Little superheroes help launch new attendance campaign in South Lanarkshire schools
Under the banner 'Every School Day Matters' the council is keen to remind families of the educational, social and lifelong benefits of education.
South Lanarkshire Council this week launched a new campaign celebrating the youngest superheroes of our classrooms.
And it's all designed to boost and maintain attendance in schools.
Under the banner 'Every School Day Matters' the council is keen to remind families of the educational, social and lifelong benefits of education.
This early phase of the campaign is aimed at the youngest children in schools, including those moving from early years to primary level this year.
Featuring children from South Lanarkshire schools, the messaging is designed to show that with the learning, nurture and support being in class offers, every young person can harness their own superpower.
The new campaign will run at various times across the coming school year, and will focus on specific groups, including secondary schools as it progresses.
It comes in support of a Scottish Government commitment to improve attendance across all sectors, to boost attainment, outcomes and prospects for every young person.
Councillor Gavin Keatt, depute chair of the council's Education Resources Committee, met with the 'face' of the new campaign, five-year-old Ellie last week.
And he took the opportunity to reinforce the important reasons behind it.
He said: 'I was taken aback to discover that, from our own research, a young person who misses even a few weeks of school each year, from P1 through to S3, loses an entire year of education.
'Family life is busy, and from time to time it might seem that a day's absence here or there really doesn't make a difference; we know that's not the case.
'Coming to school is about so much more than books and numbers. It helps to nurture, support and create social skills, friendships, support networks, resilience and the ability to learn, change and adapt.
'We believe that every pupil can find their superpower in the classroom, in the art class, music hall, playground, science lab and playing field.
'Being in school is the foundation upon which happy, successful and resilient young people are built.'
A dedicated page is now live on the council website, with lots of information, support, links and advice on our campaign and the issue of attendance in general: www.southlanarkshire.gov.uk/attendance
*Don't miss the latest headlines from around Lanarkshire. Sign up to our newsletters here.
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