Family Engagement Partner

The Ladder School, Walsall, WS1 1RS

6 days remaining to apply

• Job start date

  1 September 2026

• Closing date

  13 July 2026 at 9am

• Date listed

  29 June 2026

Job details

• Job role:
  • Pastoral, health and welfare
• Visa sponsorship: Visas cannot be sponsored
• Working pattern: Full time
• Contract type: Permanent
• Full-time equivalent salary: £25,460.00 - £28,876.00 Annually (Actual) Grade 7 (SCP 22-27), Term Time Only (39 Weeks)

Family Engagement Partner job summary

Job Title: Family Engagement Partner

Location: Walsall

We are an Alternative Provision Free School located in Walsall occupying a brand new fabulous building.  We are becoming the “go to place” for Alternative Provision in the borough.

At The Ladder School we recognise that the mainstream school system does not suit all young people and we are here to offer a second chance.  We believe that every student has potential and the staff work incredibly hard to ensure our students make the most of the opportunities available to them whilst they are with us.  Unlike other alternative provisions, we offer a range of GCSE and vocational courses to ensure students receive a well-rounded education and have the best chances in their future.  We have a strong careers program designed to support students reach positive destinations after they leave The Ladder School.

We have an environment where praise and encouragement are used to help our students see things differently. Our set of aspirational values underpins everything we do. Our purpose-built school has specialist facilities for our students to thrive and grow into successful, contributing members of their community.

School Ethos:

High standards - students are pushed to achieve beyond their potential, and staff work to ensure everything that we do is better than people expect.

Daring to Dream - students at The Ladder School may have been in an educational setting where they lack aspirations to be successful. At The Ladder School, we challenge students to reach their potential and go on to further education and employment.

Traditional Values - some things often get forgotten in education; at The Ladder School, we pride ourselves on mutual respect, good manners, making a positive contribution, supporting one another and an orderly, litter free environment.

Success - can come in many virtues; at The Ladder School, we celebrate the small steps every day and tell students when they are doing well. We ensure that students can have a successful future.

Personalised Support - all students at The Ladder School have a Learning Coach who guides them, sets them bespoke targets and supports them in making social and academic progress.

Find more information here: The Ladder School

Want to make a difference to young people?

Are you ready to embark on a rewarding journey within an educational community that values increasing opportunities, improving outcomes for our students. We are looking for a Family Engagement Partner to join our team. Reporting to Assistant Headteacher (Behaviour, Attendance & Safeguarding),  The Family Engagement Partner strengthens the vital connection between home and school, ensuring families feel supported, respected and empowered. Working within an Alternative Provision context, the role focuses on removing barriers, improving attendance and engagement, and supporting safeguarding through early help, multi-agency collaboration and consistent communication.

This role is central to The Ladder School’s mission: every child deserves a fresh start, a safe space, and a team who never gives up on them.

Key Duties and Responsibilities: 

1. Family Engagement & Support

Build trusting relationships with families, especially those who may feel disconnected or wary of education settings

Provide practical and emotional support to parents/carers to help them engage with their child’s education

Conduct home visits to support attendance, welfare and engagement

Offer early help support, signposting families to relevant services (housing, mental health, financial support, youth services)

Facilitate family meetings, restorative conversations and solution-focused discussions

Promote a culture where families feel like partners, not observers

2. Attendance & Engagement

Work closely with the Attendance Lead to monitor patterns, identify concerns and intervene early

Support families to overcome barriers to attendance, including routines, transport, anxiety, or safeguarding concerns

Contribute to attendance action plans, parenting contracts and multi-agency attendance meetings

Maintain accurate records of interventions, home visits and communication

Promote a sense of belonging and connection for students and families

3. Safeguarding & Multi-Agency Working

Act as a key point of contact for families involved with social care, early help, youth justice or CAMHS

Attend and contribute to TAC/TAF meetings, CIN/CP conferences and multi-agency reviews

Work with the DSL team to ensure timely reporting, accurate record-keeping and effective follow-up

Support the school’s safeguarding culture through professional curiosity, early identification of risk and proactive communication

Ensure families understand safeguarding processes and feel supported throughout

4. Supporting Students in AP Context

Understand the complexities of students who have experienced permanent exclusion, trauma, SEND, SEMH and disrupted education

Work with pastoral and behaviour teams to support re-engagement, regulation and belonging

Support reintegration meetings, managed moves, and transition planning

Contribute to risk assessments, behaviour plans and personalised support strategies

Model calm, consistency and relational practice at all times

5. Communication & Administration

Maintain high-quality records on CPOMS and school systems

Produce reports for SLT, governors and external agencies

Ensure communication with families is timely, respectful and accessible

Support the organisation of family events, workshops and information sessions

Promote The Ladder School’s values through all interactions

Pay range: Scale Grade 7 (SCP 22-27) | Actual £25460-£28876 | FTE £33699-£38220

Qualifications and Skills: 

