Attendance Officer
Shire Oak Academy, Walsall, West Midlands, WS9 9PA14 days remaining to apply
Start date details
As soon as possible
Closing date
3 March 2026 at 11:59pm
Date listed
17 February 2026
Job details
Job role
- Other support roles
Visa sponsorship
- Visas cannot be sponsored
Working pattern
- Full time: 37 Hours Per Week
Contract type
- Fixed term - 12/2/2028
Pay scale
- Grade 4 (SCP 6-11)
What skills and experience we're looking for
Attendance Officer
Salary: Grade4(NJC6-11)
Hours: Fulltime
Contract type: Fixed term (two years)
Reporting to: Assistant Headteacher/Attendance Manager
Responsible for: Work collaboratively with the Attendance and pastoral teams to monitor and manage student attendance and absence, ensuring timely follow-up, accurate record-keeping, and appropriate support for students.
We are seeking a detail-oriented and proactive Attendance Officer to join our team. The successful candidate will oversee the day-to-day absence management of students, support the Attendance Manager, and contribute to improving overall academy attendance.
JOB OVERVIEW
If you’ve got the talent, passion, and determination –we’ve got all the support you need to become our next Attendance Officer.
At Shire Oak Academy, we are on an ambitious journey of improvement and growth. We are seeking a committed professional who recognises the vital link between attendance, safeguarding, and student achievement, and who is ready to play a key role in ensuring every student is present, engaged, and able to succeed. This is your opportunity to take a central role in improving attendance, reducing persistent absence, and removing barriers to learning – making a lasting impact and helping our students to truly #BeIncredible.
From day one, you will work closely with our Student Support Manager, pastoral teams, and Senior Leadership Team to monitor attendance, track absence data, and implement timely, supportive interventions. You will build positive relationships with students, families, and external agencies, using a collaborative and proactive approach to promote excellent attendance and address concerns early.
You will be part of a dedicated whole-school team that shares a strong commitment to improving outcomes for every student, particularly those who are most vulnerable. Whether you are an experienced Attendance Officer or have a background in pastoral, safeguarding, or administrative support, this role offers the opportunity to make a meaningful difference by ensuring that every student is in school, ready to learn, every day.
MAINPURPOSE
The Attendance Officer will lead on key operational aspects of the Academy’s attendance strategy, working in close partnership with the Attendance Manager to secure sustained improvements in student attendance and punctuality.
Key responsibilities will include:
- Overseeing the first-day response process to ensure all unexplained absences are identified and followed up swiftly, in line with safeguarding and statutory requirements.
- Ensuring the accuracy, integrity, and compliance of all Academy registers, maintaining high standards of data management.
- Implementing and monitoring attendance communications with families, using a consistent and supportive approach that reflects the Academy’s Attendance Policy.
- Analysing attendance data to identify trends, vulnerable groups, and patterns of concern, and coordinating timely, targeted interventions.
- Playing a proactive role in reducing persistent and severe absence, contributing to whole-school attendance improvement strategies.
- Working collaboratively with pastoral leaders, safeguarding teams, and external partners, including the Education Welfare Officer, to remove barriers to attendance and support positive engagement.
- Supporting the development and implementation of attendance initiatives, campaigns, and systems that promote a culture of high expectations and regular attendance.
DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES Support for school:
- MonitorAcademyregistrationsystemsaredevelopedandcorrectlyadministeredandreporton the quality of the registers
- Share relevant data with the attendance team as requested
- Be the first contact for all attendance issues in the Academy
- Beawareofandcomplywithpoliciesandproceduresrelatingtochildprotection,healthand safety, security, confidentiality, and data protection. Report all concerns to the appropriate person
- Attend and participate in meetings as required
- Contribute to the overall ethos/work/aims of the Academy
- Participateintraining,otherlearningactivitiesandperformancedevelopmentasrequired
- Support the operation of student ‘late gate’ and late detentions
- Any other duties commensurate with the duties/responsibilities/grade of the post
Monitoring Attendance:
- Ensure all registers are completed timely and accurately
- Monitor the input of lates and absences
- Maintainandupdateattendancerecordstoensureaccuracyinaccordancewithinformation received from parents, pastoral team and tutor teams
- IdentifypoorattendersandadvisetheAttendanceManagerofstudentsneedingintervention
- Generate weekly attendance reports for tutors and pastoral team
Support for Teaching and Learning:
- Be available to staff and parents/carers for home visits to individual students
- Provide regular updates for staff, for example Assistant Headteacher, Pastoral Team and Form Tutors, on student attendance with targets and strategies for improvement
- LiaisewithEducationWelfareandothersupportservicestoimproveattendancerates
- Prepare and administer fixed penalty notices.
