Aibu to think this is Discriminating at its best?

[pumpkinsweetie]

Just a general aibu, about a new scheme that has started at my dds Academy.
To reward children for having 96 percent per term by having a non-uniform day for those that achieved that greater and all those that do not succeed must come in full uniform!
Bare in mind the age ranges go from 3-11, do you think this is wrong?
My dds luckily achieved this but with one of them only being 4yo, if she doesn't succeed next term i will have one very upset little girl.

Aibu to think this will only upset the children who couldn't help being ill for a few days some terms and to also find that this discriminates those with health problems?

There are no special exemptions, the child must obtain 96 percent attendence or greater for the entire term to achieve one non uniform day.

I know its a tactic to achieve a better overall attendance, but at what cost to the child's emotions if there happens to be only one child in class in uniform.

Sorry to moan on, i just think its wrong.

"Part of being at school is developing an immune system, it's one of the main benefits over home school. "

?

I will also be sending my children in non uniform even if they don't succeed next term and the principle can complain all he wants as i think his idea is ridiculous and will be almost impossible to achieve next term as the winter vomiting bug continues to circulate

My friend is currently depressed (and not without reason, tho that's a whole other thread). It doesn't take much for her to be persuaded not to do the school run - she is exhausted from coping with 2 SN toddlers alone, hates her appearance, feels inferior and her stomach is in knots at the thought of standing with all the 'perfect' mums at the school gates. She just wants to hide away with her babies. The last thing her 9 year old needs right now is to be singled out and punished for his sporadic attendance...

tiggy I did say it was bad in a Primary School!
However, nobody is 'paraded' anywhere, you are being dramatic. THe lower attenders do the norm, not some barbaric extra punishment. As I said, though, I can see why people may not like rewards for good attendance. I work in a Secondary School, where pupils do have some say over whther they attend. 100% attenders are entered for a raffle, so most of them get nothing extra.

In my DD's primary she was one of a very small number of children singled out in front of the whole school at the end of every half term. All children with 100% attendance were asked to stand up during a special assembly for a round of applause. They then had a good look around to see who was still sitting down.

My DD felt dreadfully singled out and implicitly criticised. It broke her heart every time.

I also used to watch the reception children who were completely confused about why they were/weren't standing up. Some of those who weren't given a certificate were crying because they didn't know what they had done wrong

I described the appalling experience she had at her next school on the other thread I linked to.

Goldmandra that is terrible. THat is singling out and punishing poor attendance.

cardi see despite my reservations for these things in primary, I can see the benefits of this type of system in secondary - providing the school will be sympathetic to those who do have chronic illnesses etc. I know our leaving do was based on merit - and those who under performed due to laziness - not illness were excluded. It seemed fair as at that age group (15/16) you do have an element of control over how hard you work/effort required for rewards.

I hate this poorly thought out system of rewards for primary schools if I'm honest.

Exactly gold, it isn't right for such a young child to be singled out for having been ill or due to feckless parents.
My dd has sn, of i had to send her in and she was singled out a whole lot of tears would be had and because her speech isn't good, it would also be hard to express herself in any other way. It would also make me feel bad leaving her at school in such a state and it wouldn't be fair on her teacher having her cry and be sad all day.
That is why i plan on complaining and not obeying the rules if need be next term.

I have always thought uniform couldn't be made compulsory. It's promoted but couldn't be enforced.

I would send them in normal clothes, and play dumb if they question why they aren't in uniform.

"oh, see I was sure I miss understood. I was sure you wouldn't discriminate and point out to the other children that some have been sick/required medical appointments/have a disability" "Well they are here now and if you choose to have a non school uniform day again I'm sure you will make sure you include all children regardless of medical needs or disability."

Our school has a uniform but makes it clear they can't enforce it, If the children choose/need to wear non uniform they can.

Attendance rewards/certificates are a big fat pile of shit. A certificate or non-school uniform day is not going to motivate truly feckless parents or those where there are issues such as; alcohol misuse etc. Those who think it will are seriously deluded and don't understand all the factors that underlie these sorts of situations. Maybe it will help in the odd case but IME for primary school children, it is discriminatory.

Exactly tiggy. Luckily for them our primary works with me, rather than against me

Goldmandra that is terrible. THat is singling out and punishing poor attendance.

Absolutely and exactly why it is not acceptable to reward high attendance. When the majority of the school is receiving a reward, those who do not qualify are singled out and punished as a result.

I don;t quite agree, Goldmandra. Making others look at who had low attendance is much more a punishment than just requiring them to do what they always do. I repeat, I don't agree with it at primary but, properly done, it can be beneficial at secondary.

tiggy it'll be way more than one child. 100% attendance is not so common that you are likely to end up with only one person in the class not getting it. It sounds like your DS's secondary is trying to work with you, that's great.

