Is this unfair? School

The child sounds like a great worker and this should be cherished. But i think peace needs to ensue.

Indeed they are not, and at no point did I say they were. My point was that they are not the solution to serious behaviour issues.

When my son was little he asked why Charlie got house points for sitting still on the carpet when I don't and I always sit still on the carpet? I had to explain that Charlie was a nasty little oik generally and therefore he got points on the rare occasion he wasn't being one.

No, but parents who are more bothered about taking turns rather than encouraging their own child to be the kid who behaves well enough to get these rewards, are.

Not really. Behaviour is terrible in schools these days. Time to stop the pathetic reward systems - they’re not working.

Pretty low bar for a modern school behaviour management approach!

Not really relevant but this has reminded me of a teacher at my comp who ran a general knowledge quiz during a triple lesson, winner got 50p and 15 mins to run to the shops for an ice cream, I won it 6 weeks on the trot, the other kids kicked off, he just said 'try reading papers and watching the news, then' , although it was dropped the following term. I enjoyed that term. 😂

Agree. Often schools too often focus on giving points for the child who usually misbehaves as a way to try and encourage them to make the right choice. Maybe this teacher has decided to go against the grain and actually reward the child who actually does the right thing every time, even if it means the same child wins each week.

The list of things they can get points for are pretty standard. So if they are looking at who is doing these behaviours then if often is the same children who are often over looked as teachers actively seek out names of those who don't, so in some ways I admire this teacher for making sure this child is rewarded (assuming they are doing this). It used to annoy me knowing my kids were generally good at school yet headteacher awards are.always given to those who have found school.difficult.

The only issue is if can backfire. By always awarding the well behaved, the others become less likely to try as they know the same person will always win. E.g my son always won most points on TT Rockstars and once said his friends didn't try as they knew he would always do more (he really loves maths and a competition).

I think everyone has raised some valid points. Reward systems in schools can be great motivators, but they really need to strike a balance between recognizing genuine effort and maintaining fairness. It’s fine not to “share it round” just for the sake of it, but schools should also keep an open mind about what counts as an achievement. If the same child keeps being rewarded, that might suggest the criteria are a bit too narrow.
While traditional systems worked in the past, progress means finding better and more inclusive ways to motivate children, not just sticking with “it’s always been done this way.” Some schools handle this well by rotating recognition so that every child eventually has a chance to be acknowledged — that approach helps reduce unnecessary competition and parental stress.
It’s also important that rewards are based on goals all children can realistically achieve, not just those who are naturally stronger in certain areas. When everyone feels they have a fair chance to earn points or recognition, motivation stays high and the system feels meaningful.

I’m not sure it is better @user1492809438

just for argument sake, if this child is actually the only one behaving, I kinda agree with them getting it! It’s certainly no sillier than the taking it in turns farce whereby child B gets it for behaving once like child A does all day every day.

Very odd. All schools I have worked in {teacher] make sure all the children are recognised by working down a list, merit be damned. Never been sure if this was the right way either, but better than the OP scenario.

Of course it's not fair. Absolutely awful by the teacher.

Like a pp said, at that age there's something to be celebrated about every child and that teacher is doing a shit job.

Waiting patiently to see which way this goes. Come on @AnitaB9 tell us about the child who has won it. Did they deserve it?

Who is doing the naming?

To those saying ‘complain’ the op hasn’t said if it’s her child or not.

Nobody here can possibly know.

Maybe every single other child in the class is a complete horror?

In primary school, every child has something about them that can be celebrated, the school just has to work out what. I'd say the school isn't really trying if the same child is celebrated frequently.

I have one DD who a teacher said 'I could make her star of the week every week'. But they didn't and that was the right thing to do. I have another DD who struggles with SEN at school and her school have been great at working out what her strengths are and celebrating them. School is undeniably harder for her than my other DD, and effort has to go in from the adults in her life to mitigate this where possible.

This rewards crap needs to be binned as it’s only ever rewarding the kind of behaviour that should be the minimum standard.

Are you sure it’s the same child OP? Are the names published on the school newsletter or something?

How many children are chosen each time? Do other children see who is likely to win?

In some ways if all the others know certain children have the most points, then they won't see the point in trying as they will feel that they won't catch up.
However if the points can be awarded to everyone fairly, then I don't see it's an issue e.g. for young children maybe getting a point if they collect all their stuff for going home. Everyone can achieve this potentially.

How is it decided what and how extra points are given?

Does every child have the opportunity to earn points in their own way and at their own level, or is it just set things they get points for that some kids may struggle with, and never get the opportunity to earn these extra points?

In dd's school star of the week has to change each week, which means by the end of 28 weeks in school all children will have had it. Then for the last weeks some children will win it a second time. I still see parents complaining on the group chat thet their child hasn't had it and it isnt fair, despite the fact it is only possible for 7 children to have done so so far. The chat groups of parents just seem to wind each other up about nonsense.

I think just let it go, as parents we need to trust that the teachers have reasons for the way they do things and we don't have all the information and background they do.

Whilst this is true - both points don’t seem very relevant. Progress is about doing stuff better than in the past and ‘not dying’ is a pretty low bar for good behaviour policies.