Streatham schoolchildren have been rewarded with cheap cinema tickets as part of a scheme to encourage better school attendance.
Lilian Baylis School, in Kennington, has introduced the scheme to cut the number of students failing to attend classes.
The initiative includes building links with voluntary groups outside the school, such as Mentoring Plus and the Brixton-based 409 Project, and also involves the Streatham Odeon, which has offered discounted tickets to students with good attendance records.
Additionally, two pastoral officers have been employed to offer support and to liaise with parents. They have also set up study circles to encourage pupils' interested.
As a result of the initiative, the school's attendance rate has risen from 86 per cent to 92 per cent.
Headteacher Gary Phillips said: "The success of the pastoral officers has been fantastic. Not only do they boost attendance but they also free up teachers to concentrate on lessons."
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