Attendance Officer – Outstanding Secondary School – Bexley, London

Marchant Recruitment; Bexleyheath; On-site; GBP 22,000 - 28,000; Full time

Job summary

Marchant Recruitment is seeking an Attendance Officer for an Outstanding secondary school in Bexley, London. The role focuses on monitoring pupil attendance, communicating with families, and supporting attendance improvement while collaborating with pastoral staff.

The ideal candidate will have experience in administration or attendance monitoring and be comfortable handling sensitive information and challenging conversations. Start as soon as possible.

Qualifications

• Experience in administration, attendance monitoring or pastoral support.
• Comfortable communicating with families and maintaining confidential records.
• Knowledge of safeguarding responsibilities is advantageous.

Responsibilities

• Oversee monitoring and administration of pupil attendance.
• Check daily attendance registers and contact parents regarding unexplained absences.
• Maintain detailed records of communications with families and staff.
• Monitor patterns of absence and share concerns with pastoral leaders.
• Prepare attendance reports for senior staff and support attendance improvement plans.
• Collaborate with heads of year, tutors and safeguarding staff to address barriers to attendance.

Skills

Administration

Attendance monitoring

Pastoral support

Communication with families

Tools

School management systems

Job description

Attendance Officer – Outstanding Secondary School – Bexley, London

Location: Bexley, London

Start Date: As soon as possible

Contract Type: Full-time, Permanent

Salary: Competitive, dependent on experience

School Information

An Outstanding secondary school in Bexley is seeking a proactive and committed Attendance Officer to join its pastoral and administrative team. The school has high expectations for pupil achievement and understands that regular attendance is essential to academic progress, positive relationships and successful outcomes.

The successful candidate will work closely with pupils, parents, teachers and senior leaders to promote good attendance and identify concerns at an early stage. The school takes a supportive but consistent approach to attendance, recognising the importance of working with families to overcome barriers while ensuring that expectations are clearly communicated.

This role would suit an organised professional who enjoys working with young people and families and is confident managing sensitive information and challenging conversations.

The Role

The Attendance Officer will oversee the monitoring and administration of pupil attendance, ensuring that absences are recorded accurately and concerns are followed up promptly.

Responsibilities will include checking daily attendance registers, contacting parents and carers regarding unexplained absences and maintaining detailed records of communications. The postholder will monitor patterns of absence and lateness, identify pupils whose attendance is deteriorating and ensure that relevant concerns are shared with pastoral leaders.

The successful candidate will prepare attendance reports for senior staff, highlighting trends and identifying pupils who may require additional support. They will assist with attendance improvement plans, arrange meetings with families and follow up on agreed actions to help improve attendance levels.

The role will involve working collaboratively with heads of year, form tutors, safeguarding staff and other relevant professionals. Where appropriate, the Attendance Officer will contribute to discussions about persistent absence, family circumstances and possible barriers to regular school attendance.

The postholder will also help ensure that the school's attendance procedures are applied consistently. This may include supporting the administration of attendance letters, maintaining documentation for meetings and ensuring that records are available when required.

Professional communication will be essential, particularly when discussing sensitive circumstances with parents and carers. The successful applicant must balance empathy and understanding with the ability to reinforce expectations and follow school procedures.

Requirements

Candidates should have previous experience in administration, attendance monitoring, pastoral support or a similar role. Experience working within a school would be particularly beneficial.

Strong organisational skills, attention to detail and confidence using databases or school management systems are essential. Applicants should be comfortable communicating with families, maintaining accurate records and handling confidential information.

The successful candidate will demonstrate patience, resilience and a commitment to improving pupil outcomes. Knowledge of school attendance procedures and safeguarding responsibilities would be advantageous.

What the School Offers

The school offers an opportunity to play an important role in improving pupil engagement and supporting families. The successful candidate will work closely with a dedicated pastoral team and contribute to initiatives designed to improve attendance, participation and academic progress.