MORE Manchester school pupils are attending 100% of their lessons than ever before, according to new figures released by education chiefs.

Manchester City Council said nearly 14,000 pupils attended every school session during this year's spring term.

The figure was up 45% on the previous year - meaning an extra 52,000 lessons were attended.

Council chiefs have launched an initiative to boost attendance after figures showed the city had one of the worst truancy rates in the country.

The Manchester 100 Challenge offers pupils rewards for attending all their lessons, including top trump cards, games and music downloads. Some pupils were even given the chance to go on a behind-the-scenes trip to a recording of hit Channel 4 music show Popworld.

Pauline Newman, Manchester City Council's director of children's services, said: "Improving school attendance is a top priority for us in Manchester and there is a lot of hard work that goes on year-round in schools to help towards this.

"We are very pleased with the results of this year's challenge - it really seems to have helped motivate pupils into either full or much improved attendance.

"Although there are some great prizes on offer, it is actually about recognising hard work and effectively demonstrating to pupils that effort can bring reward.

"It shows that regular good attendance, as well as 100% attendance, does not go unnoticed."