Attendance Officer

Orchard Fields Community School; Cherwell District; On-site; GBP 21,000 - 27,000; Full time

Job summary

Orchard Fields Community School is seeking an Attendance, Administration & Organisation officer (Grade 6) to provide efficient administrative support, monitor pupil attendance and punctuality, and act as a first point of contact for pupils, parents and staff.

The role involves using the school's electronic attendance system, maintaining accurate records, coordinating welfare matters with the Welfare Officer, and assisting with attendance-related communications and reporting.

Qualifications

• Good standard of literacy and numeracy.
• Basic IT skills and willingness to undertakerelevant training.
• Relevant administration or school-based qualification.

Responsibilities

• Monitor daily pupil attendance and punctuality using the school's electronic attendance and management information systems.
• Maintain accurate attendance registers in line with procedures.
• Respond to attendance concerns and contact parents/carers as required.
• Provide routine clerical and administrative support (typing, filing, scanning, emailing).
• Promote safeguarding and welfare, reporting concerns appropriately.
• Assist with attendance-related communications and reporting.

Skills

Literacy

Numeracy

IT skills

Education

Relevant administration or school-based qualification

Tools

Attendance management system

School MIS

Job description

JOB DESCRIPTION

Job Title:Attendance, Administration & OrganisationGrade:Grade 6Responsible to:School Business Manager

MAIN PURPOSE OF THE ROLE

To provide effective administrative and organisational support to theschool, with particular responsibility for monitoring and promoting good pupilattendance and punctuality.

The post holder will act as an appropriate first point of contact forpupils, parents/carers, visitors and staff, maintaining accurate records andsupporting pupil welfare in accordance with school policies and procedures.

The post holder will work closely with the Welfare Officer and otherrelevant staff to identify and respond to attendance concerns, maintainaccurate attendance information and contribute to improving attendance andpunctuality across the school.

KEY TASKS AND DUTIES

Organisation and Reception

• Undertake reception duties, acting as anappropriate first point of contact for pupils, parents/carers, visitorsand staff.
• Answer routine telephone and face-to-faceenquiries in a professional, polite and sensitive manner.
• Sign in visitors and follow the school'sprocedures relating to visitor management, security and safeguarding.
• Respond appropriately to routine pupil welfarematters and refer concerns to the appropriate member of staff.
• Assist with pupil first aid and welfareduties, within the limits of appropriate training and school procedures,liaising with parents/carers and staff as required.
• Maintain accurate records relating to pupilwelfare and first aid, where required.

Attendance Monitoring and Administration

• Monitor daily pupil attendance and punctualityusing the school's electronic attendance and management informationsystems.
• Ensure attendance registers are completed accuratelyand in accordance with school procedures.
• Monitor attendance and punctuality data on adaily and weekly basis, identifying emerging concerns, trends andpatterns.
• Follow up unexplained and unauthorisedabsences promptly and in accordance with the school's attendanceprocedures, escalating concerns where appropriate.
• Contact parents/carers by telephone, email orwritten communication to establish reasons for absence and addressattendance concerns.
• Maintain clear, accurate and confidentialrecords of attendance concerns, interventions, actions taken andcommunication with families.
• Monitor pupils whose attendance is decliningor whose absence is becoming a concern and ensure appropriate action istaken.
• Monitor patterns of persistent and severeabsence and lateness, reporting concerns to the Welfare Officer and/orappropriate member of staff.
• Support the school in meeting attendancetargets and improving overall attendance rates, working closely with theWelfare Officer and relevant staff.
• Support the monitoring of pupils returning toschool following periods of absence.
• Assist with attendance-related communications,including letters, emails and other correspondence.
• Support the preparation of attendanceinformation for meetings with parents/carers and relevant staff.
• Contribute to initiatives and activitiesdesigned to promote good attendance and punctuality.
• Liaise appropriately with staff to ensureattendance information is accurate, up to date and acted upon promptly.
• Identify inaccuracies or anomalies inattendance records and take appropriate action to resolve them.
• Produce regular attendance reports and provideaccurate attendance information as required.

General Administration

• Provide routine clerical and administrativesupport, including photocopying, filing, scanning, emailing and completingroutine forms.
• Maintain accurate manual and computerisedrecords and management information systems.
• Input, update and retrieve pupil andattendance information accurately.
• Undertake typing, word-processing and otherIT-based administrative tasks.
• Assist with the production and distribution ofreports, correspondence and other information as required.
• Ensure information is stored securely andmaintained in accordance with school procedures.

RESPONSIBILITIES

Safeguarding and Pupil Welfare

• Promote and safeguard the welfare of childrenand young people, following the school's safeguarding and child protectionprocedures.
• Recognise and report safeguarding, welfare orattendance concerns promptly to the Designated Safeguarding Lead, WelfareOfficer or other appropriate member of staff.
• Maintain appropriate professional boundarieswhen working with pupils, parents/carers and colleagues.
• Respond sensitively and appropriately to pupilswho may require additional support or assistance.

