Designated Lead

Designated Lead
Location: Working across all of our sites (Dearne Valley College, Rotherham College and North Notts College) in Rotherham and Worksop
Salary: £29,455 a year + benefits
Vacancy Type: Permanent, Full Time (37 hours per week, all year round)
Closing Date:Monday 28 September 2026
Are you a passionate advocate for vulnerable young people? Do you have the drive to break down barriers to education and help care-experienced learners thrive?
You will be the dedicated advocate and bridge connecting students, curriculum teams, and external agencies to ensure these learners are fully integrated into the College community, make exceptional progress, and successfully transition into employment or higher education.
Main Duties & Responsibilities
* Statutory Compliance: Ensure RNN Group remains compliant with all DfE guidance and statutory duties, serving as the lead operational contact for multi-agency support.
* ePEP Coordination: Schedule, chair, and complete electronic Personal Education Plans (ePEPs), ensuring all documentation is submitted within strict statutory deadlines.
* Tracking & Monitoring: Proactively monitor the attendance, retention, achievement, and progress of vulnerable students, including collecting destination data.
* Attendance Intervention: Operate a robust attendance monitoring system, contacting students and support networks early to implement rapid intervention strategies.
* Reporting: Prepare comprehensive termly and annual reports for college committees and the Leadership Team regarding student performance and unmet needs.
* Liaison & Partnership: Establish and maintain strong working relationships between the College, Virtual Schools, and Local Authorities.
* Policy & Admin: Contribute to the review of college policies to ensure they do not unintentionally disadvantage vulnerable groups (e.g., young carers/parents), while managing the administrative systems required by various Virtual School networks.
As our Designated Lead, your ultimate goal is to promote the educational achievement and well-being of our students by:
* Promoting Educational Achievement: Providing targeted pastoral support, mentoring, and advocacy so care-experienced learners achieve on par with their peers.
* Embedding Trauma-Informed Practice: Providing expert advice and guidance to curriculum colleagues on trauma-informed strategies to support individual students.
* Fostering Aspiration: Cultivating an environment where vulnerable learners believe they can succeed, encouraging progression into higher education and sustainable careers.
* Ensuring Emotional Support: Acting as—or facilitating access to—an "Emotionally Available Adult," offering the stability students need to engage with their learning.
* Continuous Service Improvement: Working collaboratively with the Head of Student Support and the wider Welfare team to constantly elevate our pastoral service.
You will…
Experienced within learner support strategies, working with vulnerable young people specifically ‘looked after children’, ‘care leavers’ and ‘young carers’ to develop positive support strategies, to motivate and inspire others to overcome barriers and succeed.
You will hold a Level 2 (or equivalent) qualification in English and Maths (or be willing to undertake), a level 3 (or equivalent) qualification in health and social care, youth work or social studies. Having a Level 3 (or higher) teaching qualification would be advantageous.
Department Info
You will be joining a forward-thinking, collaborative team reporting directly to the Director of Safeguarding and Student Support. Working alongside Safeguarding, Student Support, and Curriculum teams, you will be part of a joined-up ecosystem entirely focused on student success. If you are ready to make a tangible, lasting difference in the lives of young people who need it most, we want to hear from you.
Our excellent benefits and rewards package:
* Access to local government pension scheme
* Up to 41 days annual leave per year including closure during Christmas period
* Access to our gyms, restaurants and salons
* Staff health & wellbeing and benefits schemes including in-house Occupational Health service
* Extensive wellbeing support through a digital Wellbeing Hub that offers a broad range of support for physical, mental, and financial wellbeing.
* Full, part time and flexible working hours available in many roles
* Free Parking available at all of our sites
* Fantastic career development opportunities including funding for teacher training, apprenticeships and various other industry recognised qualifications
What is the RNN Group?
RNN Group’s main goal is to be an ‘outstanding’ education and training provider and this is at the heart of everything that we do. To help us achieve this we are looking to recruit highly motivated, innovative and dynamic individuals to join our existing teams. To be a part of the team at RNN Group we will expect you to be committed to our values too.
To Apply
If you feel you are a suitable candidate and would like to work for RNN Group, please click apply to be redirected to our website to complete your application