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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

100% attendance

310 replies

AgainstTheOddsNo2 · 21/04/2017 06:43

My daughter has just been sick and is currently devastated and not talking to me because I said she will have to stay home from school and lose her 100% attendance.

Fuck that prize!

OP posts:
Trifleorbust · 21/04/2017 08:42

AuntieStella:

I've never worked in a school that doesn't do attendance awards. I'm sure some do, but it is very much the norm.

I don't think the arguments against it are without merit. However, I don't agree that it is 'nasty'. It is well-intentioned if nothing else.

Original poster
AgainstTheOddsNo2 · 21/04/2017 08:46

At 4 am when you have a sick child in the bathroom crying because she will lose her attendance while you simultaneously try to comfort her and clean up vomit. the policy seems pretty frigging nasty

OP posts:
metalmum15 · 21/04/2017 08:48

It's just a bit of paper that will end up in the bin eventually. DD was quite excited to get one last year for the first time ever. She was in the minority. She won't be getting one this year. If my children are ill I tell them it's more important to get better than to get a certificate.

metalmum15 · 21/04/2017 08:48

It's just a bit of paper that will end up in the bin eventually. DD was quite excited to get one last year for the first time ever. She was in the minority. She won't be getting one this year. If my children are ill I tell them it's more important to get better than to get a certificate.

kingfisherblue33 · 21/04/2017 08:50

OP, you're quite right. It's a crappy, crappy concept.

Have you talked to the schoool about it? Our lower school used to have this prize until enough parents complained about it - for the reasons given above - unfair, it's not won on merit, parents are encouraged to send in sick kids.

metalmum15 · 21/04/2017 08:52

OP there are a lot of silly school policies I don't agree with. DD Primary has an award for the best behaved class in each year. DD knows for a fact her class will never get one because there are lots of 'challenging' kids in there. She sees it as unfair that the good kids who are well behaved still don't get any kind of reward for their behaviour. I can't help but agree sometimes.

pringlecat · 21/04/2017 08:53

It's a stupid concept and given that there are some children who will never be able to achieve a 100% attendance record due to outpatient appointments related to disability, it is discrimination and unfair. If this had been a thing when I was a child, I would have been fuming. I was a bright child who did my best, but I was also not a well child! Never missed a day for a sniffle, but I did miss several for essential medical treatment.

Utterly bonkers. OP, I really feel for your DD. Please do something nice for her, just the two of you - make your own reward!

SmilingButClueless · 21/04/2017 08:55

I'm not knowledgeable at all about this sort of thing, but if schools are going to have attendance awards, wouldn't it be better to give them for "no unauthorised absences" rather than 100% attendance?

LateToTheParty · 21/04/2017 08:57

Agree it's a crap system. Hope your daughter feels better soon and isn't too upset about being off.

Our primary school does a weekly attendance lottery, where names of all children with full attendance the previous week go into a hat and one is drawn at random during assembly. The winner is called to the front and given a £5 for our local supermarket. It's much fairer because even allowing for illness, appointments, parental disorganisation etc, there's a much greater chance of winning at least once in 7 years. DC1 has won once and was chuffed to bits, and loved choosing what to spend the voucher on.

MommaGee · 21/04/2017 08:59

Such a crap award. We'll likely still have 4-5 consultant appts per year junior school, so at least DS will know he's never going to win it! DH's place of work have just introduced a £25 bonus for a full year without an sick leave! Thankfully notbebough to encourage people to actually come in and spread their germs

jellyfrizz · 21/04/2017 09:01

I'm not knowledgeable at all about this sort of thing, but if schools are going to have attendance awards, wouldn't it be better to give them for "no unauthorised absences" rather than 100% attendance?

Well yes, but the target for the school is overall absence. Below a certain amount and they cannot be rated 'Outstanding' or 'Good'.

This is the problem with target setting, it becomes about meeting the target (minimising overall absence) which can conflict with the actual overall aim (education and wellbeing of the children).

OhhBetty · 21/04/2017 09:01

smileyhappypeople that really is nasty! It's public exclusion and borderline humiliation for being poorly! No way wpuld I send ds in on that day out of principle. He isn't school age yet so I've got it all to come!
LateToTheParty that seems a much fairer way of doing it.
However, it is kind of preparing them for the workplace. I've worked in many jobs where staff are literally terrified of calling in sick. They come into work and infect everyone with their sickness bug and the cycle continues!

Whirltime · 21/04/2017 09:02

My sons high school have a reward for attendance they have to get to 97% for the whole year and if they do they are allowed permission to go in a blackpool trip at the end of the year. Obviously we as parents have to pay for it but if they don't get 97% the school won't let them go. Also if there attendance drops below 97% after you paid for the trip they can't go and you don't get your money back its ridiculous. They never take in the fact that some children with sn have appointments and just can't get 97% my ds struggle getting the mark due to sn. Instead of encouraging him to try harder like they want him to get to school more he's developing a more stuff it attitude. I don't think rewards for attendance work at all.

claraschu · 21/04/2017 09:03

There are kids struggling with chronic health problems, who have no chance of ever achieving this. For them, ill health is not just a temporary inconvenience, but a life-long struggle Sad. Watching the healthy kids get a bouncy castle or a pizza party is actually adding extra pain to their unfair lot. Chronically ill children sometimes already feel like their condition is somehow their fault.

