To wish that schools wouldn't reward children for things they have no control over

[dealer]

Attendance, they give out certificates for 100% attendance each half term. Ds would occasionally have a day off for illness, dd1 hasn't had a day off since reception, she's in year 4. Ds wasn't assed, dd1 has mild sn and despite the fact that I tell her that she's really lucky to be so healthy, loves getting up in assembly for the certificates and feels it's an achievement.

They've now changed it, since it wasn't 'fair' and you will now only get a certificate for most improved attendance. Dd1 wants to know how to get one of these. Not sure how you improve on 5 years 100%.

And I hate it when they award class attendance, so the poor kid who has genuine health problems or parents who aren't very good at getting them there, get highlighted as bringing the class percentage down.

Walk to school week soon. We used to walk to school all the time when I was a sahm because we live 10 mins from the school. Now though, I work as a delivery driver so it's somewhat essential to take my vehicle with me. I need to drop dd2 at nursery 4 miles away 10 minutes later now as well, since the school nursery had no room for her.

Dd2 will be in school in September, so I could in theory walk them then and then go back for the van. But that would utterly pointless since I would then drive the van straight past the school again, same polution etc, and waste 20 mins work time.

Doesn't stop dd1 waving 'walk to school' leaflets at me, and telling me she needs to earn stickers though. Pointing out great facts such as car occupants are exposed to 3 times as much pollution on the school run as walkers. Don't really understand that since they're only in the car for 2 mins.

They usually walk home, but apparently that doesn't count.

Anyway it's all arbitrary stuff that kids are supposed to be motivated to do that they can't do anything about.

absolutely agree op, this drives me potty.
also annoys me when the children get a bollocking for being late or forgetting their pe kit, surely that's the parents' responsibility?

what about that thread where a dc was sent to pick up rubbish in the school yard because he/she forgot the pe uniform?

I found that dreadful but many didn't

Yanbu.
It's equally ridiculous that some workplaces discipline people if they're off X times in Y time period. Esp given that it still happens even if you've handed in med certificates and phoned in sick etc.

YANBU

The local newspaper here carried an article from the school attendance LEA team in which they said that missing days in Primary School would count against the DC when they entered the world of work as employers would have access to this information and judge them poorly .

DD1 in reception was in tears the only day she had off last year because of these certificates - this year she is much less bothered. Had DS in tears in School Nursery because he did not get a certificate because he was off a few days ill.

vmcd28 - Well in the workplace its a bit different - some people do take the pi$$ - once worked with someone who had over 40 sick days over 6 months and couldn't understand why she was being pulled up - no children or other dependents - just being a lazy b!tch. she once texted me to say she wouldn't be at work due to an 'accident' - which I assumed was something serious - turned out she dropped a cake she'd baked and was too traumatised to come to work !
She had the same thing happen at her next work too.

I despise the whole ethic behind rewarding children for things which are beyond their control - as one poster pointed out, the idea is that "pester power" (yuk) will lead to better attendance/punctuality/whatever. So schools are deliberately making children feel bad so that they will lean on their parents.

I find Dancergirl's attitude abhorrent, abrasive and cold. And wilfully obtuse. I am glad she is not my children's teacher.

Confuddled has it to a tee: you shouldn't be rewarded for your fortunate good health. Just not fair and discriminates against kids who can't help it.

Workplace inclusion policies dictate that workplaces can't show any discrimination against anyone with a medical condition so why can schools?

Exactly; health is a blessing, not a virtue.

Take the van, park it around the corner, walk with them for the last bit, leg back to van, drive to work.

Next!

KatyMac - I have never seen or heard of a letter saying they 'will never pass exams as they don't attend school enough'. Have you?

I am struggling to understand what is so difficult to get. These certificates are about attendance. Nothing to to with achievement, attitude at school, hard work or anything else. It's just another form of recognition. Some children get them, some don't. Children in tears over not getting one? Well you could have the same children in tears over not getting a merit certificate or good effort or something else. Should we get rid of those rewards too?

They had a sports competition at my friend's child's school recently. They competed in several events over several days and you had to finish everything to get the certificate. A couple of children who were off sick didn't finish the events and hence didn't get the certificate. Is that 'fair'? No different to attendance certificates - children missed out due to being off sick. It's just bad luck.

Direct quote from letter dated 5/5/11

"....excellent attendance leads to improved performance in examinations and success for our learners"
"DD might not make enough progress and may not achieve expected outcomes..."

How else can you read it?

Rewarding children because the virus circulating round school didn't alight on them? Rewarding the children who come into school with a temperature and coughoing all over others, and spreading thier norovirus germs on a Monday from the D&V they had on a Sunday...and then withold a certificate from all the children they infect?

