Home-School Liaison and Inclusion Officer

Teaching Vacancies; Yeovil; On-site; GBP 26,000 - 34,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Free on-site parking

LGPS membership

Health Assured Employee Assistance

Staff meals

Job summary

Buckler’s Mead Academy in Yeovil, Somerset, seeks a proactive Home-School Liaison and Inclusion Officer to strengthen home–school links, improve attendance and engagement, and provide early intervention for EBSA, SEND, SEMH and persistent absence.

You will be the main contact for families, conduct home visits, work with the Attendance officer and safeguarding leads, and help safeguard vulnerable pupils while recording outcomes for continued support.

Qualifications

• Experience of working with children, young people and families in educational, social care, youth work or community settings.
• Experience supporting vulnerable pupils and families facing barriers to education.
• Knowledge of attendance procedures, safeguarding requirements and early intervention approaches.
• Experience of multi-agency working and coordinating support for families.
• Ability to manage challenging conversations sensitively and professionally.

Responsibilities

• Act as the primary point of contact for allocated families requiring additional support, building positive, trusting and professional relationships.
• Identify barriers to attendance, engagement and learning through early intervention and collaborative working with families.
• Undertake home visits to strengthen relationships, gather information and provide support.
• Work closely with the Attendance officer to identify pupils at risk of persistent or severe absence.
• Coordinate and contribute to Early Help Assessments and Team Around the Family meetings.
• Complete referrals and signpost families to relevant support services.
• Support the school's safeguarding responsibilities and contribute to the protection and welfare of children and young people.
• Work closely with the Designated Safeguarding Lead (DSL) and Deputy DSLs to identify emerging concerns and vulnerabilities.
• Maintain detailed records of interventions, contacts, home visits and outcomes.

Skills

Experience with children

Vulnerable pupil support

Attendance procedures

Multi-agency working

Challenging conversations

Job description

Home-School Liaison and Inclusion Officer

What skills and experience we're looking for

Monday to Friday, 37 hours per week, 8am to 4pm Monday to Thursday, 8.00am to 3.30pm Fridays. Term time only plus 5 INSET days.

Buckler’s Mead Academy is seeking an organised and professional Home-School Liaison and Inclusion Officer to improve outcomes for students by strengthening relationships between home and school, reducing barriers to attendance, engagement and learning, and providing early intervention support for pupils experiencing Emotionally Based School Avoidance (EBSA), Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND), Social, Emotional and Mental Health (SEMH) needs, and persistent absence.

Key Responsibilities

• Act as the primary point of contact for allocated families requiring additional support, building positive, trusting and professional relationships.
• Identify barriers to attendance, engagement and learning through early intervention and collaborative working with families.
• Undertake home visits to strengthen relationships, gather information and provide support.
• Work closely with the Attendance officer to identify pupils at risk of persistent or severe absence.
• Coordinate and contribute to Early Help Assessments and Team Around the Family meetings.
• Complete referrals and signpost families to relevant support services.
• Support the school's safeguarding responsibilities and contribute to the protection and welfare of children and young people.
• Work closely with the Designated Safeguarding Lead (DSL) and Deputy DSLs to identify emerging concerns and vulnerabilities.
• Maintain detailed records of interventions, contacts, home visits and outcomes.

Essential Qualifications and Experience

• Experience of working with children, young people and families in an educational, social care, youth work or community setting.
• Experience supporting vulnerable pupils and families facing barriers to education.
• Knowledge of attendance procedures, safeguarding requirements and early intervention approaches.
• Experience of multi-agency working and coordinating support for families.
• Ability to manage challenging conversations sensitively and professionally.

Person Specification

• Empathetic, approachable and non-judgemental.
• Resilient and solution-focused.
• Able to work independently and as part of a team.
• Committed to inclusion and improving outcomes for vulnerable young people.
• Full UK driving licence.
• Access to a vehicle insured for business use.

Please see the accompanying Job Description for further details of the duties and responsibilities of this post.

What the school offers its staff

In return we can offer you the opportunity to work with motivated students, the full support of a dedicated and committed team of staff, a supportive induction programme and ongoing professional development, plus the opportunity to work in a developing academy in a beautiful area of the South West. We seek to significantly invest in developing all of our staff. Having joined the Midsomer Norton Schools’ Partnership in September 2021, we are part of a Trust which is often considered the ‘market leader’ in the South West for school improvement. The successful candidate will benefit from Trust wide opportunities, such as early careers induction, CPD and working with colleagues across Trust schools.

Having sustained another "Outstanding" set of results in Summer 2026, and following on from our Ofsted visit in May 2024 where we were judged as a strong ‘Good’ in all areas, Buckler’s Mead Academy is going from strength to strength.

Staff benefits include free on-site parking, membership of the Local Government Pension Scheme and access for all staff to the Employee Assistance Programme “Health Assured”, which is a telephone based advice, information and counselling service. A selection of meals, snacks and drinks is available for staff to purchase at lunch and break times.

Buckler’s Mead Academy is a highly inclusive academy, serving the east of Yeovil, Somerset. Our vision as an academy is “an inspiring education for all”. We believe that all members of our community should be given the opportunity to be happy, to achieve, participate and become successful. Our job as professionals is to ensure this happens. All our staff sign up to these aspirations and play a full role in contributing to this vision through inclusive teaching. We seek to recruit dedicated and talented staff, highly committed to making a difference.

Commitment to safeguarding

Buckler's Mead is committed to safeguarding and protecting the welfare of children. We have a duty of care and the right to take reasonable action, ensuring the welfare and safety of pupils. If staff have cause for concern that a child is subject to any form of abuse, we will follow child protection procedures and inform Children’s Services. Buckler’s Mead meets statutory requirements relating to Disclosure & Barring Service – all staff and volunteers who work with Buckler’s Mead Academy who meet the ‘regulated activity test’ (Freedoms Act 2012) are required to undergo an enhanced DBS check prior to employment.