Designated Safeguarding Lead

£35,412 - £45,091 + excellent benefits

Please note that applications for this role will close on Sunday 15th March, with interviews scheduled for Tuesday 24th March.

For children with complex, challenging needs, the level of care and education must go above and beyond and that’s what drives us here at Witherslack Group. With our high staff-to-child ratio and in-house clinical teams, we’re proud to have won a reputation for excellence. Our aspirational homes, schools and ethos help us achieve the best possible outcomes. In short, we’re enhancing life opportunities.

Our Designated Safeguarding Leads are a huge part of making sure our children and young people’s needs are fully recognised and comprehensively met.

You will work as part of the leadership team and report directly to the Head Teacher for this crucial role. You will have the opportunity to collaborate with other members of the Witherslack Group team in different locations to enable you to progress and develop your skills and knowledge.

As a Designated Safeguarding Lead you will take responsibility for safeguarding within the school, this means that on a daily basis you will be liaising with statutory and non‑statutory agencies, parents/carers and staff on matters of wellbeing, child protection and safeguarding and will be a great source of support, advice and expertise in the team.

The Secret Garden School is based in Solihull, currently a single site school, extending to over two sites in September 2026, the school meets the needs of pupils with special educational needs including ADHD, autism, speech, language & communication difficulties, and social & emotional difficulties. The age range is 6‑19 years. The schools is currently registered for 76 pupils. Serving Solihull and the wider community, this is an exciting opportunity to be at the heart of the next phase of The Secret Garden School’s development, with individual pupil progress, care and high‑quality educational experiences at the centre of everything we do.

We know you’re going to do great things. For your hard work and commitment, we reward you with the best salary and benefits package in the education sector. With us, you’ll get to bring learning to life and make a genuine difference to the lives of our young people – plus you’ll get:

• Training: A full induction and on the job training
• Holiday:
  You’ll work hard at WG, so you’ll be rewarded with full school holidays
• Flexible benefits: meaning you can increase/decrease benefits such as life insurance – check out our benefits here
• Wellbeing: a host of wellbeing tools and advice including employee assistance
• Medical cover so you can claim back the cost of things like an opticians or dentist appointment and a host of high‑street
  discounts
• Beautiful working environments with the very best facilities – check out our schools here
• A recommend a friend scheme that offers a £1,000 bonus every time
• Contributory pension scheme – matched up to 5%

Our young people and their families come from all walks of life, diverse backgrounds and with different needs – and our workforce reflects that diversity, so that our teams can engage, encourage and inspire our young people to be themselves. As well as having at least 3 years’ experience in a Designated Safeguarding Lead role, we will also look for:

• Comprehensive portfolio of CPD related to Safeguarding and Child Protection.
• Outstanding interpersonal and problem resolution skills.
• A genuinely empathetic approach is also essential
• Full UK driving licence

At Witherslack Group, inclusion is part of who we are. We’re committed to creating an environment where everyone feels respected, valued and that they truly belong.

As a specialist provider of education and care for children and young people with special educational needs, we understand the importance of embracing individuality and championing difference – especially when it comes to neurodiversity. We celebrate diverse perspectives, lived experiences, and the unique strengths that each person brings to our…