Strategic Attendance and Family Engagement Lead

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Holy Trinity is a 3 - 16 Catholic and Church of England through school which opened in September 2012 in a purpose-built, state of the art building. We have a 470 place primary phase and a 700 place secondary phase. Our 3 - 16 through-school status offers exciting and innovative learning opportunities which enhance progress and create a seamless transition between Key Stages 2 and 3.

Our Catholic and Church of England values form our distinctive Christian ethos, and this guides and supports everything we do in school. Ofsted state that “lessons are calm and pupil benefit from stable routines” and our new behaviour policy supports this. Our pupils respond well to carefully planned lessons and to teachers who build positive relationships.

ABOUT THIS ROLE:

• To provide strategic and operational leadership for attendance and punctuality across the through-school, with an initial focus on improving attendance outcomes in the secondary phase.

• The postholder will lead the development, implementation and evaluation of attendance systems, processes and interventions, whilst also undertaking direct casework with pupils and families. They will work collaboratively with school leaders, pastoral staff, safeguarding teams, external agencies and families to improve attendance, reduce persistent and severe absence and embed a culture where good attendance is everyone's responsibility.

• The role combines strategic leadership, coaching and development of staff, data-driven improvement and hands-on education welfare work.

Responsibilities and duties

Strategic Leadership

• Lead the school's attendance improvement strategy across primary and secondary phases.
• Develop, implement and evaluate attendance systems, policies and procedures.
• Ensure compliance with statutory attendance guidance and local authority processes.
• Analyse attendance data to identify trends, vulnerable groups and priorities for intervention.
• Produce regular attendance reports and insights for senior leaders, governors and trust leaders.
• Develop attendance improvement plans with clear targets, milestones and success measures.
• Lead whole-school initiatives that promote positive attendance and punctuality.

Operational Leadership

• Oversee day-to-day attendance processes and ensure robust recording, monitoring and follow-up.
• Establish effective systems for first-day response, absence tracking and punctuality monitoring.
• Monitor attendance of key cohorts, including disadvantaged pupils, SEND pupils and pupils with safeguarding concerns.
• Coordinate attendance panels, review meetings and targeted interventions.
• Ensure casework is prioritised effectively and resources deployed where they have greatest impact.

Family and Pupil Intervention

• Work directly with pupils and families experiencing attendance difficulties.
• Conduct home visits and welfare checks where appropriate.
• Develop attendance action plans with families and monitor progress.
• Undertake attendance investigations and barrier analysis.
• Challenge and support families to improve attendance outcomes.
• Lead meetings with parents/carers where attendance falls below expected levels.
• Support reintegration following prolonged absence

Multi-Agency Working

• Act as the school's lead professional for attendance-related multi-agency work.
• Liaise with: Local Authority Attendance Services, Children's Social Care, Early Help Services, SEND Services, Health Professionals, Alternative Provision Providers and Youth Services
• Ensure timely referrals and effective information sharing.

Staff Development and Coaching

• Develop staff understanding of attendance legislation, processes and effective practice.
• Coach pastoral and other staff in working effectively with families as required.
• Provide training on attendance improvement strategies.
• Support line managers and pastoral teams to hold effective attendance conversations.
• Develop a consistent whole-school approach to attendance intervention.

Legal and Statutory Processes

• Lead attendance enforcement processes where appropriate.
• Prepare documentation for penalty notices and legal proceedings.
• Maintain accurate records in line with statutory requirements.
• Ensure compliance with safeguarding, attendance and data protection legislation.

General Responsibilities

• Contribute to safeguarding and child protection procedures.
• Promote the school's values and expectations. Needs something about supporting the Christian ethos of the school.
• Undertake any other duties commensurate with the grade of the post.

Visits are warmly encouraged.

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