Attendance Officer (School)

Location

Stockton-on-Tees

Job Type

Temporary, Full-Time

Primary Industry

Education and Training

Job Description

The Attendance Officer plays a crucial role in promoting and maintaining high levels of pupil attendance across the school. The post-holder works closely with pupils, families, and school staff to monitor attendance patterns, identify issues affecting attendance, and implement strategies to improve punctuality and reduce absence. This role requires a proactive approach to engage with pupils and parents in order to foster positive attendance habits and support the school’s overall safeguarding objectives.

Key Duties and Responsibilities

• Monitor daily attendance registers and follow up promptly on unexplained absences or irregular attendance patterns.
• Contact parents or guardians to discuss attendance concerns, provide support, and offer guidance on school attendance policies.
• Liaise with teaching staff, pastoral teams, and external agencies to address attendance issues and coordinate interventions.
• Maintain accurate and confidential attendance records in accordance with school policies and statutory requirements.
• Conduct home visits when necessary to engage with families and understand barriers to attendance.
• Provide regular reports on attendance trends to senior leadership and contribute to school attendance improvement plans.
• Support the management of authorised and unauthorised absences, including advising on leave of absence requests in line with school and local authority guidelines.
• Deliver information sessions or workshops for pupils and parents on the importance of regular attendance and punctuality.
• Assist in the preparation of documentation for legal proceedings related to attendance where required.
• Maintain up-to-date knowledge of relevant legislation, local authority policies, and best practises in attendance management.

Required Qualifications

• Minimum of GCSEs (or equivalent) in English and Mathematics at grade C/4 or above.
• Relevant training or qualification in safeguarding, child protection, or attendance management is desirable.

Education

• Secondary education to GCSE level or equivalent is essential.
• Further education or training related to education welfare, social work, or youth work is advantageous.

Experience

• Experience working within a school or educational setting is preferred.
• Demonstrable experience of working with children, young people, and families in a supportive capacity.
• Experience in managing attendance records or similar administrative duties.
• Experience of liaising with external agencies, such as local authorities or social services, is beneficial.

Knowledge and Skills

• Strong understanding of the importance of school attendance and its impact on pupil achievement and wellbeing.
• Knowledge of safeguarding principles and child protection procedures.
• Excellent interpersonal and communication skills, with the ability to engage sensitively and effectively with pupils and families.
• Ability to work independently, manage time effectively and prioritise tasks.
• Competent in the use of information technology, including management information systems and Microsoft Office applications.
• Attention to detail and ability to maintain accurate and confidential records.
• Problem-solving skills and the ability to remain calm and professional in challenging situations.

Preferred Qualifications

• Qualification in education welfare, social work, youth work, or a related field.
• Training in conflict resolution or mediation.
• Experience in delivering attendance-related workshops or training sessions.

Working Conditions

• Based primarily within the school environment, working during standard school hours.
• Occasional requirement to work outside normal hours to attend meetings or conduct home visits.
• Interaction with pupils, parents, school staff, and external agencies on a regular basis.
• Use of office equipment such as computers, telephones, and photocopiers.
• Work may sometimes involve exposure to challenging or sensitive situations requiring discretion and resilience.

All applicants will require the appropriate qualifications and training for this role. Please see the FAQs on the Protocol Education website for further details.

All pay rates quoted will be inclusive of 12.07% statutory holiday pay. This advert is for a temporary position. In some cases, the option to make this role permanent may become available at a later date.

Protocol Education is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children. We undertake safeguarding checks on all workers in accordance with the DfE statutory guidance ‘Keeping Children Safe in Education’, this may also include an online search as part of our due diligence on shortlisted applicants.
We offer FREE online safeguarding and Prevent Duty training to all our workers. All candidates must undertake or have undertaken a valid enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check and subscribe to the DBS Update Service.

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