St Andrew’s Taunton celebrates national FFT attendance award
St Andrew’s is celebrating national recognition after being named in the top 10% of all primary schools in England for attendance by FFT Aspire’s Attendance Awards. This prestigious acknowledgement also places the school in the top 25% of schools with similar characteristics, highlighting the strength of its systems, culture and community commitment to excellent attendance.
The FFT Attendance Awards celebrate schools that demonstrate exceptional practice in ensuring pupils attend “all day, every day, on time” – a principle strongly aligned with the Bath and Wells Multi Academy Trust’s (BWMAT) Attendance Strategy. You can read more about FFT’s awards here:
A shared achievement across the whole school community
Headteacher Kaye told me: “I am incredibly proud that our school has been recognised by FFT as being in the top 10% of all primary schools nationally, and within the top 25% of schools similar to ours.
"This achievement reflects the dedication and hard work of our entire school team, who have embraced the Trust’s attendance strategy and maintained rigorous monitoring to ensure its success.
"By working together to make sure that children are in school and on time every day, we are already seeing significant benefits to pupils’ learning, confidence, and overall wellbeing. We are also grateful for the continued support of our parents, whose partnership is vital in helping our children flourish.
"This recognition celebrates not only the commitment of our staff but also the shared determination of our families to secure the very best outcomes for our students.”
Kaye’s words echo one of the central principles of the BWMAT Attendance Strategy:
“Attendance is everyone’s responsibility.”
The success at St Andrew's is rooted in a consistent and relationships approach, aligned with the Trust’s expectation that every day counts and that schools must build strong partnerships with families to remove barriers and support children to thrive.
Our strategy emphasises:
- Warm, proactive welcomes at the school gate and in classrooms
- Strong relationships with pupils and parents
- Early intervention guided by the ATTEND framework
- A whole‑school, no‑blame culture that moves forward together
- Curriculum experiences that make learning unmissable
These values are evident at St Andrew’s, where staff go above and beyond to ensure that pupils feel they belong, feel safe, and feel motivated to be at school every day.
St Andrew’s Taunton is implementing the Trust-wide strategy effectively, Kaye Frounks was part of the BWMAT working group that contributed to developing the strategy and toolkit.
This award stands as a powerful testament to what is possible when schools, families and Trust systems work in partnership, with a shared belief that every child deserves to be in school, every day, ready to thrive.