Sometimes it seems that all we hear about the capital’s kids these days is ASBOs, hoodies, knives, crack, Akon, child prostitution etcetera, depressing etcetera.
How heartwarming, then, to learn that 10 year old London schoolboy, Sam Metcalf, has never missed a day’s school in his young, determined life. That’s 18 terms on the trot. Not one single sickie or foray into truancy.
Apparently, it’s not down to some kind of super immunity but his burning ambition to win the biggest attendance award going at Haslemere Primary School. Not for him academic achievement or running the fastest or making the best papier mache head out of a balloon, lumpy glue and lots of soggy newspaper. No. Sam’s desire is simply and doggedly to turn up the most. His proud mum says:
Having already bagged the bronze, silver and gold attendance awards his teachers will be presenting him with a platinum award at the end of this term in recognition of one boy’s relentless attendance. Londonist hesitates to send peremptory congratulations to Sam in case the staff, with no more awards up their sleeves, decide to sabotage his spotless record by sitting him with chest infection kid or tripping him up in the corridor.
We also sincerely hope that, once his ultimate goal is accomplished and the platinum gong is safe in his clammy hand, he doesn’t suddenly gape into the utter pointlessness of everything and turn truant, crackhead, hoody and ASBOist.
