Deputy Head Inclusion & Safeguarding

Our Story:

Halton is a vibrant local authority with a rich history and heritage, featuring two iconic bridges that connect communities across the River Mersey. Located in Cheshire, Halton boasts excellent transport links between Liverpool and Manchester, as well as close proximity to both Liverpool John Lennon and Manchester Airports.

Our progressive community strategy aims to bring about meaningful, long-term improvements that enhance lives. It’s an exciting time to join us as we develop new policies and transform the way people access services.

We are immensely proud that when asked what’s great about working for Halton, the most popular response from our workforce has been ‘our colleagues’.

Our Team:

Are you a passionate and experienced leader committed to improving outcomes for vulnerable children and young people? We are seeking a Deputy Headteacher for Safeguarding and Inclusion to join our Virtual School team and lead on safeguarding, inclusion, and wellbeing for children in care and other vulnerable cohorts.

Why Join Us?

A unique opportunity to make a real difference in the lives of vulnerable learners.

A supportive and forward-thinking team with a shared commitment to equity and inclusion.

Opportunities for professional development and cross-sector collaboration.

Flexible working arrangements and a focus on staff wellbeing.

Your Contributions:

As Deputy Head for Safeguarding and Inclusion, you will play a critical role in ensuring that all children supported by the Virtual School—particularly those in care, previously in care, or with a social worker—receive the support they need to thrive in education. You will lead on inclusive practice and multi-agency collaboration to remove barriers to learning and promote positive outcomes.

Key Responsibilities:

Act as the Designated Safeguarding Lead (DSL) for the Virtual School.

Lead on inclusion, SEND, and wellbeing strategies across a dispersed cohort of learners.

Work closely with social care, education providers, health services, and families to coordinate support.

Monitor and evaluate the impact of interventions and ensure statutory responsibilities are met.

Provide training, guidance, and challenge to schools and settings to improve inclusive practice.

Contribute to the strategic leadership of the Virtual School and support the Headteacher in driving improvement.

What We’re Looking For:

Significant experience in safeguarding, inclusion, and working with vulnerable children.

Strong understanding of the Virtual School remit, including the needs of children in care and those with a social worker.

Excellent leadership, communication, and partnership-building skills.

A commitment to trauma-informed, inclusive, and child-centred practice.

Qualified Teacher Status (QTS) is desirable, however senior leadership experience in education or children’s services is essential.

Our Offer:

Aside from working with a great team, our employees have access to a fantastic range of benefits, including:

• A generous annual holiday allowance starting at 34 days per year (including bank holidays), increasing with long service with the option to purchase an additional four-days of unpaid leave for our Annual Christmas Closedown
• Membership of our defined benefit, salary-linked Local Government Pension Scheme (LGPS) with generous employer contributions
• 3 x Salary Life Cover via Local Government Pension Scheme
• Investment in your personal development
• Free Car Parking at HBC sites
• Flexible working arrangements
• Extensive employee benefits platform including discounted shopping, car leasing, gym memberships, wellbeing hub and Employee Assistance Programme.

Next Steps:

At Halton Borough Council, we want all of our candidates to feel well-informed so if you would like to have an informal chat about this role, please contact (Joanne Dunning, joanne.dunning@halton.gov.uk)

Interviews will take place on Tuesday 3rd February 2026, Closing date 25th January 2026

At Halton Borough Council we want to ensure that our communities are represented across our workforce and a vital part of this is to encourage diversity in all respects. We are committed to making our recruitment practices barrier-free and tailored to best suit the needs and strength of the individual. This includes making adjustments for people with a disability, neurodiversity or with long-term health conditions. If you require accommodations, please reach out during the recruitment process so that we can make this the best possible experience for you – resourcing@halton.gov.uk

Please refer to the attached Job Profile for further information about the role and our values.

We reserve the right to close this vacancy earlier than the specified date should we receive sufficient applications. If you’re interested, please complete your application as early as possible.

We look forward to receiving your application!