Education Welfare Officer

Looking for a role where you can make a real difference to students' lives? If you're organised, proactive and passionate about helping young people overcome barriers to education, this could be a great opportunity for you. We're looking for an Attendance Officer to join a supportive Secondary School, playing a key role in improving attendance, punctuality and engagement across the school. You'll work closely with students, families, teachers, safeguarding teams and external agencies, building positive relationships and identifying practical ways to support students where attendance has become a concern. What you'll be doing:

• Monitoring daily attendance and punctuality, identifying trends and areas of concern
• Working directly with students, parents and carers to improve attendance and reduce persistent absence
• Using a trauma-informed approach when working with students and families
• Managing attendance interventions and tracking their impact
• Supporting safeguarding processes where persistent absence is a concern
• Carrying out home visits where necessary and making appropriate referrals to external agencies
• Organising and delivering attendance assemblies and student interventions
• Producing attendance reports, statistics and analysis for Senior Leadership and Trustees
• Monitoring attendance for vulnerable students, including CLA, Child in Need and Child Protection cases
• Working closely with the safeguarding and wellbeing teams to support students and families
• Supporting CME procedures, attendance census returns and Elective Home Education records
• Issuing and following up Penalty Charge Notices (PCNs) where appropriate
• Representing the school at relevant external meetings, including Social Services and Child in Need meetings
• Supporting transition from primary to secondary for students with attendance concerns

What we're looking for:

• Previous experience working in attendance, pastoral, safeguarding, family support or a similar school-based role
• Strong understanding of the barriers that can affect student attendance and engagement
• Excellent communication skills and the ability to build positive relationships with students, parents and carers
• A calm, empathetic and trauma-informed approach to working with young people and families
• Strong organisational and data analysis skills, with the ability to identify trends and act on attendance concerns
• Confidence working alongside DSLs, SLT, external agencies and other professionals
• A proactive approach to safeguarding, student wellbeing and early intervention
• The ability to manage sensitive information with professionalism and confidentiality
• Resilience and the ability to manage challenging conversations while maintaining positive relationships

Why work with Protocol Education? We keep things simple. Honest conversations, clear communication and opportunities that genuinely fit what you're looking for. You'll get:

• Weekly pay through PAYE, no umbrella companies
• FREE access to our online CPD Academy
• Personalised support from a dedicated consultant
• Opportunities across mainstream, SEND and alternative settings
• Streamlined registration and local placements
• A referral scheme that genuinely rewards you

Have you completed Thrive training? If not, ask us about our FREE Thrive training. It's a brilliant way to build your confidence when supporting young people, strengthen your understanding of behaviour and wellbeing, and make your CV stand out to schools. If you're passionate about improving attendance and helping young people overcome barriers to education, we'd love to hear from you. Send your CV to and let's chat about your next opportunity. All applicants will require the appropriate qualifications and training for this role. Please see the FAQs on the Protocol Education website for further details. All pay rates quoted will be inclusive of 12.07% statutory holiday pay. This advert is for a temporary position. In some cases, the option to make this role permanent may become available at a later date. Protocol Education is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children. We undertake safeguarding checks on all workers in accordance with the DfE statutory guidance ‘Keeping Children Safe in Education’, this may also include an online search as part of our due diligence on shortlisted applicants. We offer FREE online safeguarding and Prevent Duty training to all our workers. All candidates must undertake or have undertaken a valid enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check and subscribe to the DBS Update Service. Full assistance provided. For details of our privacy policy, please see visit the Protocol Education website