Deputy Designated Safeguarding Lead; DDSL

Role: Deputy Designated Safeguarding Lead (DDSL)

Location
:
Barnet, London — a five minute walk from High Barnet tube station

Start Date: November 2026

Salary: Band 8 of the Ark Support Scale for Outer London which ranges from £36,041 - £42,764

Contract: Full time, term time only plus 10 days

We are seeking to appoint an experienced, committed and highly organised Deputy Designated Safeguarding Lead (DDSL) to support the continued development of our strong safeguarding culture at Ark Pioneer Academy. This is an exciting opportunity to join a truly exceptional team and play a key role in ensuring that every child at Ark Pioneer is safe, supported and able to thrive.

In this pivotal role, you will support the Designated Safeguarding Lead (DSL) with all safeguarding and child protection matters across the school. You will act as a first point of contact for safeguarding concerns, lead on casework, liaise with external agencies, and ensure robust, compliant safeguarding systems and processes are in place. Your work will be central to promoting pupil wellbeing, early help and effective intervention across the school.

This role sits at the heart of the school’s pastoral and safeguarding systems, ensuring that every child receives timely and appropriate support. You will work closely with the DSL, senior leaders, pastoral teams and external agencies to maintain the highest standards of safeguarding practice. Key aspects of the role include, but are not limited to:

• Acting as a key point of contact for safeguarding concerns and referrals
• Managing safeguarding casework and maintaining accurate, secure records
• Supporting the DSL with the implementation of statutory safeguarding duties
• Coordinating early help interventions and liaising with external agencies
• Contributing to multi-agency meetings, reports and action plans
• Ensuring compliance with “Keeping Children Safe in Education” and all Ark safeguarding policies
• Promoting a culture of vigilance, professional curiosity and early intervention across the school

Your work will play a crucial role in protecting pupils, promoting wellbeing and strengthening our safeguarding provision.

At Ark Pioneer, we believe every child has the right to feel safe, valued and supported at school—and safeguarding is fundamental to achieving this. We are looking for someone who shares this belief and who brings:

• Prior safeguarding experience, ideally in a school or similar setting
• A strong understanding of child protection, early help and statutory guidance
• Excellent communication and relationship-building skills
• High levels of organisation, discretion and professional judgement
• Confidence in managing sensitive information appropriately
• The ability to analyse information, identify risks and act swiftly
• A proactive, solutions-focused and compassionate approach

Experience working in education is desirable, but candidates with relevant safeguarding experience in social care, youth work or related sectors are also encouraged to apply.

There are lots of reasons! We’re lucky to be based in a brand-newbuilding with top class facilities. We serve a wonderfully diverse community - we are non-denominational, mixed gender and two fifths of our pupils receive pupil premium funding. We’re led by our values - Aim High, Have Integrity, Be Kind and Model Determination and our team truly unite behind our vision.

Curriculum is incredibly important to us and we’ve planned backwards from university readiness to give our pupils the very best in every subject discipline. Our team say: ‘All staff are incredibly supportive and positive and it is a great environment to work in’. Read more about our school…