Education Welfare Officer
Harris Academy Purley, South Croydon, Surrey, CR2 6DT7 days remaining to apply
Start date details
As soon as possible
Closing date
18 November 2026 at 11:59pm
Date listed
11 November 2026
Job details
Job role
- Pastoral, health and welfare
Visa sponsorship
- Visas cannot be sponsored
Working pattern
- Term time, part time: 38 weeks per year, 22.5 hours per week
Contract type
- Fixed term - to July 2027 - Maternity or parental leave cover
Full time equivalent salary
- £38,937 - £40,575 FTE
Pay scale
- Grade 7 (Outer London)
Additional allowances
Pension Scheme (LGPS) + Harris Wellbeing Cash Plan + Additional Harris Benefits
What skills and experience we're looking for
We are looking for a dedicated and experienced individual to join Harris Academy Purley as Education Welfare Officer, overseeing welfare-related duties and attendance data and working with at-risk students.
This is a part-time maternity cover position, working three days per week during term time only. The actual salary for this role will be £19,642 - £20,468 (38 weeks per year, 22.5 hours per week).
We would like to hear from you if you have:
- An undergraduate degree (or equivalent)
- Knowledge of behaviour for learning policies
- Knowledge of the range of barriers to learning that students face
- Training in child protection and safeguarding procedures
- Basic knowledge of first aid (e.g. emergency first aid course)
- Three years' experience of working in an inner city school or educational establishment in a pastoral capacity
- Experience of dealing successfully with a range of issues influencing poor attendance
- Experience of working with staff to ensure excellent standards of attendance and punctuality are maintained
- Experience of working with families
- Experience of working with challenging students and parents, and finding ways in which we can meet their needs more successfully
What the school offers its staff
Working at Harris Academy Purley, you will make a real difference to the lives of young people and their families in South London who value the learning and school environment we offer. Our school is oversubscribed; we have families, from a number of boroughs, who choose us for the high standard of education we provide, and staff come from across London as well as Sussex and Surrey to come and work with us.
You will be given ample opportunities to develop and progress your career, and all staff are encouraged to develop their interests and areas of expertise. Our professional development is tailored to ensure all staff are able to continue learning regardless of their role or stage of career.
We strive for excellence and have high ambitions for the future whilst ensuring we maintain a clear focus on staff wellbeing and work-life balance. Our motto: To Learn, To Think, To Act is as true for our staff as it is for our students, and we are committed to investing in your experience with us.
Our people are at the heart of our success. We have developed a strong culture of collaboration and best practice, with professional development and career planning at its centre. We invest in our staff with support, coaching, mentoring, and a wide range of top-quality training programmes delivered at every level to senior leadership.
Benefits
In addition to the opportunities for career development and progression, we also offer a competitive rewards and benefits package which includes our Harris Allowance (usually £2,000 for Inner London and £1,500 for Outer London), an Annual Loyalty Bonus, Teachers Pension Scheme, a Wellbeing Cash Plan, Employee Assistance Programme, and many other benefits. Learn more about our benefits on our website.
Flexible working opportunities
We are committed to fostering a positive and supportive working environment for our staff, recognising that achieving a balance between professional and personal responsibilities is essential. We understand that each individual's circumstances are unique, which is why we offer flexible working options that can be adapted to meet the needs of both the academy and our employees.
Further information about the job
In this rewarding and varied role, you will:
- Oversee Educational Welfare across the academy
- Manage a caseload of ‘at risk' students where attendance falls below 85%, and implement strategies to improve attendance
- Have responsibility for monitoring the attendance of most vulnerable students at the academy, including Looked after students, those on the child protection register, and children identified as being in need
- Manage the process of addressing poor attendance across the academy
- Represent the academy at external meetings e.g. Social Services Case Conferences, Child in Need Meetings, LAC Reviews
- Line manage the Attendance Officer
- Liaise with Academy Leadership Group to address any attendance or welfare concerns.
- Assist with the smooth running of the student information centre (SIC), ensuring support for students has a positive impact on raising achievement
- Communicate effectively with all external agencies, including possible alternative providers
- Ensure effective and appropriate communication/consultation with parents through phone, letter and home visits as relevant
- Liaise with the local authority when cases of poor attendance reach the level of legal intervention, managing the process of evidence sharing and representing the academy at court were necessary
- Prepare reports and maintain records relating to student referrals and subsequent counselling or support
Commitment to safeguarding
The Harris Federation and all our academies are committed to ensuring the highest levels of safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people, and we expect all our staff and volunteers to share this commitment. All offers of employment are subject to an enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check, references, an online search, and where applicable, a prohibition from teaching check will be completed.
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 Harris Academy Purley
- Organisation type
- Academy, ages 11 to 19
- Education phase
- Secondary school
- Size
- 1013 pupils enrolled
- Age range
- 11 to 19
- Ofsted report
- View Ofsted report
- Email address
- careers@harrisfederation.org.uk
- Phone number
- 0208 681 1141
Harris Academy Purley is an oversubscribed 11-19 co-educational academy with currently 1050 students on roll, situated on the Croydon/Surrey border. Open since September 2009, we are judged Outstanding by Ofsted, and moved into a state-of-the-art new building in September 2012.
We are a happy, hard-working and highly ambitious community in which students and staff treat on another with care and respect, combining traditional values of discipline and good manners with contemporary best practice in teaching and technology. The academy’s leadership team and staff share an expectation that each and every student who joins Harris Academy Purley achieves his or her “personal best”. With an emphasis on Enterprise, the academy strives each and every day to create a culture and ethos which promotes curiosity, initiative and leadership in all our young people.
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