Administrative Officer The Blandford School

Dorset Council; Blandford Forum; Hybrid; GBP 23,000 - 24,000; Full time

Job summary

The Blandford School is seeking an Attendance Administrator to join our administration team. This pro rata, term-time plus inset days role involves maintaining accurate attendance records, liaising with parents and staff, and generating regular attendance reports to drive improvements in pupil punctuality and attendance.

The successful candidate will have excellent organisational skills, experience with confidential data, and proficiency in Microsoft Office.

Qualifications

• Excellent organisational and administrative skills.
• Strong attention to detail and accuracy.
• Confidence in analysing and presenting data.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
• Ability to build positive and professional relationships with internal and external stakeholders.
• Experience of working with confidential information.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office.
• Ability to manage competing priorities and work under pressure.

Responsibilities

• Maintain accurate and confidential attendance records in line with school policies and statutory requirements.
• Act as a key point of contact for parents, staff, governors and external stakeholders regarding attendance matters.
• Monitor daily and lesson by lesson attendance registers, investigate absences and ensure accurate attendance coding.
• Monitor and analyse attendance data on a weekly basis, identifying trends and students requiring intervention.
• Produce and present attendance reports for Senior leaders, governors and external stakeholders, highlighting key trends and concerns.
• Administer and issue relevant documentation for attendance review meetings.
• Prepare reports and documentation for attendance panels and intervention meetings.
• Produce reports relating to Elective Home Education (EHE) and prepare information for governors and external agencies.
• Administer penalty notice processes relating to unauthorised holidays and attendance concerns.
• Conduct truancy calls and attendance checks throughout the school day.
• Contact parents and carers regarding attendance concerns and support plans.
• Process student attendance documentation, including off-roll and Elective Home Education paperwork.
• Work collaboratively with pastoral, safeguarding and administrative teams to promote excellent attendance across the school.
• Lead the administration of the Year 6 transition and in year admissions, liaising with parents, feeder schools and external agencies to ensure a smooth, efficient and compliant admissions process.

Skills

Organisational skills

Administrative skills

Data analysis

Written & verbal communication

Stakeholder management

Confidential information handling

Microsoft Office

Prioritisation

Tools

SIMS

Arbor

Job description

About the role

Attendance Administrator

37 HOURS PER WEEK, TERM TIME + 2 INSET DAYS

Salary: Grade 6 (Actual Salary £22,841 - £23,952 (FTE £26,847 - £28,153)

The pro rata salary shown is based on the number of hours and weeks worked and includes appropriate paid annual leave and bank holiday entitlements.

The salary quoted is the annual salary for the position at the time of advert. The salary will be paid in equal monthly instalments and will be adjusted at the start of employment and again if leaving part way through the school year to ensure the correct salary is received for the work completed in an academic year.

Start date: As soon as possible
Contract: Fixed term
Reporting to: Attendance Lead

Closing date: Monday, 2nd November 2026

Join our team

The Blandford School is a successful and thriving 11-18 secondary school and sixth form with approximately 1,100 students. Rated Good by Ofsted, we are proud of our strong community ethos, excellent facilities, and commitment to providing the very best education and support for our students.

We are seeking a proactive, organised and compassionate Attendance Officer to join our school. Attendance is a key priority within our school, and this role will play a vital part in ensuring that every student has the best opportunity to succeed through regular school attendance. This is a fast-paced and rewarding role requiring excellent communication skills, attention to detail, strong administrative abilities, and a genuine commitment to supporting young people and their families. The successful candidate will monitor attendance, identify concerns at an early stage, and implement effective interventions to improve attendance and punctuality.

Further Information

Key Responsibilities

• Maintain accurate and confidential attendance records in line with school policies and statutory requirements.
• Act as a key point of contact for parents, staff, governors and external stakeholders regarding attendance matters.
• Monitor daily and lesson by lesson attendance registers, investigate absences and ensure accurate attendance coding.
• Monitor and analyse attendance data on a weekly basis, identifying trends and students requiring intervention.
• Produce and present attendance reports for Senior leaders, governors and external stakeholders, highlighting key trends and concerns.
• Administer and issue relevant documentation for attendance review meetings.
• Prepare reports and documentation for attendance panels and intervention meetings
• Produce reports relating to Elective Home Education (EHE) and prepare information for governors and external agencies.
• Administer penalty notice processes relating to unauthorised holidays and attendance concerns.
• Conduct truancy calls and attendance checks throughout the school day.
• Contact parents and carers regarding attendance concerns and support plans.
• Process student attendance documentation, including off-roll and Elective Home Education paperwork.
• Work collaboratively with pastoral, safeguarding and administrative teams to promote excellent attendance across the school.
• Lead the administration of the Year 6 transition and in year admissions, liaising with parents, feeder schools and external agencies to ensure a smooth, efficient and compliant admissions process.

About Us

Person Specification

The successful candidate will demonstrate:

Essential

• Excellent organisational and administrative skills
• Strong attention to detail and accuracy
• Confidence in analysing and presenting data
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills
• Ability to build positive and professional relationships with internal and external stakeholders
• Experience of working with confidential information
• Proficiency in Microsoft office
• Ability to manage competing priorities and work effectively under pressure

Desirable

• Previous experience within a school setting – attendance, pastoral or safeguarding
• Knowledge of attendance legislation and statutory guidance
• Experience of working with SIMS or Arbor

What We Offer

• A supportive and welcoming school community.
• Opportunities for professional development and training.
• A varied and rewarding role where you can make a real difference to students' lives.
• A collaborative and dedicated staff team committed to achieving the very best outcomes for young people.

Why Choose Us

The Blandford School is a popular and successful 11-18 comprehensive school with high aspirations for our students, judged ‘Good’ in all areas at our last inspection and situated in the beautiful county of Dorset, 30 minutes from the beaches of Poole and Bournemouth and 40 minutes from the New Forest National Park. With excellent modern facilities and a highly dedicated team of staff, we provide an inspiring learning environment where students consistently achieve strong outcomes and progress to a wide range of further education, employment and training and development opportunities.,

We are focussed on ensuring staff well-being and pride ourselves on a supportive team approach. The school supports professional development and believes in all staff improving their skills and abilities.

We warmly welcome candidates visiting the school prior to an application; please contact Stacey Stevens for further details - [e-mail]

Safeguarding

The Blandford school values the diversity of our workforce and welcomes applications from all sectors of the community.

Our school is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people; this is a commitment which we expect all staff and volunteers to share. The successful candidate will be required to have a Disclosure and Barring Service check in line with the Governments safer recruitment guidelines.

This role is UK based and your Right to Work will need to be established as part of the appointment process.

This post is exempt from the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (ROA) 1974. The amendments to the ROA 1974 (Exceptions Order 1975, (2013 and 2020)) provide that when applying for certain jobs and activities, certain spent convictions and cautions are ‘protected’, so they do not need to be disclosed to employers, and if they are disclosed, employers cannot take them into account. The MOJ’s guidance on the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 and the Exceptions Order 1975, provides information about which convictions must be declared during job applications and related exceptions and further information about filtering offences can be found in the DBS filtering guide.

Keeping Children Safe in Education

Our school will conduct online searches of shortlisted candidates. This check will be part of a safeguarding check, and the search will purely be based on whether an individual is suitable to work with children. All aspects of social media and internet searches will be conducted. As care must be taken to avoid unconscious bias and any risk of discrimination, a person who will not on the appointment panel will conduct the searches and will only share information if and when findings are relevant and of concern.