Home Academy Liaison Officer - #2138800

We are not your average Sixth Form. Our job is to provide our students with an education that combines academic rigor with character education and the cultural capital our students need to thrive in their next steps. Sixth Form encompasses the step from childhood to adulthood and Harris Clapham Sixth Form enables the young people of South London to make that step successfully by offering an excellent academic and general vocational education.

Harris Clapham exists to serve the communities of South London, taking young people from being not much more than children at the end of Year 11 to being ready to face the adult world with the qualifications, skills and character needed to face those challenges successfully. The key role for staff in this, as well as teaching the academic and vocational subjects students will be examined in, is modelling and encouraging the Clapham Character as we develop young people with the Courage to take on new challenges and to do the right thing even when it’s the hard thing, the Commitment to persevere through hard times and to support friends and classmates loyally, and the Confidence to use their voices to create a community that is welcoming to all. Our teachers are subject experts with a passion to share their knowledge and skills of communication; our support staff are flexible and enthusiastic with specific expertise in their areas of responsibility; and our leaders are here to enable staff to do their jobs well and students to make that great step into adulthood.

We are currently seeking to appoint a part-time Home Academy Liaison Officer (HALO) to play a key role in supporting the welfare, attendance and success of students across our Sixth Form.

The actual salary for this role will be £17,332.79 - £ hours per week, 38 weeks per year).

Your responsibilities will include:

• Managing a caseload of ‘at risk’ students, where attendance falls below 85% and implement prompt, consistent intervention strategies to improve attendance
• Monitoring the attendance of most vulnerable students at the academy
• Managing the process of addressing poor attendance across the academy
• Representing the academy at external meetings, including Social Services Case Conferences, Child in Need Meetings and LAC Reviews
• Line management of the Attendance Officer
• Liaising with the Academy Leadership Group to address any attendance or welfare concerns
• Assisting with the smooth running of the student information centre (SIC)
• Communicating effectively with external agencies including possible alternative providers
• Ensuring effective and appropriate communication/consultation with parents, including home visits if necessary
• Liaising with the local authority when cases of poor attendance reach the level of legal intervention
• Maintaining the confidential records of support for all students referred
• The preparation of reports and maintaining records relating to student referrals and subsequent counselling or support from academy staff or other agencies

We would like to hear from you have:

• Qualifications to degree level or equivalent
• Knowledge of behaviour for learning policies
• Knowledge of the range of barriers to learning that students face
• Training in child protection and safeguarding procedures
• Basic knowledge of first aid (e.g. emergency first aid course)
• At least three years’ experience of working in an inner city school or educational establishment in a pastoral capacity
• Experience of dealing successfully with a range of issues influencing poor attendance
• Experience of working with staff to ensure excellent standards of attendance and punctuality
• Experience of working with families
• Experience of working with challenging students and parents, and finding ways in which we can meet their needs more successfully

For a full job description and person specification, please download the Job Pack.

Our people are at the heart of our success. We have developed a strong culture of collaboration and best practice, with professional development and career planning at its centre. We invest in our staff with support, coaching, mentoring, and a wide range of top-quality training programmes delivered at every level.

In addition to the opportunities for career development and progression, we also offer a competitive rewards and benefits package which includes our Harris Allowance for teachers on MPS/UPS, an Annual Loyalty Bonus, Pension Scheme with generous employer contributions, a Wellbeing Cash Plan and many other benefits. Learn more about on our website.

The Harris Federation and all our academies are committed to ensuring the highest levels of safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people, and we expect all our staff and volunteers to share this commitment. All offers of employment are subject to an enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check, references, an online search, and where applicable, a prohibition from teaching check will be completed.

The Harris Federation is an equal opportunities employer and welcomes applications from all suitably qualified candidates.

We value the diversity of our staff and students, and everyone at the Harris Federation is equally valued and respected. We aim to be an inclusive employer that reflects the communities we serve. We are committed to providing a fair, equitable and mutually supportive learning and working environment.

If you have any questions about this opportunity, please send us an email, or call to arrange a conversation.

Before applying, please download the Job Pack for full details on the job responsibilities and...