Education Welfare Officer

Teaching Vacancies; Banstead; On-site; GBP 20,000 - 21,000; Part time

Benefits offered by this job

Harris Allowance (Inner/Outer London)

Annual Loyalty Bonus

Teachers Pension Scheme

Wellbeing Cash Plan

Employee Assistance Programme

Job summary

Harris Academy Purley is seeking an Education Welfare Officer for a part-time maternity cover role. You will oversee welfare duties, attendance data, and work with at-risk students to improve engagement and outcomes.

The role is 22.5 hours per week during term time, with a salary of £19,642–£20,468 (38 weeks per year). You will collaborate with staff, families, and external services to promote safeguarding and attendance.

Qualifications

• Three years' experience in an inner city school or educational establishment in a pastoral capacity.
• Experience dealing with attendance issues.
• Training in child protection and safeguarding procedures.

Responsibilities

• Oversee Educational Welfare across the academy.
• Manage a caseload of at-risk students with attendance below 85% and implement improvement strategies.
• Monitor attendance of vulnerable students including Looked after children and those on safeguarding registers.
• Represent the academy at external meetings (Social Services Case Conferences, Child in Need Meetings, LAC Reviews).
• Line manage the Attendance Officer and liaise with Academy Leadership Group on welfare concerns.
• Support the Student Information Centre to ensure positive impact on attainment.
• Communicate with external agencies and parents by phone, letters, and visits.
• Coordinate with local authority when attendance cases reach legal intervention level.

Skills

Behaviour policy knowledge

Barriers to learning

Child protection

First aid

Pastoral care

Attendance improvement

Family engagement

Challenging students

Job description

What skills and experience we're looking for

We are looking for a dedicated and experienced individual to join Harris Academy Purley as Education Welfare Officer, overseeing welfare-related duties and attendance data and working with at-risk students.

This is a part-time maternity cover position, working three days per week during term time only. The actual salary for this role will be £19,642 - £20,468 (38 weeks per year, 22.5 hours per week).

We would like to hear from you if you have:

• Knowledge of behaviour for learning policies
• Knowledge of the range of barriers to learning that students face
• Training in child protection and safeguarding procedures
• Basic knowledge of first aid (e.g. emergency first aid course)
• Three years' experience of working in an inner city school or educational establishment in a pastoral capacity
• Experience of dealing successfully with a range of issues influencing poor attendance
• Experience of working with staff to ensure excellent standards of attendance and punctuality are maintained
• Experience of working with families
• Experience of working with challenging students and parents, and finding ways in which we can meet their needs more successfully

What the school offers its staff

Working at Harris Academy Purley, you will make a real difference to the lives of young people and their families in South London who value the learning and school environment we offer. Our school is oversubscribed; we have families, from a number of boroughs, who choose us for the high standard of education we provide, and staff come from across London as well as Sussex and Surrey to come and work with us.

You will be given ample opportunities to develop and progress your career, and all staff are encouraged to develop their interests and areas of expertise. Our professional development is tailored to ensure all staff are able to continue learning regardless of their role or stage of career.

We strive for excellence and have high ambitions for the future whilst ensuring we maintain a clear focus on staff wellbeing and work-life balance. Our motto: To Learn, To Think, To Act is as true for our staff as it is for our students, and we are committed to investing in your experience with us.

Our people are at the heart of our success. We have developed a strong culture of collaboration and best practice, with professional development and career planning at its centre. We invest in our staff with support, coaching, mentoring, and a wide range of top-quality training programmes delivered at every level to senior leadership.

In addition to the opportunities for career development and progression, we also offer a competitive rewards and benefits package which includes our Harris Allowance (usually £2,000 for Inner London and £1,500 for Outer London), an Annual Loyalty Bonus, Teachers Pension Scheme, a Wellbeing Cash Plan, Employee Assistance Programme, and many other benefits. Learn more about our benefits on our website.

Further details about the role

In this rewarding and varied role, you will:

• Oversee Educational Welfare across the academy
• Manage a caseload of ‘at risk' students where attendance falls below 85%, and implement strategies to improve attendance
• Have responsibility for monitoring the attendance of most vulnerable students at the academy, including Looked after students, those on the child protection register, and children identified as being in need
• Manage the process of addressing poor attendance across the academy
• Represent the academy at external meetings e.g. Social Services Case Conferences, Child in Need Meetings, LAC Reviews
• Line manage the Attendance Officer
• Liaise with Academy Leadership Group to address any attendance or welfare concerns.
• Assist with the smooth running of the student information centre (SIC), ensuring support for students has a positive impact on raising achievement
• Communicate effectively with all external agencies, including possible alternative providers
• Ensure effective and appropriate communication/consultation with parents through phone, letter and home visits as relevant
• Liaise with the local authority when cases of poor attendance reach the level of legal intervention, managing the process of evidence sharing and representing the academy at court were necessary
• Prepare reports and maintain records relating to student referrals and subsequent counselling or support

Commitment to safeguarding

The Harris Federation and all our academies are committed to ensuring the highest levels of safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people, and we expect all our staff and volunteers to share this commitment. All offers of employment are subject to an enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check, references, an online search, and where applicable, a prohibition from teaching check will be completed.