To disagree with attendance awards

[LittleMissUpset]

DS2 came home from school with some chocolate and a certificate DS1 didn't because he had a CAMHS appointment and is now awaiting assessment for ASD, therefore didn't get the attendance award.

I explained to DS1 that school are measured on attendance and they are just trying to encourage the children, but it's not his fault and it's unfair so I will buy him some chocolate too.

It really is unfair, as even if children are off ill it's not their fault.

AIBU to disagree with attendance awards?

Hugely disagree with them. There are two students with severe medical issues who will never qualify for the award. They are both gorgeous, hard working, lovely wee girls who cannot help being off. Also, when the attendance awards were allocated this week, one was given to a very naughty child. Now, I get that it's for attendance and he's been in every day since September, but he was one of several that could've been chosen.

My DS went back to school after the summer holiday then was admitted to hospital that evening...So by the end of the first week back at school his attendance was 25%.. Since then he has had 2 days off for a tummy bug.. However from week one he has no chance of a certificate...So if I cared about attendance he has no way to work his way back. However he goes to school if he is well enough certificate or none.

He is told that if he is well enough he goes to school ....If he isn't he doesn't go.. He has an appointment in January but yes it is after registration so won't be absent.. despite he has been marked absent for DR's appointment 10 minutes missed registration and not got attendance.

My DS has dysgraphia so will never get a spelling certificate.. I am not against people getting a certificate for passing there spellings..They will of worked at them ,,No primary school child has to work to be healthy..

Trifle, I know I'm a few pages out now but I'm astonished that you think the learning accelerates at secondary. The level may be higher but that's in correlation with ability.

I don't have any reasons against these awards to add that haven't already been mentioned. It's a natural reward; you're healthy and therefore don't miss out on anything.

Attendance awards are pointless
School is not mandatory education is..all children should be in school yes but not if they are ill the school system needs an overhaul anyhow children are outta school through holidays for to long, we should be rewarding creativity citizenship academic learning for individual achievement , we should have a rolling program of education built around the child school should fall in line with work so families can take whatever time off they want, no school holidays just annual leave days sport music arts extra activities should be done in the afternoon school should finish at 4:30 allowing for extra activities, the whole way we approach school needs revamping and parents should insist that attendence awards are taken off the table if they feel that strongly we pay for the school through the tax system so we do have a say as to what we see as acceptable hence the 'governors' positions

Attendance awards don't bother me more than any other award. Not everybody can win the maths award, not everybody can win the swimming competition etc. It doesn't matter. When my kids tell me somebody won an award they haven't won or don't have a hope of winning I say 'good for X. Isn't that great!' rather than telling them not to mind and acting like they've been hard done by. I don't want them taking other people's good fortunes as personal failures now or in later life. It is okay not to win everything. It's just a certificate and some sweets.

Sally no one objects to rewards for sports. What people object to in that instance is the less able children being bullied.

Nice try though!

My daughter received a 100% attendance certificate a couple of years ago. Was a little shocked as we had 5 days authorised absence for a holiday and 2 days sickness! When I checked the certificate the cut off date was May 23rd so as she was ill and on holiday after that it didn't count. But still she didn't have 100% attendance so why give her the certificate.

All a load of rubbish really.

I also have taken my kids on holiday for the last 7 years in school time, end June early July, never had a problem getting authorisation and will continue to do so. They are still getting their education.

To whoever it was who said well, what can schools do with a child who is having chemo, well they can behave like decent human beings!
The school I knew with a child who was having chemo for a terminal brain tumour sent letters home and then regular emails basically saying they would take an extremely hard line against anyone sending an infectious or ill child to school. Repeated emails warning against taking any risks with this, and to be on the watch for anything.
And encouraging a higher level of hygiene in the school with alcohol hand wash everywhere and making sure children weren't sharing snacks.
Any parent who deliberated sent in a flailing child would have been practically lynched by not only the school, but the other parents.
Keeping one child alive for as long as possible and able to be just very slightly "normal" for a little while at school was the priority.
This was a few years ago now. The other classmates who were encouraged to stay home when sick haven't shown any signs of delinquency or academic failure 🙄

whisky that sounds entirely reasonable. The number of posts on here basically saying "life goes on fuck you " have brought me close to tears. My child is not on chemo, but she is vulnerable and there have been times I have had to take her out of school ( on teacher's advice ) because others have gone in sick.

