Attendance Officer

Attendance Officer - Cross Campus

The Observatory School | Changing Children's Lives

Location: The Observatory School, Wirral, Leasowe, Vyner and Solar Campuses

Contract: Permanent | Term Time Only

Hours: 36 hours per week

Salary: Band G

Working Pattern: Across all three school campuses

Closing Date: Monday 2 November 2026

Could you make a real difference to a child's life by helping them get into school?

The Observatory School is an ambitious, forward-thinking specialist school supporting children and young people with Social, Emotional and Mental Health (SEMH) needs and a wide range of additional educational needs.

We are looking to appoint a highly motivated, organised and resilient Attendance Officer to work across our three campuses, supporting our commitment to improving attendance, removing barriers to education and ensuring every child has the opportunity to succeed.

This is an exciting opportunity for someone who understands that, for some children, simply getting through the school gates can be a significant achievement.

Our children do not always have straightforward lives. Some experience considerable challenges outside school, while others face complex emotional, behavioural or developmental barriers to regular attendance.

We need someone who can understand these challenges without lowering expectations.

We are not simply looking for someone who can monitor attendance figures. We are looking for someone who can help change them.

About the Role

Working across our Leasowe, Vyner and Solar campuses, you will play an active role in promoting excellent attendance, identifying emerging concerns and working directly with pupils, families and school staff to address the underlying reasons for absence.

You will work closely with Heads of School, safeguarding and pastoral colleagues, and the wider leadership team to ensure attendance is monitored effectively and appropriate interventions are implemented promptly.

Key responsibilities include:

Monitoring and analysing daily attendance, punctuality and patterns of absence across all three campuses.

Identifying pupils at risk of persistent or severe absence and coordinating targeted interventions.

Building positive, constructive and, where necessary, challenging relationships with parents and carers to improve attendance.

Undertaking home visits and family engagement work in accordance with safeguarding and lone-working procedures.

Working alongside school leaders to develop personalised attendance support plans for pupils with complex needs.

Liaising with the Local Authority, education welfare services, social care and other external agencies where appropriate.

Supporting reintegration and phased return arrangements for pupils experiencing significant barriers to attendance.

Ensuring attendance records, registers and associated documentation are accurate and compliant with statutory requirements.

Preparing attendance reports, analysing trends and evaluating the impact of interventions.

Maintaining high expectations for attendance while recognising the individual circumstances and additional needs of our pupils.

Who Are We Looking For?

We are looking for someone who is confident, compassionate, persistent and prepared to go the extra mile.

The successful candidate will:

Have excellent communication and interpersonal skills, including the confidence to manage difficult conversations sensitively and professionally.

Be able to build positive relationships with families who may have experienced challenging relationships with education or other services.

Understand the importance of safeguarding, confidentiality and professional boundaries.

Demonstrate strong organisational skills, attention to detail and confidence in working with attendance data.

Be able to work independently, manage competing priorities and respond appropriately to emerging concerns.

Have high expectations for children and families while understanding the complexities associated with SEMH, SEND and disadvantage.

Be resilient, solution-focused and willing to challenge barriers and low expectations.

Be comfortable travelling between campuses and undertaking work within the wider community.

Hold a full driving licence and have access to their own vehicle.

Previous experience in school attendance, education welfare, pastoral support, family engagement or a related field would be advantageous.

However, we are equally interested in candidates who demonstrate the right personal qualities, transferable skills and genuine determination to make a difference.

A Different Kind of School

The Observatory School is a specialist provision with a clear purpose:

Changing Children's Lives.

Our work is underpinned by three core drivers:

Regulation | Enhanced Safeguarding | Preparation for Adulthood

We recognise that improved attendance does not happen through letters, statistics or sanctions alone.

It comes from understanding children, developing effective relationships, removing barriers and maintaining a relentless belief in the importance of education.

Our campuses serve pupils across different age ranges and with varying needs, meaning no two days will be the same.

You will need to be equally comfortable analysing attendance data, meeting with a reluctant parent, working with a distressed young person or supporting a Head of School in developing an effective attendance strategy.

This is not a desk-based administrative role. It is a proactive, outward-facing position requiring energy, initiative and a genuine commitment to children and their families.

What Can We Offer?

The opportunity to make a tangible difference to the lives and educational outcomes of vulnerable children.

A supportive, ambitious and committed team of colleagues.

A varied and rewarding role across three distinct specialist school campuses.

Professional development and opportunities to build expertise in attendance, safeguarding and family engagement.

The opportunity to influence and shape our developing whole-school approach to attendance.

A school where innovation, initiative and a willingness to challenge established practice are welcomed.

Interested? We Would Love to Hear From You.

If you believe every child deserves the opportunity to attend school, belong to a community and achieve their potential, we would welcome your application.

We are particularly interested in applicants who can demonstrate not simply how they would record or report poor attendance, but what they would actually do to improve it.

Closing Date: Monday 2 November 2026

Visits to the school are welcomed and encouraged.

For further information about The Observatory School, please visit:

www.theobservatoryschool.wirral.sch.uk

Safeguarding Statement

The Observatory School is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people. The successful candidate will be subject to appropriate pre-employment checks, including an enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check, in accordance with Keeping Children Safe in Education.