To hate 100% attendance awards at schools

[catloony]

A family member today has posted on facebook how their child had received a reward again for 100% attendance, and how proud they are and many children are kept off school "wily nily" and that doesn't make the child have a work ethic, lots of comments then agreeing and congratulating the 100% attendance.

I am basically venting on here rather than commenting back that sometimes there is a poorly child that has a diagnosed medical condition and spent time in hospital, but apparently when it comes to the reward trip to Alton Towers they are punished, which I have to explain whilst my child is crying why they are not allowed to go.

I'm sure that there are many other children that were while not seriously ill but had a virus/ D&V for example were too ill to attend school, it must seem the school says tough shit you were vomiting and ill, you can't come to Alton Towers

[Normalisavariantofcrazy]

100% awards should be given out to any child that has also had authorised (ie sickness) absences too IMO

[LadyMedea]

YANBU an award for something that is entirely out of the child's control is worse than pointless.

[catloony]

Norma I agree, my child was in hospital, but apparently it couldn't be overuled, but children at school are constantly passing various illnesses, it seems like they reward the ones that avoided the bug, basically its a lottery now on who gets to go on the trip

[AgentZigzag]

DD's school gives them a kindle fire if they get 100%

She's got asthma so she's out of the running

[cleofatra]

At Ds's school, the attendance awards were basically to reward the kids who weren't doing that well at school. It was also to encourage attendance due to a high absentee rate . This was a secondary comprehensive where there were a lot of absent and troubled kids. They used to be rewarded with a school trip to Alton Towers at the end of the year.

[catloony]

AgentZigzag hugs to your DD, probably like everyone on here, why do they do that! it really needs to be adressesed this reward system, very poorly children are made to feel very sad

[whethergirl]

Argh I hate this!! Even when DS got one! I could not see the point in it at all. He had 100% attendance because he wasn't ill.

I understand that attendance is a problem at some schools, but I still don't think this is a good approach. If a child is in a situation where he is not attending school and it is not due to illness, then there are problems there that need addressing. At DS' school all you get is a certificate and a pencil anyway. I hardly think that is going to motivate anyone to go to school.

[catloony]

Was tempted to fire off a response to the facebook status and all the comments but would of probably looked like a twat, thats how those sort of things end up, so just posted here, hope you all don't mind, grrrr, it's so sad when your child is at home when all there friends are at Alton Towers, she was supposed to go to school that day but was to upset to so we went to the cinema instead

[whethergirl]

In our local paper, there was a story recently of one kid who was not allowed to go to the Halloween disco because he he was below the desired rate of attendance! The poor thing had an ongoing illness that required many hospital visits (as if that's not punishment enough!). Many of the other parents boycotted the disco and the school were forced to reschedule it.

[whethergirl]

catloony am I getting this right, your ds was not allowed to go to Alton Towers? Because of her attendance record?

[whethergirl]

the attendance awards were basically to reward the kids who weren't doing that well at school. I think that's a ridiculous reason. My ds is severley dyslexic so doesn't do well in any subject, however he has won awards at school for 'best effort', 'best behaved' and 'being kind to others'.

[Ev1lEdna]

Schools give out prizes for attendance?? Seriously? I have never heard of this before. It's frankly bizarre.

[catloony]

Whethergirl, good on all the parents that boycotted, its like the schools punish the children, where primary schools are concerned children should never be punished for attendance as its not in the childs control.

[deepfriedsage]

I gather people who don't get ill have different genes with a high level of killer cells. I bet the mum of this child had loads of miscarriages as these high levels of killer cells are responsible. How would she feel if you made the same comments about mc?

[deepfriedsage]

I gather people who don't get ill have different genes with a high level of killer cells. I bet the mum of this child had loads of miscarriages as these high levels of killer cells are responsible. How would she feel if you made the same comments she made about children getting ill about her having a mc?

[catloony]

Yes whethergirl, my daughter was in hospital, had time off school, when the trip to Alton Towers was arranged, she was well enough to go, so no issues there, she was not allowed due to attendance, all her absenses were medical, the school would not let her go

[Caitlin17]

I've never heard of this. Are we talking state or private? It's a very stupid idea.

[catloony]

I am assuming you have posted on the wrong thread deepfriedsage

[Blu]

OP, if your child was excluded from a trip to Alton Towers because of a hospital stay as a result of an on going illness or condition I wouldn't waste time arguing with self absorbed smug idiots on FB, I would be writing to the school about how unfair, de-motivating and discriminatory their policy is.

Awful to attach a significant reward like that to the luck of not catching a bug, and implement a policy that makes it impossible for any child with a chronic medical condition or disability requiring regular medical or hospital appointments to ever achieve it. What a way to make an ill or disabled child feel even more excluded

[Normalisavariantofcrazy]

Ive just thought.

In the world of work you're penalised for sickness (at my place you don't get an incremental pay rise if you have over a certain level of sickness regardless of the cause of the sickness) so I suppose it stands to reason they may implement a variation of this into schools

[OttilieKnackered]

There are all sorts of awards and recognition some kids get that others don't. I don't have a problem with the idea in principle but trips to Alton towers are bound to cause division.

While some kids with frequent absences will have genuine reasons, a significant proportion of the time reasons for absence are exaggerated at best, downright lies at worst.

[OttilieKnackered]

Indeed, Normal. I would absolutely never advocate sending a genuinely ill child to school, but at some point they will get a very nasty shock when they realise that 'being a bit under the weather' is not reason enough and that one or two days off a fortnight would see them let go before a probationary period.

[catloony]

Blu there has been no facebook arguing, just seen posts about the same school, I chose to vent on here instead of replying

[whethergirl]

Oh no catloony that is so mean. Your poor dd . That really is not on. I would definitely bring it up with the school. How on earth has that taught her anything??

Normalisa I don't think that's a good comparision, first of all, up to a certain age it is the parent's decision of whether the child should go to school or not, so why should the child be punished? I still think it's discriminatory in the workplace. If the doctor can issue you a note, then you are genuinely ill.

[Mylovelyboy]

YANBU. Why the hell should awards be given for attending school when that is what you are meant to do anyway. What if a particular child is quite sickly and will never receive one of these awards. I think its bollocks awful to be honest. Same as getting stickers "well done for being good in class". Well that is what you are supposed to be. Should not receive awards for these things, Its what is expected. Rant over