Attendance and Welfare Officer

NJC N5 (13-17) £28163 - £30060 (pro rata)

Permanent position 37 hours per week, Term-time

Required from 01 December 2025 (or as soon as possible

At Smart Multi Academy Trust we provide a high quality, bespoke education full of the best opportunities and experiences to help every child learn, be happy and ultimately successful in life.

We are a family of 11 primary schools and we share a collective vision for excellence in education. We believe passionately that the children within our communities deserve nothing less than the very best of opportunities and experiences to become successful citizens and lifelong learners able to lead happy, fulfilling and healthy lives.

At Cheviot, our school moto is Get Up! Get In! Get On! We would like someone to continue the hard work of the school to ensure attendance remains a high priority.

Are you ready for an employment opportunity in a vibrant and exciting primary school? Do you relish being part of a highly successful team, working in a school that leads by example? If so, we want to hear from you!

This is an excellent opportunity for the right person to make their mark in providing a world-class learning experience for our children by ensuring that our children are well cared for and they attend regularly. The successful candidate will play a pivotal role in further developing our commitment to safeguarding and raising the profile of good attendance. Additionally, we would like someone who positively promotes inclusion, has high expectations for all children and has an excellent knowledge of safeguarding and child protection procedures.

Ideally we are looking for someone who:

· Is proactive with school attendance initiatives and engages with families to improve standards in attendance and absenteeism

· Is wholly involved in school life

· Has a commitment to raising standards

· Is knowledgeable about statutory and local authority guidance

· Supports families and signposts them to services where required

· Works to develop our family learning programs

· Develops the school’s parental voice, through reinvigorating our PTA

· Makes a positive change to pupils and families in need, working in harmony with our wider Trust of schools and outside agencies

The ideal candidate would have:

• Excellent interpersonal and organisational skills

• Commitment to the ethos of the school

• The ability to support families with school attendance

• The ability to work as part of a team effectively

• A caring, confident and supportive outlook

• The ability to establish excellent relationships with children and parents, promoting aspirational achievement and progress for all groups of pupils

• The ability to remain calm and work effectively in pressured situations

• A proactive, firm and fair approach to supporting families

• The ability to work effectively with outside agencies to safeguard children, young people and their families

The successful candidate will be subject to an online search in line with Keeping Children Safe in Education (2025) legislation.

Your principal place of work will be Cheviot Primary School, Yetholm Place, Newbiggin Hall. If you would like to visit the school, please contact the school office on 0191 286 9324 and arrange a mutually convenient day and time.

How to apply: Please apply by completing the application form on the following Microsoft Forms link.  Application Form This will return your form to EPM.

Closing date: Friday 7th November 2025 at Midday

Interview date: Friday 14th November 2025

Please note EPM ltd are managing the vacancy on behalf of Smart Multi Academy Trust.

Cleaner – Grade N01 SCP2

£23,656 per annum (pro rata actually £6,713.19)

14 hours per week

Part time – term time only (fixed term – 12months)

Start date: 1^st December 2025

The Smart Multi Academy Trust is a group of eleven primary schools with academy status. We are seeking to recruit an experienced cleaner to join our dedicated and hardworking Estates Department as part of the premises staff team. The remit will involve the day-to-day provision of a clean and well-presented site providing an attractive and purposeful learning environment for both our staff and pupils. The Estates Department is in a period of growth and it is an exciting time to join us on our journey. The employer will be the Smart MAT and the post will work to the local Site Manager.

Candidates should be able to demonstrate a record of cleaning and hygiene skills. They should be enthusiastic, hardworking and committed to maintaining standards and be able to contribute to the future development and improvement of the site.

Applications are invited from both experience cleaning processionals and those from different specialities. This is a valued role, key to the successful operation and cleanliness of the site, so it is essential that the successful candidate can demonstrate the key skills outlined in the person specification.

Experience is not necessary and full training will be provided to the successful candidate.

The working pattern for this post is 1530-1830 (Mon-Thurs) and 1530-1730 (Fri) and is based primarily at Kingston Park Primary School.

