Head of Safeguarding, Mental Health and Well-being

Orchard Hill College is an Outstanding Specialist College (Ofsted, April 2025) offering life-changing learning opportunities to young people and adults with a range of special education needs and/or disabilities. We operate vibrant community-based College Centres across London and Surrey, where committed specialist teams deliver a variety of programmes designed to meet the diverse needs of our students.

Students who study with us have a wide range of needs including profound and multiple learning disabilities, communication and behavioural difficulties and specific medical needs. All students are individual, and their learning programme is designed to support and empower them to achieve their aspirations and goals, whilst developing skills to become more independent members of their community.

We are looking for an experienced and committed Head of Safeguarding, Mental Health and Well-being to provide strategic leadership and operational oversight across the College’s safeguarding and well‑being provision. Reporting to the Principal of Orchard Hill College, the postholder will work closely with Designated Safeguarding Leads, Heads of College and partner organisations to ensure safeguarding arrangements are robust, compliant with current legislation and aligned with sector best practice, while also leading the development of high‑quality support that promotes students’ mental health, emotional well‑being and safety through targeted and responsive interventions.

Key Responsibilities

• Provide leadership and management to regional Designated Safeguarding Leads, supporting the delivery of high‑quality safeguarding, wellbeing and student support across the College.
• Offer senior expertise on complex safeguarding matters, ensuring robust decision‑making and effective responses to serious safeguarding concerns.
• Lead the development and implementation of a College‑wide safeguarding strategy, using data, feedback and best practice to continuously strengthen safeguarding arrangements.
• Promote positive educational outcomes by identifying and addressing the impact of safeguarding, welfare and protection issues on student attendance, engagement and achievement.
• Act as the senior lead for safeguarding partnerships and mental health, working with external agencies and leading a whole‑college approach to mental health and wellbeing aligned with national policy and sector developments.

Key Requirements

• Level 3 Safeguarding Trained
• At least 3 years DSL experience
• Level 2 Qualification in English
• Excellent leadership and management skills, including team development and supervision.
• Experience of working with young people who have barriers to learning or SEND

Rewards & Benefits

• Pathways for progression within the trust, ensuring you can grow and thrive in a supportive and inclusive environment.
• Pension Scheme – you will be enrolled in either the Local Government Pension Scheme (LGPS) or the Teachers’ Pension Scheme (TPS), both offering life cover and financial protection for your family.
• Salary Sacrifice Schemes (Cycle Scheme, Employee Car Lease Scheme and Home Electronics Scheme)
• Employee Wellbeing – We support employee wellbeing with access to counselling, mental health support, generous leave, flexible working, and enhanced parental leave including Employee Assistance Programme, MyGym Discounts, Corporate Eyecare Scheme
• Employee Discounts (Blue Light Card, Costco Membership, Discounts for Teachers, and more)
• Other (Season Ticket Loan and Employee Referral Scheme)

Our Trust

The College is an Academy sponsor and established Orchard Hill College Academy Trust in 2013 which is home to 13 special schools. Together Orchard Hill College & Academy Trust provide for over 1500 pupils and students with SEN across London, Surrey, Sussex and Berkshire. To find out more about us, and what makes us a special place to work please visit our vacancies page.

Working together to transform lives is what we do and across the whole organisation we have a range of experts and practitioners who advocate for children and young people with SEND to ensure they receive the best possible opportunities to achieve their full potential.

As a large specialist education provider we employ over 1500 people across our schools, college and central support team. There is a wide range of job roles available, ranging from teaching and therapy to business support roles and significant career progression opportunities.

It is an exciting time to be part of OHC and we are keen to recruit talented people who can play a key role in realising our mission and who want to make a difference. In return, we offer training and development, competitive pay and benefits in a positive and inclusive working environment.

We are committed to promoting and advancing equality of opportunity by attracting and retaining the most diverse range of students, staff and partners.

If you wish to discuss this opportunity before or after submitting an application form, please get in touch with the college directly. Visits to the College in advance of applications are encouraged.

Your application form will be scored according to each of the requirements laid out in the person specification for this role. Please demonstrate in your statement how your experience, skills and knowledge match the criteria that are required for the role.

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