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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

100% Attendance Award

252 replies

user1489094655 · 19/07/2017 21:22

Hi
Today, the school my dd goes to rewarded the children with 100% attendance with a trip to the cinema. In a school of about 90, there was 7 from various years.

My dd didn't get 100% because we took a two week holiday in June. My husband has holidays allocated by his work which this year was the first fortnight of June. Total lucky dip and not negotiable. She had NO other time off.

It also doesn't seem fair on children who are poorly, why penalise a child because they had, for example, chicken pox.

What about religious festivals, bereavement, family weddings etc.

All of these situations are out of a child's control.

If it's an incentive to come to school, for some families they don't care about the cinema trip or school so the incentive doesn't work yet for some children like my dd, it is a disappointment.

Any thoughts?

OP posts:
LoniceraJaponica · 19/07/2017 21:24

I agree with you. It's bonkers.

Charming1234 · 19/07/2017 21:25

Not the schools fault how your husband's weird holiday rules work. She didn't get 100% there will always we kids that don't get 100% for various reasons (although illness is a separate issue here) they have to draw the line.

Sirzy · 19/07/2017 21:25

When it comes to children with ongoing medical needs it is also illegal under the DDA.

TeenAndTween · 19/07/2017 21:26

In general I don't like more than a certificate or perhaps a book for attendance at primary as it is too dependent on the parents and general health.

For your DD she missed out a cinema trip, but did have a two week holiday, plus only 7/90 were rewarded, so it is more like they won something than she was omitted. Just like sometimes other children win things by being naturally fast, or good at singing, or good at maths.

LoniceraJaponica · 19/07/2017 21:26

Although I'm surprised your husband's workplace doesn't take the fact that you have school aged children into account when allocating holidays. Or is he in the emergency services?

Everywhere I have worked we have always let parents of school aged children get first dibs for booking during school holidays.

HoneyIshrunktheBiscuit · 19/07/2017 21:26

I don't agree with 100% attendance awards but I wouldn't put a family holiday on the same level as being ill or having a family bereavement even if it was the only time your husband got off.

MrsHathaway · 19/07/2017 21:26

She had a holiday instead of a cinema trip.

But you're absolutely right about penalising children for sickness, and indeed penalising them for something they can't control.

And then there's Johnny who got 100% but really should have been at home that Monday after a sickly weekend, and passed the sick bug round half of Year Three who then didn't qualify ...

Achieving personalised attendance targets is a great idea. But 100% awards are fucking stupid.

RainbowsAndUnicorn · 19/07/2017 21:27

Of course she won't get a reward for attendance if she's had a term time holiday! A holiday is a luxury not a right.

Lots of firms give a bonus if no sick days etc are taken, it's an incentive to stop people pulling sickies.

TaliZorahVasNormandy · 19/07/2017 21:28

DD got 98.8% attendance because she had impetigo, ear infection and tonsilitus in the school year. She hadnt had any time off last year. so it was quite annoying as she rarely ill.

Gileswithachainsaw · 19/07/2017 21:30

I hate them too. Health is luck and nothing else.

And there's something seriously wrong of the only thing someone can say about a kid is "they showed up"

TheScottishPlay · 19/07/2017 21:30

It usually means 100% attenders have come to school unwell at some point and infected other poor souls whose parents sensibly keep them at home!

dementedpixie · 19/07/2017 21:31

Ours just get a certificate for 100% attendance. There are trips for good behaviour though e.g, soft play for P1-3, bowling for P4-5 and cinema forP6-7

TheFreaksShallInheritTheEarth · 19/07/2017 21:31

Primary school children have no control over their attendance; they're either ill or their parents have taken them out of school for some reason. But heads are drumming it into the children, to the extent that children themselves are getting upset if they drop below 100%. So unfair and unreasonable.

tamaramcnamara · 19/07/2017 21:33

OP, I have never seen the point of those attendance awards either. Yeah, good attedndance is to be encouraged but 100% is mostly down to luck (ie not getting sick or having a relative die etc)

tamaramcnamara · 19/07/2017 21:34

TheFreaksShallInherit yes- it upsets the already conscientious well -behaved kids but does nothing to solve the issue of truanting.