What we can offer you:

• Attractive salary schemes
• Local Government Pension Scheme (LGPS)
• Access to a wide range of health and wellbeing services
• Attractive annual leave allowance
• Salary sacrifice schemes
• Learning and development tailored to your role
• An experienced and talented Estates Team
• The opportunity to work across the sites within the Trust
• Opportunity for flexible working, where appropriate

How to apply:

Please apply by completing the application form on the following Microsoft Forms link.  Application Form This will return your form to EPM. 

Closing date: 31^st October 2025

Shortlisting: 3^rd November 2025

Interviews to be held: 10^th November 2025

Safeguarding

The Smart Multi Academy Trust is strongly committed to the safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people and expect all staff to share this commitment. As this post involves working with children and dealing with sensitive information, written references will be taken up and made available to interviewers BEFORE the interview stage, even if you indicate otherwise. Online google searches for the applicant’s name will be carried out after shortlisting and before interview. Appointment of the successful candidate will depend upon a satisfactory enhanced criminal records check from the Disclosure and Barring Service along with other recruitment and vetting checks. Any offer of employment will be conditional to all relevant checks.

Smart Multi-Academy Trust
Estates Department

Site Manager – Grade N05 SCP13
£28,163 per annum
37 hours per week
Full time – year round
Start date: as soon as possible

The Smart Multi Academy Trust is a group of nine primary schools with academy status. We are seeking to recruit an experienced Site Manager to join our dedicated and hardworking Estates Department as part of the deployed premises staff team. The remit will involve the day-to-day provision of a safe, compliant and well-presented site providing an attractive and purposeful learning environment for both our staff and pupils. The Estates Department is in a period of growth, and it is an exciting time to join us on our journey. The employer will be the Smart MAT and the post will work directly to the Trust Health, Safety & Estates Manager.

Candidates should be able to demonstrate a record of building/site management and first line maintenance skills. They should be enthusiastic, hardworking and committed to maintaining standards and be able to contribute to the future development and improvement of the site.

Applications are invited from both experienced facilities professionals and those from different specialties. This is a valued role, key to the successful operation of the site, so it is essential that the successful candidate can demonstrate the key skills outlined in the person specification.

The working pattern for this post is Mon-Thurs 0700-1530, and Fri 0700-1500 (with 2 x 15 min breaks and 1 x 30 min lunch) and is primarily based at Stephenson Memorial Primary School. Occasionally due to the nature of the Multi-Academy Trust, the role may be required to work temporarily at other Trust sites.

What we can offer you:

•Attractive salary schemes
•Local Government Pension Scheme (LGPS)
•Access to a wide range of health and wellbeing services
•Attractive annual leave allowance
•Salary sacrifice schemes
•Learning and development tailored to your role
•An experienced and talented Estates Team
•The opportunity to work across the sites within the Trust
•Opportunity for flexible working, where appropriate

How to apply:
To apply, please submit a CV or complete an application form, and the Safer Recruitment form, by email to Gemma Hetherington at estates@smartacademies.net Please note that any CV only submissions will need to be followed up by a completed application form if successful in the shortlisting stage.

To access a link to the application pack, please visit our website at www.smartacademies.net/vacancies

Closing date: 31st October 2025

Shortlisting: 3rd November 2025

Interviews to be held: 10th November 2025

Safeguarding

The Smart Multi Academy Trust is strongly committed to the safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people and expect all staff to share this commitment. As this post involves working with children and dealing with sensitive information, written references will be taken up and made available to interviewers BEFORE the interview stage, even if you indicate otherwise. Online google searches for the applicant’s name will be carried out after shortlisting and before interview. Appointment of the successful candidate will depend upon a satisfactory enhanced criminal records check from the Disclosure and Barring Service along with other recruitment and vetting checks. Any offer of employment will be conditional to all relevant checks.

Smart Multi-Academy Trust
Estates Department

Cleaner – Grade N01 SCP2
£23,656 per annum (pro rata actually £5,933.92)
12.5 hours per week
Part time – term time only
Start date: 1st December 2025

The Smart Multi Academy Trust is a group of eleven primary schools with academy status. We are seeking to recruit an experienced cleaner to join our dedicated and hardworking Estates Department as part of the premises staff team. The remit will involve the day-to-day provision of a clean and well-presented site providing an attractive and purposeful learning environment for both our staff and pupils. The Estates Department is in a period of growth and it is an exciting time to join us on our journey. The employer will be the Smart MAT and the post will work to the local Site Manager.

