Magician rewards pupils at end of school 'attendance week'

Staff at Dines Green Primary School, in Tudor Way, Worcester, gave out stickers and organised a poster competition as part of a drive towards high attendance and punctuality.

Acting headteacher Emma Grace said that while the school is below national expectations for attendance, it has seen an increase in figures over recent months.

She said: “It was to celebrate the children that do get here on time and also bringing to the fore that it’s important to attend school.

“We are working very closely with parents to keep improving our attendance figures. We share our attendance [rates] on our newsletters.

“We have an upward trend with our percentages. Truancy is not a problem. Sickness is one of our biggest things.

“Our attendance officer is working with the education welfare officers to look at ways of involving our parents and children in being aware of how important attending and being punctual is.

“Being punctual means children are ready to learn. All schools focus on attendance. We are encouraging good positive habits.

“We are encouraging those who may not be coming to school on time to get in on time.”

She said staff handed out stickers to pupils who were present before the 8.45am bell last week.

The school is also running an ongoing poster competition, with students creating designs to promote punctuality.

In an early January newsletter, the school stated: "There are also an increasing number of children being taken out of school for appointments.

"We understand that hospital and doctor appointments are very important and sometimes cannot be changed.

"But the vast majority of opticians and dentists have afterschool and Saturday appointments so there should be no need for children to be attending these during school hours, other than in an emergency."

Ms Grace said the national expectation for attendance is 96 or 97 per cent, whereas the school has achieved between 92 and 95 per cent since the start of December.