We are seeking an enthusiastic, organised and committed Attendance Officer & Deputy Designated Safeguarding Lead (DDSL) to join our dedicated school team. This post will be based at Kidsgrove Secondary School, but the role also involves supporting attendance at Kidsgrove Primary School.
This is an exciting opportunity for an individual who understands the important link between excellent attendance, safeguarding and positive outcomes for children and young people. You will play a key role in driving improvements in attendance across the school, while also supporting the school’s safeguarding arrangements as part of the Designated Safeguarding Team.
As Attendance Officer, you will take responsibility for monitoring, analysing and improving attendance across the school. You will work closely with pupils, parents/carers, pastoral teams, school leaders and external agencies to identify barriers to attendance and put effective support in place.
You will be confident having sensitive and sometimes challenging conversations with families, while maintaining a supportive and solution-focused approach. You will also ensure that attendance procedures are followed consistently and that appropriate action is taken where attendance concerns arise.
Alongside your attendance responsibilities, you will undertake DDSL duties, supporting the Designated Safeguarding Lead in promoting a strong safeguarding culture across the school. You will help ensure that safeguarding concerns are identified, recorded, followed up and escalated appropriately, always putting the welfare of our pupils first.
Key Responsibilities:
- Monitor and analyse daily attendance, identifying patterns, trends and concerns.
- Work proactively with pupils and families to improve attendance and punctuality.
- Follow up unexplained and persistent absences in line with school procedures.
- Maintain accurate attendance records and prepare reports for senior leaders.
- Work alongside pastoral and inclusion teams to develop effective attendance support plans.
- Liaise with parents/carers, external agencies and professionals where appropriate.
- Support the school in meeting its attendance targets and statutory responsibilities.
- Contribute to attendance meetings, reviews and interventions.
- Support the DSL with safeguarding responsibilities and deputise when required.
- Respond appropriately to safeguarding concerns and ensure these are recorded and followed up.
- Promote a culture where safeguarding, attendance and pupil welfare are everyone's responsibility.
- Maintain confidentiality and work in accordance with safeguarding, information-sharing and data protection requirements.
The sole ethos for the school community is ‘“if you do the small things right, big things can happen.” Whilst we are committed to ensuring that every student makes excellent progress, this concept stretches well beyond academic performance. We firmly believe that every aspect of school should equip learners to be successful in all areas of their lives, both now and for their future and we are passionate about the personal development of the student body. Indeed, every single decision or action taken improves the life chances of all our learners. This is underpinned by ensuring the school is a safe, nurturing and happy environment: put simply, The
Kidsgrove Secondary School is a great place to learn and a great place to work with a family feel which provides a real strength of collective working and strong relationships.
The school is underpinned by a set of Core Values that underpins the whole school achievement culture, that has rewards and celebration at its heart. The school is underpinned by a set of Core Values that underpins the whole school achievement culture, that has rewards and celebration at its heart. The school has been recognised nationally as the 10th most improved school for outcomes in 2024, which demonstrates the relentless drive and focus.
The school has an innovative digital strategy that sees all students and staff receive an iPad to support their learning. The Digital Strategy is fundamental to the school’s vision of achieving digital skills for life. The digital technology delivers to every classroom opportunity for cutting edge assessment for learning techniques and interactive lesson resources. This approach has reinvigorated learning and helps students to develop independence and enquiry skills. This combined with a technology hub that has the possibilities to bring the curriculum to life.
This ethos applies equally to the staff. We believe in empowering our staff to be aspirational and effective leaders of learning and provide a strong programme of CPD and induction to support those joining our vibrant community. This CPD includes being part of a large MAT, with its own Institute of Education (IoE) focused on the development of staff. The IoE provides access to wide range of network hubs, subject experts and access to best practice, as well as bespoke CPD opportunities. This is an exciting opportunity to join a highly professional and committed team of staff whilst also playing their part in the success and future development of our School.
All candidates are required to provide a supporting statement on the formal application forms which states clearly your reasons for applying, skills and experience for this position.
At
Shaw Education Trust, we believe every role has the power to transform a life.
Whether you’re supporting behind the scenes, inspiring in the classroom, or
leading with vision, you will be part of something truly meaningful.
Our
values—opportunity, integrity, community, and equity—guide everything we
do. Our vision is “Opening doors to the world through the power of
learning.” We bring this to life through our mission: working
together to inspire communities where every school is valued, every voice
matters, and every learner thrives.
Together,
let’s make the remarkable happen.
We
believe every child has the potential to be extraordinary.
Shaw
Education Trust offer the following employee benefits with your Teaching or
Support Staff employment:
- An excellent Local Government Pension Scheme (Support
Staff)/Teachers Pension (Teaching Staff)
- Support Staff only based on working full time,
all year - Generous holiday entitlement from your first day of
employment (37 days holiday rising to 39 days after 5 years’
service including Bank Holidays)
- Access to Medicash Health & Wellbeing Plan: Enjoy
health services designed to support your well-being.
- Free DiscountForTeachers Scheme for all staff (Support
and Teaching), Exclusive discounts to save money with a wide selection of
discounts and exclusive offers from hundreds of the biggest brands.
- Free Eye Tests
- Cycle to work scheme
- Access to our Institute of
Education and fantastic opportunities to help you grow, contribute and
flourish in your role and in the Trust.
We
know our people are the key to our success and so we’re committed to
ensuring the employment experience at Shaw Education Trust is a rewarding
one.
Colleagues
within the Trust benefit from: Access to a full range of courses both in-house and
professionally accredited. These courses include a variety of the National
Professional Qualifications and the Early Carer Teacher Programme delivered by
Shaw Education Trust as a delivery partner for Ambition Institute.
- Experienced
leadership and subject-specific support.
- Guidance
from former HMIs and serving Ofsted Inspectors within the Trust.
- Access
to the Trust’s Institute of Education and SCITT.
- Opportunities
to work with different schools within the Trust as a Professional Advocate
- Participating
in peer reviews.
- Access
to a suite of online courses.
- Placement
projects within our family of schools.
Actual Salary: £25,499 - £28,621
Working hours: Full Time – Monday to Friday – 37 hours per week – 38 weeks per year
Kidsgrove Secondary School is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people and expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment, click here to review Safeguarding and Pupil Protection Policy https://www.shaw-education.org.uk/our-trust/key-information
This position is subject to robust vetting procedures, including an online search for all shortlisted candidates, successful candidates will be subject to a fully Enhanced DBS check along with other relevant employment checks. You will be asked to disclose all relevant unspent and, where applicable, unfiltered spent reprimands, formal warnings, cautions, and convictions.
As part of our safer recruitment and pre-employment checking process, all shortlisted candidates are required to provide original documentation to verify their identity, qualifications and RTW in the UK. Shaw Education Trust requires all applicants to be eligible to work in the UK with no restrictions as we are unable to offer sponsorship/work visas.
This role involves working with children and young people and therefore carries specific safeguarding responsibilities, details of these responsibilities are set out in the JD. This post is exempt from the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 and the successful applicant will be required to disclose relevant criminal history information in accordance with current legislation and guidance.
Check if you need to tell someone about your criminal record: https://www.gov.uk/tell-employer-or-college-about-criminal-record/what-information-you-need-to-give
SET is an Equal Opportunities employer, we are fully committed to ensuring that our recruitment and selection processes promote EDI at every stage.
In accordance with our safer recruitment policy CVs alone will not be accepted.
We reserve the right to appoint before the closing date as we review applications on an on-going basis and interviews may be arranged as suitable candidates are identified.