Family/Student Support Worker & Deputy Designated Safeguarding Lead - Stony Dean School

Overview

Start Date: ASAP, to be discussed at point of interview

Salary: Bucks Pay Range 3, point 16 to 20: £25,978 to £27,867 (Actual salary)

Contract: Permanent

Hours: Monday to Friday

Closing Date: Monday 02 November 2026, midday

Interviews: WC 09 November 2026

About us

Stony Dean School is a thriving and supportive special school for pupils with learning difficulties aged 11 to 19. We are looking for a reliable, practical, and enthusiastic individual to join our Site Team as a School Minibus Driver / Site Team Assistant.

This is a varied and rewarding role that combines the safe transportation of students with supporting the upkeep, maintenance, and security of our school site. No two days are the same, making this an ideal opportunity for someone who enjoys a hands-on role and takes pride in contributing to the smooth running of a school community.

Why Join Stony Dean School?

At Stony Dean School, our staff make a real difference every day.

We offer:

• A welcoming and supportive team environment
• Opportunities for training and development
• Access to Local Government Pension Scheme
• Employee Assistance Programme
• The opportunity to contribute to the success and wellbeing of our pupils

Website: https://stonydean.bucks.sch.uk/

About the role

To work in partnership with families, students and other professionals as part of our school community to safeguard pupils. The Family and Student Support Worker will work with families, pupils and school staff to help improve the attendance and emotional wellbeing of our pupils. This will include working with our EBSNA students as well as others across the school who require some additional support. The Family and Student Support Worker will support with learning behaviour and participation of students in school life, helping families to overcome any barriers that exist to personalised success. The Deputy Designated Safeguarding Lead (DDSL) role is to support the DSL to manage the day to day safeguarding requirements of the school (within a wider safeguarding team).

Main Duties:

• To promote good attendance inside and outside school through innovative solutions to raising attendance for EBSNA students and those with medical needs
• To have the wellbeing, physical and emotional safety of the student at the heart of every decision made
• To build relationships with families whose child has a low attendance record, improving their attendance and considering the students’ circumstances and underlying needs. This may require working with different agencies
• To ensure that students with long term absence receive quality education, personalised to their circumstances and their journey to improved attendance
• To help families get the right types of support for their personal circumstances and signpost them to services that might support their circumstances
• To make home visits with families of low attending students.
• To meet parents either in the home, virtually or in school to make sure the pupil has the support they need to access education
• To keep accurate and professional safeguarding and visit records using the CPOMS system
• To maintain confidentiality

About you

• Experience of working with complex family cases
• Experience of working in the safeguarding sector
• Recent experience of working in a school or social care setting
• An absolute commitment to taking every possible step to remove all obstacles that will prevent any student being safe, happy and successful
• Demonstrate an understanding of (and empathy with) the issues that may affect a student’s ability to feel safe
• A standard of written and spoken English that supports the requirements of the job (report writing and accurate and professional record keeping)
• Experience of working with children with special needs (not essential but helpful)
• Ability to communicate effectively and purposefully with children and adults at all levels
• Experience of working with children/young people with mental health difficulties (not essential but helpful)

Other information

Further details on this post can be obtained by contacting Rachel Franklin, HR & Compliance on 01494 762538 or email [email protected] for an application form and information pack.

Stony Dean School is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and expects all staff to share this commitment. An offer of appointment is subject to satisfactory references, Enhanced DBS (Disclosure and Barring Service), PO (Prohibition Order) check, social media checks and medical clearance.

This post is exempt from the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 and therefore applicants are required to declare:
• All unspent convictions and conditional cautions
• All spent convictions and adult cautions that are not protected (i.e. that are not filtered out) as defined by the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (as amended in 2020).
For further information on filtering please refer to Nacro guidance and the guidance issued by the Ministry of Justice (see, in particular, the section titled ‘Exceptions Order’).
It is an offence to apply for the role if you are barred from engaging in regulated activity relevant to children. All shortlisted applicants will be required to complete self-disclosure form and return prior to interview.