Attendance Officer

Walsall Council,
Attendance Officer x 2- Ref: CH06625
Grade: G6; Salary Range: £31,537 - £34,434 (Pro Rata to hours worked)
Fixed Term/Term Time
About The Role
Are you passionate about supporting vulnerable children and helping them thrive? Walsall Council is seeking a committed and enthusiastic Attendance Officer to join our School Attendance Support Service.

This is a rewarding opportunity to make a real difference to children and young people across Walsall by ensuring they receive their full educational entitlement.

What You'll Do
As an Attendance Officer, you will:

• Work closely with schools, families, and professionals to promote good attendance.
• Support children at risk of disengagement from education.
• Act as a champion for vulnerable children, helping them access quality education and reach their potential.
• Advise and challenge schools to meet their statutory responsibilities.

What We're Looking For
We are seeking someone with:

• A strong understanding of safeguarding and guidance relating to school attendance, elective home education, exclusions, children missing education, emotionally based school avoidance, and SEND.
• Experience of working with children, young people, and families, ideally within education, health, or social care.
• Excellent communication skills and the ability to build trusted relationships with families, schools, and partner agencies.
• A proactive, solution-focused approach and a commitment to improving attendance for vulnerable children.

Key Responsibilities

• Challenge and support schools across Walsall in meeting statutory responsibilities around attendance, elective home education, exclusions, and children missing education.
• Champion the educational needs of vulnerable children, ensuring they access the support they need.
• Collaborate with children, families, and schools to develop tailored intervention strategies.
• Ensure that alternative provision is appropriate, statutory compliant, and supports pupils' aspirations.
• Manage a caseload, maintaining accurate and timely records.
• Carry out home visits, making informed judgments about visit frequency based on need.
• Contribute to multi-agency meetings, including Child in Need, Early Help, and assessment meetings.

Why Join Us?
This is more than just a job - it's an opportunity to play a vital role in improving the life chances of children and young people in Walsall. You'll join a supportive, dedicated team in a varied and challenging role where your contribution truly matters.

Closing Monday 20 th October

Contact: Jaseen Kweku - What are we looking for?

View: Job Description and Employee Specification

This post is covered by the Government's Code of Practice on the English Language Fluency Duty for public sector workers. The post holder will be required to communicate verbally with customers and provide advice and/or information in accurate spoken English.

Walsall Council takes seriously the responsibility to safeguard and promote the welfare of all the children, young people and vulnerable adults entrusted to our care and it is our expectation that all staff will share this commitment. We will ensure continuous development and improvement of robust recruitment processes and procedures that promote a culture of safeguarding amongst our workforce. Completion of an enhanced Disclosure & Barring Service (DBS) check is a requirement for working with children and young people and vulnerable adults.

Note: Applicants appointed to posts that require an enhanced DBS clearance must declare any periods of time that they have lived, studied or worked abroad and be prepared to provide an Overseas Criminal Records Certificate (OCRC) or a Statement of Good Conduct (SOGC) relating to anytime they were overseas

For this role the successful candidates must undergo a Baseline Personnel Security Standard (BPSS) check. BPSS is the minimum standard to ensure the identity and integrity of an employee who has access to official information using secure networks linking central government and local authorities. A BPSS check involves four main elements; Identity Check, National and Immigration Status, Employment History (last 3 years) and Verification of Criminal Record (unspent convictions only).

Information for Applicants
Important note:
When completing your online application form, you will be asked to enter supporting information. You must enter a detailed supporting information statement describing how your skills, abilities and experience meet the specific criteria included in the employee specification.
If you do not include a supporting information statement, you will not be shortlisted.
Please also ensure that you complete the work history and qualifications sections of your application form. Please do not add a CV as we do not accept them.See our Information for Applicants leaflet for further information.

We kindly request that recruitment agencies do not contact us regarding this job vacancy. We are not accepting Agency applications or referrals at this time

Walsall Council's Children's Services are the only Ofsted 'Outstanding' local authority in the Black Country. During a visit in May 2025, Inspectors described Walsall Council as a place where children were at the heart of. The council's journey of continuous improvement started in 2017 and has since transformed into a service with a clear vision, clear priorities and a clear plan, all informed by the views of our staff and children. Staff are at the core of delivering great outcomes for children and young people in Walsall, which is underpinned by our Walsall Right 4 Children vision. The latest Ofsted inspection demonstrated that staff in children's services are proud to work for Walsall Council and feel supported to do great work