As well as celebrating the classes with the best attendance for the year, we are also celebrating individual pupils who achieved the school target of 97% attendance and above. We are delighted to say that 265 pupils have been awarded their special certificates and that 20 of those children managed 100% attendance!

We also received a letter from the Secretary of State for Education highlighting the importance of attendance (see below). At Greswold, we want to work with families to improve our attendance as we know that good attendance leads to improved outcomes for children. We look forward to a positive start in September and hope that we can celebrate even more success next year. 

Letter to schools: supporting strong attendance from the first day of term

I am writing to thank you for your continued hard work and dedication in supporting strong attendance and ensuring that children and young people across mainstream schools, special schools and alternative provision receive an excellent education.

Because of your efforts, we have begun to turn the tide on one of the biggest challenges that COVID-19 has posed to the education system. Over 350,000 fewer pupils were persistently absent in Spring 2023 compared to Summer 2022.

But there is more to do, with absence rates still well above pre-Covid levels. Improving attendance is a top priority for me and the Department. The steps we take now will be critical to the start of the next academic year. I want to ensure that as many children as possible in mainstream and specialist settings are present from day one.

Those first days back really matter.