Come rain or shine, Nicholas Byrne has donned his blazer and wolfed down a slice of toast before catching the bus.

The 16-year-old has stuck to his routine for more than a decade and is now heading towards a perfect attendance score.

The Tameside schoolboy has never missed a day from school and has always been punctual for lessons.

His unbroken attendance record stretches back to his first day at Denton West Road Primary, aged just five years old.

Nicholas, who will finish his GCSEs at Audenshaw School this year, said: "I’ve always wanted to go to school. Not going has never occurred to me.

"Most of the time I enjoy school, so I want to be there anyway. There was a bit of fuss when I finished primary school and they said I hadn’t missed anything.

"I didn’t think it was a big deal until last term when one teachers took me aside and said, ‘The computer shows you’ve never missed a day since you started’."

By the end of summer, Nicholas will have attended 2,379 days out of a possible 2,379.

Hard-working parents Karen, 52, and Rob, 49, believe their son has been lucky not to fall ill but also credit his strong work ethic.

Karen, who works for the Manchester Lord Mayor’s office, said the family spurned chances to take cheap term-time holidays to ensure Nicholas remained in school.

She said: "We are very proud of his achievement.

"It has been great that he’s never been ill during the term, but it’s also down to his hard work and discipline.

"I never have to shout twice to get him up. He’s usually straight up and getting ready when I call.

"As a family, we have a very strong work ethic. I can understand why people do take a few days off before the term finishes because the prices are so expensive, but we’ve always said that his education should come first no matter what."

The student, who routinely sets his alarm for 7am, plans to stay on at school for A-levels and hopes to study maths at university.

Although Nicholas, whose hobbies include scuba-diving, has shrugged off minor colds to attend lessons, more serious illnesses have always fallen during weekends and school holidays.

His impeccable record is set to be recognised by Tameside council after his teachers put him forward for a Pride of Tameside award.

Coun Ged Cooney said: "This is a wonderful achievement – Nicholas is clearly very committed and this will no doubt be reflected in his wider academic attainment and future career success."

Tweet