Kingston schoolchildren and their families have been awarded an A for effort for attending school, according to recent government figures.

 A report from the Department for Schools, Children and Family (DCSF) confirmed that children at Kingston’s schools came top of the class with an attendance record of 95.41 % for the last academic year, the best in the country.

 The government has been trying to clamp down on absence rates, both approved and unapproved. Ming Zhang, Principal Education Welfare Officer, explaining Kingston’s success, said: “In 2004, Kingston Council became the first in the country to award Mayor’s Medals to pupils who have achieved 100% attendance record. Last December the Mayor awarded medals to nearly 700 pupils who have not missed a day of school in the last year."

 Some parents have mixed feelings about the Mayor’s Medals scheme. Lucy Newton, whose two daughters attend St John’s School, agreed: “The Mayor's Medals for 100% attendance merely reward children with very robust immune systems. This seems ridiculous to me. My kids get ill and will not be sent to school if they are too ill to attend.”

 Helen A’Court, whose daughter is at St Marks and St Andrews in Surbiton, highlighted one of the scheme’s flaws. She said: “My daughter was distraught when she lost the Mayor’s Medal because I had to take her out of school for two days for me to attend my uncle’s funeral in Yorkshire.”

 A Latchmere School parent, Maia Honan acknowledged some of the difficulties faced by schools, particularly the thorny issue of holiday during term-time. She said: “There is a psychological challenge for school heads to overcome. As more and more parents take their children out of school, approved or unapproved, other parents perceive this is acceptable and are quick to follow suit