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Original poster

Why do schools bother with the star of the week

39 replies

Massivecoffeecake · 25/03/2022 13:54

It seems it's an exercise in going down a list and ticking off names rather than anything else

Curious as to others thoughts - assuming it's as common place as I see it being locally to me.

OP posts:

Crackercrazy · 25/03/2022 19:45

I never minded them but at our primary school every child got one over the course of the year.

deplorabelle · 25/03/2022 19:50

Definitely in the "it demotivated my child" camp. He hoped and tried for it every week, didn't win it at all one year as it kept going to the really troubled child who injured him on several occasions.

There was also an imbalance between the sexes in his class (twice as many boys as girls). Often the star of the week would alternate boy/girl so the girls got it all the time. Usually a boy and a girl would be picked for special events, so the girls got twice the opportunities to eg be elected to school council or get the main part in an assembly.

ConsuelaHammock · 26/03/2022 10:02

I refuse to do them. I also refuse to use a traffic light system for behaviour.

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Original poster

Massivecoffeecake · 26/03/2022 11:48

The more I think about it the more I want to write to the school to share my thoughts. The incidents of the tricky kids getting it more than once are hard to comprehend though I get why it might be done from schools perspective.

I do not however want to be 'that parent' and find my child getting it because I've written in so I will wait and see if child gets it then write in.

It was end of July last year. Suspect it will be the same this year.

It's so rubbish watching child feel awful never being chosen, having worked hard, got good results, always 'the good role model' comments at parent evening but never the SotW.

Other child in secondary school and their tutor group also does this. That child also never chosen. Same as it was in primary for them.

OP posts:

99point6 · 26/03/2022 13:06

Bloody hate them. My PFB went 2 whole years at school without getting one. Pre lockdown disruption. Found out on group chat that another poor kid was in his 4th year there before he got one.
At least in that school the HT wrote on the certificate what it was awarded for. Current place no idea and child doesn't know either.

OnceuponaRainbow18 · 26/03/2022 13:11

My reception age son loves getting star of the week, he blue tacs them to his wall, makes me take a photo of it and send to grandparents. It’s always for things I can imagine him doing rather than it being made up

LoganberryJam · 26/03/2022 13:13

I'm not a fan. Thankfully they've ditched it at our local primary.

PrincessScarlett · 26/03/2022 13:18

Our local primary tends to use star of the week to reward the more challenging kids that can't behave. So the one day they do behave they get star of the week.

I understand that positive praise is needed for challenging kids but what happens is the kids that always tow the line cotton on very quickly that their efforts in school are not worth the same.

I've seen examples where a child has bullied another child and when the victims parents have raised it with the school low and behold the bully gets star of the week the following week. Another one was a child using racist language for which they were excluded for one day. End of the week they got star of the week.

Some schools do it better but in my experience it demoralises the kids who never put a foot wrong as they are left wondering why naughty behaviour is being rewarded. And then the school wonders why they have such a problem with bad behaviour 🤦🏻‍♀️

Blurp · 26/03/2022 13:29

Our kids fully realise that it's their "turn" for Star of the Week, but they still absolutely love it because they get a certificate and the Principal presents it to them and tells them they've done well. They just like the acknowledgement that they've done well at something, I think.

PaperMonster · 26/03/2022 15:11

My daughter really struggled with it when she started school: couldn’t understand why she always tried her best yet wasn’t getting the award. It was demotivating for her. She’s yr 6 and couldn’t care less about it nowadays and would prefer not to get it so she doesn’t have to stand in front of everyone in school.

Original poster

Massivecoffeecake · 26/03/2022 15:58

@OnceuponaRainbow18

Glad he enjoys it. If he's had it more than once and if in year R he's done well. Is it a very small class?

It's lovely to be the child who is getting them I sure, let's hope he doesn't have to experience the disappointment of not getting it.

OP posts:

OnceuponaRainbow18 · 26/03/2022 17:17

@Massivecoffeecake

He’s in a big standard school with 30 in his class. His self esteem and confidence is quite low, I think the teacher picked up on this. Also some weeks they have 2-3 kids getting it. It means they can then be a special helper the next week- which basically seems like they do all the crappy jobs and feel proud doing it 🤣

OnceuponaRainbow18 · 26/03/2022 17:18

I meant bog standard

Original poster

Massivecoffeecake · 26/03/2022 18:27

@OnceuponaRainbow18

That's a better answer - to have more than one child awarded per week

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