Spudlet · 21/04/2017 09:03

I'm amazed schools get away with this when it blatantly discriminates against children with longterm health conditions or disabilities that require time off for appointments and so on.

As for the school that does the ice cream thing, well. I wouldn't be sending my child there, that's for sure. Talk about rubbing it in.

Mari50 · 21/04/2017 09:05

Aw, my DD was the same this week. We had to have a long discussion about her fitness for school. I eventually told her I wasn't letting her go to school as she was so poorly and I'd buy her a prize.

WomblingThree · 21/04/2017 09:06

The problem I have with attendance awards is that surely most of the time in primary school, it is the parent who facilitates the child attending school (or not).

It's totally unfair to make a seven year old responsible for its own attendance. Certificates and treats are rewarding children with parents who care which is so sad.

socialanxietysrus · 21/04/2017 09:10

Exactly Clara, DS (8) has been on chemo for the last 2 school years. He misses tonnes of school. He'll miss days going forward as the chemo/Tumour has left him with problems. So he'll never achieve 100% attendance. His life is shit enough without being made to feel that he's not worthy of a prize!

Original poster
AgainstTheOddsNo2 · 21/04/2017 09:12

The ofstead target is stupid too. Dd used to go to a tiny! Infant school. One decent outbreak of chicken pox used to screw them over completely!

OP posts:
user789653241 · 21/04/2017 09:13

I think certificate is fine, but treat, no.
I have a child with chronic illness, who would never get 100%.

MyWhatICallNameChange · 21/04/2017 09:14

I agree Wombling. As far as I can tell attendance awards have never bothered the parents who can't be arsed to get their kids to school. They just upset those who try hard and get normal childhood illnesses, and those with long term illnesses who need time off for appointments etc.

Not to mention other stuff like family funerals.

Our locality used to do a cinema trip for all those with 100% attendance. When my youngest was in reception he couldn't understand why his brothers could go but he couldn't (93% after being sent home numerous times I'll, a sick bug and then chickenpox!) He was so upset.

My oldest got an award for 100% for the whole of secondary. It was very nice but just luck, not something he worked at like the other awards being handed out.

They are ridiculous. Especially when my ds had teachers off sick for months as well!

Cheerybigbottom · 21/04/2017 09:16

I agree that it is a nasty policy. My son has been diagnosed two weeks ago with High functioning ASD. He needed to miss some reception days to travel to assessment clinics (also for tic clinic, as he may have transient tic disorder). This really upset him as it goes against his class's award for weekly attendance.

He can't do anything about it but it stops his class achieving points towards an end of term ice cream party. It's hard going when 5 year olds question why you weren't in school and to be honest he's not that sure why.

nothercupoftea · 21/04/2017 09:17

completely revolting system!

Of course a primary school child has no say on going to school, or even arriving on time. Why should they be punished because of their parents for a start?

Blaming children for ill health, injuries or even surgery is shocking. In the days of overly political correctness nonsense, it's unbelievable schools are allowed to discriminate that way.

My kids are told from September that we do not support this system. If they miss school for any health reason, they get a big treat the day before going back anyway, as a reward for being grown-ups about their sickness or whatever they had.

I'd rather take them out a few days to go on holiday from the very start of the year to get that nonsense out of the way. I don't want them stressing out about being sick until the end of the year (or hiding their painful hear!), it's ridiculous.

CombineBananaFister · 21/04/2017 09:22

Your poor DD. I HATE these awards, really do, and the message they send. Give out a poxy certificate if you must but not treats.They are nasty IMHO because what they stand for is something no primary school child has any control over. If you have longterm health conditions (my Ds), a parent who doesn't get you to school, or just unlucky enough to be ill (cos thats all it is, luck) then the child is penalised. You encourage sick kids to go in - its a bizarre process when you think about it.

They have upped the ante at Ds school this term as the attendance is low and are giving a chocolate fountain to whichever class has the highest attendance. All the children want to win this major treat so it doesnt take a rocket scientist to figure out that if you are the child that lets the class down you are not going to be very popular with a bunch of 5/6yr olds Sad
It's ridiculous, my Ds came home worried for one child, saying that he was absent again and some of the other kids are upset at losing the treat. Even he can figure out the consequence at age 7. Knowing the childs circumstances and the shit he already has to put up with makes my heart break. I hope they handle it well in class

Bullshit awards that do not solve the problem they are trying to tackle and cause more harm Angry

GandolfBold · 21/04/2017 09:22

I took against this policy at DD's school and won. I said it was discrimination and after some time the school agreed.

DD s in good health physically but she has an eye condition which requires outpatient appointment, which were every 6 weeks at one point. The school gave out badges for those who got 100% attendance to wear and they also got a cinema trip.

Absolute bollocks.