Candidates should be able to demonstrate a record of cleaning and hygiene skills. They should be enthusiastic, hardworking and committed to maintaining standards and be able to contribute to the future development and improvement of the site.

Applications are invited from both experience cleaning processionals and those from different specialities. This is a valued role, key to the successful operation and cleanliness of the site, so it is essential that the successful candidate can demonstrate the key skills outlined in the person specification.

Experience is not necessary and full training will be provided to the successful candidate.

The working pattern for this post is 1500-1730 and is based primarily at Stephenson Memorial Primary School.

What we can offer you:
•Attractive salary schemes
•Local Government Pension Scheme (LGPS)
•Access to a wide range of health and wellbeing services
•Attractive annual leave allowance
•Salary sacrifice schemes
•Learning and development tailored to your role
•An experienced and talented Estates Team
•The opportunity to work across the sites within the Trust
•Opportunity for flexible working, where appropriate

How to apply:
To apply, please submit a CV or complete an application form , and the Safer Recruitment form, by email to Gemma Hetherington at estates@smartacademies.net Please note that any CV will need to be followed up by a completed application form if successful in the shortlisting stage.

To access a link to the application pack, please visit our website at www.smartacademies.net/vacancies

Closing date: 31st October 2025

Shortlisting: 3rd November 2025

Interviews to be held: 10th November 2025

Safeguarding

The Smart Multi Academy Trust is strongly committed to the safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people and expect all staff to share this commitment. As this post involves working with children and dealing with sensitive information, written references will be taken up and made available to interviewers BEFORE the interview stage, even if you indicate otherwise. Online google searches for the applicant’s name will be carried out after shortlisting and before interview. Appointment of the successful candidate will depend upon a satisfactory enhanced criminal records check from the Disclosure and Barring Service along with other recruitment and vetting checks. Any offer of employment will be conditional to all relevant checks.

Smart Multi-Academy Trust
Estates Department

Cleaner – Grade N01 SCP2
£23,656 per annum (pro rata actually £9,590.27)
15 hours per week
Fixed term – 12 months year round
Start date: 1st December 2025 (or earlier)

The Smart Multi Academy Trust is a group of eleven primary schools with academy status. We are seeking to recruit an experienced cleaner to join our dedicated and hardworking Estates Department as part of the premises staff team. The remit will involve the day-to-day provision of a clean and well-presented site providing an attractive and purposeful learning environment for both our staff and pupils. The Estates Department is in a period of growth and it is an exciting time to join us on our journey. The employer will be the Smart MAT and the post will work to the local Site Manager.

Candidates should be able to demonstrate a record of cleaning and hygiene skills. They should be enthusiastic, hardworking and committed to maintaining standards and be able to contribute to the future development and improvement of the site.

Applications are invited from both experience cleaning processionals and those from different specialities. This is a valued role, key to the successful operation and cleanliness of the site, so it is essential that the successful candidate can demonstrate the key skills outlined in the person specification.

Experience is not necessary and full training will be provided to the successful candidate.

The working pattern for this post is 1500-1800 and is based primarily at North Fawdon Primary School.

What we can offer you:
•Attractive salary schemes
•Local Government Pension Scheme (LGPS)
•Access to a wide range of health and wellbeing services
•Attractive annual leave allowance
•Salary sacrifice schemes
•Learning and development tailored to your role
•An experienced and talented Estates Team
•The opportunity to work across the sites within the Trust
•Opportunity for flexible working, where appropriate

How to apply:
To apply, please submit a CV or complete an application form , and the Safer Recruitment form, by email to Gemma Hetherington at estates@smartacademies.net Please note that any CV will need to be followed up by a completed application form if successful in the shortlisting stage.

To access a link to the application pack, please visit our website at www.smartacademies.net/vacancies

Closing date: 31st October 2025

Shortlisting: 3rd November 2025

Interviews to be held: 10th November 2025

Safeguarding

The Smart Multi Academy Trust is strongly committed to the safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people and expect all staff to share this commitment. As this post involves working with children and dealing with sensitive information, written references will be taken up and made available to interviewers BEFORE the interview stage, even if you indicate otherwise. Online google searches for the applicant’s name will be carried out after shortlisting and before interview. Appointment of the successful candidate will depend upon a satisfactory enhanced criminal records check from the Disclosure and Barring Service along with other recruitment and vetting checks. Any offer of employment will be conditional to all relevant checks.

Trustee Recruitment                                                                                                                                                               

Do you have a passion to see children’s life-chances transformed in northeast England? Are you ready to apply your skills at Board level to support a leading group of schools to grow and thrive?  If you answered ‘yes‘ to these questions, please consider whether you could join us as a Trustee of Smart Multi Academy Trust. This could be a great opportunity for you to give back some time, expertise and enthusiasm to help develop our trust to benefit the pupils, families and staff at our wonderful primary schools.  

Our Trust 

At Smart Multi Academy Trust we provide a high quality, bespoke education full of the best opportunities and experiences to help every child learn, be happy and ultimately successful in life.  

We are a family of 8 primary schools currently all in Newcastle upon Tyne who have formed a Multi Academy Trust because we share a collective vision for excellence in education. We believe passionately that the children within our communities deserve nothing less than the very best of opportunities and experiences to become successful citizens and lifelong learners able to lead happy, fulfilling and healthy lives. We live by our vision and values every day in all aspects of what we do and its important anyone joining the Trust does as well. Many of our pupils are disadvantaged but we work hard to prevent this being a barrier and ensuring every single one is advantaged by the education and opportunities we provide.  

We are entering an exciting growth phase which will see us adding more schools to our Trust. This will give us increased resource to widen and improve our networks that help us support the pupils, families and our employees to thrive. To do this well we need committed and engaged trustees who can advise and support this work. 

Smart Multi-Academy Trust - our Vision & Values

Our values are the principles to which we work and are central to all that we do as a Trust and in the life of our schools. It is important that each of our schools retain their own unique character reflective of their community, however all of us share our vision and values.

We care committed to following an ethical approach based on trust, empathy and respect in which everyone is included and supported to be the best they can be.

At Smart we provide a high quality, bespoke education full of the best opportunities and experiences to help every child learn, be happy and ultimately, successful in life as a global citizen.

Our Trust Board 

Our Trust Board has a wealth of expertise from the education, business, HR and finance sectors. We are interested in growing our Board to include people with experience in law, change management, organisation management, or facilities management at a strategic level. Our aim is to build a Board with the skillset to provide outstanding support and challenge to the Executive team, holding them to account as we strive to build an organisation that has a great reputation in the region and beyond.  

The Role 

We understand that being a trustee is a responsible role requiring an investment of time and energy. Nonetheless, we believe that we make this manageable for our dedicated volunteers. We draw upon the accessibility of Microsoft Teams to share resources and papers for the six meetings that we hold each academic year. In addition, Smart Trustees serve on one of the committees, which entails a further four meetings.  Meetings, which tend to run from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m., can be joined via Teams or in person and move between sites so that Trustees get the opportunity to see the schools within the Trust.  As the Trustee role is “eyes on, hands off”, there is no requirement to undertake additional visits to our schools (though Trustees are always welcome!) and we ensure that our Trustees receive excellent support and training. 

For more information 

If you would like to know more and have a conversation, please contact Sandy Christie, Chair of the Trust Board, via email at chair.trustees@smartacademies.net or Colin Lofthouse, CEO at colin.lofthouse@smartacademies.net  

The Board of Trustees of Smart Multi Academy Trust is seeking to develop working relationships with the Northern Guild by offering placement opportunities for counselling and psychotherapy students. This is an excellent opportunity to work in a multi-agency-faceted role where students will be welcome to develop their skills across a number of disciplines across the eight schools in the Trust.
 

Overall purpose of the role: To provide emotional and therapeutic support to children aged 4-11 within the school based counselling service, whilst working within the BACP/UKCP ethical framework for counselling professionals (or other relevant Professional body) to improve and maintain the mental health and well-being of children.
 

