Attendance Officer

Earl Spencer Primary School; Nottingham; On-site; GBP 32,000 - 46,000; Full time

Job summary

Earl Spencer Primary School is seeking an Attendance Lead to drive the strategic approach to pupil attendance, analyse data to identify trends, and partner with families and external agencies to implement supportive interventions.

You will champion attendance as safeguarding, ensuring that persistent or severe absence is met with an integrated welfare plan prioritising pupil welfare and academic success.

Responsibilities

• Make sure daily attendance registers are accurate and complete, and follow up with staff about incomplete data.
• Follow up on unexplained absences with parents/carers, escalating issues per school procedures.
• Initiate and oversee the administration of absence procedures – letters home, attendance clinics and engagement with local authorities/other external agencies and partners.
• Manage the process of issuing penalty notices to parents/carers.
• Maintain accurate records of communications with parents/carers and relevant interventions.
• Build and refresh knowledge of the school’s MIS and other relevant systems.
• Benchmark school performance against national and local averages.
• Produce and interpret attendance reports for school leaders, identifying key statistics, reasons for absence and patterns of concern.
• Conduct regular audits of attendance codes to ensure correct and consistent use by staff.
• Track attendance of vulnerable groups and share information with school leaders.
• Identify pupils needing additional support to improve attendance.
• Work with school leaders to identify interventions for particular groups or individual pupils.
• Lead daily or weekly check-ins to review progress and impact of support/interventions.
• Work with school leaders to develop and revise the school’s attendance policy.
• Meet weekly with Headteacher and FSW to discuss children's attendance.
• Implement CME procedures when appropriate.
• Provide regular reports to attendance organisations to raise awareness of emerging at‑risk pupils.

Job description

Main purpose

To lead the school’s strategic approach to attendance by identifying and removing barriers to school entry for all pupils. You will analyse data to identify trends and work in partnership with families and external agencies to implement supportive interventions. You will champion a culture of attendance as safeguarding, ensuring that persistent or severe absence is met with an integrated support plan that prioritises the welfare and academic success of the child.

Duties and responsibilities

Administration

• Makes sure daily attendance registers are accurate and complete, and follow up with staff members about any incomplete data
• Follow up on any unexplained absences with parents/carers, escalating issues as appropriate in line with school procedures
• Initiate and oversee the administration of absence procedures – for example, letters home, attendance clinics and engagement with local authorities/other external agencies and partners
• Manage the process of issuing penalty notices to parents/carers
• Maintain accurate records of communications with parents/carers and relevant interventions
• Build and refresh knowledge of the school’s management information system (MIS) and other relevant systems

Monitoring and reporting

• Benchmark school performance against national and local averages
• Produce and interpret attendance reports for school leaders, identifying key statistics, reasons for absence and any patterns of concern
• Conduct regular audits of attendance codes to make sure they are being used correctly and consistently by all staff in line with statutory requirements
• Track attendance of vulnerable groups of pupils, including pupils with SEND, those eligible for pupil premium, and children in need, and share information with school leaders
• Identify pupils that need additional support to improve their attendance
• Work with school leaders to identify appropriate interventions to improve attendance for particular groups or individual pupils
• Lead daily or weekly check-ins to review progress and the impact of support/interventions
• Work with school leaders to develop and revise the school’s attendance policy
• Meet weekly with Headteacher and FSW to discuss children's attendance
• Implement children missing education (CME) procedures when appropriate
• Provide regular reports to attendance organisations to raise awareness of emerging at‑risk pupils

Working with parents/carers

• Act as the lead professional for early intervention cases, coordinating support for families and making sure that attendance goals are integrated into wider welfare plans
• Coordinate meetings with pupils and parents/carers to formalise attendance support plans, EBSA support plans, implement interventions and track progress
• Build positive relations with parents/carers to encourage family involvement in their child’s attendance
• Identify and, where possible, mitigate potential barriers to attendance in partnership with families
• Carry out home visits, where necessary, to address attendance concerns for individual pupils

Professional development

• Take opportunities to build the appropriate skills, qualifications, and/or experience needed for the role, with support from the school
• Take part in the school’s appraisal procedures

Other areas of responsibility

Safeguarding

• Work in line with statutory safeguarding guidance (e.g. Keeping Children Safe in Education, Prevent) and our safeguarding and child protection policies
• Be alert to when persistent absence becomes a safeguarding concern and Family Help Conversations may be required
• Work with the designated safeguarding lead (DSL) to promote the best interests of pupils, including sharing concerns where necessary
• Promote the safeguarding of all pupils in the school