About this Role
Attendance Officer
Riverside Bridge School
Salary: Scale 5.12
Contract: Term-time - this is initially a fixed term contract of 1 year from date of appointment.
Hours: 8:30am-4:00pm
Location: Barking, London, IG11 0HZ
Responsible to: Deputy Headteacher (Senior Attendance Champion)
About Riverside Bridge School
Riverside Bridge School is a specialist school in the London Borough of Barking and Dagenham, providing education for children and young people aged 4-18 with complex special educational needs and disabilities.
Our pupils have a wide range of needs, including autism, severe and profound learning difficulties, complex communication needs, sensory processing differences, physical and medical needs, and emotional regulation difficulties.
Many of our pupils are non-verbal or minimally verbal and rely on alternative and augmentative communication, visual systems and Total Communication approaches.
We recognise that attendance is fundamental to safeguarding, wellbeing, engagement and access to education. However, we also understand that pupils and families may experience complex barriers to regular school attendance.
Our approach is support-first and safeguarding-led, combining high expectations for attendance and punctuality with an understanding of individual circumstances, professional curiosity and appropriate intervention.
About the role
We are seeking a highly organised, proactive and committed Attendance Officer to take operational responsibility for attendance processes across the school.
This is a key role within our attendance and safeguarding arrangements, requiring someone who can combine accurate administration and data analysis with effective communication, professional judgement and direct work with families.
Working under the direction of the Deputy Headteacher (Senior Attendance Champion), the successful candidate will be responsible for ensuring that attendance is recorded accurately, absences are followed up promptly, concerns are identified early and appropriate support and intervention are implemented.
This is not solely an administrative role. The post involves direct engagement with families, attendance meetings, safeguarding and welfare follow-up, home visits and multi-agency working.
The Attendance Officer will work as part of the school's safeguarding team and will be required to undertake and maintain DSL-level safeguarding training.
Key responsibilities
Attendance monitoring and daily procedures
- Monitor daily attendance registers, ensuring morning registers are completed and closed by 9:45am and afternoon registers by 1:30pm.
- Operate first-day response procedures, promptly following up unexplained absences and prioritising vulnerable pupils.
- Contact parents and carers to establish reasons for absence and support pupils' return to school.
- Maintain accurate attendance and punctuality records using Bromcom and other school systems.
- Ensure attendance codes are applied accurately in accordance with Department for Education guidance.
- Monitor attendance and punctuality patterns and identify emerging concerns requiring intervention.
Attendance intervention and family support
- Implement the school's graduated attendance response, identifying pupils at risk of persistent or severe absence.
- Monitor attendance against the school's intervention thresholds, including early concern, at risk of persistent absence, persistent absence and severe absence.
- Arrange, coordinate and support Attendance Review Meetings and Attendance Support Meetings.
- Contribute to the development, implementation and review of individual Attendance Support Plans.
- Maintain regular, professional communication with families regarding attendance concerns and agreed actions.
- Identify and respond sensitively to barriers including SEND, medical needs,
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Attendance Officer at Riverside Bridge School employer: Riverside School
Riverside School is an exceptional employer dedicated to transforming the lives of children with complex needs. With a strong commitment to inclusion and diversity, we offer a supportive work culture that values collaboration and professional growth, making it an ideal environment for both experienced educators and Early Career Teachers. Our locations in the London Borough of Bromley provide a vibrant community atmosphere, ensuring that our staff can thrive while making a meaningful impact on the lives of our pupils and their families.
