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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

To be pissed off with school attendance awards.

126 replies

FortyDoorsToNowhere · 23/10/2013 21:45

I hate it, a child can't help getting ill or can not get to school on time as it down to the adult taking them.
then there are children who have appointments, such as SALTS or paediatrician which are often difficult to rearrange.

What pisses me off is that my son has many appointments, so he will never get 100% attendance and never gets these awards.

aibu to think attendance awards should be banned in school.

OP posts:

TreeFuMom · 23/10/2013 21:46

YANBU

Justforlaughs · 23/10/2013 21:49

YANBU

Tiredmumno1 · 23/10/2013 21:51

I thought that's why they do unauthorised and authorised absences for this reason, at least they do at one of my DS's schools, so if they are authorised then it gets counted in.

I suppose the schools can't think of any other ways to get the kids there on time and everyday, if there is no good reason of course.

Which I find a much better way of handling it, as I know all too well about having to have appointments in school time unfortunately.

quoteunquote · 23/10/2013 21:52

YANBU

christinarossetti · 23/10/2013 21:52

They really irritate me. I've just put my children's in the recycling.

Do they actually improve attendance, does anyone know?

Tiredmumno1 · 23/10/2013 21:54

Sorry I should have added that I know not all schools do this . Maybe they should if they insist on awards.

WhoNickedMyName · 23/10/2013 21:55

YABU.

I find the people who are against these are the ones whose children are unlikely, for whatever reason, to ever get one.

There's a kid in DS's class who will most likely never win any award at school, but his attendance has been 100% since he started. It's probably the only award he will ever win in his school career.

Some kids will never win a race at sports day, some will never win a reading challenge award or a maths award. That's life.

Tiredmumno1 · 23/10/2013 21:56

Good point Christina, I have no idea .

chocnomore · 23/10/2013 21:56

yanbu. Dd has SN and frequent appointments. she misses out on the awards pretty often. luckily she is nit bothered but I do not think it is fair.

JackNoneReacher · 23/10/2013 21:56

YANBU.

Especially unpleasant that a child who is chronically ill/needs surgery will never get the award. What sort of message is this...?

Meanwhile there is an award for a. being lucky or b. coming into school even when you've been up all night with the shits.

Wallison · 23/10/2013 21:57

YANBU, for all of the reasons that you cite. Being well enough to have no days off school is a matter of good fortune, not a matter of doing something right or wrong, so I don't see why it should be rewarded.

I also don't see how it helps with chronic non-attenders who aren't in school because of their parents' drug/alcohol etc problems, or those whose parents don't take their education seriously - in order to turn around these children's educational experience, there needs to be a serious concerted effort and a multi-pronged approach, where agencies work with the school and with parents. But that takes time and money and person-power that is not always readily available, so instead schools go around handing out attendance awards and give themselves a pat on the back for their 'initiative'.

thefirstmrsrochester · 23/10/2013 21:59

I think they are unfair and pointless. My dc primary school didn't do them for the reasons mentioned. You don't choose to be ill, you just are sometimes. YANBU.

Original poster

FortyDoorsToNowhere · 23/10/2013 22:00

It seems almost every school values attendance over a child's heath.

OP posts:

JackNoneReacher · 23/10/2013 22:00

whonickedmyname the reading/maths/sports awards are often achieved through hard work and may be won by different students each year.

You don't earn or work hard for an attendance award. There is no achievement. Its just luck. Thats the difference and that's why many people don't like them.

soontobeslendergirl · 23/10/2013 22:01

I can see both sides of this tbh- I agree children can't help being ill and certainly in primary it is mostly the parents responsibility to get them there on time. However, apart from the fact that my children have been blessed with excellent health, even when my son was being bullied he never asked to take time off school and had perfect attendance for 5 years running - he missed a couple of days in P1 and P2. I think that deserved to be recognised in some way. He did get a certificate one year, but it was a photocopied sheet without even his name having been filled in and dated 1997......he wasn't even born until 2000.....so it was a bit of a waste of time.

I think that as long as there are a variety of different awards that children are able to get, having some that some children would find difficult to achieve is okay as long as the same "value" is given to each award i.e. a pencil or badge or whatever.

For example, I wouldn't expect there to be no awards for academic achievement or sporting achievement just because a child is not gifted in either department. However, I think the majority should be for effort as that sends an important message I think.

WhoNickedMyName · 23/10/2013 22:02

Jack but isn't it nice for some children who might never academically achieve or be sporty enough or whatever to win anything else, to win just that one thing - even if it is through sheer good luck?

LynetteScavo · 23/10/2013 22:03

They are pointless.

Unless you have a child who isn't good at anything, apart from going to school everyday.

For some children, those who sit on the bottom table, and can't pay attention for more than 30 seconds, and don't quite get that a cube has six faces and pushes, and has a packet of biscuits and a fruit shoot for their lunch.....for these children it may be the only certificate (apart from star of the week, which they don't get until July and only then because they are the only child in the class who hasn't had it) they get.

southeastastra · 23/10/2013 22:05

can this subject now have it's own topic please?

LynetteScavo · 23/10/2013 22:06

My Dyslexic DD hasn't missed a day of school in 3 years.

I jokingly said to her teacher if she wen't to school every day for the rest of the year, and made it to four years without a day off, maybe we should reward her.

Her teacher howled and said "Oh, yes, lets give her a book."

soontobeslendergirl · 23/10/2013 22:08

I think for some children it can be hard work and dedication for them to make it into school every day.

Sirzy · 23/10/2013 22:12

I don't understand how they are allowed as surely it is disability discrimination?

Health is out of control of the child. But awards like this encourage children to attend school when they should be off which means children who are already more vulnerable to illness will end up catching more bugs and need more time off.

LynetteScavo · 23/10/2013 22:17

Lets not pretend anyone ever went to school when they were poorly just to get a crappy photo copied certificate.

Sirzy · 23/10/2013 22:18

But in too many schools its not just certificates, it's parties and trips and other prizes.

LynetteScavo · 23/10/2013 22:18

Mind you, there are plenty of kids sent i to school dosed up with calpol because mum and dad need to go to work.

JackNoneReacher · 23/10/2013 22:20

I would still sooner not reward good luck whonicked.

Much prefer to see 'best improvement', 'hardest worker' or whatever other award you could make up which actually reflected a childs achievements.

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