Prize Giving Ceremonies - Teachers Decide or What?

No, I guess we were more thinking those questions that are relevant to the topic but might be too difficult for the teacher to answer, or go beyond the current curriculum (due to child being very interested in the topic)! ;)

So it seems the very compliant, studious types regardless of whether they are particularly passionate (and not the highest scoring in exams) would be chosen ahead of others that are well behaved but perhaps a bit more animated/chatty?

I've been a teacher for 27 years in a wide variety of schools. Virtually all teachers like kids who are passionate about the subject and ask difficult questions, unless the child is also generally a pain in the arse (i.e. actuallybadly-behaved). If a student asks a science teacher, for example, a question about something really complex to do with astrophysics or whatever, why would that annoy the teacher?

What you call 'compliant types' are usually just well-behaved kids. We like those. But it's perfectly possible to be compliant and have spark and a passion for a subject.

It's also possible to be a smart-arse who deliberately tries to trip teachers up or make them look silly (usually unsuccessfully, fortunately), through arrogance rather than a passion for the subject. We can tell the difference.

Fair enough op, I must have misunderstood your intent. Have stood next to enough parents over four kids in assemblies / prize days etc to be wary 😂 many apologies and I'm glad you've had some informed answers.

@CraftyGin That sounds fair 👍

It just sounds so cringe that you are trying to put down other kids because your 'super interested, challenging and cleverer than the teacher' child didn't get one.

@AtomicBlondeRose
I wish everyone judged the prize winners in this way! It seems a very fair way to decide.

OP - is this about your DC being overlooked and you think it's unfair?

No, I guess we were more thinking those questions that are relevant to the topic but might be too difficult for the teacher to answer, or go beyond the current curriculum (due to child being very interested in the topic)! ;)
So it seems the very compliant, studious types regardless of whether they are particularly passionate (and not the highest scoring in exams) would be chosen ahead of others that are well behaved but perhaps a bit more animated/chatty?
Figures but good to know.

I don't think I would draw that conclusion from what has been said? Surely teachers would like students who contribute to the class and are interested.
But a student who frequently disrupts a class asking complicated questions at inappropriate times would be another matter.

When I was teaching, I was really mathematical about my prizes. For example, the achievement prize would go to the student with best exam performance or key tests over the year, the effort prize would go to the student with the highest effort score, the progress prize would go to the student who moved up the rankings from the previous year.

I could justify all my nominations should there be any queries.

In my school teachers nominate 3 in each subject and then Slt look at them. Eg if 1 kid has more than 1 it drops down to your second choice etc

Well I’ve often nominated students and there’s no set way to do it. Firstly you think, who stands out? That can be for any reason, hard working, good debater, overcome challenges. Then you think, who’s the best student academically - does it come easily to them or have they really put in the hours? And see who ticks the most boxes. So one year it was the “best” student as she was also diligent, fun, polite, super hard working etc and just an all round good egg. Another year it was a very middling academic student who had overcome some significant issues to achieve more highly that we ever hoped. Another time it might be someone who does Ok on the academic side but has a passion for the subject, always talks in class discussion, does things outside school and so on. It’s really a mix and depends on the class or year group as a whole.

I meant to say that in KS3 you didn;t know what you had won for, just that you had won a prize and were at the ceremony. Hence the lust after PE and disappointment with MFL

At my DCs' school the main prizes were awarded in KS3 and they were by teacher nomination. There was a bit of fiddling tho; ds2 and his mate were desperate to win the PE prize but ds won Spanish and his mate won German, much to their disgust. DD who was excellent in many things (and I am sure the RE teacher nominated her, from what he said) won the ICT prize so she was not impressed. :D The form teacher would pick best boy/best girl in the form each year. I think there were prizes in sixth form but none of mine won. DS2's super smart maths mate (now at Cambridge) scooped many of them I believe, and rightly so.

In one private school I worked at a student was awarded a cricket prize, which was promised to her because she managed to smuggle extra bottles of wine to our table at the teachers' end of year dinner.
She had never played cricket.

're Difficult questions. I think it would depend. Interesting questions asked in a way that doesn't disrupt teaching for everyone else would possibly be considered good. Other questions (sometimes more designed to show off knowledge?) that disrupt the actual teaching of the curriculum would I assume be considered a pain'

It still bugs me that I came top in every maths exam during my secondary school career, won maths challenge awards, etc and yet never got the award for maths at prize giving! There was one per subject for attainment and one for effort, and I did win other prizes, but I genuinely think I deserved that one. (And it would have meant a lot as I attended a school where 99% of the time sporting achievement was valued over academic, so it would have been nice to be notified at that one time a year.)

At our school, it's teacher nomination. Each department puts forward three names and then the deputy head distributes them, generally giving the prize to everyone's first choice, but maybe evening it out a bit if someone has lots of prizes! It was the same at the last school I taught at. Ours are done before end of year exams are marked, so more off the results/effort throughout the year. There is time to change them though if the end of year exams show the choice was entirely wrong.

Our school does prizes at the GCSE awards ceremony.

re Difficult questions. I think it would depend. Interesting questions asked in a way that doesn't disrupt teaching for everyone else would possibly be considered good. Other questions (sometimes more designed to show off knowledge?) that disrupt the actual teaching of the curriculum would I assume be considered a pain.