What is Class Register?

A class register is the record of which children attended each session. Far from being simple admin, the register is a critical safeguarding document — in the event of a fire evacuation, it is the only way to confirm that all children are accounted for. For this reason, your register must be completed at the start of every session and taken with you in any evacuation.

Beyond safety, registers provide valuable operational data. Attendance patterns can reveal early signs of disengagement (a child who starts missing sessions may be about to cancel), help you identify your most and least popular time slots, support follow-up with absent families (a welfare check call shows parents you care), and provide evidence of service delivery for insurance, complaints, or disputes. Accurate attendance records are also required by Ofsted for registered settings.

Digital registers — through booking software or tablet-based check-in systems — offer significant advantages over paper: they are automatically backed up, can flag medical information or photography restrictions at check-in, enable real-time attendance data for parents, and feed into your business reporting. Whether paper or digital, ensure your register includes the child's full name, the session date and time, whether they attended, who dropped them off and collected them, and any notes.