Attendance and Admin Assistant

Strive for Education (Strive) is a small Independent Specialist School in Harrogate town centre that provide education for those who do not attend mainstream school on a full-time basis or who have a specialist provision named in their EHCP.

Strive started its life as Alternative Provision in 2020, set up by Andy and Sonja Brown. Andy has previously worked in local secondary schools and whilst Assistant Headteacher he saw a need for a setting such as Strive in the Harrogate area. Andy is Headteacher and Sonja manages the Operations and Business side of things.

In February 2023 Strive achieved its Independent Special School status, this was a huge milestone for the team.

We have a capacity for 30 students, in small class sizes of no more than 6 students in each class.  We had our first Ofsted inspection in November 2023 and to say that we were proud of the team, young people and the result is a massive understatement. Details of the report can be found here: 10299270 – Strive for Education – 149401 final PDF

Strive has a small but growing team, all of whom have the best interests of our young people in their heart.  Strive is now looking to expand staff capacity by employing an attendance and admin assistant. Strive seeks applications from applicants with integrity, imagination and energy for this exciting role.

All students will have some form of SEND needs. Most will either be within Social Emotional & Mental Health (SEMH) or Autistic Spectrum Disorder (ASD). Most need extra support to access their work and help and guidance to manage emotions is often needed. Some students experience difficulties that regularly interfere with their social and learning development and have been directed to access specialist provision to receive this support.     

To provide, under the instruction or guidance of senior staff, administrative support in all issues related to raising standards of student attendance and punctuality and exams. Attendance will be the primary task from 8.30-11am. Following this, you will complete a variety of admin-based tasks such as exam admin, admissions, finance, training logs, policy updates and other administration duties.  

Key Areas

1.0 Administrative & Operational Responsibilities 

1.1 Receiving telephone calls from parents/carers, and external bodies related to absences/lateness; 

1.2 Organising all administrative tasks pertaining to lateness, to register students and follow-up telephone calls to parents on a daily basis; 

1.3 “First day absence” contact for students not in and for all persistent absentees. Sharing of information with relevant staff using school’s ICT communication systems (Arbor MIS, CPOMS and Microsoft Office 365); 

1.4 Where required, setting up, preparing all documentation for panel meetings with parents and relevant staff, regarding student absence and punctuality as set out in the school’s attendance policy; 

1.5 Supporting the school pastoral staff with home-visits and links with outside agencies etc; 

1.6 Communicating effectively, including meetings with other relevant staff, regarding attendance and punctuality; 

1.7 Ensuring all relevant information regarding absence/lateness, school trips, suspensions etc is entered on Arbor (MIS) and all registers are kept up to date and disseminated to all relevant stakeholders;  

 1.8 Maintain and manage all information systems that relate to attendance; 

 1.9 Preparing attendance reports for SLT as requested; 

1.10 Inform relevant staff when correct register procedures are not followed in line with the Attendance Policy; 

1.11 Provide general clerical and administrative support related to attendance and punctuality, e.g. photocopying, filing, completing routine forms, responding to routine correspondence etc; 

2.0 Business Responsibilities 

2.1 Maintain accurate student attendance data on Arbor; 

2.2. To follow the school’s administrative, financial and business procedures; 

3.0 Other Key Responsibilities 

3.1. To assist with student welfare duties, communicating effectively with pupils, parents and SLT on issues, as appropriate; 

3.2. To play a full part in the life of the school community, to support its ethos and to encourage students, staff and colleagues to do the same; 

3.3. To undertake any other administrative duties and to comply with any reasonable request from a Senior Manager to undertake work of a similar level; 

3.4. To engage actively with the performance review process and take responsibility for own development; 

3.5. To be fully aware of and understand the duties and responsibilities from Keeping Children Safe in Education (KCSIE) 2024 and Working Together to Safeguard Children in relation to child protection and safeguarding children, young people and vulnerable adults; 

3.6. To ensure that the line manager is made aware and kept fully informed of any concerns in relation to safeguarding and/or child protection; 

3.7. Complete Level one Safeguarding Training as a minimum; 

3.8. To help with the administration of examinations. These examination tasks are infrequent but would involve the management of entries and registrations on to a central system. These tasks can be managed around the core role of attendance and further support and training will be provided;  

4.0 Personal Specification 

4.1 Qualifications, experience and knowledge 

• Minimum GCSE Level English & Maths. 

