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from Cathy (cathyvpreece@aol.com)
Date: 25.04.2002 Ref: 1338 Press contact: John Harrison Tel: 020 7926 2440 Email: jharrison@lambeth.gov.uk Press Release Dramatic success for pastoral officers at Lilian Baylis

A KENNINGTON school has slashed its rate of unauthorised absence in half and increased its attendance rate from 86% to 92% after the introduction of two pastoral officers to support and liaise with parents.

Lilian Baylis School has a better attendance record than the national average, quite an achievement for an inner city school.

Two pastoral officers, funded through Excellence in Cities, were appointed a year ago. David Browne is a trained Youth Worker and Hillarie Hoyte is a Counsellor. They believe their blend of skills has helped them succeed at their roles as pastoral officers.

Hillarie Hoyte said: "We have more time than teachers to really get to the bottom of issues affecting attendance. We liaise closely with parents, social services, the Police and the Education Welfare Officers at Lambeth Council to ensure that the real reasons for absence are understood and that parents and students are supported."

The two pastoral officers are completing their first year at the school. Their work has involved setting up parents meetings and establishing a drop-in centre at the school for family members concerned about a child's attendance. The officers also have a helpline for parents.

They have built strong links with external, voluntary groups committed to reducing unauthorised absence, including Mentoring Plus and the Brixton based 409 Project, and the Odeon Cinema in Streatham has chipped in by offering discounted tickets to well-attending pupils.

The pastoral officers have sought to tackle the underlying causes of poor attendance by setting up study circles so pupils can learn to be more involved and interested in lessons.

Gary Phillips, the headteacher of Lilian Baylis School, said: "The success of the pastoral officers has been fantastic. The officers provide a link with parents and, not only boost attendance, but free up teachers to concentrate on lessons. The skill and dedication of the pastoral officers has been crucial to the massive improvements at Lilian Baylis School during the last year."

Issued by the Communication Centre London Borough of Lambeth Lambeth Town Hall Brixton Hill London SW2 1RW

Telephone 020 7926 1000 Fax 020 7926 2835 www.lambeth.gov.uk

(posted 8002 days ago)

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