Rachel Gosling

In my current role as Designated Safeguarding Lead (DSL), I have a variety of duties including managing child protection concerns in line with statutory guidance including Keeping Children Safe in Education and PREVENT, identifying , assessing and responding to safeguarding risks, making referrals to Children's Social Care, Early Help and multi-agency services where appropriate as well as maintaining accurate, confidential safeguarding records and overseeing the school's CPOMS reporting systems.

In addition to these duties, I also attend Child Protection Conferences, Core Group meetings and Team Around the Family (TAF) meetings as well as providing direct support to vulnerable pupils and families who are experiencing a variety of ACEs including poverty, domestic abuse, mental health challenges, substance misuse, housing instability, and other complex issues.

As part of my role I build trusted relationships with hard-to-engage families to improve attendance, behaviour and safeguarding outcomes and also deliver early intervention support plans to reduce risk and prevent escalation to statutory services. I also train and advise staff on the most up-to-date safeguarding procedures, child protection thresholds and professional curiosity, as well as working collaboratively with external agencies including Social Services, ELCAS, CANW, CFW, Police and Housing Support. I support pupils' emotional wellbeing through pastoral care, crisis response and therapeutic conversations as well as contributing to whole-school safeguarding audits and Section 175 compliance.

As part of my attendance role, I monitor persistent absence and implement targeted interventions to improve attendance.

Provided dedicated 1:1 support for a pupil with Special Educational Needs, implementing tailored learning strategies to meet individual academic, social and emotional needs. Worked closely with the SENCO, teaching staff and external professionals to deliver personalised interventions, monitor progress and adapt support plans accordingly. Promoted independence, resilience and positive behaviour through structured routines, clear communication and consistent safeguarding practice. Built a trusting relationship with the pupil and their family, ensuring a holistic approach to learning and wellbeing.

As a family support worker employed by Home Start UK, my duties were a mixture of frontline family support, volunteer training and liaison and community engagement.

The frontline family support and case work included building strong, supportive relationships with families facing a variety of challenges such as isolation, poor mental health, financial stress or parenting difficulties. This involved assessing families needs, helping to identify priorities, and working one-to-one with families to offer practical guidance, emotional support and signposting to other services. I also had to manage a caseload of families, regularly reviewing progress and adjusting support plans when needed.

My duties also included volunteer coordination and support which involved matching families with trained Home-Start volunteers based on need and suitability, providing on-going supervision, guidance and support to volunteers, ensuring they feel confident and safe in their roles and working with volunteers to monitor how family support is progressing and intervene if additional input is needed.

The other part of my role was around partnership and community work. This involved maintaining effective relationships with local services and referring partners (such as health visitors, schools, children's centres, social care and local businesses) to ensure families could access wider support networks when needed. I also helped organise and facilitate group activities, family play sessions, and community events that supported families beyond individual home visits.

I worked as a Primary Class Teacher across all year groups from Reception to Year 6, demonstrating adaptability and a strong understanding of the full primary curriculum and developmental stages. I planned and delivered engaging, differentiated lessons to meet a wide range of abilities and needs, including pupils with SEND and EAL, as well as effectively assessing progress, tracking attainment data and implementing targeted interventions to raise standards. As RE and Music Lead, I led curriculum development across the school, ensuring high-quality planning, progression and assessment in line with statutory guidance, as well as leading the school through a highly successful SIAMS inspection. My other duties included monitoring teaching and learning, supporting colleagues with subject knowledge and resources, and promoting inclusive, reflective practices that fostered respect and understanding of diverse faiths and worldviews.

I served as Deputy Headteacher at Branwood School, providing strategic leadership to drive school improvement and high standards of teaching and learning. My duties included leading whole-staff training and professional development, supporting teachers and support staff through coaching, mentoring and performance management processes, including appraisals, as well as analysing pupil progress data to identify trends, inform interventions and ensure targeted support to raise attainment and close gaps. As deputy head teacher I also built positive, professional relationships with parents and external agencies, effectively managing communication and resolving any concerns. I also led and organised collective worship, promoting the school's values, spiritual development and inclusive ethos across the wider school community. During this time I was the Year 6 class teacher and was involved in preparing the pupils for their SATs examinations as well as external examinations for a variety of secondary schools.

During my time at St Joseph's Park Hill School, I was a class teacher across both EYFS, KS1 and KS2. My day to day role included fostering positive learning environments by maintaining strong classroom discipline, implementing innovative teaching strategies to engage students in the learning process and coordinating with special education professionals for developing individualised education plans.

I also developed engaging lesson plans which aligned with the national curriculum, organised regular assessments to evaluate students' understanding of topics taught and adapted teaching methods for diverse student needs and abilities.

I maintained up-to-date records of each student's academic progress and attendance and worked collaboratively with teaching assistants to offer children optimal care and education.

I also worked closely with colleagues to plan school events and projects.