School Attendance Support Officer

About The Role

Education plays a vital role in a child's future, and this role sits at the heart of helping children and young people access the education they're entitled to.

Education plays a vital role in a child's future, and this role sits at the heart of helping children and young people access the education they're entitled to.

As a School Attendance Support Officer, you'll work alongside schools, families and partner agencies to identify barriers to attendance, navigate complex situations and help improve educational outcomes for children and young people.

Working across a varied caseload, you'll support schools to fulfil their responsibilities, provide guidance around attendance and educational entitlement, and help ensure children receive the right support at the right time.

No two days are the same. Some cases will require careful relationship building, others will involve challenge, professional curiosity and problem solving. If you enjoy working with people, making sense of complex situations and helping move things forward, you'll find plenty of variety and purpose in this role.

You'll be joining a supportive and experienced team that works closely together, sharing knowledge, supporting one another and keeping children and young people at the centre of everything we do.

This role is exempt from the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 and therefore subject to an enhanced DBS certificate. It is also a regulated activity and will be subject to a Children and Adults Barred List check. West Northamptonshire Council is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and vulnerable adults and expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment.

You'll work directly with schools to review attendance data, identify patterns and trends, discuss individual cases and provide advice and guidance around attendance, inclusion and educational entitlement. You'll also meet with families, carry out home visits and work alongside partner agencies to understand the barriers affecting a child's attendance and education.

While you'll spend time working with children, families and schools, this isn't a direct intervention role. Rather than providing ongoing support yourself, you'll work alongside schools and partner agencies to identify barriers, influence decision making and make sure the right support is in place for children and young people. You'll often be the person bringing professionals together, offering guidance, challenging where needed and helping move situations forward.

You'll be comfortable having constructive but sometimes challenging conversations, whether that's supporting a family to improve attendance or holding schools to account where practice isn't meeting expected standards.

You'll need to balance support with accountability. There will be times when you're helping families access support and times when you'll need to follow statutory processes where attendance concerns remain.

The role combines relationship building, problem solving, investigation, case management and partnership working. It's rewarding work, but it can also be demanding, so we're looking for someone who is resilient, organised and confident managing competing priorities.

School attendance sits at the centre of so many positive outcomes for children and young people. When attendance improves, opportunities improve too.

You’ll join a knowledgeable and supportive team who are passionate about the work they do and genuinely support one another. The service has evolved significantly in recent years, with clear expectations, strong leadership and a real commitment to delivering the best outcomes for children, young people and schools.

• Flexible and family friendly working arrangements
• Generous annual leave
• Local Government Pension Scheme
• Learning and development opportunities
• Health and wellbeing support
• Employee benefits and discounts

You may already work within education, inclusion, attendance, safeguarding, health, social care or another role supporting children and…