By Mary Temperton

Leader of Bracknell Forest Council

As the summer holidays draw to a close and we prepare for the start of the new school year, I find myself reflecting on the incredible support networks we have in our community. Not just within our schools, but in our broader public services. Recently, I experienced this first hand when I fractured my ankle. The incredible care and compassion I received from the NHS was nothing short of brilliant. My sincere thanks go out to all those who support our residents when they need it.

This experience has only deepened my appreciation of the work that goes on behind the scenes, whether in healthcare or education. Our younger residents will soon be heading back to school, some starting school for the first time and some moving on to senior school or college. We are so lucky in our borough to have such amazing schools that help our children thrive.

A great example of them thriving was the recent exam results. On Thursday, 15 August students received their Key Stage 5 grades. This year’s outcomes reflect the extraordinary dedication and hard work of pupils, school staff and families alike.

Early indications suggest that the overall A-level pass rate in Bracknell Forest’s state schools will be above the national average pass rate of 97.5 per cent.

Last week we saw GCSE pupils having their turn to celebrate with provisional results showing an increase in students achieving Grade 4 or above in Bracknell Forest. In particular, there is a higher proportion of students achieving a Grade 4 and above in both English and Maths. This puts Bracknell Forest above the national average.

These results are not only a testament to the commitment of the pupils, but also the unwavering support and guidance provided by their parents and the staff in our schools.

To achieve these results, it is important that pupils attend school regularly. Last week the Government brought in a new process for issuing fines for unauthorised absences.

Schools must consider whether a penalty notice is appropriate in each case when a pupils reaches the threshold.

The threshold is 10 sessions of unauthorised absence in a rolling period of 10 school weeks. A school week means any week in which there is at least one school session. There are two sessions in a normal school day.

Regularly missing school for reasons other than illness or authorised absence, means children miss out on valuable learning, socialisation and extracurricular opportunities. The knock-on effect of this can be detrimental to future achievements.

We hope that all our children have enjoyed their summer holidays and eager to return to school ready to learn.