• Previous experience of working with student attendance (desirable but not compulsory) 

• Experience of working in a busy office or administrative environment 

• Previous experience of working with students with SEND (desirable) 

• Demonstrable experience in delivering effective administrative and organisational skills. 

4.2 Competencies and Skills 

• Excellent administration and ICT skills, with experience of using Arbor MIS (desirable), Microsoft Office 365 and Microsoft Teams; 

• Ability to work proactively and independently, and as part of a team; 

• Excellent inter-personal skills when dealing with students and parents, and the ability to establish good professional relationships with staff at all levels; 

• Able to analyse complex data and identify trends and relevant information; 

• High level of accuracy and attention to detail, and meticulous in planning; 

•  Excellent time management skills, able to work under pressure while maintaining own effectiveness, meeting    and negotiating deadlines; 

4.3 Personal Qualities 

• A strong team player, able to work collaboratively and effectively with a range of styles and personalities; 

• Excellent communication skills, able to use a range of methods for effective communication; 

• Willing to be adaptable and flexible when working within a busy and fast-changing environment; 

• Some flexibility with working hours 

• An excellent record of attendance and punctuality; 

• Able to display tact and resilience within a busy environment where students will have SEND challenges; 

4.4 Desirable Skills and Experience 

• Familiarity with Arbor Management Information System; 

• Experience of working with children or young people with SEND; 

• Experience of working within an educational environment; 

• Knowledge and understanding of school systems; 

Although some specific responsibilities may be fixed as part of an individual’s job description, there will be a regular audit of tasks and responsibilities within this job description to ensure they meet the needs of the school in the future. Some tasks or aspects of responsibility may change over time in response to internal and external changes or to maximise opportunity for professional development and the need to ensure a collaborative approach to all aspects of work. Any significant changes to this job description will be discussed with the individual. 

Responsible to: Operations Director and Headteacher

General 

The post holder will be expected to undertake any other duties, commensurate within the grade, at the discretion of the Senior Leadership Team and develop and promote high standards of professional conduct throughout the school. 

You will be expected to carry out your duties in line with policies, procedures and relevant legislation. You will be made aware of these in your appointment letter, statement of particulars, induction, ongoing performance management and development through school communications. 

You will be required to work at any premises which Strive has or subsequently acquires or at which it may, from time to time, provide services. 

You will be expected to attend and participate in a wide variety of meetings as well as training and development activities to support Strive and your own professional development, these may on occasions be outside of your usual hours.  For example, staff training days in September as it is important for the whole staff team to attend, advance notice will always be given.    

All staff, regardless of their position, may be expected to undertake TeamTeach de-escalation training and work within “good practice” guidelines using a range of positive handling strategies, gradual and graded, involved in holding, guiding and escorting safely, from least intrusive to more restrictive holds. 

As part of your wider duties and responsibilities you will be required to promote and actively support the school’s responsibilities towards safeguarding. Safeguarding is about keeping people safe and protecting people from harm, neglect, abuse and injury. It is about creating safe places, being vigilant and doing something about any concerns you might have. It isn’t just about the very old and the very young, it is about everyone who may be vulnerable. 

The post holder must be willing to undertake an enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service check. Please note that a conviction may not exclude candidates from appointment but will be considered as part of the recruitment process. 

This is new role at Strive, the successful candidate has an exciting opportunity to make the role their own.  Strive supports continuous professional development opportunities for our team; it may be that this role can lead on to others or additional responsibilities within the school should that be of interest to the candidate in the future.   

For all roles we require a minimum of two references.  References provided must cover the last 3 years. We will need to request all references from where you have worked with either Children or Vulnerable Adults. Please be advised that references will be requested prior to interview for all roles. 

Strive for Education is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children. Recruitment is carried out following safer recruitment principles.  All applicants must be willing to undergo safeguarding screening appropriate to the post, including checks with past employers and disclosures with the relevant body at an enhanced level. All staff are required to undertake an Enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check. We are an equal opportunities employer.  

Strive for Education Ltd is a “data controller”. This means we are required under data protection legislation to notify you of how we will, collect process and store your personal data during the application and recruitment process. Please review our ‘Privacy Notice for Prospective Employees’.

Apply using the attached Strive Application Form below and once complete email to sonja@striveforeducation.co.uk

Strive for Education Application form – Attendance and Admin Assistant

CLICK HERE FOR THE APPLICATION FORM

Successfully shortlisted applicants will be contacted to discuss interview details.