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About Us

Harris Academy Wickford is on an exciting journey to help our fantastic young people harness their potential, achieve extraordinary results and change the world. The Academy joined the Harris Federation in September 2026. The Harris Federation is the most successful large multi-academy trust in the UK and the only large trust where disadvantaged students outperform non disadvantaged students nationally. We are a group of highly ambitious, committed staff who believe in the transformative power of education. Our collective vision is to help our scholars achieve their extraordinary and change the world. Our mission is to become the best school in Essex by 2030. Our values of Hard Work, Ambition, Wisdom and Kindness underpin everything we do.

To learn more about the culture and ethos of our academy, our impact within the community and what we can offer you, view our academy page via the “why work at” button.

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Summary

We are seeking a passionate and dedicated Home Academy Liaison Officer to champion student attendance, welfare and inclusion. Working closely with families and colleagues, you will help our most vulnerable students overcome challenges, engage fully in school life and achieve their potential.

The actual salary for this role will be £25,485 - £27,196 (37.5 hours per week, 39 weeks per year)

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Main Areas of Responsibility

Your responsibilities will include:

• Overseeing Educational Welfare across the academy.
• Managing a caseload of ‘at risk’ students, where attendance falls below 85% and implement strategies to improve attendance. HALO to ensure that prompt, consistent and rigorous intervention with poor attendance is robust.
• Monitoring and improving the attendance of most vulnerable students at the academy, including Looked after students, those on the child protection register, children identified as being in need either by Academy staff or external agencies.
• Managing the process of addressing poor attendance across the academy. Organising meetings as appropriate for vulnerable students ensuring all external agencies and relevant staff are invited.
• Ensuring compliance with statutory duties, including reporting persistent and severe absenteeism.
• Conducting home visits to engage families and address barriers to school attendance.

Qualifications & Experience

We would like to hear from you if you have:

• Qualifications to degree level (or equivalent)
• Knowledge of behaviour for learning policies in schools
• 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) and a willingness to engage in further appropriate training

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

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Professional Development & Benefits

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 includesour 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 abouton our website.

Safeguarding Notice

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.

Equal Opportunities

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.

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Next Steps

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 person specification. This will be helpful for you when completing your application, and throughout the recruitment process.

We encourage you to apply as soon as possible as we may interview and offer to a candidate before the closing date. Please note that we only accept applications submitted before the closing date via our careers website.