100% Attendance Certificates

Kids must learn not everyone can win everything - this is a good example

wish they would do similar with sports day

Urgh yeah, the 'team wins' to make sure no child ever loses anything! 🙄

No wonder so many young people have anxiety and mental health issues these days, they've been mollycoddled so much at school, rarely told NO, and never been allowed to lose anything.

Yes, I agree with op. Right up there with, in a reverse sort of way, "You all won the year 5 sprinting event today. Everyone of you should be proud." As the actual winner looks on perplexed.

Yes and it gets worse as they get older. My sons school has-
a tracker display board of attendance per class every term the class with the most gets a prize.
a Christmas raffle every week of full attendance gets an entry to a raffle to win a Xmas present.
same at Easter
End of year get treats like ice cream or a trip out.

There were only 5 pupils or less in the whole primary school that got one when mine were at primary so most didn’t get one. I don’t see the problem with so few getting them, I’d understand if everyone but five got the award. And ultimately it was a sheet of paper.

Agree it's really harsh on those with any kind of long term health conditions or similar. My son has missed two sessions this term. Both were authorised and both were for hospital appointments which are absolutely vital. If he's not monitored carefully he could lose his vision. They can't accommodate seeing all school age children outside of school hours for obvious reasons and it's more important than school to make sure he gets the treatment he needs.
He roughly has an appointment every 8 weeks so this is fairly standard. He is unlikely to achieve that award but he has been in school every single day without complaint.
Thankfully he doesn't seem too bothered by it. His attendance is still 99% so it's hardly like he is not maintaining good attendance.

Our school thankfully don't do them. I have one child with 100% attendance and one with EBSA 🙃

However, they do publish the weekly class attendance % in the weekly newsletter and congratulate the class with the best attendance. They also make crappy, snidey comments, like "With the exception of one class, everyone has had a huge drop in attendance this week. Can you do better next week?" 🤨

I'm not exactly sure what they were expecting when it was the first week of December with both noro and Super Flu circulating. That week's newsletter publication coincided with headlines about how bad flu is this year.

It is absolutely stupid isn’t it. It’s basically saying to kids well done on not being sick enough to be absent from school during term time, like it’s in their control. Stupid idea. They just shouldn’t give certificates for this.

Ditto. As I said, I kept mine off for 4 or 5 individual days a year, for day trips to the zoo or a theme park or the beach, AND we kept them off for a week in early July or late September to go away for a week, (authorised fo the first 5 or 6 years they were at school, and not authorised for the next 5 years.) And they did have the occasional genuine 'sick day' when they were actually unwell.

Like yours, mine went to college, got very good A levels, went to Uni, got a good grade in their degree, and went straight into a good job/career. Never been out of work (both left Uni about a decade ago.)

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I would absolutely hit the roof at a class award. And I say that as someone who worked in schools for 20+ years and I'm normally on the schools side.

Class awards like that are essentially setting children up to be bullied.

100% attendance awards, particularly in primary school, are basically rewarding luck (woohoo you by chance managed to avoid getting a vomiting bug or a stranger sneezing flu germs over you on the bus) or parents' choices on whether a child is too ill to go to school etc. I also don't think they make a difference (no parent who thinks their child is probably too ill to go to school today is going to send them in just so they get a 'certificate' in a few weeks time).

However, I don't think they're the worst thing in the world when schools use other forms of reward as well (certificates for effort / good grades / achievements, other types of reward and recognition etc dotted throughout the year). There will be some kids who stand no chance of getting 100% attendance, but for some kids it might be a welcome recognition or acknowledgement because they haven't had any other 'public' acknowledgement.

A good teacher / school will space rewards out so everyone has a chance to shine at some point. Eg, Billy is a bit behind academically and doesn't really stand out, but going up to collect his attendance certificate makes him happy. Kyle has had a serious illness and missed loads of school but the teacher sends a note home to parents telling them about something really kind he did today, like being a good friend to someone.

No child should be made to feel bad for things beyond their control (like ill health), but schools can't tailor all reward systems to make sure noone is ever left out. As long as everyone is given recognition for their strengths at some point during the year I don't see a problem. If a child is upset they didn't get a specific reward, it's a parent's job to point out other things they are good at, or to just learn to be happy for their classmates.