Yup - that fabulous lesson in teaching children that life isn't fair...AND encouraging the pushy competitive parents to observe the recommended absences with infectious illness - so effective.

Thankfully DS's school have now taken on board that absence due to apointments and conditions of permanent disability should not be counted against children as otherwise many disabled children could NEVER get an attendance certificate. And these children, of course, are the children MOST in need of the lesson that life isn't fair .

Katymac - where does it say they 'will never pass exams'? as you said in your previous post?

YANBU. These things bug me, too. It's another example of the way in which schools feel they have the right to intrude into life outside of the school. They should be concentrating on improving what happens to the child AT school and get their noses out of stuff that really doesn't concern them. The walk to school thing is a case in point.

If a child has exceptionally good attendance, or has excelled in school, and I mean REALLY excelled in some way, then of course this should be recognised. Awards for "most improved" etc are IMHO pointless and says more about the school's need to justify itself than anything else.

It is total bollocks. Teaches the children that adults are mad and that there is no logic or sense in the world. Great lessons.

I don't think it needs to be taken so seriously, neither is it meant to punish anyone.

To me, it just re-inforces the message 'we, the school, think attendance is a good thing'.

Kids will win at sports day due to luck, or be very good at netball, or maths, or the piano: you could argue that the attendance prize means you can win something even if you're not wildly good at sports or academia.

My dds school doesn't do it: if they did, dd1 would have got one for never having had a day off from EY to y6, dd2 would not. I would have thought, ah that's nice, if dd1 had got one - it's nice that someone noticed, and it's nice to get a little certificate or something.

I wouldn't have thought HA HA, BITE ME SUCKERS, MY HEALTHY DAUGHTER IS THE BESTEST!

(although I do think the most improved thing is a bit silly!)

I think it is reasonable to interpret 'will not reach predicted outcomes' as 'will fail exams', Dancergirl.

Ofsted should be able to distinguish between absences for illness (which are outside the control of the school, the parents and the children) and unauthorised absences - like my friend who let her dc stay off school on a snowy day, even though the school was open, so they could have fun in the snow. I find it absolutely ridiculous that a school could get a less-good Ofsted report if they happen to have a bout of norovirus or flu sweep through the school - how does Ofsted suggest that they prevent this? Not forgetting the fact that some parents will be keeping their children off school because they have had diarrhoea or vomiting, and they are obeying the school policy - which negatively impacts the school's attendance record, but may well prevent other children having to be off sick.

We had a walk to school week. Was a rural primary, my 6 year old daughter was told to make more effort and walk in. I had a newborn, 20 month old and a 6 and 8 year old. We lived 5 miles away. DD was quite upset. huh???

I think YABU. Everything is unfair to someone.

My DD is never going to get 100% attendance because I am happy to keep her off school if she is under-par. Then again she gets lots of headmistress awards for good work, because she loves writing.

Parents have complained that our school is running dad-and-child workshops because it is unfair to kids whose dads hate the idea work too hard to go, and kids who are brought up solely by single mums. (DD doesn't go because DH is working and hates the idea)

Sports day is unfair to kids who hate team sports (like my DD).

Clubs are unfair to the kids who don't get in. (DD got in!)

Wearing-correct-school-uniform-every-day awards are unfair to kids whose parents can't be bothered to buy it.

Schools use rewards to encourage wanted behaviour. They should offer a variety so that all the kids have the chance to win at some things. But it's just silly to object because your child doesn't get a particular opportunity imo.

Everything is unfair if you want to look at it that way - but attendance is such a hard thing to police/monitor, and it is unfair that it impacts on OFSTED in such a way - how would the parents of a child with a severe illness feel if the implication from the school is that all sickness lets the side down?

People complaining about dad workshops being in school time, sports days unfair to sport haters - that's life, there are always going to be things in your day to day life that you don't want to do but just have to put up with for a short time, or that you have to miss out on because of other commitments, or clubs you don't get into because they are full.

The aim of attendance awards - weeding out habitual truanters, making the kids want to go to school - has any research shown that these certificates have any effect on these children or their parents?

TBH I was grateful when my boys were rewarded for anything. Generally they have been also-rans at primary and rarely got an award so I was quite grateful for the 100% attendance award. It's not a punishment not to get one, thats a very negative way of looking at it.

If your child had a serious illness, I don't think you'd care that much, would you?

Oh yes...its walk to school week next week which falls on the week I need to be in the city at 9.30.....and the Tues-Fri will be tube strikes.

I almost always walk dd to school but next week will be a real nightmare travel wise and I may have to drive in order to get her to school, then ds to nursery and me to a mainline train station as the walking distance tube station will be shut as it is the end of a line so isnt a priority on strike days.

Next week is going to be stressful.

yanbu