DS1 has ASD and is under neurology and ENT for different medical issues so will never in his school career achieve 100% attendance. It's just not physically possible; they sat practise exams last week and he was so stressed that he became physically unwell and needed a day off to sleep through. We don't make a big deal about attendance other than pointing out when he's well that school isn't optional; he tries every now and then to pull a fast one and I can always tell the difference.

DS2 is the strongest child I've ever known and has always had 100% attendance. It's not because he's been sent in unwell; I teach in his school and wouldn't consider sending him in if he was ill. He just doesn't seem to get ill. He has asthma which is well-controlled but doesn't pick up coughs, colds, tummy bugs or otherwise. He's probably a carrier rather than a sufferer, but some children just make it 100% of the time through nobody's fault.

On both sides of the coin I don't give a shit; we don't parade attendance awards about like they matter, but we smile and say well done to DS2 when he brings one home. Anyone who believes 100% attendance matters has their head in the clouds.

They stopped them at our primary.
Absolute nonsense and encouraged parents to send in kids who should be at home with their runny noses, bums etc

It's a tough one, I agree. DS1 has only missed his attendance award in Primary 2, because he had gastroenteritis and had to stay off 48 hours after the bug had cleared. Which meant 4 days off total. Other than that he has 100% attendance for every other year (5 in total so far).
He was very upset to have not got the attendance award in P2.

saying that attendance breaks the cycle of poverty makes you look incredibly foolish

Really? All that research that has shown children with less than 95% attendance get lower grades at GCSE than children with 96% or above is wrong then? Because there is no link whatsoever between good educational outcomes and a future free of poverty? Because schools shouldn't give an actual shit about educating children?

Its a known fact that higher attendance leads to higher academic achievement.

So what are you all saying is Johnny should not have got a Level 6 in SATs or 10 A* GCSEs because your child has been ill, had lower attendance, and therefore only got Level 4 or 10 C Grade GCSEs!

Or Johnny shouldn't have received an award for sports because your child is in a wheelchair.

Bubble I know my post sounded harsh. But that is the reality of the real world. It rarely stops to give anyone with injury and/or illness an extra helping hand.

And I was that child, still am that adult. There comes a point when making adjustments, being more thoughtful, accommodating, becomes counter productive - not for all, obviously. But for many kids and adults with life limiting conditions there has to come that moment of realisation... Just as able bodied, healthy individuals have to have that moment of recognition and clear understanding of personal limitations.

Not everyone can be an astronaut! It is after that realisation that every kid starts to grow up and recognise their own path. It is sad, but inevitable...

Any employer would probably prefer someone who turns up on time and has low sickness absence. So it is a lesson for life, but not easy to find the best way of encouraging it.

They don't bother me, all sort of awards get handed out at school that others don't get.

It's often cheaper for some companies to offer a bonus for full attendance than pay for all the "sickies" people pull when they want time off but don't want to use annual leave. So if schools encourage children by means of a certificate then it will help them in later life.

No one can help being too ill for school but staying home for a sniffle often happens. Likewise dentists appointments etc can be booked after school or in the holidays. Then there days off for birthdays, trips out and even more holidays....

Awards and prizes should be for things that children have control over, and win by working towards them.
Achievement, Effort, Behaviour.

Target the families with particular attendance issues for unauthorized absence and lateness with interventions that will actually work.

Leave the stupidly competitive parents who send a child who has been throwing up all weekend in on a Monday for the sake of the award out of it.

Our primary did agree to discount any absence connected to disability from the award system.

Secondary introduced a system where they planned to announce the names of DC whose attendance fell below a certain % in assembly. One of my DC , a hard working, never skivjng child, has a disability that demands numerous hospital appointments . I sent a polite but firm letter to the Head of Year and tutor explaining why I did not expect my child to be named and shamed as a result of these appointments. Which seems to have been accepted.

hatty

That happened to my child as well

Ironically he was at home ill when his name was called out in a whole school assembly to pick up his certificate for good attendence

waggy

I dont think 'all' of us are saying anything like that

In fact i will bet you that no one has said that

Trifleorbust: Not sure it is that controversial to acknowledge that the demands of learning increase at secondary, so it is more detrimental to miss school.

When did you last spend some time in a primary classroom Trifle? Your pupils may be studying more complex topics but I'm not at all convinced that they're working harder than mine. The 'demands of learning' are very high throughout our system nowadays.

Personally, I think that 100% attendance certificates are ridiculous, particularly at Primary. If we're going to reward attendance, it should be based on individual circumstances. Take into account medical conditions that need regular appointments and so on. Reward for no unauthorised absences or for attendance against an individual target.

I firmly believe in rewarding and praising children for effort and things that are within their control.