A TEENAGER has won his family the holiday of a lifetime -- by doing well at school.

The school says the offer of the dream trip is the latest weapon in a long battle against truancy.

Withins School pupil Matthew Chadwick, aged 14, his parents and brother, Jordan, will be jetting off for two weeks in sunny Florida next year for the £2,000-plus holiday paid for by the Breightmet school.

The school says it offered children the chance to win the holiday as a way of encouraging excellence in the classroom and to help reduce a long-standing problem of absenteeism. Next year cash prizes will be on offer.

The children were invited to enter the competition which ran between July last year and this September.

Teacher Sue Crank explained: "The criteria for judging the competition were that children had to have at least a 97 per cent attendance record with no unauthorised absences.

"They had to have 100 per cent punctuality and to have received excellent reports in all of their subjects."

She added: "We had no shortages of children who were eligible for the competition and the successful candidates' names were put into a hat and Matthew's was drawn out as the winner.

"The competition was designed to encourage high standards among pupils, to get them into school and on time with the co-operation of parents. Obviously the prize was an incentive but we are hoping that the good standards that it has encouraged will continue. "The school paid for the holiday but if it helps to encourage good practice then it is money well spent."

Withins School headteacher Val Malcolm has cited reducing absenteeism as one the school's main priorities for the coming year.

In the recent Government Secondary School League Tables, which included figures for absences for the first time this year, Withins had the highest number in Bolton.

The tables showed that the proportion of half days lost each year through unauthorised absences at Withins was 3.8 compared to a national average of 1.1.

The school has identified one of the biggest culprits for absenteeism is family holidays taken during term time -- which accounts for 12 per cent of all absences.

Mrs Malcolm said she was pleased with the results of the competition which had already seen standards improve in the classroom.

But she said the battle was still on to cut down on absences and said the school intended to offer further prizes of £25 for a full month's attendance and £100 for a year's full attendance next year.

She added: "The good standards in the classroom that we encouraged through the competition are already paying off but absenteeism is still the major problem.

"Obviously if children are not in school they cannot learn and we want to address this."

She added: "It's well done to Matthew for winning the holiday. I have never been to Florida so I am a bit envious but I hope he and his family have a wonderful time."

Matthew's mum, Denise, aged 44 and a shop floor worker for Hoover, is overjoyed at her son's prize win.

Mrs Chadwick, of Newby Road, Breightmet, said: "I realise that some people and other parents might feel that this could have been money better spent on other children.

"But that is not up to me to decide. It is well known that The Withins has a particular problem for truancy.

"If it keeps children at school and stops a problem, then it is a good thing."

Matthew will travel with his dad, Glen, aged 43, mum and 17-year-old brother Jordan in July -- out of school term time.