Pixie2015 · 19/07/2017 21:35

I liked this article - children can't help being unwell and missing school.

www.google.co.uk/amp/www.upworthy.com/amp/this-mom-wont-let-her-son-accept-his-perfect-attendance-award-heres-why

DancingLedge · 19/07/2017 21:35

Dd2 has always had health problems, and so had lots of time off sick. She probably makes more of a huge and exhausting effort to attend school than most children.

Can you guess if this appreciated and rewarded by school?

Apparently some teachers she's had are also medically qualified, and so better able than her GP to decide whether she should be in school.Hmm

lalalalyra · 19/07/2017 21:36

There shouldn't be attendance awards imo as they are inherently unfair.

A kid whose parents sent him to school with d&v got one and my DD, who caught it and landed in hospital, didn't a couple of years ago and that thankfully inspired that school to scrap them.

Lunar1 · 19/07/2017 21:37

It's bloody ridiculous, ds2 was in hospital for a month this year. Do they think I should have taken him in along with his iv's, ng tube and everything else?

Our school do 100% effort badges instead, which he did get.

AppleBlossomTimeNow · 19/07/2017 21:37

100% attendance awards make me so angry - it is rewarding something a child has no control over at all and making kids who have had time off for legit reasons feel guilty (esp class attendance targets - my DD was in tears when she had tonsils like balloons & a high temp "because she was letting her friends down."

ConfessorKahlan · 19/07/2017 21:41

As a teacher I find these awards frustrating. They do nothing to address attendance. The parents who do not care enough to get their child into school consistently will not be bothered if their child does not get an award. The ones that do care and value their child's education would so without the award anyway.

Also, as previous posters have said, good health is purely luck and sometimes children should be at home to stop germs from spreading. I always think of them as an award for being lucky enough to have avoided falling ill. I trust most parents to make the right decision for the well being of their child, even if that means missing a day or two of school because they need to stay home and get better.

Original poster
user1489094655 · 19/07/2017 21:42

Exactly, the freaks. Our dd was so disappointed she couldn't go to the cinema yet it's beyond her control what her Daddy does for a living.

They also bang on about punctuality to the kids to the point my dd is in a right panic in a morning worried we are going to be late ( which we arent). My dd can't drive the car or walk the two miles to school on her own so it's my responsibility so why lecture the kids.

BTW my husband is a bus driver in a major city, about 75% have school aged kids with a work force of about 220 men and women. They can't all be off in the 6 weeks so it's a lucky dip.

OP posts:
Sirzy · 19/07/2017 21:44

The attendance officer at ds (7) school made a big thing in front of his a few weeks back about how much better his attendance was this year - mu reply was something along the lines of "yes ds is good that this year you haven't had a 3 week hospital stay and two operations isn't it"

(I didn't mention that he is likely to have two procedures under GA next year and therefore mess up her figures again)

EccentricPickle · 19/07/2017 21:46

It usually means 100% attenders have come to school unwell at some point and infected other poor souls whose parents sensibly keep them at home!

Not necessarily! My DDs both have 100% attendance this year - they're hardly ever ill but if they do get ill it ALWAYS seems to be in the holidays - usually Autumn or winter half term or Christmas unfortunately for them! The last sickness bug that hit us was Oct/Nov half term.

Last year they didn't have 100% as they both got chicken pox last June but now that we have that out of the way I expect that they'll have good attendance from now on.

Our school only gives a certificate but they do it for each term not the whole year.

kookiecookie3 · 19/07/2017 21:48

My daughter will never receive an award for 100% attendance as she will always have at least once/twice at the hospital every yr, possibly for the rest of her life. I've tried to make them for the holidays, but the consultant she sees is very busy and it would take months to rearrange any appt! It's very unfair!