As the morning attendance registers arrive, she checks who’s missing, flags any unexplained absences, and starts calling families to find out why their child isn’t at school.
As her school’s attendance officer, it’s her job is make sure every child is accounted for and safe.
Carol works at Charles Dickens Primary School, a high-performing, state-funded school in central London with nearly 500 students.
Named after the author, who once lived in the area, Charles Dickens Primary serves a disadvantaged community. About 44 per cent of students have been eligible for free school meals in the past six years, compared to 26 per cent across England.
Despite this, attendance is consistently strong: in the 2024-25 school year, 96.4 per cent of students attended regularly (that is, at least 90 per cent of the time).
Attendance at Charles Dickens Primary is higher than at 99.8 per cent of Australian primary schools.
Carol is essential to Charles Dickens Primary’s success. But she’s also part of something much bigger. Every part of the school works together to keep students present and engaged.
This whole-school approach to attendance starts with making school somewhere students want to be.
A carefully sequenced, knowledge-rich curriculum and shared teaching materials mean every child gets high-quality instruction and the support they need.
And clear expectations and consistent routines create calm, predictable classrooms where students can feel safe and focus on their learning.
Wellbeing is central. All students take part in short daily lessons that help them recognise their emotions and build simple strategies for self-regulation, with extra support provided for the students who need it.
And there’s plenty to look forward to beyond the classroom too.
The school offers about 50 lunchtime and after-school clubs – many initiated and run by students – including a craft club, chess club, football skills club, and a Harry Potter club.
As the principal told us: ‘They’re looking forward, not only to school, but fun, social, non-academic learning opportunities as well.’
With these foundational elements in place, school leaders have taken deliberate, intensive steps to lock-in high attendance.
This starts with establishing strong norms.
Expectations of students’ attendance are very high – anything below 95 per cent is considered unsatisfactory and prompts action.
Attendance is viewed as a shared responsibility between the school and families, and its importance is reinforced regularly, from school tours and enrolment through to ongoing newsletters.
As the principal told us: ‘We're clear from the second that a child joins the school that we're ambitious and our expectations are high. All parents know our attendance policy and they know there's no way around it. All they need to do is bring their child to school every day, and we do the rest.’
Strong systems and clear responsibilities underpin this approach. While attendance is a shared responsibility across the school, a dedicated team including Carol follow up absences and meet at least weekly to discuss appropriate interventions.
The principal oversees the school’s overall attendance strategy, Carol manages day-to-day attendance, and the family support officer provides hands-on help to students and families, from housing assistance to access to the school food bank or practical parenting support.
No student falls through the cracks. If Carol can’t contact a family member of an absent child, she and the principal might visit the home to confirm the child is safe.
The principal explained to us: ‘We give them until 10am, then we'll be emailing and phoning, and Carol will be making a nuisance of herself [following them up]. Then at midday, we'll go to visit the family.'
If the student is in class the following day, their teacher checks in informally and shares what the class covered while the student was away.
If absences persist or a student’s attendance drops below 91 per cent, the family receives a letter from the school outlining the attendance concern and is given six weeks to improve.
Continued issues result in a meeting with Carol – and, when needed, the principal or family support officer at the school – to discuss the underlying causes and develop a plan to overcome the barriers to attendance.
The principal told us: ‘Ninety per cent of the conversation is nurture, support, and asking how we can help. Normally, no further escalation is required, but having a strong and supportive relationship with families is crucial'.
As Carol explained: ‘It’s about knowing your families and building that foundation – some need more support than others. All sorts of things come out – there are a wide range of reasons as to why their children are not in school and we always offer support where we can so the child can come in. Because we’ve taken the trouble to get parents in, they know that we care and are very gently on their case.’
The results speak for themselves. Attendance is exceptionally high, and almost no absence goes unexplained.
This success has been recognised across England, with the school’s approaches now being replicated across the five other primary and three secondary schools in its family of schools.
Charles Dickens Primary has also been named as an Attendance and Behaviour Hub, meaning it receives funding to showcase its exemplary practice, deliver hands-on training, and work closely with nearby schools that need additional support.
Charles Dickens Primary shows that high attendance requires a coordinated, whole-school approach. That’s hard work, and while some schools can make progress on their own, many need additional guidance and support.
In England, the government has led the charge on attendance. Improving school attendance has been a national priority for both Conservative and Labour governments since 2021.
Recent reforms have been extensive and wide-ranging, focusing on improving understanding of student absences, identifying strong practice in schools and sharing it, and raising public awareness of the importance of regular attendance.
Australia should follow this lead and ensure every school is supported to improve attendance. With a whole-school approach and the right support, Australian schools can get more students back into the classroom.
*Name has been changed
