Attendance Support Officer

Standish Community High School; Wigan; On-site; GBP 21,000 - 25,000; Full time

Job summary

Standish Community High School is advertising for a permanent Attendance Support Officer to commence employment as soon as possible.

The successful candidate will work alongside the Attendance Manager to promote excellent attendance, reduce absences and safeguard students, in a role that runs 37 hours per week, term time plus 1 week. Working hours are 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Monday to Thursday and 8:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. on Fridays.

Job description

Following a successful internal promotion, Standish Community High is advertising for a permanent Attendance Support Officer to commence employment as soon as possible.

The successful candidate will work alongside the Attendance Manager in school to promote excellent attendance, reduce levels of absence and work with children and families to promote high levels of attendance and ensure students are effectively safeguarded.

The working hours will be 37 hours per week, term time plus 1 week, 8.00 a.m. until 4.00 p.m. Monday to Thursday and 8.00 a.m. to 3.30 p.m. on Fridays.

General Responsibilities

• To co-ordinate, oversee and respond to issues relating to the attendance & punctuality of students. supporting the school to meet its statutory obligations regarding attendance recording, monitoring and reporting.
• To work in collaboration with the Attendance Manager to ensure that all legal requirements and attendance targets are met.
• To liaise with parents, carers, staff and outside agencies to support attendance and punctuality.
• To ensure that all information used to inform statistical returns to the DfE are correct.
• To be responsible for communications regarding absence and punctuality.
• To implement a range of actions and interventions, suitable to the individual in accordance with relevant legislation and DfE guidelines.
• Celebrate, promote, recognise and acknowledge good attendance.
• Maintain, upkeep and produce accurate daily fire registers from SIMS and other relevant sources.

Specific/ Routine Responsibilities

• To provide first wave Safeguarding checks through application of internal measures to identify and respond to all unexplained absences and ascertain a student’s whereabouts and safety.
• To obtain explanations for unexplained student absences in conjunction with tutors.
• Ensure necessary checks are made on missing students and to support the effective administration of the ‘N’ Code follow up procedure.
• Monitor pupils’ attendance to all lessons and flag any anomalies to ensure that all students can be accounted for at all times to ensure all are safeguarded.
• Report any concerns regarding safeguarding and attendance to the relevant person(s) in school.
• To identify and investigate any register anomalies ensuring all records are accurate and up to date throughout the course of the school day and follow school protocols for addressing such anomalies.
• Identify risk and reduce truancy/children absconding and support the implementation of appropriate plans.
• To contact parents/carers of absent pupils on their first day of absence and any subsequent days.
• To work collaboratively with external agencies, when required, to improve attendance.
• To follow multi agency checks and plans (eg Social Care) to make professionals aware of vulnerable students attendance/absence.
• Ensure that student information is logged and/or filed efficiently.

Specific Stakeholder Responsibilities

• To maintain constructive relationships with parents/carers when exchanging information, facilitating support for their child’s attendance, access and learning and supporting home to school and community links.
• Liaise effectively with stakeholders via telephone, email and or written letter to provide any support needed to improve their child’s attendance and advising parents/carers about their legal responsibility to ensure their child attends school on a regular basis.
• Support home visits to parents/carers and students, where appropriate and necessary to improve pupil attendance, ensure student welfare and ensure that all students are safeguarded effectively. When required bring them into school.
• Make initial contact with parents/carers regarding to student illness/injury; maintaining patience, tact and sensitivity are required when making these calls.
• Reply to parents/carers requests for information or queries in writing and by telephone.

Specific Colleague Responsibilities

• To support weekly meetings with Pastoral Colleagues and plan to support improvement in the attendance and punctuality of individual students.
• To support half termly meetings with the Assistant Headteacher to review whole school attendance and punctuality.
• Obtain explanations for unexplained student absences in conjunction with tutors.

Specific Administrative Responsibilities

• The post holder is responsible for ensuring that attendance data is accurately maintained.
• Making decisions on whom to inform of the information given.
• Daily update systems with reasons for absence, contact home for unknown absences, messaging regarding lateness to school.
• The information held on the attendance system should be accurate to ensure that Raise-on-line, used for external reporting and assessment of attendance, including Ofsted, accurately represents student attendance at the school.
• Will refer to and adhere to all internal protocols and procedures pertaining to the attendance role.
• Produce and post up-to-date information on attendance notice boards, to ensure that staff and students are kept updated on attendance matters and produce attendance information for key school events.
• Record and file medical letters and provide updates as required.
• Administration of SIMS to ensure the register is completed and exclusions recorded accurately.
• Manage distribution, collation and responses to holiday absence request letters.
• Update attendance tracker with attendance figures from SIMS.
• Provide KPI figures.
• Ensure that student information is logged and/or filed efficiently.