Designated Safeguarding Lead

As the Academy moves into its seventh and final year of growth, we are looking for an experienced practitioner to lead safeguarding at the Academy. This is a non-teaching role.

About Us

We believe that a happy and settled staff body helps drive the very best performance from our students. We are committed to a high-quality professional development programme and can draw on expertise from across the Harris Federation. As a HASU member of staff at any level you will receive the training and support that you need to carry out your role effectively and develop at a pace that suits you.

We are committed to ensuring that our staff have the right level of balance between work and home life. Our policies and procedures are aimed at allowing our teaching staff to spend as much time as possible planning and delivering lessons.

We work in an award-winning building with excellent facilities. Our thriving staff association ensures all new members of staff soon feel part of the HASU community.

We run a broad and diverse curriculum to a fully comprehensive intake of students.

Our focus on the core value of Integrity means that our behaviour is excellent, with staff supported by a strong and highly visible Academy Leadership Group. Detentions are run centrally, allowing teaching staff to do what they do best: plan and teach amazing lessons.

Attendance and engagement with learning is high, and centrally planned tutor time resources ensure that our tutors can engage with students whilst delivering high-quality experiences.

We are located in Sutton, with good public transport and road links. Central London (Clapham, Victoria) is 25 minutes away. We are on the Surrey border so journeys do not take long in fact journeys from Kent only take just over 30 minutes by car. We have safe and secure onsite parking with electric charging points.

Main Areas of Responsibility

You will be an integral part of the Academy Leadership Group, and contribute fully to the leadership and development of relevant policies and procedures.

The DSL plays a pivotal role in any school. At Harris Academy Sutton, we understand that students cannot progress or work to full their individual potential unless they feel safe, comfortable, and secure in themselves, their learning environment and the spaces beyond. The Academy has a well-embedded and rigorous set of safeguarding procedures, and all here are committed to securing the very safest and most nurturing of environments for our students.

You will be expected to follow the Job Description of the DSL as laid out in Appendix C KCSiE (2023). This will be updated when new guidance is released for Sept 2024.

Qualifications & Experience

We would like to hear from you if you understand the way in which a successful pastoral system can support students through challenging times in their lives. You will need to have experience of working with families, a wide range of external agencies, and understand the complex frameworks and legal structures that support effective student care.

For a full job description and person specification, please download the Job Pack.

Next Steps

If you have any questions about this opportunity, please send us an email, or call to arrange a conversation.

Before applying, please download the Job Pack for full details on the job responsibilities and person specification. This will be helpful for you when completing your application, and throughout the recruitment process.

We encourage you to apply as soon as possible as we may interview and offer to a candidate before the closing date. Please note that we only accept applications submitted before the closing date via our careers website.

Professional Development & Benefits

Our people are at the heart of our success. We have developed a strong culture of collaboration and best practice, with professional development and career planning at its centre. We invest in our staff with support, coaching, mentoring, and a wide range of top-quality training programmes delivered at every level.

In addition to the opportunities for career development and progression, we also offer a competitive rewards and benefits package which includes a Performance and Loyalty Bonus, Pension Scheme with generous employer contributions, a Wellbeing Cash Plan, electric car scheme, 26 days' annual leave (plus bank holidays) for staff who work across the full year, and many other benefits. Learn more about our benefits on our website.

Safeguarding Notice

The Harris Federation and all our academies are committed to ensuring the highest levels of safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people, and we expect all our staff and volunteers to share this commitment. All offers of employment are subject to an enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check, references, an online search, and where applicable, a prohibition from teaching check will be completed.

Equal Opportunities

The Harris Federation is an equal opportunities employer and welcomes applications from all suitably qualified candidates.

We value the diversity of our staff and students, and everyone at the Harris Federation is equally valued and respected. We aim to be an inclusive employer that reflects the communities we serve. We are committed to providing a fair, equitable and mutually supportive learning and working environment.