Attendance Officer - Caring Secondary School in Northampton

Job Title: Attendance Officer

Location: Northampton, Northamptonshire

School Type: 11–18 Secondary School & Sixth Form

Contract Type: Full-Time, Permanent

Start Date: ASAP

Salary: £23,500 – £27,000 per annum (Local Government Pay Scale)

Role Overview

A caring secondary school in Northampton is seeking an organized, empathetic, and proactive Attendance Officer to join their dedicated pastoral and pupil welfare team ASAP. In this key non-teaching role, you will lead daily monitoring of pupil attendance and punctuality, carry out first-day absence communications, analyse attendance trends, and work directly with families across Northampton to remove barriers to regular school attendance. Working closely with Heads of Year, the Designated Safeguarding Lead (DSL), and Northamptonshire Education Welfare services, you will help embed a strong culture of high attendance and engagement across the school community.

Key Responsibilities

• Maintain and update daily attendance registers using school management systems (e.g., SIMS, Arbor, or CPOMS).

• Conduct daily first-day calls, text alerts, and email notifications to parents and carers to confirm absence reasons and log accurate codes.

• Analyse attendance data to identify patterns of persistent absence, lateness, and vulnerable pupil cohorts, producing clear monitoring reports for pastoral leaders.

• Convene internal attendance review meetings with parents and carers to establish supportive attendance contracts, action plans, and home visits where required.

• Liaise with the local authority Education Welfare Service and social care agencies to manage statutory escalations, fixed penalty notices, and formal attendance support pathways.

• Collaborate with safeguarding, medical, and SENCO staff to ensure underlying welfare, health, or special educational needs impacting attendance are addressed early.

Key Requirements

• Previous administrative or pastoral support experience in a UK school or educational environment (experience with attendance tracking systems is highly desirable).

• Proficiency in school database software (SIMS, Arbor, or CPOMS) and Microsoft Office applications (Excel, Word, Outlook).

• Strong interpersonal, communication, and conflict-resolution skills, with a supportive yet resilient approach when engaging with disengaged families.

• Thorough understanding of statutory school attendance frameworks, safeguarding protocols, and Keeping Children Safe in Education (KCSIE).

• Legal right to work in the UK.

School Highlights & Benefits

• Collaborative pastoral team with clear attendance policies, escalation pathways, and administrative backing.

• Supportive senior leadership team committed to staff wellbeing, professional development, and community engagement.

• Convenient Northampton location with excellent transport links across Northamptonshire and the East Midlands, plus free on-site staff parking.

• Local Government Pension Scheme (LGPS) enrolment and term-time-only working arrangements.

Application

To apply for this Attendance Officer role at a caring secondary school in Northampton, starting ASAP, please submit your updated CV as soon as possible.