Attendance & Engagement Lead

Job Title

Attendance and Engagement Group Lead - (1-year Fixed Term Contract)

£37,527 per annum

37 per week, all year round (to be worked flexibly)

Peterborough & Stamford College

The Attendance and Engagement Group Lead will play a crucial role in reengaging and supporting our most vulnerable learners to succeed. You will be responsible for developing, implementing, and overseeing inclusive strategies to improve student attendance and retention rates across IEG. This role will focus on leading a team of attendance coaches to track attendance patterns, identify at‑risk students, implement intervention strategies, and ensure that students receive the tailored support necessary to succeed.

• Promote a culture of ambition and aspiration for students, ensuring high standards of organisational performance across the Group.
• Actively develop and promote shared values, ethos, and culture of the Group and create an inclusive and supportive environment for students and staff.
• Direct the Attendance Coaches team, providing strategic oversight of attendance tracking, reporting, and intervention across the entire Group.
• Lead on Attendance Meetings and persistent absence strategies, establishing a clear distinction between attendance support and student conduct.
• Assist in the development of policies and procedures; recommend improvements based on data analysis, research, and current FE best practices.
• Identify opportunities for technological enhancements to innovate and improve the student attendance experience.
• Operational Attendance Management & Reporting
• Oversee and manage attendance tracking systems for all students.
• Regularly analyse attendance data to identify trends/patterns and generate weekly reports for senior leadership, Curriculum teams, and other stakeholders.
• Maintain accurate records of student attendance, retention statistics, and actions taken to address concerns.
• Ensure compliance with institutional policies and relevant regulations.
• Integrate Attendance Coaches into key faculty meetings to provide actionable insights and reporting.
• 3. Student Support, Intervention, & Retention
• Develop proactive outreach efforts for students showing signs of disengagement or poor attendance.
• Collaborate with curriculum departments, student mentors, and student services to design and implement retention strategies (e.g., mentoring, tailored timetables, and support workshops).
• Oversee the team in conducting targeted home visits, where appropriate, to investigate persistent absence, engage directly with families, and identify external barriers to education.
• Serve as the primary strategic link to SEN and Wellbeing Managers to identify EHE students and coordinate complex pastoral interventions.
• Work with academic advisors, counsellors, and faculty to identify at‑risk students early based on attendance patterns and academic performance.
• Relieve the administrative burden of attendance from teaching staff to maximise the impact of the Attendance Coaches.
• Monitor student progress and follow up with interventions as needed.
• Collaboration & Professional Development
• Coordinate a multi‑agency response to identify and remove external barriers to education, ensuring a collaborative approach with local partners and stakeholders to support student attendance and retention.
• Work cross‑functionally with key departments including Student Financial support, Safeguarding and Wellbeing services to support student success initiatives.
• Ensure consistency in monitoring processes and pastoral procedures across the Group.
• Communicate attendance expectations clearly to students, faculty, and stakeholders.
• Serve as a contact point for students facing challenges that affect their attendance or retention.
• Stay current with best practices and trends in student engagement, retention, and attendance management.
• Carry out the full range of line management duties for staff in your department, including recruitment and selection, induction, probation, professional development, workload management, performance management, discipline, grievance, absence management, appraisals, wellbeing, coaching and mentoring in…