Attendance Support Officer - Portsmouth

We are seeking an organised and detail‑focused Attendance Support Officer to join our School Attendance Team. This is an essential administrative role supporting the Local Authority’s statutory responsibilities around school attendance, child employment and entertainment, and children missing education.

The Role

In this role, you will provide comprehensive administrative support across several statutory functions. You will be:

• Registering and issuing Penalty Notices for irregular school attendance, including invoicing and formal documentation.
• Tracking and recording progress of penalty notices across multiple databases.
• Supporting Fast Track Panels, including coordination, note‑taking, and general administration.
• Processing applications for child employment permits, child performance licences, and chaperone licences.
• Supporting work relating to Electively Home Educated pupils, Children Missing in Education & Migrating pupils.
• Maintaining and developing databases and electronic filing systems, producing regular reports and data returns.
• Managing internal and external telephone enquiries, ensuring office systems, procedures, and data standards are adhered to.

The ideal candidate

You will be a capable and reliable administrator who can manage competing priorities in a busy environment. You will need:

• Proven experience in an administrative role.
• Excellent written English, with the ability to produce professional correspondence.
• Strong data processing and analysis skills.
• Advanced IT skills, including Excel, Word, Outlook, and Access (database experience is essential).
• Excellent communication skills and strong attention to detail.
• Experience of note‑taking and supporting meetings.
• The ability to work under pressure, meet deadlines, and adapt to changing priorities.
• An understanding of confidentiality and data protection requirements.

If you are an experienced administrator with strong IT skills and a commitment to supporting positive outcomes for children and young people, we would welcome your application.

Hybrid working arrangements - The role is office based 4 days and remote 1 day (following successful probation period).

Contact Details for an Informal Discussion

If you have any questions, or would like an informal discussion about the role, please email: Donald McIntyre.

About Portsmouth City Council

Portsmouth City Council is a unique organisation, committed to making a difference, and is guided by core values that set who we are as people, what we stand for, and how we act. We are committed to our values of respect, integrity, collaboration, inclusivity and being people-focussed.

Application process

We anonymise applications during application & shortlisting to ensure only relevant information is considered. As part of your application, we ask that you complete a personal statement, this statement is crucial and is where you must demonstrate how you meet the requirements of the job against each of the points described in the 'Who is the Person' points on the Job Profile using examples from your experience or transferable skills.

We are a disability confident employer and Armed Forces Covenant gold standard. More information can be found at Equality, diversity and inclusion - Careers portal. We are committed to offering an interview to all those candidates that qualify under one of our commitments and meet the minimum criteria.

You will need to demonstrate that you have the Right to Work in the UK. No post will be offered without it. We are unable to offer sponsorship for this role.

Portsmouth City Council is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, and young people, and expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment. It is also committed to promoting quality childcare across the city that works to improve outcomes for children.

Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) at Standard/Enhanced level will be required prior to any offer of employment and this post is exempt from the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974.