<Extension of closing date> Recruitment of Attendance Advisers 2022

Tender description

<Please note that the closing date for applications has been extended until Friday 24 June> Overview: Regular attendance at school is vital for pupils' education, well-being, and mental health. Our schools white paper made clear that supporting schools, trusts and local authorities to maximise attendance is a central priority for the department. Following public consultation, we recently published guidance setting out how we expect local authorities (LAs), schools and trusts to work together to improve attendance. The guidance will apply from September 2022 and the Secretary of State has committed to it becoming statutory no sooner than September 2023. This guidance is intended improve the quality and consistency of support for attendance across the country: this will mean changes in practice and working for all schools, trusts and LAs. To help LAs, specifically, to implement the expectations in the new guidance, we intend to expand our existing team of 5 attendance advisers and support more authorities across the country. We are looking to recruit an additional 3-6 advisers to work with specifically with LAs. In line with the new guidance, advisers will support LAs to: • Review and develop a strategy for managing attendance across their local area. • Consider how to make best use of their existing staff and other resources to support strong attendance. • Ensure that attendance is considered and embedded across all relevant services in the authority. • Review their use of attendance data to target efforts to improve attendance. • Build strong relationships with schools, families, and other partners in the local area. We are also looking to appoint an additional 1-2 advisers to work specifically with MATs and schools to review their current approach to tackling persistent absence. Advisers will work closely with their schools and trusts supporting them to: develop effective strategy, systems and practice; use data effectively; and develop a whole school culture of excellent attendance. Please refer to the application pack for further information, including: 1. Role description and responsibilities 2. Person Specification 3. Terms of Appointment 4. How to apply 5. Selection 5. Application form