to wish Head Teacher's Awards were more consistant.

[mum80]

I have 2 ds's at the same school. Both work hard at school. DS2 is more of an all rounder academically but DS1 does have great ability in 1 subject.
So far this year ds2 has received 7 Head Teacher's Awards and DS1 none. In fact DS1 has only receive 3HTA's in all. (now year4)
Makes me feel that there is a real inconsistancy in individual teacher's approach to the awards and does in some ways devalue the one ds2 received.

I have a twin sister - this always use to irk me in school - I would study do homework on time turn up on time and was a a-b student.
She would wander in do as little as possiable mess about and she would recieve 'awards' for effort and loads of praise from teachers and parents when she finally did somthing on time or applied herself. She was more than capable, but has dislexia.... My english tutor at college also made the college pay for me to have the test as after reading one piece of unedited work he knew i also have dislexia.

I recieved 13 well earned a/b gcse she got 6 c-e grades. there were huge praises for her that she managed to get thease grades... It was just expected i would.....

I love DD school...... they give out certificates for having a good attitude to learning / and offer a kindness cup for helping/being kind to your peers.

Yanbu.

Ds1 seems to attract more than his fair share of prizes (by his own admission) even though he doesn't try hard at school. Dd tries really hard at school but never wins while ds2 gets the odd one but wants to win as many as ds1.

For this year's awards, ds1 has had 3 (when there are people in his class with 0), dd has not won while ds2 has had 1 (everyone in his class has had one which is fair and the way it should be). If dd does not win before parent's evening I'm going to bring it up as she is losing motivation. She's one of those kids who volunteer for boring jobs like helping the teacher to tidy up, is polite, cheerful and tries really hard so it should be easy for the teacher to think of a reason to nominate her.

I do think some children get 'over-rewarded'. DS1 is one of these. I feel he's simply caught the HT's eye rather than constantly being brilliant, and even if he is constantly being brilliant (the awards are for behaviour) its not encouraging him to improve, whereas his friend has massive behaviour problems and has improved dramatically - he really is a different child now - yet his effort has never been acknowledged.

I don't want my son to get complacent, I like that his manners are appreciated. I want my friend's son to be rewarded for his huge effort, he really deserves it.

Obviously I am proud that my son is well behaved, kind, thoughtful etc., but its BEEN acknowledged, and now it feels like the HT is in someway setting him up to be a target for mean people, he's already been called a good two shoes a lot, and probably because he's always up for some bloody award!

I personally dont like awards like these or star of the week. DD is 5 and is we are just having her formally assessed for special needs. She is always keen to go to school, do her homework to the best fo her ability and try in class yet she has never had the awards. Other children seem to get it over again and again.
Dont get me wrong Im not saying she should have it if she doesnt deserve it but I just feel in 18 months I would have thought she could get it for something. It would boost her confidence so much.

I agree op. I have the same issue.

One of my lasting memories at primary school was head teacher's awards. A child who was generally not well behaved got one because she found another girl's purse in the playground and handed it in with the money still there - she got an award for not being a theif!! Most of us manage to go all our lives without stealing from school friends/work colleagues etc. This outraged 7 year old me.

Head teachers awards do often seem to be used as a way of encouraging behaviour that is just expected from most kids. DS1 got masses of awards, he has ASD and ADHD. DS2 was a quiet, well behaved easy going kid. He got none. Well, he did get one, after 4 years of perfect attendance, consistently being in the top 5 for marks and never having a problem with his behaviour, he had a clash of heads with an outspoken girl in group work. She was trying to force through her idea which he thought was wrong. She ended up shouting and crying because she was challenged and he got spoken to about being a team player. The next time they were in a group together, he told her to do whatever as it wasn't worth the argument. Their group got the task wrong and he got an award for working well in the group head desk

I think that often these awards are used to encourage behaviour in difficult/disruptive children that is just expected from most children. Its fair enough to want to encourage good behaviour, but it did create an interesting dilemma for my son who is quiet and non-disruptive. After several months of the most disruptive children in my DS's class getting award after award, my son started to question me about how he could get one - what sort of disruptive behaviour should he do for a day or longer, then stop so he could get an award (he's 9). I had a quiet word with the school about the impression such awards were giving and perhaps they should award good consistent behaviour as well - I think it might have worked as rumour has it that awards are being spread a bit wider in the class. :)

doctorcake I wish my dd's school would listen and do that. As I said in my earlier post dd never had it, we do have soem behaviourial issues but nothing major and it is all links to her special needs ( not an excuse) but it just unfair that it is always the same children who get these awards.

Foxy 800 - fortunately I think mutterings from other parents had already reached the school and so they didn't think I was just 'the irritating parent who doesn't understand the way things are done'. One of the reasons I spoke up was because I saw the damage such award giving can have, as my older DD was at the same school and was perfectly behaved, quiet and really tried her best but not academic, really struggled with most subjects and got just three awards in four years - what with that and being put in what was the most obviously lowest group for everything, and constant low-level nastiness from the clever/talented? girls who the teachers loved and got all the awards (their nastiness was never noticed by the school) she left the school with her confidence at rock bottom and we're only picking it up now two years later at secondary school. I still feel guilty now that I didn't kick up a stink for her - but first child, not knowing how these things work etc. lack of confidence

I agree, the well behaved, nice kids who just get on with it are often the ones that never get noticed. It can be very frustrating.

Maybe I will bring it up at the next parents evening then(she is also my first so wasnt sure what to do) but we are already started to lose confidence due to her special needs and them moving her up to next level of reading books that I dont feel she is ready for, she is becoming really frustrated with these.
We do have a few behaviourial issues in class but no more than others and I cant help but notice it is always the same ones who seem to get these awards.
Just dont want to stand out as the parent who wants to moan!!! But as the same time I want to help dd.

Foxy800 - I know how you feel, I was never assertive enough with my DD, but I realise now that one moan is unlikely to get you labelled. Perhaps a less direct approach could be used at parents evening by saying that your child has been wondering how to get an award. Before my DS's school changed the way they gave out awards, I made my DS awards printed off microsoft templates for various things he'd done well at home they looked very professional and presented them to him, he loved it. In fact it turned into an awards ceremony for the whole family, with various amusing awards for us parents. If you do this you could tell the teacher that this award giving has had a very positive result at home - big hint - that it would be good at school as well. Good luck

DS's school goes for total consistency. All children get two each year. One child got one this week for "always being smiley". The children know what's going on. It's all a bit pointless really.

It would be better if they just didn't do these awards, or they should only give them out for something truly exceptional. Otherwise, however the system works, one group will always find it unfair.

THank you doctorcake, at the last paretns evening we did just that but doesnt seem to make any difference.
We are not doing awards at home but I have set up a special reward chart at home for her to do with her behaviour at school. When it is full she gets a special treat which she seems to love. However, even though I have spoken to the teacher about this and she agreed to putting notes into dd's book bag if she has missed behaved( I dont collect every day) she has not done this one and I have had to rely on dd who is thankfully very honest.

Sorry that should say parents evening!!!!