Policies, Procedures and Confidentiality

• Implement the school's attendance policyconsistently and fairly.
• Be aware of and comply with policies andprocedures relating to child protection, health and safety, security,confidentiality and data protection.
• Maintain confidentiality when dealing withsensitive pupil, family and staff information.
• Ensure that personal and confidentialinformation is handled, recorded and stored appropriately.
• Report any concerns relating to safeguarding,health and safety, security, confidentiality or data protection to anappropriate person.
• Promote equality, diversity and inclusion andensure that all pupils, families and colleagues are treated fairly andwith respect.

Teamwork and Professional Development

• Contribute positively to the overall ethos,work and aims of the school.
• Work constructively as part of a team anddevelop positive working relationships with colleagues.
• Understand and respect the roles andresponsibilities of other professionals and work collaboratively with themwhere appropriate.
• Attend and participate in relevant meetings asrequired.
• Participate in training, professionaldevelopment and other learning activities as required.
• Contribute to performance development and thecontinuous improvement of administrative and attendance procedures.
• Undertake other reasonable duties appropriateto the grade and nature of the post, as required by the line manager.

GENERAL

The duties and responsibilities listed above are not exhaustive. Thepost holder may be required to undertake other duties appropriate to the leveland nature of the post, in accordance with the needs of the school.

The post holder is expected to demonstrate a commitment to safeguardingand promoting the welfare of children and young people and to comply with allrelevant school policies and procedures.

Person Specification

Post: Attendance, Administration & OrganisationGrade:6

Qualifications / Training

• Good standard of literacy and numeracy
• Basic IT skills and willingness to undertakerelevant training and development
• Relevant administration or school-basedqualification

Experience

• Experience of general clerical and/oradministrative work
• Experience of maintaining accurate records,either manually or electronically
• Experience of dealing appropriately with confidentialinformation
• Experience of working with members of the public,colleagues and/or children
• Experience of working in a school or educationalsetting
• Experience of attendance monitoring or workingwith an electronic attendance system
• Experience of communicating with parents/carers

Knowledge and Understanding

• Good understanding of general administrativeprocedures
• Understanding of the importance ofconfidentiality and data protection
• Understanding of the importance of accuraterecord keeping
• Awareness of safeguarding responsibilities andthe need to report concerns appropriately
• Understanding of the importance of equality,diversity and inclusion
• Knowledge of school attendance procedures andrelevant guidance
• Understanding of the factors that can contributeto poor attendance and punctuality
• Knowledge of school management informationsystems

IT / Technical Skills

• Competent keyboard and computer skills
• Ability to use common IT applications for wordprocessing, email and record keeping
• Ability to use office equipment such asphotocopiers and telephones
• Ability to enter, retrieve and presentinformation accurately using computerised systems
• Experience of using electronic attendance ormanagement information systems

Communication Skills

• Ability to communicate clearly andprofessionally, both verbally and in writing
• Ability to deal sensitively and appropriatelywith parents, carers, pupils and colleagues
• Ability to listen and respond appropriately toqueries and concerns
• Ability to maintain a calm, polite andprofessional manner when dealing with challenging or sensitive situations
• Experience of communicating with parents/carers

Organisation and Administration

• Highly organised with the ability to prioritiseand manage routine tasks effectively
• Ability to work accurately and methodically,including when working to deadlines
• Ability to maintain accurate and up-to-daterecords
• Ability to identify and follow up outstandingactions
• Ability to work independently and use initiativewithin agreed procedures
• Experience of monitoring data and identifyingpatterns or areas of concern

Working with Children and Young People

• Ability to relate well to children and youngpeople
• Ability to respond appropriately to pupil welfareneeds
• Commitment to promoting the safety, wellbeing andinclusion of pupils
• Experience of supporting pupils with welfare,attendance or pastoral needs

Teamwork

• Ability to work constructively as part of a team
• Ability to understand and respect the roles andresponsibilities of colleagues and other professionals
• Willingness to contribute positively to the widerwork and ethos of the school
• Ability to attend and contribute appropriately tomeetings
• Experience of working collaboratively withexternal agencies or other professionals

Personal Qualities

• Reliable, approachable and professional
• Trustworthy and able to handle sensitive andconfidential information appropriately
• Patient, calm and resilient
• Flexible and willing to respond to changingpriorities
• Positive attitude towards learning andprofessional development
• Commitment to equality of opportunity andtreating everyone fairly

Safeguarding / Professional Responsibilities

• Commitment to safeguarding and promoting thewelfare of children and young people
• Willingness to comply with school policies andprocedures, including safeguarding, health and safety, security,confidentiality and data protection
• Willingness to undertake relevant training andparticipate in performance development