Attendance Improvement Officer

Bradford District is the fifth largest Metropolitan Local Authority District in England. It is the youngest district in the UK with nearly a third of the population aged under 20. We want Bradford to be a great place to be a child – a place where all our children and young people are given the best start in life and can develop their talents and abilities to the fullest extent.

This is reflected in our ambition to become a UNICEF Child Friendly District, where the voice of the child is at the heart of all we do and all our children and young people have the opportunity to develop, thrive and prosper. For children to be able to develop, thrive and prosper, it is essential that they attend school every day.

When a child finds it difficult to attend school, it is essential that they receive excellent support from their school and, when necessary, Bradford Council.

As an Attendance Support Officer, you will share the responsibility for ensuring every child is able to attend school regularly. You will work with schools, families and services such as Early Help, Children’s Social Care, NHS and Police to remove barriers to attendance and ensure that by improving attendance, you are improving the outcomes of Bradford’s children and young people.

The role requires you to persistently engage with schools, children and families to uncover barriers to school attendance, and use your initiative and knowledge of support services to plan packages of support to remove those barriers to enable children to attend more regularly. In some cases where families fail to engage with you, you may also need to consider the legal options available to the council to enforce regular school attendance.

We are seeking people who have a strong desire to make a difference to children and Young People in the Bradford District. You will be naturally inquisitive and professionally curious, as well as being able to work individually and as part of a team to resolve complex problems and situations. In order to be successful, you will have experience of working with children, young people, their families and schools, a knowledge and understanding of the barriers to excellent school attendance, legal options for enforcing attendance, Early Help processes and procedures, and are optimistic, reliable, energetic, and able to contribute effectively to a team.

An Enhanced DBS check with Barred List will be sought for all appointees to this post.

If you are interested in joining our team and would like some further information, please contact John Leese -

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We are an equal opportunities employer and welcome applications from all suitably qualified candidates, regardless of age, disability, gender reassignment, marriage or civil partnership, pregnancy or maternity, race (including colour, nationality, and ethnic or national origin), religion or belief, sex, or sexual orientation.

We are committed to creating an inclusive environment where everyone feels valued, respected, and able to thrive. If you require any adjustments to the recruitment process to support your application, please let us know, and we will work with you to meet your needs.

The RESPECT Allyship Programme is available to all staff, which offers the opportunity to learn more about the diverse communities & groups and provides added benefits and resources to its members.