100% Attendance Award

[user1489094655]

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?

Agree with sirzy - this has to be illegal, indirectly excluding children with illness and disability from activities/rewards/treats.

I tell my governor friends the same, but they never follow it up.

f a 5 year old hasn't been taught at home to do this and is (putting it politely) 'spirited', is this his fault?

No, but education will tech that child how to behave in a good way.
Even the most challenging child will have times when they sit or play nicely, act on instruction, interact well.
When these are noticed then that child is rewarded, maybe just a positive word from of praise from the teacher, but when this positive approach is applied then that child is most certainly able to make progress.
All children.
That's what education is about.

My DD had 100% attendance one year and was invited on a trip at the start of the next year as a reward.

Unfortunately, the kids were marked as "absent" on the day of the trip so none of them achieved 100% absence the following year...

So as a teacher you understand that targets for reward have to be reasonable and achievable then? So can you explain how having a set target or 100% (or even 97%) attendance is an achievable and reasonable target for every pupil in any school?

We don't have attendance awards of any kind simply because I believe attendance is pretty much something outside the child's control yet I have parents ASKING for awards to be started so their child can win one!
If you have an attendance awards system, some parents complain.
If you don't have an attendance awards system some parents complain.

I think it's appalling! My dd was ill with a very bad sickness bug and missed 5 days of school ( the school itself recommends keeping child home 48 hrs after last episode) Then the teacher calls me to say she learns a lot better when she's in for a whole week! She too missed out on a rewards trip because of those 5 days of genuine illness . It's madness!

Our school have now dropped this following a consultation with the kids.

Why is it excellence?

Luck maybe. Certainly not excellence.

Luck they haven't had the challenges in life thrown at them that many of their peers have had. "Luck" that they are able to access the curriculum daily without external challenges stopping them (and providing barriers when they can be in often)

Again with your "100% is excellence" you are trying to judge all students by the same criteria when they are all starting at very different points!

The arbitrary 100% rule can seem quite harsh. In one school I worked in, if a child felt that they had exceptional circumstances, then they could write a letter to the Head explaining why they should be considered. Each case was considered on its own merits and was thought to be a fair way of trying to ensure that children were not unintentionally excluded.

I totally agree, it's a about luck, lucky not to get ill or have medical conditions. Imagine if the workplace did this, it wou,d be totally unacceptable. I heard of a girl who wasent allowed to go to her school prom, as she had to take time off school to have treatment for her cancer. It's disgusting! With your situation, I wou.d not expect a reward, as you took time off during school time for a holiday. Totally different, to being ill.

Or is he in the emergency services?
There are other jobs apart from the emergency services which are essential. Its only really offices which can close or put off work for another time.

It's not peng, how ridiculous, it's luck you don't get ill.

So children who are already suffering due to poor parenting you are happy to suffer further and miss out further because of a system meaning they will miss out due to no fault of their own?

By saying 100% attendance is excellent, those who are unlucky to be ill ill fall below par. Sometimes 100% is sheer luck. Yes you get those who don't prioritise education.

I hate attendance awards for children. My primary has stopped them. No reflection on how the child has performed or behaved.

Terribly inappropriate reward mentality.

Completely wrong IMHO.

I completely agree.

I get why people are upset about rewards for 100% attendance. I think it's awful to discriminate against children that are ill or, alternatively, encourage children that are ill to go to school because they want the reward.

I do think it's daft to complain about not having 100% attendance because you took your child out of school for a holiday. That was a choice you made. Yes, I get that the alternative was to not go away on holiday together. I think you'll find many families don't manage to go away on holiday even when getting time off isn't a problem. Think of it as a way of teaching your child about choices, compromise and consequences.

I thought you were going to say your child is being punished for being ill.

A 2-week holiday?!

The concept that holidays are compulsory drives me nuts.

My brother and his wife juggle their holiday to cover school holiday. They go on one three-night weekend away every year because there is no other annual leave remaining. And not in termtime.