Steven Pittman

Senior education leader with strategic responsibility for safeguarding, behaviour, attendance, wellbeing, boarding and medical provision. Currently serving as Deputy Principal (Pastoral) and Designated Safeguarding Lead at Buckswood School, where I have led organisational improvement, strengthened safeguarding culture and implemented systems that improved accountability, professional practice and outcomes for young people. I bring a distinctive blend of senior educational leadership, more than twenty years of policing experience and commercial leadership experience as a business director.

My career has centred on supporting vulnerable individuals, leading complex investigations, handling sensitive internal matters, managing organisational change and developing high performing teams. I am interested in senior safeguarding, pastoral, compliance, quality assurance and school improvement opportunities where my blend of school leadership, safeguarding expertise, investigation experience and operational improvement can support schools, trusts and Local Authority partners.

Deputy Principal (Pastoral) & Designated Safeguarding Lead - Buckswood School

(2025-08)

Strategic leadership responsibility for safeguarding, behaviour, attendance, wellbeing, boarding and medical provision. The role has required rapid improvement, operational leadership, complex case management, parental engagement, partnership working, safeguarding oversight and support for vulnerable learners.

• Led safeguarding improvement during a period of action planning and external scrutiny, contributing to full compliance within one term.
• Increased Low Level Concern reporting from approximately 8 concerns annually to more than 130 through training, visibility and improved reporting confidence.
• Managed and quality assured a significant volume of safeguarding, welfare, Low Level Concern and staff conduct matters, with clear separation between safeguarding cases, pastoral concerns, staff conduct and internal complaint processes.
• Introduced direct reporting systems, weekly safeguarding briefings and quality assurance frameworks.
• Provided strategic oversight of behaviour, attendance and pastoral support planning.
• Worked with Heads of Key Stage, boarding teams and support staff to identify and reduce barriers to learning.
• Supported interventions for pupils presenting with disengagement, emotional distress, family challenge and behaviour concerns.
• Promoted consistent expectations, recording and follow up across pastoral systems.
• Led support for pupils experiencing complex social, emotional, behavioural and safeguarding vulnerabilities.
• Developed welfare plans, risk assessments, chronology systems and review processes.
• Worked with SENCO, teaching staff and pastoral teams to improve integration.
• Oversaw complex cases involving mental health, family breakdown, safeguarding risk and attendance concerns.
• Developed systems capable of evidencing impact to inspectors, governors and external professionals.
• Strengthened safeguarding governance, accountability and consistency of practice.
• Led to significant reputational improvement from independent safeguarding advisers, Local Authority professionals and inspection stakeholders.
• Led Wellbeing Award development and wider wellbeing initiatives.
• Worked extensively with police, CAMHS, social care, Local Authorities, LADO services and safeguarding advisers.
• Led complex case discussions, strategy meetings and professional planning processes.
• Built productive relationships with parents and carers to support vulnerable pupils.
• Used multi agency information to assess risk, plan interventions and monitor impact.
• Line managed safeguarding, boarding and medical functions.
• Led training, coaching and safeguarding culture development across the school.
• Supported restructuring and redundancy processes, balancing organisational need, staff welfare, communication and operational continuity.
• Managed sensitive internal matters including staff complaints, whistleblowing concerns, internal investigations, staff welfare issues and organisational change processes, balancing confidentiality, fairness, safeguarding risk and operational continuity.

Detective Sergeant - Sussex Police

(2024-01 - 2025-01)

• Led safeguarding, vulnerability and criminal investigation teams with responsibility for performance, quality assurance and staff development.
• Transformed team performance from one of the division's lowest performing teams into a top three performing team through workload management, staff development and wellbeing support.
• Managed complex investigations, risk decisions and partnership responses involving vulnerable individuals.

Detective Constable - Sussex Police

(2023-01 - 2024-01)

• Managed serious and complex investigations involving vulnerable individuals, safeguarding concerns and high risk decision making.
• Prepared evidential files, conducted interviews and worked closely with partner agencies.

Police Officer - Sussex Police - Hastings

(2002-01 - 2020-01)

• Neighbourhood officer in Hastings, working with communities experiencing significant deprivation and complex safeguarding need.
• Worked with schools, housing providers, youth services, mental health professionals, social care and vulnerable families.
• Chaired and contributed to multi agency meetings focused on safeguarding, community safety and early intervention.

Business Owner and Director - Self-Employed

(2019-01 - 2023-01)

• Held full responsibility for staffing, recruitment, marketing, customer service, budgeting and profit and loss accountability.
• Led operational decisions during challenging trading conditions, balancing customer experience, staffing and financial sustainability.

BA (Hons) - Business Management