Posted on Friday 10th May 2024
Cllr Jonathan Price with pupils from St.Leonards in Stafford, taking part in the Little Hero’s campaign
A new campaign to encourage and support regular school attendance has been launched by Staffordshire County Council.
Regular school attendance is important for children and young people, and research shows a clear link between high attendance and educational outcomes. This leads to better life opportunities and the best results for individuals.
The council’s ‘Little Heroes’ campaign focuses on the ‘HERO’ theme to encourage the message ‘Here Everyday Ready and On time’. Selected primary schools will be taking part in the trial to support key stage one pupils, to see if the fun and engaging attendance activities in the classroom have an impact on school attendance.
For pupils struggling with their emotional health, the council has also created a ‘Helpful Heroes’ workbook. This will help support children to overcome barriers to school avoidance and to help manage their worries through a range of mindfulness activities.
Across the UK, there has been a drop in attendance rates, and school attendance in Staffordshire schools is down by 2.3 per cent, compared to previous years.
Councilor Jonathan Price, Cabinet Member for Education at Staffordshire County Council said:
“We are so pleased to be trialling our brand-new Little Heroes campaign across the county.
“We understand that for some families, getting their children to attend school can be a real challenge, and many children face significant barriers.
“Our Little Heroes campaign has been carefully designed to encourage and engage with children about the importance of attending school and to support children that may be avoiding school due to emotional barriers.
“I look forward to seeing the campaign in action and hope that together we can support children in the best way possible, in attending school every day and enjoying some of the best days of their lives.”
People can find out more on the Little Heroes campaign website.
Watch a short video with Jonathan Price talking about the project.