100% agree @fandjango it's a terrible idea for an award to have really, as people can't help it if they're off sick/unwell, or can't make 100% attendance for some reason.

Still, congratulations to your son for his award, but as you say, him and his pal getting it, and the other lad not getting it, has made that other lad feel blue now.

May as well have awards for being tall, or for having blue eyes.

My DC never had an Attendance Award, as I used to ring in sick for them about 3 or 4 days out of every school year to take them on a day trip (to the beach or a theme park, as it was less hectic in school time,) #sorrynotsorry

They also used to call the 100% attendance award the 'Nerd Award!' 😆 (Sorry, no offence to your son.)

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I would just mention to him he was lucky he wasn't sick. We are keep getting sent emails reminding us not to send our children in if they are sick, but I think that is because there is a child in the class above who is going through chemo. I'm happy my childrens school doesn't do them. It's not like the children can help being sick and most of the time it's their parents that decide if they are to go into school or not, not the children themselves. 🤷

We live in northern Ireland so I don't think our schools are as strict. We went on holiday in October and when I told the head teacher she was happy for us and spoke to my daughter about how excited she was to go swimming.

It’s reprehensible, ableist nonsense. You are not wrong.

My children are grown up now but I can still remember DD’s outrage at one of her classmates getting one of these certificates when she didn’t.
DD had been sent home poorly one Friday afternoon, which was her only absence that year, so had 99%, I think.
Her classmate had been away on holiday for over a week. The holiday was authorised due to military parents, but she definitely didn’t have 100% attendance.
I could never see the benefit of attendance certificates. At best it’s out of anyone’s control, and at worst could encourage ill children being sent to school.

I don't agree with them. Children (and in the workplace) being off longer than necessary, or because of lifestyle issues that are within their control (older children) are what should be targeted.

These awards are nonsense and we just never accepted them, I explained to school I thought it was poor practice to reward kids for being lucky with germs and health.

It's ridiculous. I told DD's teacher so, and they agreed wholeheartedly. Awards nothing to encourage attendance, and make those staying home while ill feel ashamed.

What's worse is DD"s school does class attendance awatds, so class with most attendance wins. Her class never wins as her friend misses a day a fortnight for child access arrangement with her DF. She doesn't care, but it's still stupid.

They do this for staff at the place I used to work. Needless to say I never got a certificate. I brought it up in a team meeting and asked where my certificate to commiserate my ill health was. I got bollocked.

It's a really stupid system. It punishes kids when it's their grownups who ultimately control why they come in- for whichever reason.

For sickness, it's especially ridiculous. My youngest vommed in school and was sent home, told not to return for 2 days (as he should) and it was marked as unauthorised!

I don't think the kids care at all for attendance awards at least at ours. Clapping is always half hearted at best and the kids don't look enthused. The most clapping (at ours) comes from kind acts, trying hard, good work and overcoming adversity.

DS, in reception, has 99% as I took him home after his start of term lunch picnic. It was a very much "do take them home if you'd like" so I'd be mildly annoyed if he didn't get one (they don't do them thankfully). I'd be raging if we all had flu over Christmas because some poor kid wanted a certificate!

Yes absolutely hate it. The school got funny with us in year 9 as DD’s health wasn’t great and was under 80%. 2yrs later she left school with top grades in the school. I always feel sorry for small children like your child’s age when they can’t understand. Essentially they are being rewarded for not getting sick and that poor boy who has been in hospital didn’t get a certificate and badge because of that. For some children, their parent didn’t bother to take them some days so their badge / certificate gone too. Totally agree it’s horrible.

Are these the only awards being given out? Or does the school also have awards for effort, achievement, responsibility, school values etc.? Attendance awards are okay IMO among a range of prizes.

My DS has a long term health condition. His attendance certificates are based on all the days he isn't ill.

Attendance certificates I don't agree with. I work in paediatric oncology and I know some children will never receive a certificate because of treatment which can last for two years but obviously extended if they are too unwell to receive and need treatment breaks. Follow up appointments after treatment is finished(scans, blood tests and bone marrow tests) can be completed for up to 5 years so school at 100% attendance for them will never be achieved. It's like saying your healthy and you're not!