Duties and responsibilities: The successful candidate will be required to work within the developing guidelines of the SMART Multi Academy Trust:

• To provide one to one counselling or therapeutic work within the SMART school counselling service for children aged 4–11 years old in an allocated school.  The number of allocated sessions will depend on relevant experience and the availability of the student.
• To provide a counselling needs assessment with parents/carers for children accessing counselling.
• Manage their own caseload diary, ensuring accurate record keeping and working in-line with the Trust’s safeguarding policy and procedure.

• Create and maintain excellent working relationships with parents and school staff. Liaise with the appropriate professionals in relation to the child.

• Provide information and case material to contribute to the annual evaluation report.  

• The Volunteer School Counsellor/Psychotherapist (VSC/P) will be required to work in-line with SMART’s confidentiality and information sharing policy.
• To work alongside and be supported by pastoral leads within school settings to work with identified children, including, where appropriate, liaising with external agencies.
   

Clinical Supervision: Successful VSC/Ps will be responsible for their own clinical supervision arrangements that comply with their course requirements.  Within school, they will report to the school SENDCo who will provide line management supervision and ongoing support.  The Trust is dedicated to promoting the mental health and wellbeing of our children. 
 

Closing date for applications: Applications are welcome over the course of the year and informal interviews with prospective candidates will be held at a mutually convenient time.
 

Applying

If you decide to apply for this post, please complete the Smart Multi Academy Trust application form and all supporting documentation.

Smart Multi Academy Trust is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children.  All posts are subject to an enhanced disclosure check from the Disclosure and Barring Service.  Please note that in all cases, written references will be taken up and made available to interviewers before the final selection stage; even if you indicate otherwise.
 

Please send all completed applications and supporting documentation to enquiries@smartacadmies.net for the attention of Hollie Lowrey, Senior Administration Officer.

The Board of Trustees of Smart Multi Academy Trust is seeking to develop working relationships with the Northern Guild by offering placement opportunities for counselling and psychotherapy trainees.  This is an excellent opportunity to work in a multi-agency-faceted role where trainees will be welcome to develop their skills across a number of disciplines within the eight schools in the Trust.

Overall purpose of the role: To provide emotional and therapeutic support to parents and staff within the school based counselling service, whilst working within the BACP/UKCP ethical framework for counselling professionals (or other relevant Professional body) to improve and maintain the mental health and well-being of adult stakeholders.

Duties and responsibilities:  The successful candidate will be required to work within the developing guidelines of the SMART Multi Academy Trust:

• To provide one to one counselling or therapeutic work within the SMART school counselling service for parents and staff in an allocated school.  The number of allocated sessions will depend on relevant experience, service requirements and the availability of the student.
• Manage their own caseload diary, working in-line with the Trust’s safeguarding policy and procedure.
• Create and maintain excellent working relationships with parents and school staff. Liaise with the appropriate professionals in relation to the adult.

• The Volunteer School Counsellor/Psychotherapist (VSC/P) will be required to work in-line with SMART’s confidentiality and information sharing policy.
• To work alongside and be supported by pastoral leads within school settings to work with identified families, including, where appropriate, liaising with external agencies.

Clinical Supervision: Successful VSC/Ps will be responsible for their own clinical supervision arrangements that comply with their course requirements.  Within school, they will report to the school SENDCo who will provide line management supervision and ongoing support.  The Trust is dedicated to promoting the mental health and wellbeing of our families and staff.

Closing date for applications: Applications are welcome over the course of the year and informal interviews with prospective candidates will be held at a mutually convenient time.

Applying

If you decide to apply for this post, please complete the Smart Multi Academy Trust application form and all supporting documentation.

Smart Multi Academy Trust is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children.  All posts are subject to an enhanced disclosure check from the Disclosure and Barring Service.  Please note that in all cases, written references will be taken up and made available to interviewers before the final selection stage; even if you indicate otherwise.

Please send all completed applications and supporting documentation to enquiries@smartacadmies.net for the attention of Hollie Lowrey, Senior Administration Officer.