CHILDREN may be starting their school holidays and looking forward to six weeks off, but for others the break is unfamiliar.

Charlie Stephens and Loukas Agathaggelou, who are both 11, are not used to being off school, having racked up a 100 per cent attendance record over seven years of continuous schooling.

They have just finished Year 6 at Friars Primary School, in Shoebury with spotless attendance records, with Charlie not having a single day off through Friars nursery and primary school, while Loukas attended a different nursery and went on to achieve perfect attendance during the rest of his six years at Friars.

Their diligence has earned them passes to Adventure Island and the Fun Factory over the holidays.

Charlie’s mum, Kim Stephens, 44, said: “I’ve been lucky enough that Charlie is a healthy child. He’s had the odd day when he hasn’t felt well, but there is nothing he can do at home that he can’t do at school. The older he has got, the more he’s wanted to go to school.

“I don’t have anyone to look after him at home, so he has to go to school. I think we’ve been very lucky.”

Loukas’s mum, Jenny Ives, 43, said: “It’s quite an achievement.

I was really pleased when he came home with his certificate and he was really pleased as well. Touch wood, he’s been pretty healthy and we haven’t had any problems.

He loves going to school and it’s got to help with his education if he’s in every day.”

Both boys are set to start at Shoeburyness High School in September.

Joseph Mather, who attends Westleigh Junior School, has also not missed a day’s schooling through seven years of his infant and junior school days.

Cheryl Woolf, executive headteacher at both schools, said: “I am proud of these boys. To have seven years with 100 per cent attendance for seven years is incredible.

“If children are at school all day, every day, that has got to have a positive impact on their education. Good attendance makes a big difference.”