Pastoral Lead/DSL

Role Description

Position: Designated Safeguarding Lead (DSL) and Pastoral Manager

Location: Wisbech, Cambridgeshire

Hours: 40 hours per week, term time

Salary Details: Up to £27,313.04 DOE

Who we are:

Cambian Wisbech School in an independent, DfE-registered, co-educational day school, providing specialist education for up to 51 students, aged 7-17 years.

The School has a well established reputation for providing good quality personalised education for students with social and emotional difficulties along with associated challenging behaviours. Many of our students have had negative experiences in previous school settings and have consequently failed to achieve or integrate successfully. At Cambian Wisbech School, we aim to re-engage learners with their education and to replace feelings of failure and frustration with a sense of belonging and feelings of success. 

Job Purpose:

To provide strategic leadership and operational management of safeguarding, child protection and pastoral care across the school, ensuring that all pupils are safe, supported and able to achieve their full potential. The post holder will lead the school’s safeguarding culture, oversee attendance, behaviour and wellbeing interventions and work closely with families, external agencies and the Senior Leadership Team to remove barriers to learning.

Key Responsibilities:

• Safeguarding (DSL): Act as the school’s Designated Safeguarding Lead in accordance with statutory guidance including Keeping Children Safe in Education 2025.
• Agency Referrals: Manage statutory referrals.
• Pastoral & Inclusion: Co-lead inclusion, student wellbeing, and restorative behaviour strategies while managing the pastoral team.
• Attendance & Families: Drive the whole-school attendance strategy and act as the primary contact for vulnerable families.
• Staff Training: Deliver safeguarding briefings, manage records, and supervise Deputy DSLs.
• SLT Contribution: Sit on the Senior Leadership Team to support inspection readiness and school improvement.

Person Specification:

• Qualifications: Level 3 Safeguarding / Qualified DSL status and a relevant professional degree.
• Experience: Significant safeguarding experience in an educational setting.
• Knowledge: Deep understanding of KCSIE 2025, SEND, trauma-informed practice, and attendance legislation.
• Skills & Qualities: Resilient, compassionate, and child-centred with exceptional risk-analysis and leadership skills.

Why work for us:

• Competitive salary.
• Opportunity to progress in your career.
• Training opportunities either face to face or online.
• Wellbeing- Your wellbeing matters to us, and we are committed to ensuring you get all the support you need.
• You will be a part of a dedicated team of professionals who will offer you clear guidance and mentor you in to this role.
• Supportive management and senior leads.
• We offer full induction, paid for DBS, friendly family atmosphere and the opportunity to progress with one of the UK`s biggest care providers.

We pride ourselves on being an Equal Opportunities Employer and we are committed to safeguarding and protecting the young people and service users within our care. All candidates will be subject to an Enhanced DBS Check and reference checks.

We will conduct online searches of shortlisted candidates. This check will be part of a safeguarding check, and the search will purely be based on whether an individual is suitable to work with children. As care must be taken to avoid unconscious bias and any risk of discrimination a person who will not on the appointment panel will conduct the search and will only share information if and when findings are relevant and of concern.

CareTech Community Services are proud to inform you that they are a Disability Confident Leader.