To think school attendance parties and certificates are a good idea?

[Liketochat1]

I've been having a discussion about school attendance initiatives such as parties at the end of term for 100% attendance or bronze, silver and gold certificates for varying levels of attendance.
What do you think about these initiatives? Are they a good idea? Do you support schools' decisions to implement them or do you think they are unfair as sometimes children are absent for sickness and can't help that? Does that possibility mean those children who have made it in everyday should not get recognition and a scheme which stresses the value of school attendance and aims to support parents in getting their children to school should be scrapped?
What do you think? AIBU?

Sorry i still haven't figured out that strikethrough thing! X

I agree Cory.

I also have 2 (surviving) children.

Older girl is fit as a flea and regularly has 100% attendance in school.

Little one has asthma, it has at times been scary and life threatening.

I know big sis feels sorry for little sis having to have asthma and hospital admissions, needles, drips etc. So big sis is aware she is very very lucky to not have a chronic condition.

Now, if my older daughter can understand that it is luck alone that means she doesn't have a chronic condition, why do 'teachers, LEAs and Ed Psychs' struggle with that concept?

Attendance certificates - why not encourage children to play the lottery, or take up gambling? They are both prime examples of rewarding luck. Personally, I'd rather schools rewarded endeavour.

Liketochat1 Tue 11-Dec-12 14:05:44

"I felt that if even one child in every school is encouraged to attend school because of these schemes, like having a party for attendance, then I felt they added value. Because of course for lots of children getting to school isn't all that easy. Many don't have parental support so have no breakfast and dress or get to school alone. If these initiatives, alongside a wider support network, help a child in this situation, then I see merit in them. Obviously LEAs, head teachers and Ed psychs who consult each other when planning these initiatives think so too"

And if even one child attempts suicide because she feels she will never be able to live up to these expectations and she might as well pack in now?

OP, the child was mine.

Her headteacher has long gone out of her life. He doesn't have to know about her self-harming or sleepless nights or that desperate attempt to escape a life of failure. He probably looks back smugly at his well informed work to improve attendance. We are the ones who have to live with the fallout- and so does her present school.

And before you ask, dd did not get into this state because she missed out on a party. She got into this state because she had to sit through endless lectures on how children with low attendance were ruining their chances in life and letting everybody down. Dd is the kind of person who cares desperately about not letting others down. Ds otoh couldn't give a toss.

your dd1 sounds lovely, ithaka

"The culture of 'my child cannot achieve this so no one can be recognised for their achievement' sucks.

One method of awarding bonuses and payrises on attendance - so if you have any hope of your child acquiring and holding down a job, a little bit of real world is beneficial.

Why shouldn't my child be rewarded for going to school eveyday and not making a nuisance of himself?"

Jeez ...... (bangs head on wall).

My child goes to school every day - as do 100s of 1000s of other - when they can. If they have a hospital appointment, they can't. They are not willfully avoiding school - they are receiving medical treatment. If they have chickenpox, they can't .... I presume, if we tried, they'd be sent home immediately and I'd have a strip torn off me. Etc etc etc.

That has nothing to do with the real world ..... other than I suppose if, as an adult, I got chickenpox, then I'd also be sent home from work. I do hope - very much - that my child will get a job - though I suspect that will have a great deal more to do with the economic climate rather than them having to see an eye specialist for half a day when they were 8. I also hope they'll be a conscientious worker and hold down their job - I very much doubt they'll be tempted to "swing the lead" just because they once had a few days off for D&V as a schoolchild.

What a bloody patronising remark.

You can't equate adult absenteeism with childhood absence from school for genuine and unavoidable reasons. I guess the nearest link you can make is between that and parents who can't be arsed to get out of bed and/or who fancy a day out with the kids. That is a parent issue and should be taken up with them.

When my child does go to school I don't consider it an achievement. They are simply doing what they are supposed to do at that age. Younger children can't get themselves to school independently of their parents so whether they go or not isn't due to their effort/determination/hard work/conscience or whatever. Older children who do take themselves to school do perhaps have to make more of a conscious effort if they have the sort of disinterested parent who doesn't give a s**t but generally speaking, older kids with difficult home circumstances are known by the school and they can be supported and/or "rewarded" for their efforts in more discreet ways. Rewarding - or not - simply on attendance is still wrong for older kids because they do still get ill, do still have accidents, do still go to hospital etc.

*The culture of 'my child cannot achieve this so no one can be recognised for their achievement' sucks.

Why shouldn't my child be rewarded for going to school eveyday and not making a nuisance of himself?*

It isn't an achievement for the child! It is a lottery.

Your child should be rewarded for not making a nuisance of himself if that is an achievement for him.

The majority of children should not be rewarded for being lucky in a process which inevitably singles out and punishes a few who have had illnesses or have long term disabilities and health problems.

Yes, catsmother. The issue is that 100% attendance for a child in primary school generally isn't an achievement. It just means they haven't been ill. You may as well choose to reward them for having feet a certain size or anything else that isn't within their control. Why not choose to reward children for things that reflect their own efforts and attitudes instead?

What Goldmandra says. The current focus on attendance rewards children like my ds who quite frankly aren't putting any effort in at all. Shuffling off to school when I turf him out in the mornings is hardly an achievement. If he actually listened when he was there, that would indeed be an achievement for him and worth rewarding. But there is no school awards ceremony for paying attention.

catsmother - where in the "real world" do you get a pay rise for turning up every day as opposed to being good at your job?

