Education Welfare Officer

This is an exciting opportunity for someone with experience in this field to take a leading role in school strategy, working closely with the Deputy Head Pastoral to create new ideas, policies and approaches for attendance and punctuality. The successful candidate for this post will be responsible for deploying school systems and strategies, as well as liaising with, and utilising services offered by, external agencies, to raise student attendance across the college.

They will work particularly closely with students experiencing persistent lateness or absence from school, including those with emotional based school avoidance (EBSA), utilising all the internal and external support available to support them back into school. The Education Welfare Officer will work closely with the Attendance Officer, SEND team and Heads of Year to monitor and respond to student attendance and punctuality, playing a crucial role in developing systems and policies to do so.

They will have regular contact with the local authority attendance team and ensure that we are following all the requirements and best practice set out in the latest edition of Working Together to Improve School Attendance.

Employment Status: Permanent - Term Time Plus 4 weeks

Application closes: 0900 28 April 2025

Required From: September 2025

Longlist Interviews: W/C 28 April 2025

Shortlist Interviews: W/C 5 May 2025

Early applications are advised as the College reserves the right to appoint at any stage during the application process.

St Dunstan’s College reflects the diverse location in which it is situated. In a recent review of our racial diversity by ‘Flair Impact’, we were found to be the most racially diverse school out of their client base of over 30 British independent schools. We see diversity to be of intrinsic and essential value to the contemporary, ambitious and forward-thinking education we offer at St Dunstan’s. We encourage applications from people who share this view, and from professionals of all backgrounds, communities and industries. We are a school that places individuality and identity at the heart of what we do.

The College is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people and expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment. Applicants will be required to undergo child protection screening appropriate to the post. As this role involves 'regulated activity' with children the successful applicant will be required to complete a Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) disclosure application. Employment will be conditional upon the College being satisfied with the result of the Enhanced DBS check and the outcome of all other checks.

The College will also carry out a check of the Children's Barred List on the successful applicant. Applicants should be aware that it is unlawful for the College to employ anyone to work with children if they are barred from doing so, and it is a criminal offence for a person to apply to work with children if they are barred from doing so. This role is also exempt from the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 and the College is therefore permitted to ask shortlisted applicants to declare all convictions and cautions (including those which are "spent" unless they are "protected" under the DBS filtering rules) in order to assess their suitability to work with children.