Assistant Head of Education

Role Description

The Cambian Group is one of the largest providers of specialist behavioural health services for children and adults in the UK. Our work in the UK embraces many specialist services including children’s specialist education, children’s residential services, adult mental health, acquired brain injury and fostering services.

The Forum School

The Forum School and Residential Home is a 52-week residential and specialist school providing quality therapeutic care and education for young people with Autism, severe learning difficulties and challenging behaviour and complex needs. The children and young people that attend our school range between 7 and 19 years of age.

Job Purpose

To provide strategic leadership for safeguarding, attendance, wellbeing, pastoral care, and pupil welfare, ensuring that all pupils are safe, supported, and able to thrive.

Key Responsibilities

• Act as the school's Designated Safeguarding Lead (DSL).
• Lead all safeguarding and child protection processes.
• Monitor safeguarding practice and ensure compliance with statutory guidance.
• Manage referrals to external agencies including Social Care, Police, and Health professionals.
• Lead attendance strategy and monitor attendance trends.
• Oversee pupil welfare, mental health, and emotional wellbeing provision.
• Coordinate support for vulnerable groups, including looked-after children.
• Lead safeguarding training for all staff.
• Produce safeguarding reports and analysis for governors and senior leaders.
• Develop strong relationships with families and external agencies.
• Manage and develop the Positive Behaviour Support Lead and Wellbeing, Enrichment and Residential Coordinator.
• Lead the pastoral strategy and personal development agenda across the school.

Person Specification

• Qualified Teacher Status (QTS)
• Degree-level qualification or equivalent
• Designated Safeguarding Lead (DSL) training (or willingness to undertake/update upon appointment)
• Successful experience as a senior or middle leader within a school or specialist educational setting.
• Significant experience of leading safeguarding and child protection practice.
• Extensive knowledge and practical application of Keeping Children Safe in Education, Working Together to Safeguard Children, and related statutory guidance.
• Excellent understanding of autism and the needs of children and young people with additional complex needs.
• Strong understanding of trauma-informed and relational approaches to behaviour and wellbeing.

Requirements for an Enhanced DBS and reference checking will be undertaken in line with government regulations and safer recruitment best practice. Whilst we endeavour to keep the recruitment process as short as possible due to the nature of these important checks it may extend the processing time. All young people are equally entitled to have their needs met in a fair and balanced way. Cambian Group employees are responsible for promoting equal opportunities for all and for challenging behaviour or practice which discriminates against any young person or colleague on the grounds of race, religion, disability, age, gender, sexual orientation or any other perceived difference.

We will conduct online searches of shortlisted candidates. This check will be part of a safeguarding check, and the search will be purely 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 be on the appointment panel will conduct the search and will only share information if and when findings are relevant and of concern.