LOVE the T-shirt idea, might think about printing a few for my dds and my friends children for the future incase my complaint isn't heard

Another loony thing bought in lately is that a teacher is only allowed to change a child after having an toilet accident but is disallowed from throwing the contents/&or pants/knickers into bin, they must keep the soiled clothing as it is for parents to take home , my dds teacher was so embarrassed and apologetic about having to ask if i wanted the heavily soiled underwear back, that the poor teacher had to keep in her class all day!

My dd very rarely has an accident but i felt that cant be good for a child's self esteem to have to sit in a smelly room all day .
The teacher said she was appalled to hear of this new policy but has no choice but to follow it !!!!!

It is discrimination and it does go against the Equality Act of 2010. I posted about this on another thread the other day, so apologies to those who have read about it.

DS2(16) is a severe asthamtic so obviously misses quite a bit of schooling due to that, he also has a problem with his knee that requires hospital appointments. Around a month ago he broke, dislocated and severely damaged the ligaments and tendons in his shoulder playing rugby for the school, at school.

We have had a letter saying unless his attendance improves he can not attend the Prom! I believed it to be discrimatorg, so I contacted Asthma.org, who agreed and told me to contact the Equalities and Human Rights Comission. They have told me that all pupils with a disability, or SN, or long term illness should have 2 sets of attendance records and all absences directly related to that condition should be discounted when it comes to awards/ rewards. This is seen as making reasonable adjustments so all DC start off on a level playing field.

The EHRC have supported us in writing a letter and will support us in taking legal action against the school if necessary.

DS2 is a model pupil. He is predicted 10A's And A*s at GCSE, has never had a detention, never been in trouble, is used as an example of how to wear the uniform. He has represented the school at Cambridge University 3 times in the last 10 months, won competitions for them, and despite his asthma and his bad knee still plays sport for them. Yet because of his asthma he is potentially going to be punished!

landofsoap, that is awful. They are discriminating against your son for having asthma and disallowing from his prom [buangry]. So wrong on so many levels and its sounds as though you son has been through the mill enough already without missing out on something so important as his prom.
Hope he gets to go landofsoap and if not i would send him in anyway, they can't physically remove him, he is a pupil at their school!

Making others look at who had low attendance is much more a punishment than just requiring them to do what they always do.

The children weren't _made- to look at the poor attenders. They don't need adults to make them do it. Whether it is attending a disco or party, wearing non-uniform and standing up for a round of applause or certificate, if the majority is rewarded, the small minority is cleary highlighted.

It shatters children's confidence in the fairness of their teachers, gives them more reason to feel bad about themselves and their conditions and offers unkind pupils perfect ammunition to use against them in the playground, especially where non-uniform days are concerned.

Too many head teachers think more of impressing Ofsted than they do of the well-being of the individual children in their care. If this were not the case they would address attendance issues far more sensitively and mostly on an individual basis.

They use this blunt instrument because it is quick and easy. That is lazy and unethical.

Oh ffs. Yes, let's undermine the school policy by bringing our children to school in non uniform when they are not entitled to it. Because yes, that is the best way to deal with the situation. Teach your child that they don't have to follow the rules, so that when they get older they feel like they don't have to do homework/stay on site/attend detentions etc because mum will refuse to support the school. When your dc gets to upper school, if they have poor attendance, they miss out on crucial controlled assessment time, which has to be completed in school. Your child's school is fostering good habits early on, so that it isn't an issue later.

Schools have attendance policies, they allow 6% absence, if your child has less than that then they don't get the reward! It's unfortunate if a child has medical needs but that is the way it is. Children need to be in school, and there are some parents who seem to think that it is ok to keep them off/take them on holiday in term time etc, and it is unreasonable.

Get a grip, there will be more than one child that doesn't have excellent attendance, at the school I work in only about 8 out of 28 of my tutor group get to wear non uniform. It is acknowledging that they have done well.

Frankly, it is a joke the amount of parents who are unsupportive of school policy, and it makes our lives extremely difficult when trying to develop children into responsible adults. By letting them wear non uniform when they shouldn't is teaching them to disrespect the authority of the school, and it is wrong. Grow up.

landofsoapandglory There is a specific section of the EA 2010 that states institutions should make 'reasonable adjustments'. There is specific education legislation too. I'd throw that is their faces till they get the message.

Then it is the parents who need to be dealt with, not the children.

Mawgatron It is a discriminatory policy that contravenes the Equality Act 2010. Unfortunate, my arse!