to think book vouchers for 100% attendance is an issue?

[DancesWithWoolsEnPointe]

DD2 had 100% attendance at school this year. DD1 had a tummy bug and stayed at home 1 day.

DD2 got a certificate in assembly. Fine with that.
But she also got a £5 book voucher. Not fine with that.

DD1 is jealous and cross with me that I made her stay at home for 24 hours after vomiting, as per school policy. She says that next time she is sick, she is going to school anyway. So what lesson are they trying to teach here?

If maths and science ability were 'all in the genes', there would be little point teaching them.

You get the certificate for irony, though

well done.

the truth is though, that all these 'reasons' for how wrong rewarding good attendance is, given here year after year, just doesn't stand up. None of it does.

Why this subject is picked on over others as to why a reward/award punishes those who don't get it beats me.
Luckily, high school kids don't react the same way as 'some' mumsnetters. On award day they are "well impressed" by those who have achived this award.

Huh?

While it is possible to grasp science and mathematical concepts very quickly, they will not know about them until they are either taught or self-research.

Sorry but i think most teachers relaise their are children with helath issue this award is for the parents whose children keep them of if they coughed once during the night

Some schools have real issues with attendnce espically in certian coummties

Eg. Traveller where they feel school is optional anything a school can do to get the kids to come in my book
Most schools do have awards for imorived attendce

Life is not fair you could start saying that bahviour awards are not fair to those with adhd

sixlostmonkeys- can you tell me why we shouldn't reward children for parental income as I suggested above?

MrBo, most schools make no exceptions for those with health issues.

My son got 97.5% and the threshold for an award was 98%! He actually only had three days off sick but because he had a couple of dentist/doctors appointments, coming in at 10am meant he'd missed the register and it counted as a full missed session! Never mind eh, life goes on.

At my dd schools only three children got 100% attendance and each of them got an ipad.

State school.............. they were well chuffed.

shrugs I don't really think it is that big a deal.

My children have very good attendance as it happens and often do get 100% awards (not prizes in their school though - and not this year). My eldest son's school do not count absences due to medical appointments as absences though - otherwise there is no chance he would ever get one.

On the other hand my youngest two go to a fee paying school, and even there very few children get 100% attendance awards.

I do think they make children aware of the importance of going in to school though. Mine didn't get one this year as I took them out of school for a day so we could spend a long weekend visiting my brother and his family who were over from New Zealand. Youngest was vehement in his opposition to the extra day away, as it would spoil his year's attendance and he wanted to get a certificate.

The school could have a parallel award for children with chronic illness that precludes them from the attendance award.

Any parent who feels their child is hard done by could go to a trophy shop and get a trophy engraved as the "Bash Street School" "Smith Award for Fortitude" - given to child who overcomes difficulty to take part in the full life of the school.

Obviously, children who have an easy ride through life would never be eligible for this award.

"Youngest was vehement in his opposition to the extra day away, as it would spoil his year's attendance and he wanted to get a certificate."

Yet you still took him out because, as the parent, the decision to keep him off school is ultimately yours. Why reward him for something which you have control over?

One of the children that got an attendance award at our school went into school after having D&V the night before. All of my dc caught it as it did the rounds and I kept them off for 2+ days.

Here, have an award for defying SCHOOL policy

"At my dd schools only three children got 100% attendance and each of them got an ipad."

Unless your DD's school has under 10 children on roll, I'd suggest that this award is pretty ineffective in encouraging attendance if only three children won it.

tethersend - my first reaction is to say no, I don't want tell you why we shouldn't reward children for parental income as you suggested above, because it is actually more ridiculous than the comment about science/maths genes = no need to teach.

but #- I haven't seen your post about this astounding suggestion, but I'm guessing it's got something to do with some report/study that indicates that children who attend more school days are likely to achieve more and children from high earning parents are likely to achieve more. Am I right?
If I am right then - comparing these two statistics is downright stupid, and you know it.
All this kind of info is used already in determining what a child is likely to achieve. Fair enough it gives a school some guidelines in where to place a child. Anyone with an ounce of common sense knows that there are many many exeptions to these godawful statistics, and a child should be swiftly viewed as the individual he/she is and taught accordingly.
My ds had every statistic working against him. He proved every statistic wrong.

These statistics are used for a purpose. They are not there as a reason for not rewarding a child who attended school everyday ffs.

"If I am right then - comparing these two statistics is downright stupid, and you know it"

Go on, humour me. Explain why it would be stupid to reward parental income, but it is sensible to reward primary school children for attendance.

And I'm giving you another irony certificate for arguing for 100% attendance awards by poo-pooing the efficacy of the use of statistics

Mathematical awards, science awards, etc don't undermine school rules on illness, do they? To get an attendance award you are either lucky, or your parents have you dosed on calpol. Futhermore, Isabel's efforts to win a maths prize don't really negatively affect Tristan at the next desk.

tethersend - I have replied to you already.

I haven't poo-poo'd the statistics but I am now worried that some people may not be able to use them for what they are intended for.

look up the word irony in a dictionary

YANBU. My DS has once or twice got 100% attendance certificates. I posted here once that I don't agree with them!

My DS rarely get's or will get 100% attendance. Like many children with chronic conditions they have time off - even if it's for appointments.

I hate the fact that children who can't help being off are excluded by default.

You haven't replied, six- you haven't told me why schools should not reward pupils for their parents' income. You've just told me that it would be stupid. I am asking you why.

Or specifically, why it would be more stupid than rewarding primary school pupils for attendance.

agree with tiggy

Misuse/misinterpretation of statistics is the very reason schools are doing this.

Unless you're Alanis Morisette, using that as an argument to support the awards is pretty ironic.

"how is doing well at maths and science within a child's control?"

Er because you can sit at the back doodling/staring out of the window and never bother to do your homework, or you can listen studiously, look things up at home, read around the subject (in science) or do extra calculations (in maths). Genes might help a bit but absolutely loads of how well you do in exams comes down to practise, application and hard work. Noneof which applies to being well...