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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

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

342 replies

DancesWithWoolsEnPointe · 20/07/2012 17:17

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?

OP posts:
elliejjtiny · 20/07/2012 20:49

My DS2 has a chronic illness/disability. He will never win an attendance certificate and he will never win a race at sports day unless they tie the other children's legs together.

However there are plenty of other things he can get a certificate for. Some children are good at sporty things, some children are good at not being ill, some children are academic, some children are good at being kind to others, the list goes on.

I think attendance certificates are a good thing although I think a certificate in assembly and shaking the headteachers hand is enough, they don't need a book voucher as well.

Foxy800 · 20/07/2012 21:11

I personally dont like them. DD has a pretty good attendance at school and has only had one day off ill in the whole year but she wouldnt stand a chance of a 100% certificate due to having to attend various appointments during school time, as she is boarder line special needs and we are in the process of statementing.

I feel they are unfair on children who are absent through no fault of their own, eg, as the above or they have health issues etc.

GetDownNesbitt · 20/07/2012 21:36

It is an achievement because most people can't do it. I used to think that not being arsed to come in was something that started at secondary. Judging from some of the 'shall I keep him off' threads on Primary here, it isn't.

If everyone got one, bar one or two kids who had been terribly poorly, it would be crap. But that isn't the case.

Debeezandbirds · 20/07/2012 21:55

I agree with "getdownnesbitt*, it does do something to counter the "shall I keep him off" attitude as the child will be more keen to attend, plus if the child is keen for the reward they're less likely to pull a sickie.

hardlyaclue · 20/07/2012 21:57

Isn't it just that absence should be authorised, and that the school should be notified (in advance) of sickness? Failure in either case loses your 100%

YouOldSlag · 20/07/2012 22:59

hardly- no, even if you keep the school fully informed of illness ASAP, you still lose a percentage of your attendance.

sashh · 21/07/2012 04:15

Of course it isn't bloody discrimination.

Of course it bloody IS.

If your child has a medical condition that means they need to see someone at the hospital they will never get the certificate.

So anyone with diabetes, heart problems, brittle asthma, brittle bones ................. never gets a certificate.

I think they should give 'treatment marks' - they did this in my day, if you were off school to go to the hospital you got a treatment mark - so you could get full attendance if your only absences were for medical attention.

echt · 21/07/2012 04:33

I'm a teacher and I think it's shit. (Not the teaching).:o

Achievement should only be about what can be changed, otherwise it's not achievement, is it? it's just dumb luck. Or coming to school and handing round the germs, thank you very fucking much.

Punctuality is quite another thing, and IS down to effort. THAT should be the focus.

A bit of me hates the whole prize-giving to what should be normal. The signal here is that turning up to school all the time is YAY. It should be ignored. as, by logic, should my suggestion about punctuality prizes.

Fireandashes · 21/07/2012 04:34

I don't have school age DCs so no axe to grind, but I wholeheartedly agree with everyone who has stated these attendance awards are discriminatory in a way that other markers for achievement aren't. In every other sphere the children have an element of control, they can choose to make an effort, work hard, try to improve, behave well (and a good school should recognise and reward effort/improvement as well as bare results).

Attendance is something the child has no control over at any level. They don't choose to be ill or to have a disability, they don't choose to sit next to the germ-ridden infectious classmate who has been sent in to preserve their precious attendance record, they don't make the decision to be kept off school if unwell or whether the family are having a term-time holiday this year. These attendance awards are rewarding luck, genetics and the whims of parents. Sadly life itself will probably go on to reward the lucky and the genetically favoured many times over, so I think it's sad that schools choose to reinforce that distinction.

HolyCameraConfusionBatman · 21/07/2012 04:56

But sports and academic prizes are out of your control too. An earlier poster pointed out how behaviour prizes can be out of SN children's control.

Annunziata It's already been said about 20 times, but....sports/acadmic/behaviour prizes can be awarded for effort. So you can be terrible at maths, but win the award for 'most improved' or 'good effort' or similar. You can have SN, but win an award for 'improvement in behaviour' or 'being kind', 'listening well', 'cooperation award' etc etc etc.

If there was an award for 'trying hard to come in everyday' or something, fair enough, but there isn't, it's 100% attendance or nothing and unfortunately no amount of effort on the child's part is going to cure their asthma, diabetes or cancer!

Stonefield · 21/07/2012 05:04

Oh FFS! Aren't the attendance awards really about truancy not children being ill. I see nothing wrong with rewarding good attendance maybe these children will appreciate the value of being there every day and grow up to be adults that don't take sick days at the first sign of a sniffle.

HolyCameraConfusionBatman · 21/07/2012 05:10

Stonefield the op's DD is in reception. How many 5 year olds are playing truant do you think?!

