Every Day Counts: How a school in Southampton is changing lives

Social Affairs Correspondent Christine Alsford rounds up the Every Day Counts series on the work of Redbridge Community School with Fred and Stacey in the studio.

Success for schools is data driven these days. And that means the walls of the office of Headteacher Jason Ashley at Redbridge Community School are festooned with sheets tracking performance.

Last year Peter had a school attendance record of just over 60 per cent. This year he's been in lessons every single day. He tells Christine Alsford why he stopped playing truant - and how he's turned his life around since a minibus that tours the locality chasing up absent pupils came to call.

For the last few days we've been featuring the work of an inspiring secondary school in a challenging part of the South. We've been out on their attendance bus, chasing up truants - and we've seen how a special unit at Redbridge Community School helps pupils at risk of exclusion. Tonight our Social Affairs Correspondent concludes her series Every Day Counts with a report on the headteacher - and finds out why he keeps a pot of stones on his desk.

The number of pupils being excluded from school is on the rise with last year's figures up by more than 10%.

A school in a part of Southampton has been bucking that trend and achieving remarkable results by running a special unit aimed at turning life around for some of its most challenging students.

Our social affairs correspondent Christine Alsford was given exclusive access to the unit and its groundbreaking work.

Here is the second of her three special reports about a school working hard to ensure Every Day Counts:

Christine spoke to pupils Paige Masters and Mikey McCann along with teacher Laura Streeter from Redbridge Community School.

Click here for Christine's first special report.

A Hampshire school is taking drastic measures to encourage students not to play truant.

The headteacher and his assistant drive around in a mini bus, confronting teenagers who should be in class - and trying to persuade them to accept the offer of a lift to school.

Attendance has long been right at the top of the government's education agenda.

Statistics point to the strong link between being in lessons and achieving well. Pupils with the lowest absence rates are nearly five times more likely to get at least five good grades including English and Maths at GCSE.

Our social affairs correspondent Christine Alsford was given exclusive access to a school's attendance bus and its groundbreaking work in Southampton.

Here is the first of her three special reports about a school working hard to ensure Every Day Counts: