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Original poster

Primary school "Star of the Week"

183 replies

littlemissmoomoo · 16/06/2019 04:57

At my children's school, each class teacher picks a child who is"Star of the Week". The names are announced in the weekly newsletter. In assembly on a Friday the children all go up to the front and are given a chocolate medal. And the end of each half term all the chosen kids have a tea party (cake and juice) with the head teacher.

The same children seem to get picked all the time. I know this because I have 3 kids at the same school. One seems to get picked every 3 or 4 weeks, one has been picked 4 times this school year and one has only been picked the once.

I personally think each child should get picked once and then repeat throughout the year.

My child who has only been picked once gets upset every time one of his siblings gets picked.

How does it work at your kids schools?

OP posts:
floraloctopus · 16/06/2019 11:58

It's not intolerance to recognise the impact of lazy or entitled parenting.

Exactly...the impact of lazy or entitled parenting is that the child can be challenging. That is not their fault, therefore all children can get the rewards. Say I give out rewards for good work - the child with challenging behaviour has to do the same as the others; they have to produce work which is good for their standard of achievement - they can't just put pencil to paper. If little Timmy struggles to sit on the carpet and then manages to do it he may get a sticker for it. If little Timmy is being disruptive but I see little Jimmy (who always sits beautifully) then little Jimmy may get a sticker for good sitting to encourage little Timmy.

drspouse · 16/06/2019 11:58

I'm a teacher and I pick those who have earned it.
And is this those who have achieved, or achieved for them?
Behaved well, or tried and done better than they usually do?

At my DCs' school the children seem to think everyone gets a turn on what is a good week for them. At least, my DS thought that until late in Y1. Then he never got it. And he hasn't yet in Y2. And they want him to leave and he has SEN but does try very hard on occasion.

Pinkmouse6 · 16/06/2019 11:59

Everyone gets a turn in my DC’s school then eventually it comes to a point where everyone has been star of the week so the teacher has to give a few people it twice.

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floraloctopus · 16/06/2019 12:00

And they want him to leave and he has SEN but does try very hard on occasion.

I wondered when that would come up. It makes my blood boil when schools do that.

drspouse · 16/06/2019 12:01

I'm just wondering how they are going to explain to him they don't want him any more TBH.

GreenTulips · 16/06/2019 12:01

A pupil in DD year was awfully behaved got points for just turning up etc average child got around 100 points a year

Roll on end of year awards and the child with the most points got awarded child of the year and took a trophy home

Guess who won the trophy by miles? Teacher had a rethink on that award!

SleepingStandingUp · 16/06/2019 12:05

Our school has an award each week in each class for readerof the week, writer of the week, behaviour and maths. It looks likely they kinda spread it out amongst the kids but they do find a specific reason to give it so it isn't like "Johnny has been naughty all year but look he got good behaviour award cos it's his turn"

Theimpossiblegirl · 16/06/2019 12:10

I pick those who have earned it but keep a tick list as every child should be given the chance to earn it.

Looneytune253 · 16/06/2019 12:12

To be fair tho. What's the point of having a reward for the best pupil when it's on a schedule!! It should go to the pupil that is actually the best not little Johnny who has been rotten all year just because he's the only one that hasn't had a go yet?

TreadingThePrimrosePath · 16/06/2019 12:12

How are they being punished if everyone is entitled to win a certificate? Why should those children who are poorly parented be punished for something they have no control over, instead of having acceptable behaviour flagged up and rewarded so they understand how the world should be?
Why shouldn’t the bland and good think about how their behaviour and could be improved, moving from a focus on themselves to thinking about the whole class? Recognising that others face challenges they don’t?

SellFridges · 16/06/2019 12:16

DD was the last to get it in reception, and missed out entirely in year 2. She was first to get it in Year 3, but I suspect that’s because they realised she didn’t get it at all in year 2.

She’s probably the brightest kid in the class, and is generally described as a pleasure to have around. When she did receive it in reception, the other child receiving it was on their third turn and it was clear they were using it as a carrot for behaviour with her.

MsChookandtheelvesofFahFah · 16/06/2019 12:22

The best 'star of the week' scheme was dd3's yr2 class. It ran for 30 weeks and each week a different child was chosen and they had to leave the room while the rest of the class decided why the child was a 'star'. It helped the class to see positives in everyone and at the end of the week the child came out with a certificate listing 3 'star' qualities. Examples I remember 'has a lovely laugh', 'helps me to rub out neatly' and ' knows where Scotland is'. The 'star' sat on a cushion at carpet time for the following week.

