Attendance for after-school and lunchtime clubs
A school can track attendance for after-school clubs without a complicated system by giving each club a simple self check-in: students tap their name on a tablet at the door and the club's attendance is recorded automatically. It sits alongside the school's official register, not in place of it.
Clubs fall outside the official register
A school's statutory attendance lives in its student management system, with the codes and processes the law requires. Clubs usually don't. Chess club, the robotics team, homework club and the lunchtime choir are often tracked on a teacher's paper list, in a spreadsheet, or not at all.
That becomes a problem when a teacher needs to know who was at a club, a coordinator wants to show a programme is being used, or a student stops coming and nobody notices.
To be clear: RollCall is not a statutory attendance register or student management system. Keep your official system for daily attendance. RollCall is for the clubs and activities around it.
Keep it lighter than a paper list
The biggest risk with club attendance is that it becomes another job for a busy teacher, so whatever you use has to be quicker than a paper list:
- Students check themselves in. No calling names at the start.
- Nothing to type up. The record is created as students arrive.
- No student accounts. They type their name, tap it, and they're in.
An example
A robotics club meets twice a week after school, with about 20 students. The teacher in charge wants to know which students have been consistent enough to go to the regional competition. With per-student attendance, it's a quick look at each profile, rather than a stack of lists.
How RollCall works for a club
- A tablet or laptop at the door, or a QR code poster that opens check-in on a student's phone.
- A new student registers themselves on the spot, with an emergency contact.
- Staff see a live list of who has arrived.
- Each student's profile shows sessions attended out of the total, as a percentage, and when they last came. The list can be filtered for students who haven't been for two weeks or more.
- Attendance exports to CSV at any time, for a report or the school's own records.
Each RollCall organisation has one member list and one check-in link, and records one attendance per student per day. A single club fits that well. For several clubs, see attendance across school activities.
Common questions
How can a school track attendance for after-school clubs without a complicated system?
Give the club a simple self check-in: students tap their name on a tablet at the door, or scan a QR code with their phone, and attendance is recorded automatically. There's nothing for staff to type up. RollCall works this way and is free for clubs of up to 30 students.
Can RollCall replace our school's attendance register?
No. RollCall isn't a statutory register or student management system. Schools should keep their official system for daily attendance and use RollCall for clubs and activities outside it.
Do students need accounts or an app?
No. Students type their name on the check-in screen and tap it. Only staff and leaders sign in.
Can we export the club's attendance?
Yes. Attendance exports to CSV on every plan, including Free.
How much does it cost?
RollCall is free forever for groups of up to 30 members, with no card needed. Larger groups use Pro at US$9.99/month (a launch price; standard $19.99), which includes 150 members and starts with a 14-day free trial.
Want to see how this could work for your group? You can try RollCall free. It's free for groups of up to 30 members, with no card needed.