Commonly Asked Job Interview Questions for a School Attendance Officer.

A school attendance officer receives a salary of around £21000. The competition for these roles is high, with an average of 100 applicants applying for each advertised school attendance officer role.

As well as completing school attendance officer duties, many attendance officers work in the administrational department.

Applicants, as well as attending a structured job interview, will also have to undertake a DBS criminal check.

Below you will find 10 school attendance job interview questions to help you prepare for your next job interview.

10 School Attendance Officer Job Interview Questions

School Attendance Officer Job Interview Question 1. What is your experience working within a school environment?

• Explain which types of schools you have worked in (primary school, high school, college, or 6th form and universities.
• Discuss the role(s) and duties for each position – keep this brief at this stage of the job interview.
• Focus, in detail, on any attendance officer roles/duties. And for positions that require a large number of administrational duties, discuss them here.

School Attendance Officer Job Interview Question 2. Have you ever used the SIMs attendance system?

• Explain what type of data management systems you have used.
• Give detail if you have been responsible for running data reports, inputting information or any other data-related tasks.
• Specifically, talk about how you have recorded absences on school data management systems.

School Attendance Officer Job Interview Question 3. What is your approach when notifying parents about a pupil’s absence?

• Start the answer to this question confidently, by stating how this was one of your main duties in a previous role.
• Go on to describe the previous employer’s process which should include; receiving the absence from a teacher, checking for any errors in the absence notification before contacting the parents, checking the school system for any warning indicators, contacting the parent/guardian.
• In addition, give a real-life example. in the example cover: making the call, the parent’s response, how you dealt professionally with the response, the outcome.

School Attendance Officer Job Interview Question 4. How would you ensure the correct attendance codes are entered in class registers on SIMS?

• First, explain that there are a number of attendance codes for varying situations (give a few examples).
• Talk about the reason for requiring the correct input – this can include data analysts.
• Describe your process for double-checking your own work.

School Attendance Officer Job Interview Question 5. How would you explain the attendance procedures and expectations of the school to parents?

• In most cases, the school will have a leaflet or an explanation on its website. This process can be used to reinforce any verbal explanations.
• Talk about the reasons why you would have a talk with a parent. This may because of regular pupil absences or because it is the beginning of the school year.
• Explain, that depending on the reason you would alter your communication style to suit the needs of the situation, while always remaining professional. As an example, for a regular absent pupil, a more assertive approach may be required.

School Attendance Officer Job Interview Question 6. What is your understanding of data protection?

• Be sure to mention and know the GDPR rules.
• Next, be more specific. Make the answer relevant to the job role. Discuss not leaving paperwork on a desk, keeping sensitive information locked away. Go into describing IT security and the importance of following IT protocols.
• Here, you need to highlight your own understanding of data protection.

School Attendance Officer Job Interview Question 7. Give an example of when you have liaised closely and communicate clearly with members of staff and external agencies?

• Start the interview answer by stating how this is a task you have performed many times.
• Next, start the example by describing in detail the project you were collaborating on.
• Describe your part/role within the team and what actions you were responsible for.
• End the answer by discussing the outcome of the collaboration. This can include lessons learnt as we as the impact on the school.

School Attendance Officer Job Interview Question 8. What is your understanding of equal opportunities and diversity?

• This interview question is common in educational job interviews, so an understanding of equal opportunities and diversity is required. 
• After giving a description of equal opportunities and diversity, reinforce your answer by giving an example.

School Attendance Officer Job Interview Question 9. How would you handle a pupil complaint about a member of staff?

• All complaints should be reported, even if you don’t believe the complaint to be true.
• One reason for this is to build trust in the school and with the pupil. The second is because people we trust can make bad decisions.
• Explain how you would record the complaint accurately, asking for specifics. In the complaint was around a safeguarding issue, explain how you would ask for the schools safeguarding lead.
• End the answer by explaining how you would report the incident to your line manager (unless the complaint was about them).

School Attendance Officer  Job Interview Question 10. Do you have any questions to ask me?

• What is the number of pupils attending the school?
• How many staff members work within the school attendance team?
• Why do you like working for this school?
• What does an average day look like?
• What is the main reason why pupils truant?