguarding Lead (DSL) training, or a willingness to undertake DSL training immediately upon appointment

This role would particularly suit someone who is motivated by the opportunity to contribute to meaningful change and play a key role in strengthening safeguarding within a supportive and ambitious team