JassyRadlett · 16/06/2019 12:25

I like the way DS’s school does it. It’s not on a weekly rota - it’s about 3-5 kids per class who get a head teacher’s award at an assembly every 2-3 weeks. They make an effort to mix it up between truly great work - DS is very good at maths and has had it recognised - but also for things an individual child might be struggling with and has made a huge effort to improve - eg he has been incredibly shy about speaking in front of groups of people, and made a huge effort to improve his confidence and was recognised for a particular time he’d done it really well. Still not as well as a naturally confident child might have done, and they might have ‘deserved’ it more on the basis of achievement. But on effort to improve, he earned it and I was grateful it was recognised.

I think the poster talking about awards reflecting the school’s values has it right.

SleepingStandingUp · 16/06/2019 12:31

She’s probably the brightest kid in the class I do think sometimes it's harder for the consistently top of the class kids to get it because they aren't showing any significant improvement or progress as such. 4 yo DS got writer of the week because he drew marks which had meaning - a very rudimentary stick Mom. If you've been writing your own name for months it's harder to make a noticeable step forward

floraloctopus · 16/06/2019 12:49

@drspouse how are they trying to get him to leave?

I'd explain how you want him to go to a better school. How old is he?

JassyRadlett · 16/06/2019 12:56

The best 'star of the week' scheme was dd3's yr2 class.

We had this in reception and it was lovely. It was their ‘special day’ and their teacher transcribed into a star all the nice things their friends said about them.

Paddy1234 · 16/06/2019 12:58

My son never got star of the week.
Why?
Because he was lazy and never earned it. It would make a mockery otherwise.
I explained to him why at the time, to be fair he wasn't that bothered.
It hasn't don't him any harm.

Punxsutawney · 16/06/2019 13:20

Ds is at secondary and currently being assessed for SEN. He is very well behaved, incredibly quiet but also a high achiever in some subjects. His school use an achievement point system. He hardly gets any ever. We have taken this up with the school and it is even written in his SEN plan to reinforce good work with points. Teachers just don't bother giving them to him, I don't think it helps that he is silent in class. There are some in the year with hundreds of points, so they are being given out.

Ds has very low self esteem alongside other issues caused by his SEN and it really would make such a difference if staff acknowledged his efforts. It sounds very petty but I know to Ds it would make a real difference.

TitianaTitsling · 16/06/2019 14:10

bland and good am hoping 'bland' is a typo?!

Schnitzelvonkrumb · 16/06/2019 14:46

My kids school have this. I imagine there is some kind of rota although i know some girls children have got it multiple times. One teacher, at the beginning of term, admitted they sometimes awarded star of the day, to make it more accessible to all!! They also had pupils choice where all the childen nominate a pupil.
DD had a difficult start to year 1 at school, due to family circumstances snd used to cry a lot. Her teacher seemed fairly unsympathetic despite knowing the issues at home. She got star of the week for pe which she was probably least enthusiastic about, but I'm pretty sure it was the first lesson she hadnt cried!

jellycatspyjamas · 16/06/2019 14:59

At our school all of the kids get it at some point in the school year, but linked to their strengths not just academics. So my DD has had star pupil for good work in literacy, being helpful and for singing well in the school show. My DS has had it for good work in literacy. If it was down to academics my DD would never get it but she was so proud to have her positive qualities recognised.

School is a struggle for her in lots of ways so it’s helped her to stay engaged. I think every child should be the star for a week - if you can’t find something to praise over the course of a school year, you’ve bigger problems than finding a star pupil.

TreadingThePrimrosePath · 16/06/2019 15:05

@TitaniaTitsling
No, it wasn’t a typo.
The nice, good, slightly over-virtuous ones that have no true confidence, opinions or interaction skills with anyone who is not like them. The ones who spend so much time focusing on being good and point-scoring off other, less virtuous children.
The ones who need to learn how to be part of a wider community, and given Star of the Week for generosity of spirit, inclusion, or resilience when faced with a challenge.
Rather than for things they find easy, such as helping their friends and being good when the teacher is looking.

EarlGreyOfTwinings · 16/06/2019 15:17

Can I ask where you've gleaned this insight from?
from work training and extensive experience in the field, why do you ask?

When I am talking about entitled and lazy parenting, here's an absolute gem:
Why shouldn’t the bland and good think about how their behaviour and could be improved,

the type of parent who not only deny any possible wrong doing from their little darling, ( for generosity of spirit, inclusion, or resilience when faced with a challenge. )
but actually slam others who are less... "challenging"
nice, good, slightly over-virtuous ones that have no true confidence, opinions or interaction skills with anyone who is not like them

Grin Grin Grin

MN and that parent at its best. I don't need to say anything else, it's classic Grin

TreadingThePrimrosePath · 16/06/2019 15:23

You don’t think that every child has aspects of their personality and behaviour that could be improved on and rewarded for achieving something they find difficult to understand?
Even the nice ones?

TreadingThePrimrosePath · 16/06/2019 15:34

Oh, and not ‘That parent’
I was speaking from the POV of having taught primary over 35 years, so more than 1,000 children. All different, all memorable. All worthy of Star of the Week at some point.