Attendance Officer

Attendance Officer Role Reports To: Assistant Headteacher (Attendance)

Salary/Grade: Support Staff Scale, D1 Actual salary £23,852 based on FTE £27,779

Hours: Full-Time, Permanent. Monday–Thursday 8:00am to 4:00pm, Friday 8:00am to 3:30pm, (Term Time Only + 1 Week)

Are you a resilient, empathetic, and driven individual looking for a vital role within education supporting your local school? Bridgemary School is looking to appoint a dedicated Attendance Officer to join our amazing community and pastoral support team. At our school, we believe that excellent attendance is the fundamental bedrock of student achievement and well-being. In this critical role, you will monitor, analyse, and challenge student absence, working proactively with students, parents, and external agencies to identify barriers to school attendance and establish effective interventions. Crucially, this role requires a hands-on approach, including conducting regular home visits to engage directly with hard-to-reach families and support students back into the classroom.

Key Responsibilities

• Monitoring and Data Analysis: Maintain accurate records of student attendance and punctuality using the school’s management information system (MIS). Monitor daily data to identify trends, patterns, and students at risk of persistent or severe absence, producing weekly and termly reports for the Senior Leadership Team (SLT) and Heads of Year.
• Intervention and Home Visits: Contact parents/carers on the first day of unexplained absence. Conduct planned and unannounced home visits to establish reasons for absence, deliver school work, offer face-to-face support, or complete safe and well checks. Meet with families in school to design bespoke attendance action plans.
• Multi-Agency and Legal Frameworks: Liaise closely with Heads of Year, SENDCo, and the Safeguarding team. Work collaboratively with the Local Authority Attendance Service, Social Care, and Health professionals. Prepare documentation and evidence bundles for legal interventions, including fixed penalty notices and court prosecutions.
• Administration and Promotion: Manage late-gate procedures and implement appropriate sanctions or interventions. Coordinate school-wide attendance rewards, assemblies, and initiatives to celebrate success. Keep up to date with statutory Department for Education (DfE) guidance.

What We Are Looking For (Person Specification)

Essential Criteria

• Qualifications: A good standard of education (GCSE English and Maths at Grade C/4 or equivalent).
• Experience: Experience working with children, young people, or families in a supportive or challenging capacity.
• Skills & Knowledge: Exceptional communication skills with the ability to remain calm, firm, and empathetic under pressure. Strong IT skills (Word, Excel) and the ability to manage a varied, independent workload.
• Personal Qualities: A high level of resilience, a "thick skin," and a non-judgmental, problem-solving approach to families in crisis.
• You must hold a full, clean UK driving license and have access to a vehicle for daily home visits.

Desirable Criteria

• Professional qualification in youth work, social work, or education.
• Experience working as an Attendance Officer within a secondary school setting and interpreting complex data.
• Knowledge of school attendance legislation, safeguarding procedures, and experience using school systems like SIMS or Arbor.
• A deep commitment to improving the life chances of young people.

What We Can Offer You

• Excellent ongoing CPD, training programmes, and vast career development opportunities across the trust.

• Coaching and mentoring from the academy’s experienced leadership team.
• A comprehensive induction programme.

• A friendly and supportive environment where everyone is committed to a work-life balance.
• Employee benefits including a Cycle to Work scheme, free eye tests, and an Employee Assistance Programme providing free, confidential advice on mental, physical, and financial health.

About TKAT

Bridgemary School is proud to be part of The Kemnal Academies Trust (TKAT), one of the largest Multi-Academy Trusts in the South & East of England. Within the #oneTKATfamily, our shared purpose is to work together to ensure that every child, whatever their background, receives a high-quality education. We place a high value on collaboration—achieving more together—and sharing expertise across our network.

Safeguarding

TKAT is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment. Offers of employment will be subject to the full safer recruitment process, including an enhanced disclosure and barring service check.

Flexible working

TKAT recognises the value of enabling our employees to develop their career and balance this with their commitments and interests outside of work. In TKAT we promote flexible working practices and opportunities to promote a positive work life balance.

Our Commitment - Equal, Inclusive, Diverse

TKAT is committed to inclusion, diversity and equality of opportunity by encouraging and welcoming differences, listening to individual experiences, aspirations and accomplishments and learning how to grow better together. We welcome applications from all suitable candidates, regardless of any protected characteristic.

Access to interview

Be Who You Are at TKAT - should you be selected and invited to interview please let us know if you require us to adapt the recruitment process to enable you to participate as your authentic self. We want applicants to be able to engage with us in ways that support who they are and we are committed to making adjustments within the recruitment process and within the workplace.

To discover what makes Bridgemary School so incredible, please arrange a visit by contacting the Recruitment team on 01329 319966 or email ***email_hidden***.