Senior Student Development leader; DSL

Job . ECCL Position Type:
Assistant Headteacher Pay Range: £49,805

Position

Start Date:

10/04/2026 Contract Type:
Full-time/Part-time Contract Term:
Permanent

Application Close: 27/02/2026 Midnight Date of Interviews: tbc

The Basildon Academies are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and expects staff to share this commitment. The successful applicant will be subject to DBS and health checks.

We currently have an exciting opportunity for an outstanding candidate to join our Senior Leadership Team as Senior Student Development Leader with the remit of Designated Safeguarding Lead(DSL).

The Designated Safeguarding Lead (DSL) will take lead responsibility for safeguarding and child protection across the school, working closely with senior leaders and external agencies to ensure safeguarding is effective, robust, and embedded within school culture.

The SSDL Designated Safeguarding Lead is responsible for:

• Promoting the welfare of children across our school
• Managing referrals relating to suspected abuse, neglect, radicalisation, criminal activity or concerns about staff conduct
• Acting as a source of advice, expertise and support for all staff on safeguarding matters
• Supporting and guiding staff through referral processes and safeguarding decision-making
• Maintaining accurate, confidential safeguarding records (CPOMS)
• Supporting positive educational outcomes for vulnerable pupils
• Ensuring safeguarding policies, procedures and training are up-to-date

We are looking for someone who is committed, resilient and child-centred, with strong safeguarding knowledge and the confidence to work collaboratively with staff and external professionals.

We are an aspirational academy operating across two sites. The Lower Academy specialises in the teaching of our Key Stage 3 students, whilst the Upper Academy specialises in teaching Key Stage 4 and 5. We pride ourselves on being a truly inclusive academy and this is actively underpinned by our motto 'Aspire Believe Achieve'.

If you would like to be considered for this opportunity, please download and complete our application form and on a separate document, please demonstrate how your knowledge, skills and experience meet the

Key Responsibilities criteria on the job description (1500 words maximum). Please return both documents to our Recruitment Coordinator,Olivia Faustino
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We reserve the right to close this advertisement early if we receive a high volume of suitable applications or are able to fill the position faster than originally anticipated.

The Basildon Academies is focused upon developing the whole child; our curriculum has been developed to enable our students to develop their knowledge, understanding and skills so that they will become lifelong learners. This includes opportunities for linguistic, mathematical, scientific, technical, human, social, physical and artistic learning so that students make progress in a wide range of subjects.

We set high expectations of all our students and this, in turn, ensures we create a positive climate for learning in which every student can reach their full potential. Our Academy is a calm, orderly and purposeful environment where students enjoy their learning, make good progress and feel safe.

Our Sixth Form is a major part of the academy with the structure modelling itself on developing independent learning skills like those seen in universities which allows students to continue their studies in their specialist subject areas. Students are very much encouraged to become mature adults being engaged in many aspects of the life of the academy which further develops those much needed skills to go on into university or the world of work.

All appointments are subject to safer recruitment requirements to ensure the safeguarding of children and young people. All positions will involve appropriate checks and clearances.