If they were intended to target truants then they could discount any absences due to illness/medical appointments, but they don't.

cinnamonnut · 21/07/2012 05:15

Oh god Hmm
Begrudging some children a bloody book voucher for attending every day.

I know plenty of people who take days off with the slightest hint of a runny nose.

The certificate/reward means that children will stay off school only if they are actually ill, rather than staying at home on a whim. You can't stop giving out awards for everything because there are some who may struggle to get an award.

Stonefield · 21/07/2012 05:32

Actually I reckon there are probably more 5 year olds than you think playing truant, though it will be the parent's fault, keeping them off for holidays etc.
And I completely agree with Cinna... Everyone is banging on about discrimination and equality laws because a child was awarded a book voucher? Really?
In what world is it bad for a child to receive something that encourages reading?

JumpingThroughHoops · 21/07/2012 05:55

I loathe this 'no one ever fails' culture.

Just because you book your dental appointments etc in school time DO NOT attempt to penalise my child for his 100% attendance because you cannot manage your life appropriately and ensure your child gets to school everyday. Ditto snow days. Bloody walk. Millions walk tens of miles every day in the third world for the privilege of education "ooh i can't go out, it's a bit slippy" oh FFS, Innuits have been doing it for thousands of years.

Ah that was a cathartic rant Grin

JumpingThroughHoops · 21/07/2012 05:59

Randomly, I'd love to know the attendance rates at a fee paying school as opposed to a state school. People do tend to like to get their moneys worth when directly shelling out for something.

tethersend · 21/07/2012 06:14

Rewarding attendance at primary school is to reward children for something they have no control over. It's absurd.

You might as well reward them for parental earnings, which is also an indicator of educational success.

Why not give them a book token for something they, and not their parents, have actually done?

LadyInDisguise · 21/07/2012 06:22

It's the £5 voucher that I have a problem with, the fact that they are giving money to a child.
And the fact that that money could have been used to buy a book for the school library instead, something that all children could have then benefited from.

Attendance can be an issue. The £5 voucher is obviously there to create the very reaction the OP saw on her dcs. Because then the dc will put pressure on the parents to be at school and not to miss one day 'because they would get a voucher'. A good way to try and sway parents and avoid school term hols, staying at home for a runny nose etc...
The problem is that the ethic is the same than when they have advert directed at children about the risk of smoking. The 'I am worried about my dad smoking'. I don't agree with it either.

Hopandaskip · 21/07/2012 06:27

Our local school district (really big one) sent home an email saying that they were honouring two students who had gone their entire school career without an abscence (13 years). One of them was quoted as saying "some days it was much harder than others" or something like that.

You know what that was code for?

"I went to school sick some times, possibly infecting the other schlubs who then wrecked their attendance record."

Why the hell should we be applauding that?

My kid has asthma and for a while it was poorly controlled while we were figuring the right combo of drugs out. Every time he got a cold for a year or two he would end up in hospital with blue lips on oxygen. I'd be super pissed if I knew that it was coming from some kid desperate to get perfect attendance sneezing and coughing all over him.

Stonefield · 21/07/2012 06:31

Junpingthroughhoops that was an excellent rant! More please!

peggyblackett · 21/07/2012 06:31

YANBU - I'm firmly in the camp of not.rewarding a child for something they have absolutely no control over.

Ilovegeorgeclooney · 21/07/2012 06:58

As a teacher I feel it is more about reminding parents of the importance of attendance. It does have a significant impact on GCSE grades. It also is a fact that you dont take time off for a cold at work so you do need to develop some stoicism. My eldest DD had 100% for 7 years at secondary but missed out on an award because on Sports Day she forgot to register in the afternoon. I think that was a valuable lesson for her. As a parent with a child with hearing problem I accept it might be seen to be discrimatory but this is because of the casual attitude towards attendance demonstrated by so many parents.

lopsided · 21/07/2012 07:46

Its tricky. I do think it's crap to reward lack of illness. However there are many kids taking unauthorized absences for holidays and when it has snowed at my kids school. How else can the school try to improve attendance?
Ironically when they handed out the certificates at my kids school 2 children in the class were on holiday, so they wouldn't even know what they were missing.

fireice · 21/07/2012 07:52

These awards are discriminatory and encourage sick/infectious children to attend school, they should be stopped.

Original poster
DancesWithWoolsEnPointe · 21/07/2012 07:56

I am OP I'm loving following this thread but can I please now have opinions on what I was actually asking - My issues is not so much the recognition and certificate, its the £5 book voucher I have a big problem with. She actually got money for this. Its the only thing at the school that gets recognized with anything other than a hand shake, a sticker and a certificate.

OP posts: