Do other children really think like this (school learning support award)

[Vegetablespringrolls]

Awards evenings for 2 of my dc this week. Awards for 1 person in each subject, one for each tutor group, 3 for the most house points, 3 head of year awards (1 for each of the school values), 1 head teachers award and one for the learning support department. There are other awards like 0 behaviour points and 100% attendance but they are given out in assembly.

Dc4 (year 9) got the learning support award and everyone clapped, his friends said well done etc

Dc3 (year 11) got the learning support award for this year too. Very proud of him, especially as this is the 2nd year in a row he's got it. All the parents clapped but several students who were at the ceremony said his award wasn't a real award, was pathetic etc. Which I thought was awful.

Not many students get invited to these awards, about 40 in the whole year group of 150ish. He was also one of only 4 non prefects there.

Not sure about that award specifically. Wouldn’t have valued a participation or zero absence award though at that age.

What is the learning support award for? Receiving learning support? Helping deliver learning support?

What is a learning support award?

I once received the effort award rather than the attainment award - was mortified.

You’ll have to explain what a learning support award is.

Well done to your dc! It is awful- some people are just awful.

Yes, I’m sorry to say, most students (and parents) will think this. Ditto “most improved”, “best effort” et al.

I think you just have to accept:

1. Some children are mean.
2. Most parents and children who don’t need additional support don’t have a clue what achievement looks like for those who do.

er yes.

the secondary I taught at stopped presenting attendance awards and the like in assemblies because kids would refuse to come up and get them.

we moved to just giving them to form tutors.

I don't know what a "learning support" award is but some kids will look down on anything so their opinion is worthless.

However if it is similar to the "most improved" orr "best effort" awards then yes generally a lot of people consider them to be less than attainment awards.

At a sports group I was part of the most improved award got renamed the "not as shit as you used to be" award. But we were all adults and hopefully no one took offense.

This was my daughter in Y11. She received the Art Award even though by that time everyone already knew their raw marks and she knew she got an 8 and not a 9 (one girl in the year got a 9). So my daughter and her friends all considered her award as totally fake and mortifying because it was clearly for "effort" rather than for highest attainment, which my daughter considered embarrassing and an insult. She was already upset for not getting that 9 that the teachers said she was on track for. The award just added insult to injury.

My school had a deportment award for each class. I got it in the first year which wasn’t too bad but by the third or fourth year the recipients were crying at the shame and humiliation of it 🤣🤣🤣🤣

If your son is pleased and his friends are happy for him, what does it matter what others think?

Thankyou. Learning support award is for the student who has made the most progress out of all the students who use the Learning support department. Which generally is mostly children with special educational needs but there will be children with emotional needs, children going through trauma etc as well.

There are awards for academic achievements but there are also awards for other things like ds4 got a school values award for participation because he goes to lots of lunchtime clubs and he set up a club of his own too.

@XelaMattainment isn't always highest attainment though, someone can make more progress and get an attainment award as they have done better than someone cruising who didn't need to work.

My year 11 should be getting support and isn't (usual story really) but would be absolutely mortified to receive that award. The whole thing sounds odd, or are you not in the UK?

It is all about peer hierarchy at that stage. So if you get top grades everyone understands that to be a success, but you might get bullied to bring you down a peg by the ones who didn’t. The most high ranking and safest position is to make out that you would have got top grades but didn’t want them anyway because working hard is a mug’s game. Therefore getting non-top grades and an award for trying hard is the worst of all worlds - you went for it but “failed” (even though doing the best you can despite not finding that everything comes easily is actually the most praiseworthy position as far as an adult view is concerned).

No, we are in England. I don't know if it's different in different schools but there is no stigma about using the learning support department at my dc school. As long as they behave themselves, anyone is allowed to come in at break or lunchtime, regardless if they have SEN or not. There are children like my youngest who is dropped off there by his TA and picked up afterwards and there are some who come on their own to take part in the activities available. They have animals, there is always a film going in one of the rooms and you can play cards or use the sensory room. Which I think is great for the children who don't qualify for funding or support in lessons but could do with a bit of support or are lonely etc. At the open evening the learning support department is promoted and lots of the year 6's enjoy the activities.

My 18 year old has a similar set up at university. He hasn't needed it so far but it's there.

I think the issue is two years in a row - and the particular cohort i the support unit. When the awards are about acknowledging effort, surely that should only happen to a child once and then to another a different year? Was the attitude to learning of the others so far behind your DC that they couldn't acknowledge a different child?

Obviously it is incredibly mean to suggest an award is pathetic but I can understand why your son's award isn't seen as prestigious as the other awards where it's more of an open competition. Basically he has won a highly subjective award in a relatively small subset of kids who generally won't be the highest achieving cohort in the school. It could be seen as easier to get this than say someone that is competing against the entire year for the Maths prize. It is what it is and hopefully your son can ignore the negative comments but understands the context and value of the award in context.

There obviously is a bit of a stigma around it - you’ve seen that when children have called the award that is related to it pathetic.
I think it’s horrible, obviously. I also think it’s a bit naive to think that within a secondary school there won’t be any teens who act like dicks about people who need extra support. It’s like when headteachers try to claim their school has no bullying. It’s not realistic.
That is NOT me saying their attitude is ok. I guess I’m just surprised by your surprise.

Year 11 kids are 16-year-olds, not really 'children' as such.

Of course some of them are going to be cynical about some things, just like some adults would. They're going to question things. They're going to have their own opinions. There's going to be things they sneer at sometimes and there are going to be things where they don't agree with the school's position and so on.

Some teenagers are going to think 'Oh, nice, well deserved'. Others are going to think 'That's the award they give to people as a consolation prize'. Others are going to think 'Who gives a shit about awards anyway?' You can't expect a bunch of 16 year olds to all be universally positive and accepting of the official line, or all to think the same thing about anything, or all to like your kids. You're overthinking this.

That’s very sad for your son. He’s obviously overcome a lot.

My year 11 child is academically able and predicted to pass all his GCSE's. He has always got 100% attendance and has got 2 learning support awards, this year and last. I don't know how many students there are in the learning support department but probably more than the number of children who were eligible for the food tech and drama awards. There are usually a couple of children who get multiple awards every year, one of those children was one of the ones who called my son's award pathetic.

My year 9 child has learning disabilities, struggles hugely with writing and only learned to write his name in year 3. But he throws himself enthusiastically into everything and walks round school with a huge grin on his face all the time. He joins in with a different club every lunchtime, competes in disability sports for the school and set up his own club as well. He got the learning support award and one of 3 head of year awards. It's not all to do with academic ability.

I started the thread because there has been a lot of negative posts about children/adults with SEN and disabilities on here recently. In my experience , it's been mostly adults who have been negative about my dc, children have been almost all positive. I know year 11 are almost adults but I was hoping that the negativity and criticism regarding disabled people was a generational thing, rather than an age thing and that inclusive children would grow up to be inclusive adults.