Attendance & Education Advisor - Ref: CH00226 in Walsall

Walsall Council, Fixed term contract until 31st July 2027. Grade 6 £31,537-£34,434 per annum.

This is an exciting opportunity to join Walsall Council's School Attendance Support Service as an Attendance and Education Advisor. The School Attendance Support Service works with schools, families and partner agencies to improve school attendance, engagement and access to education. The service supports the early identification of barriers to attendance and works collaboratively to ensure children and young people receive the right support at the right time.

This post will play a key role in improving educational outcomes for some of Walsall's most vulnerable children and young people by helping them overcome barriers to learning, improving attendance and engagement, and ensuring they have access to appropriate educational opportunities. This will include working with children in care, children with a social worker, children who have previously received support from children's social care services, children living in kinship care, and other vulnerable pupils who may face barriers to accessing and engaging with education.

We are looking for a motivated, dynamic and ambitious practitioner with strong organisational and communication skills who can work effectively as part of a team and build positive relationships with children, families, schools and professionals. The successful candidate will work directly with pupils and their families to identify and remove barriers affecting regular school attendance and educational engagement. This will include developing and supporting strategies to improve attendance and participation at both an individual and school level, with a clear focus on improving outcomes for children and young people.

Applicants will need recent and relevant experience of working within education, children's services, or another statutory or partner agency supporting children, young people and families. They will be confident in communicating with a range of stakeholders, able to exercise professional judgement, and committed to working in a restorative, supportive and solution-focused way. The role will involve working independently within a statutory framework and graduated system of support.

Successful applicants will work closely with pupils, parents, carers, schools and professionals to reduce absence, strengthen engagement in education and support vulnerable children and young people who are at risk of becoming persistently absent, severely absent or not accessing suitable education. Duties will include home visits, meetings with parents and carers, liaison with schools and partner agencies, analysis of attendance information, contribution to multi-agency discussions, and the development and review of plans to improve attendance, engagement and access to education.

The successful candidate will also provide advice, support and challenge to schools, helping them to understand barriers to attendance, identify effective interventions and promote positive educational outcomes for vulnerable children and young people. This is an excellent opportunity to make a meaningful difference to the lives of children and families across Walsall, ensuring that barriers to education are identified early and addressed through effective partnership working and targeted support.

For further information about the position, please email Jaseen Kweku at jaseen.kweku@walsall.gov.uk. The role is 37 hours, All Year. Closing Date: Sunday 9th August 2026 11:55 pm. Short Listing: Week beginning 10th August. Interviews: TBC.

This post is covered by the Government’s Code of Practice on the English Language Fluency Duty for public sector workers. The post holder will be required to communicate verbally with customers and provide advice and/or information in accurate spoken English.

Walsall Council takes seriously the responsibility to safeguard and promote the welfare of all the children, young people and vulnerable adults entrusted to our care and it is our expectation that all staff will share this commitment. We will ensure continuous development and improvement of robust recruitment processes and procedures that promote a culture of safeguarding amongst our workforce.

Completion of an enhanced Disclosure & Barring Service (DBS) check is a requirement for working with children, young people and vulnerable adults. Note: Applicants appointed to posts that require an enhanced DBS clearance must declare any periods of time that they have lived, studied or worked abroad and be prepared to provide an Overseas Criminal Records Certificate (OCRC) or a Statement of Good Conduct (SOGC) relating to anytime they were overseas. For this role the successful candidates must undergo a Baseline Personnel Security Standard (BPSS) check. BPSS is the minimum standard to ensure the identity and integrity of an employee who has access to official information using secure networks linking central government and local authorities. A BPSS check involves four main elements: Identity Check, National and Immigration Status, Employment History (last 3 years) and Verification of Criminal Record (unspent convictions only).

At Walsall Council, we appreciate that AI can be a useful tool for ideas or guidance. However, we encourage you to make sure your application reflects your own voice and experiences. Over-reliance on AI can make responses feel less personal, and we really want to understand what makes you unique. Your experiences, skills, and perspective are what set you apart, so please ensure your application as a whole - particularly your ‘Supporting Information’ - reflects your own voice.