In the wake of the pandemic, schools across the UK have faced a silent crisis: persistent absenteeism.
In Newham, attendance levels have struggled to return to pre-COVID norms, significantly impacting learning, well-being, and long-term opportunities.
The Department of Education hired PATCAM to create a campaign that addressed this massive problem.
As a father of three boys, Quest-9, Sanderson-12, and Roman-15, this brief really resonated with me.
Our goal was to help families and children rediscover the value of showing up not just academically, but emotionally and socially.
With help from Paul Jeffries at The Situation Room, we started by bringing together a series of workshops.
During these sessions, experts from around the country shared valuable insights on the subject of absenteeism.
We followed this with a series of Story Sessions involving key stakeholders from the Newham area, including students, teachers, parents, and the Education department.
The result was a campaign that was:
🔹 Child-focused
🔹 Community-grounded
🔹 Insight-led
We placed children at the centre of the “Here For You” campaign, not as passive recipients, but as powerful voices.
From their perspective, we built a narrative that school is not just a requirement, but a place of belonging, a place of support, a place of safety.
What we delivered:
🔹 A comprehensive campaign across digital, social, print, and targeted out-of-home channels.
🔹 A versatile “Here For You” resource toolkit for schools and parents.
The “Here For You” campaign was anchored in reassurance, empathy, and action.
It was a joy to work with such funny, smart, and inspiring young people, as well as dedicated teachers and the Department of Education team.
At on every project, we always strive to create bold, human-focused work that connect insight to execution, with real empathy at its heart.
If you want to shape change through purposeful storytelling and soulful end-to-end campaign delivery, we’re here for you too! Let’s talk.