Essential Experience & Knowledge

Experience working with vulnerable families in education, social care, youth work or community settings

Strong understanding of safeguarding, early help and multi-agency processes

Knowledge of trauma-informed practice and how adverse experiences affect behaviour and engagement

Experience conducting home visits and managing challenging conversations

Ability to build trust with families who may be resistant or anxious

Strong communication skills with diverse audiences

Experience supporting attendance and engagement in a school or AP context

Desirable Experience & Knowledge

Experience in Alternative Provision or PRU settings

Understanding of SEND, particularly SEMH, ASD and ADHD

Training in restorative practice

Experience with multi-agency safeguarding

Knowledge of local Walsall services (Early Help, CAMHS, Youth Justice, Housing)

Personal Qualities

Calm, consistent and emotionally resilient

Non-judgemental and empathetic

High expectations with unconditional positive regard

Solution-focused and proactive

Able to work independently and as part of a team

Why The Mercian Trust?

As one Trust we share a common purpose.  We call it our social mobility and social justice mission to change our communities through the very best equitable education.  When we get this right, it enables our children and young people to fulfil their potential, thrive in the world of work, and make a positive contribution to the local, national and international community. Our recent achievements include:

Sustainable Growth - becoming one of the largest and most diverse trusts in the region

Social Mobility & Social Justice - National recognition for the Trust’s two selective grammar schools who the most successful on the number of local disadvantaged students passing the entrance and joining the schools

Increasing Opportunities - Opening brand-new purpose-built campus in Walsall Town Centre including an alternative provision for students at risk at permanent exclusion from mainstream schools alongside a Digital Skills Hub to provide professionals and employers

Pioneering Spirit - National recognition for pioneering work around youth mental health, including establishing an in-house multi-disciplinary team of clinicians and allied health professionals delivering interventions and providing support to vulnerable students

Outward Looking - Organising and hosting the region’s first Youth Suicide Conference (2023) and Youth Violence Conference (2024) at Villa Park

Innovation and Improvement - A multi-million-pound investment in the digital infrastructure of Trust schools and our Digital Skills Hub underpinning the ongoing transformation of how staff teach, students learn, leaders lead and the whole Trust operates in readiness for the AI-supercharged careers and workplaces of the future.

Want to be a part of something extraordinary? Find out more: The Mercian Trust - Home

What can we offer you:

Benefits: 

Financial, Health and Lifestyle

• discounts on everyday purchases (Eden Red)

• a comprehensive free of charge health plan (UK Health Care)

• a cycle to work scheme via Halfords

• Access to the Blue Light Card

For further benefits including education sector leading CPD: The Mercian Trust - What we can offer you

The Mercian Trust is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of young people and vulnerable adults, and all appointments are subject to enhanced Disclosure & Barring Service (DBS) checks and satisfactory references.

The Mercian Trust is also committed to promoting equality, challenging discrimination and developing community cohesion. We welcome applications from all sections of the community.

Please take time to read our policies attached to this advert.

We reserve the right to close this vacancy early if we receive a high volume of suitable applications. Please apply as soon as possible to avoid disappointment

Further information about the job

The candidate will be required to undergo a full enhanced DBS check and must be eligible to work in the UK.

Visas cannot be sponsored.

If you're interested in teaching or training to teach in England as an international citizen, we can help you understand your next steps.

Commitment to safeguarding

The Ladder School 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. A copy of the ‘Safeguarding Policy’ is available to view or download by logging onto the School website: www.theladderschool.org.

Applying for the job

This school accepts applications through their own website, where you may also find more information about this job.

CVs will not be accepted for this application.

About The Ladder School

• Organisation type: Free School, ages 13 to 18
• Size: 62 pupils enrolled
• Age range: 13 to 18
• Ofsted report: View Ofsted report
• Website: The Ladder School website
• See more jobs: teaching-vacancies.service.gov.uk/organisations/the-ladder-school

We are an Alternative Provision Free School located in Walsall Town Centre. The Ladder School was established in January 2019 and has now moved in to a brand new, purpose-built building based on the edge of Walsall town centre where there are excellent links to the local and wider community. Over the coming years we will continue to grow and become the ‘go to place’ for alternative provision in the borough.

At The Ladder School, we recognise that mainstream school does not suit all young people and we are here to offer a second chance. We work on a commissioning basis, that means that a school or the Local Authority must approach to place a student. Unfortunately, we cannot accept direct referrals from parents/carers.

The staff work incredibly hard to ensure our students make the most of the opportunities that they get whist they are with us. Unlike other alternative provisions, we offer a range of GCSE courses, supplemented with some vocational courses to ensure students get a well-rounded education.

We are a positive environment, that uses praise and encouragement to enable our students to see things differently. We have a set of values that underpin everything we do.

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