- Prepare and follow up on referral forms to education welfare officers
Support for students:
- Chase reasons for absence
- SupporttheAcademyinternaltruancysystem,flagissuesoftruancyaspertheschoolpolicy
- Provide advice and support for students returning to school after an extended period of absence
- Workwithfeederschoolstoensurewehaveaccurateattendanceinformation
- Have a good understanding of the additional needs of students (SEND,PP,CIC)and implement strategies to support them to attend
- Support Home Visits for students
Support to Parents/Carers
- Implement the Academy communication systems for attendance
- Beakeypointofcontactforparentsandcarersregardingattendancematters
- Administer letters as directed by the Attendance Manager/Assistant Headteacher
- Provide updates to parents/carers on the attendance of students
- Challenge reasons for absence in line with the Academy policy
- Support attendance clinics as directed by the Attendance Manager
- Send attendance letters in line with the Academy policy
Support to School (this list is not exhaustive)
- Implement relevant policies and practices in school
- Be proficient in the use ICT and relevant programmes used in the Academy
- Complete relevant duties as directed
- Share relevant attendance data as directed by Assistant Headteacher
- Complete general administration in relation to attendance
- Effectively safeguard students in line with Academy policies
- Maintain school registers correctly
Please note that this is illustrative of the general nature and level of responsibility of the role. It is not a comprehensive list of all tasks that the Attendance Officer will carry out. The post holder may be required to do other duties appropriate to the level of the role, as directed by the Executive or Associate Headteacher.
The Mercian Trust is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people/vulnerable adults and expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment. Safeguarding and Safer Recruitment Policies can be found on our website. This position is subject to appropriate vetting procedures including a criminal record check from the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly CRB) which will require you to disclose details of all unspent and unfiltered spent reprimands, formal warnings, cautions and convictions as part of the recruitment process.
What the school offers its staff
At Shire Oak Academy, we are on an ambitious journey of improvement and growth. We are seeking a committed professional who recognises the vital link between attendance, safeguarding, and student achievement, and who is ready to play a key role in ensuring every student is present, engaged, and able to succeed. This is your opportunity to take a central role in improving attendance, reducing persistent absence, and removing barriers to learning – making a lasting impact and helping our students to truly #BeIncredible.
From day one, you will work closely with our Student Support Manager, pastoral teams, and Senior Leadership Team to monitor attendance, track absence data, and implement timely, supportive interventions. You will build positive relationships with students, families, and external agencies, using a collaborative and proactive approach to promote excellent attendance and address concerns early.
You will be part of a dedicated whole-school team that shares a strong commitment to improving outcomes for every student, particularly those who are most vulnerable. Whether you are an experienced Attendance Officer or have a background in pastoral, safeguarding, or administrative support, this role offers the opportunity to make a meaningful difference by ensuring that every student is in school, ready to learn, every day.
ABOUT SHIRE OAK ACADEMY
Shire Oak Academy is at the heart of the community in Walsall. We are proud to be part of the Mercian Trust, a family of schools united by a commitment to students and to one another. Our Trust focuses on collaboration, integrity, and above all, doing what is right for young people.
This is an exciting opportunity to be part of a school that is determined to raise aspirations and transform outcomes for our students. You’ll be joining a dedicated staff team and working with fantastic students, supported by great leaders who are making a real impact every day.
The Mercian Trust is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people/vulnerable adults and expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment. Safeguarding and Safer Recruitment Policies can be found on our website. This position is subject to appropriate vetting procedures including a criminal record check from the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly CRB) which will require you to disclose details of all unspent and unfiltered spent reprimands, formal warnings, cautions and convictions as part of the recruitment process.
Further information about the job
Commitment to safeguarding
Our organisation is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and vulnerable adults. We expect all staff, volunteers and trustees to share this commitment.
Our recruitment process follows the keeping children safe in education guidance.
Offers of employment may be subject to the following checks (where relevant):
childcare disqualification
Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS)
medical
online and social media
prohibition from teaching
right to work
satisfactory references
suitability to work with children
You must tell us about any unspent conviction, cautions, reprimands or warnings under the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975.
Applying for the job
Apply for the job by following the link below.
CVs will not be accepted for this application.
View advert on school website (opens in new tab)Additional documents
If you need these documents in an accessible format, please contact the school.
About Shire Oak Academy
- School type
- Academy, ages 11 to 18
- Education phase
- Secondary school
- School size
- 1297 pupils enrolled
- Age range
- 11 to 18
- Ofsted report
- View Ofsted report
- School website
- Shire Oak Academy website
- Email address
- avneet.bhullar@merciantrust.org.uk
Arranging a visit to Shire Oak Academy
To arrange a visit and increase the chance of a successful application email avneet.bhullar@merciantrust.org.uk.
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