Two Coombe Boys’ School students achieved national publicity this week after Kingston’s mayor honoured them for not having a day off school in five years.
Alex Mackie and Ryan Arnold were among almost 700 Kingston students who received medals for a year without absences, and appeared on the BBC news website after getting the award for a fifth consecutive year.
The boys helped Kingston achieve the highest attendance rate, with the lowest rate of persistent absences, in the country.
Ryan’s mother Karen said: “I am really proud of Ryan. Attending school is not just about attending school. It means children have the determination and make effort to do things properly from a very young age. Without determination and effort, young people will not fulfil their potential.”
The mayor’s medals, launched in 2004, were the first in the country to honour children with a perfect attendance record, and Kingston is one of only four areas not to have a single school named by the Government as a “persistent absentee school”.
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