Inclusion & Attendance Specialist

Make a difference for Sheffield's children

Are you passionate about inclusion and helping children attend, engage, belong and thrive in education?

This is an exciting time to join our Inclusion and Attendance team. We are looking for an enthusiastic and knowledgeable Inclusion and Attendance Specialist who wants to make a real difference for children, support families and schools across Sheffield.

You'll join a welcoming, supportive and committed team, working together to improve attendance, remove barriers to education and ensure children and families can access the right support at the right time.

What you'll be doing

You'll work closely with children, families, schools and partner agencies to:

• Support and challenge schools to strengthen attendance and inclusive practice.
• Provide specialist advice and guidance on complex attendance issues.
• Deliver tailored, child-centred interventions that respond to individual circumstances, including SEND, complex needs and emotionally based school non-attendance (EBSNA).
• Work collaboratively to understand the underlying barriers to attendance and develop practical, individualised approaches that support engagement, attendance and successful reintegration.
• Identify needs early and help children and families access the right support at the right time.
• Undertake and use attendance audits, data sets and professional judgement to identify whole school priorities and improve outcomes.
• Champion the voice of children ensuring their experiences and needs shape the support they receive.
• Share your knowledge through advice, coaching, training and collaborative working.
• Support attendance casework and the Local Authority's statutory responsibilities

What we're looking for

We're looking for someone who is positive, approachable and passionate about improving outcomes for children.

You'll have experience of working with children and families, including those experiencing barriers to education, and be confident working collaboratively with schools and other professionals.

You'll bring strong communication skills, relational practice, sound professional judgement and the ability to manage a varied workload. You'll also need a Level 4 NVQ, degree-level qualification or equivalent in a relevant vocation, alongside evidence of ongoing professional development.

Why join us?

At Sheffield City Council, people are at the heart of what we do. We value openness and honesty and believe that together we get things done.

This is a fantastic opportunity to bring your experience, ideas and enthusiasm to a team where you can influence practice, build strong relationships and help shape how we support children and families across Sheffield.

If you share our ambition for every child to feel included, overcome barriers, attend, achieve and thrive, we'd love to hear from you.

For an informal conversation please email Fiona Smith Fiona.Smith@sheffield.gov.uk

Interviews are planned for week commencing 14th December 2026

We are investing in our workforce and are promoting opportunities to our under-represented groups. We value equality, diversity and inclusion and are focused on increasing the diversity of our workforce, particularly the number of Black, Asian, Minority Ethnic, Disabled and LGBTQ+ people, so that our teams reflect the communities in the city we serve. We are also supporting staff with unpaid caring responsibilities to work flexibly.

It is a great time to join us and we welcome your application.

Under the Guaranteed Interview scheme, applicants who are disabled, care leavers, or armed forces veterans will be guaranteed an interview if they meet the essential criteria and indicate their eligibility on the application form. Sometimes, if lots of people apply, we might not be able to interview everyone who qualifies for the Guarantee. In these cases, we'll interview the candidates who best meet the essential criteria for the job.

Full-time employees work 37 hours for 52 weeks of the year and we offer a generous holiday entitlement. We are open to discussions about a wide range of flexible working opportunities which benefit you and the Council, including reduced hour contracts, working part time or as a job share.

If you are appointed to this role, your starting salary will be at the bottom of the grade. If you provide payslip evidence that your basic pay is greater than the bottom of the grade, we will consider starting you at the point of minimum advantage within the grade.

Equality of pay is extremely important to us. All roles at Sheffield City Council are going through an evaluation process which may result in changes to some pay arrangements from 2026. Read about the new job evaluation process to be introduced at Sheffield City Council.

We are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of all individuals, ensuring a safe and supportive environment for everyone and where appropriate to the role the successful applicant will be required to undertake relevant safeguarding checks.