May and June can be particularly stressful times in schools when children are preparing for exams. It as these times, more than any, that children may need an additional reason to love going to school. At Carleton High teachers rewarded students with their take on the ‘Masked Singer’ while at Carleton Park Primary the teachers surprised the pupils with a Staff Flash Mob Dance in their interpretation of ‘Carleton’s Got Talent’.
Joe Ayre, Headteacher at Carleton Park Junior and Infant School said “The atmosphere in the school was euphoric. We began with two teachers doing the Cha Cha Slide and as time went on more and more members of staff, including myself, joined the stage to hits like Macarena and Gangnam Style. By the time we were performing the finale of Green, Green, Grass the children were fully on board singing at the top of their voices and loving the experience. The assembly was aimed at improving pupils’ growth mindsets and designed to show them that with hard work anything is possible! We were very pleased to see that pupils who are persistently absent were present for the event! It is no surprise that happy children perform best which probably explains why last year the progress our pupils made in Reading, Writing and Maths is in the top 1% of all schools nationally.”
Shaheen Shariff, Headteacher at Carleton High School added “In schools it’s important that we not only teach our students but also have fun with to build positive relationships with them. The Masked Singer attendance reward event provided a unique opportunity for our teachers to show their fun and creative side while engaging with students in a fun way. Seeing our teachers behind the masks, singing and performing, helped to create a warm and friendly family atmosphere that supports a positive school culture. It’s events like these that make our school feel more like a community, a family.”
Kelly Hodges, Deputy Headteacher at Carleton High “Attendance at Carleton High School is incredibly important to us. The Education Hub (2023) describes the reasons behind excellent attendance as “Being around teachers and friends in a school or college environment is the best way for pupils to learn and reach their potential. Time in school also keeps children safe and provides access to extra-curricular opportunities and pastoral care.” We have excellent attendance here at Carleton High School, significantly above the national average and have recently won two FFT Aspire attendance rewards for being in the top 10% attendance in the country.
Our persistent absence rate (attendance below 90%) is very low and again considerably lower than the national average. Evidence shows that the students with the highest attendance throughout their time in school gain the best GCSE and A Level results. Those students who miss fewer days at school performed better. Indeed, research shows us that secondary school pupils who didn’t achieve grade 9 to 4 in English and maths missed 10 more days on average over the key stage than those who achieved grade 9 to 5 in both English and maths.
We are passionate about rewarding our students who have excellent attendance regularly throughout the year and we are well known for our engaging rewards events. Last term was “I’m a member of team Carleton – get me out of here!” staff vs student event with all the usual I’m a celebrity games included! This term we thought we would have some fun and planned ‘The Masked Singer’ event to really put some of our staff in the spotlight for the students’ entertainment! An opportunity for our students to see the ‘fun’ side of the staff and come together to celebrate excellent attendance and further enhance the excellent staff, student relationships that currently exist at Carleton High School.”