"Does it really do any harm to the children that don't get these awards though? That's the whole point surely, if you are going to disagree with it."
Brilliant 
Kitchenroll, you get to decide your argument, but not mine.
I have posted about 50 million times on this thread, outlining my arguments against these ridiculous 'awards'. I actually don't think I have the energy to repeat them all.
Please go back and read some of the posts from parents of children with medical conditions, along with some of the arguments against these rewards. There are many.
Jools- "I do not think that getting a sticker for getting all your words right is a "bizarre reward""
I didn't say it was- in fact, I cited it as an appropriate example of rewarding a child for their achievement. I was referring to rewards for uniform etc. as 'bizarre'.
"my point was without the support of parents the children would not learn their words, have a positive attitude to school or behave well. Their is a cycle of contempt towards schools and education within some families that needs to be broken and making children proud of themselves surely can do no harm if not help this to be broken."
This is so, so, wrong. Those parents you speak of who are completely disaffected with education rarely change because their child is excluded from a 'reward'. They need specialist support (fat chance, but there we are). Children from these families rarely get the chance to feel proud of themselves through attendance awards- in fact, the exclusion from school trips and other related rewards serves to compound and perpetuate the very disaffection which you claim they combat.
I work with children in care; often, children in abusive or neglectful homes have very poor attendance. When they are placed with foster parents, their attendance improves dramatically. What exactly is it that they have done which deserves a reward?