Of course repeated absence for no reason would be frowned on - but one or two authorised absences for a good reason are accepted as part of life.

I'm trying to imagine an appraisal where a manager says "you've achieved all your targets and won the department an award, but I'm afraid since you took the day off when you had norovirus you won't be getting the pay rise you were expecting"

I can see why schools do it - to discourage holidays in term time most probably but punishing those children who are ill is ridiculous. Surely it's in the best interest of the school that children who are ill with contagious viruses etc are off school so they don't pass it around!

Longtalljosie Wed 12-Dec-12 08:45:01

"I'm trying to imagine an appraisal where a manager says "you've achieved all your targets and won the department an award, but I'm afraid since you took the day off when you had norovirus you won't be getting the pay rise you were expecting""

Or one where the manager says "you haven't reached a single target, you sit around day-dreaming all day and let your colleagues do your work for you, but you have been present in the office every single hour required and we have therefore decided to award you a large pay rise".

Though surely it wasn't catsmother who was responsible for the remark about the real world- she was just quoting HollyBerryBush (and banging her head on the wall in frustration).

our school has certificates for 100% attendance at the end of year assembly. For the last two years its been "sadly no child managed 100% attendance this year".

Yep .... wasn't me citing "real world", I was indeed responding to a previous poster who made the very dubious link between good school attendance and getting and holding down a job in adult life.

I think rewarding attendance at school sucks and am amazed at anyone who thinks their precious little poppet should be rewarded for simply turning up.

One method of awarding bonuses and payrises on attendance - so if you have any hope of your child acquiring and holding down a job, a little bit of real world is beneficial.

If you were at all familiar with the Equalities and Human Rights Commission website, you would know that this constitutes indirect discrimination and is unlawful.

Oh oops sorry catsmother!

Was going to comment on how rediculous these awards are but the reasons have already been repeated again and again so I will go bang my head against a wall instead!
Rewards should be for achievement and encouraging others to strive for the same not for something out of anyone's control.

"One method of awarding bonuses and payrises on attendance - so if you have any hope of your child acquiring and holding down a job, a little bit of real world is beneficial."

This would only be an accurate comparison if bonuses were awarded to you for how often your parents went to work.

"Why shouldn't my child be rewarded for going to school eveyday and not making a nuisance of himself?"

He can make as much of a nuisance of himself as he likes. Technically, he could set fire to the school every day (exclusions notwithstanding) and still receive an attendance award.

I am loath to mention anything that could be taken as criticism of dd's current school, because they are absolutely wonderful and will get their reward in heaven. But it does hurt a little bit that dd, who has had to fight so hard for her education and who has sacrificed so much, will be the one who isn't allowed to go to her prom.

Again why should parents who are utterly selfish be rewarded? If a poorly child is sent to school to gain their 100% attendance certificate it is generally fulfilling a patents need to gain bragging rights about little janes wonderful certificate and general marvellousness. Whilst my ds comes home in tears having been warned about his attendance! All legitimate reasons. Car crash, sent home, sent home, tonsillitis, sent home. The times he was sent home was because others had sent children in with d&v!

One parent even brought their poxy child to a whole school assembly FFs!

So many of the posts on here are talking about how unfair this is to children who have genuine reasons for absence, and I agree. But no one has any suggestions on how to prevent or at least encourage parents to send their healthy children into school instead of taking an extra day for their weekend break, or to send them in instead of going out for lunch for Grannies birthday or whatever.

While I can see that awards for 100% attendance is like using a sledgehammer to crack a nut, I think something does have to be done about parents who have so little consideration for the rest of the class that they think its ok to take their children out of school whenever they feel like it. So many parents lie to the school and phone to say their children are sick, but then the children come in the next day and tell the truth.

I've already asked on this thread, and not been answered, but does anyone have any better suggestions on how to tackle this problem?

I think the key has got to be good communication. A school with good communication with parents, which manages to get across in a positive way how important their child's attendance is, will imo have a better chance of succeeding than one that is known for not supporting parents with problems. Dd's former school was totally unsupportive and it didn't make me feel very loyal to them. Her present school is incredibly supportive, and I really really would like to do anything to help them meet their targets- as long as they recognise that some things are not in my power.

As some one who has had a toddler with a chest infection that has turned into a horrible stomach bug I applaud these measures.

Currently I am getting into work at 7am, working until lunchtime, coming home to relieve poor vomit splatted husband who then goes to work whilst I clear up vomit for the afternoon. We then put dd to bed, work all evening and collapse into bed only to be woken 3 times by poor dd.

However, I am a mother who cares about dd's education so in two years in this circumstance I will be able to drop her at school with a clear conscience. When the (vomit splatted) teacher calls to ask me to pick her up I shall explain how important attendance is.

I never knew virtue was so rewarding!

I'll go one further: I really really would like to do anything to help dd's current school meet their targets because they recognise that some things are not in my power.

"But no one has any suggestions on how to prevent or at least encourage parents to send their healthy children into school instead of taking an extra day for their weekend break, or to send them in instead of going out for lunch for Grannies birthday or whatever."

Any consequence for the things you describe should be for the parents, not the child- the most effective consequences may differ from council to council or even school to school... But I would really like to know why attendance is targeted above other factors shown to have a greater impact on children's educational outcomes, such as household income and continuity. There is no consequence for children of parents who earn very little or move frequently. I am not suggesting that these parents should face a consequence, just that these are also factors in children's education which need to be addressed.

cory, I actually find it worse when an otherwise great school insists on implementing such a system of attendance awards.