Attendance Officer

Priority Candidates will be considered in the first instance Wigan Life Centre South Salary: Grade 6, £26,801 - £29,574 per annum. 37 hours per week, term time plus two weeks working 40 weeks per year We're on a journey to build a workforce reflective of our Borough. We are committed to fostering diverse teams where everybody can bring their authentic selves to work and feel that they belong. If you want to work for a Council where everybody is encouraged to meet their full potential and make a difference in our neighbourhoods, we would love to hear from you! Your role: This is an exciting opportunity to join a dedicated team committed to improving outcomes for children and young people across the borough. You will work directly with children, families and schools to address barriers to regular school attendance, supporting positive engagement with education and helping pupils achieve their full potential. Operating within the principles of Working Together to Improve School Attendance, you will manage attendance-focused casework, coordinate support plans and work collaboratively with partner agencies. Where attendance fails to improve despite appropriate intervention, you will progress cases through the statutory attendance framework, including consideration of legal enforcement, while maintaining a child-centred and outcome-focused approach. About you: You will be a resilient, self-motivated and highly organised practitioner with experience of working effectively with children, young people and families to improve outcomes. You will be confident in building positive relationships while providing appropriate challenge to families, schools and professionals where attendance concerns require escalation. A sound understanding of current attendance legislation, safeguarding responsibilities and wider children's services processes is essential. You will be able to manage competing priorities, make informed decisions and maintain accurate records, while remaining focused on achieving sustainable improvements in school attendance through both supportive and statutory interventions where required About us: The Attendance Team sits within the Inclusion Service and plays a key role in ensuring that children and young people across the borough can access their right to education. We are a supportive, ambitious and collaborative team, committed to improving attendance through a balanced approach of early intervention, targeted support and, where necessary, statutory action. Working closely with schools, families and partner agencies, we help remove barriers to education while promoting high expectations for attendance. Our work is underpinned by the principles of Working Together to Improve School Attendance, a strong safeguarding ethos, and a shared commitment to securing positive outcomes for children and young people. The Progress with Unity plan is a place movement for change for the next decade, bringing a new era for Wigan Borough. It draws on the strengths of our individual organisations, recognising that together we can achieve much more for our communities by delivering on our 2 place missions; create fair opportunities for all children, families, residents and businesses and make our towns and neighbourhoods flourish for those who live and work in them. Here at Wigan, we are proud to support flexible working patterns, when the service can accommodate this. We also take a blended approach to where we work, depending on the work we do. This may include working from home, the office, or the community. We like to thank our employees for their hard work and commitment by giving them the opportunity to access a range of exclusive rewards and benefits click here to find out more about working for #TeamWigan. To be appointed to this role you must be able to prove your right to work in the UK, and you must maintain a valid (active) right to work. Please note, at present we are not a licenced sponsor. Please visit the link below to check you qualify to apply. Prove your right to work to an employer: Overview - GOV.UK ( www.gov.uk ) Prove your right to work to an employer Wigan Council is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people, and vulnerable adults, and expects all employees, workers and volunteers to share this commitment. Safeguarding is everyone's responsibility. As part of this commitment, Wigan Council operates robust Safer Recruitment procedures We recognise that on occasion candidates may use AI tools. Please read our applying authentically section below before submitting your application. For further information, and informal enquiries in relation to the role contact Nathan Jones, School Attendance Lead via email Nathan.Jones@wigan.gov.uk Interview dates: Priority Candidates – Tuesday 1 st December 2026 All Other Candidates – Friday 4 th December 2026 This Role Is Subject To An Enhanced DBS Plus Child Barred List Check The employer is committed to safeguarding To view the details relating to this position, please click the links below: