Attendance Officer in Dunstable

Attendance Officer

We are looking to recruit an experienced and committed Attendance Officer to join our Pastoral Office support team. We are seeking an individual with very high expectations who is passionate about working with young people and is ambitious to see them achieve. You will be a resilient team player with a can‑do attitude, will be flexible, organised and able to use your own initiative and problem‑solve.

Our Attendance Officer is a key member of our Pastoral Office support team. The role involves collecting, recording, monitoring and reporting data on attendance and punctuality, and supporting our pastoral work to improve and maintain these in support of students so that they achieve the very best outcomes from their time at school.

Joining Houstone School as an Attendance Officer is a fantastic opportunity to be part of our story – providing transformational experiences for thousands of pupils, developing our staff to be the very best they can be, and influencing the wider system by demonstrating first‑hand what is achievable.

Key Duties

• Monitor and report on whole‑school attendance data, analysing data to identify key areas of concern.
• Work closely with pupils, staff, parents and carers to reduce levels of absence and act appropriately when persistent absence becomes a safeguarding issue.
• Follow up on any unexplained absences with parents/carers, escalating issues as appropriate in line with school procedures, initiate and oversee the administration of absence procedures, for example letters home, attendance clinics and engagement with local authorities/other external agencies and partners.
• Manage any safeguarding issues regarding attendance alongside the Pastoral team and Designated Safeguarding Lead.

JOB SPECIFICS

Start date: ASAP

Salary: AS 7‑11 FTE £26,712‑£28,451. Actual pro‑rata salary £23,180‑£24,689.

Contract: Permanent, Full time, Term time + INSET, 39 weeks per year, 37 hours per week.

The Trust reserves the right to interview and appoint a suitable candidate before the deadline date.

Safeguarding

We believe in the safeguarding and welfare of children and expect all staff to share this view.

The Academy is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and expects all staff to share this commitment. Applicants must be willing to undergo child protection screening appropriate to the post, including checks with past employers and the Disclosure and Barring Service. We are an equal opportunities employer.

The Department for Education (DfE) has set out statutory guidance ‘Keeping Children Safe in Education’ for schools and colleges on safeguarding.

Safeguarding is defined in paragraph 4 as:

“Protecting children from maltreatment; preventing impairment of children’s health or development; ensuring that children grow up in circumstances consistent with the provision of safe and effective care; and taking action to enable all children to have the best outcomes.”

The definition of ‘children’ includes everyone under the age of 18.

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