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?

My dd has a serious medical condition and attends regular hospital appointments or has admissions . She will never get 100%attendence and it really upsets her . Hospital appts should not be classed as unauthorised an ended and affect her attendence score . It's all a load of bullshit and really bugs me

And how is watching their peers receive certificates and rewards that are unattainable to them going to help that?

I am all for helping pupils reach their potential but none of your pro these rewards arguments persuade me that it does anything to help any pupils in the vulnerable groups and actually in many cases makes them feel even worse and more iscolated.

To me it seems like nothing more than a lazy tick box exercise.

How? How does something that they "fail" once due to something not their fault, which means there's no point in even trying the rest of the year as act as an incentive?

They catch a sickness bug on 4th September and go back on the 6th they haven't even started and already out the running.?

Why bother when even everyday after still doesn't mean they get the award and there's no way to "earn it back"

These certificates encourage people to send their children in sick, or at least let them justify it to themselves. I hate them, they are really unfair and discriminate against the long term unwell children.

DD got 100% attendance and punctuality last year which I took more pleasure in than she did (on the punctuality side). This year she won't. No biggie - but that's because, beyond getting the certificate there's no song and dance over it.

How to they encourage people to send in their children sick? Just to get a piece of paper?

Just read the OP. I agree. Should be awards for punctuality not attendance.

Ours does certificates each term - bronze for one term 100%, silver for two terms and gold for three. Seems a sensible way of rewarding without penalising the odd period of illness.

My dd has just sat her mock GCSEs and despite only having 75% attendence due to hospital appointments and admissions she got A and A* in all her subjects . She is in top sets for every subject and despite missing so much school it does not in any way affect her ability at school . It's so unfair because she has never and not will ever receive the attendence awards !!!

Nor

I know someone who sent in a child with chicken pox so they didn't miss out on a certificate. Ridiculous.

Yes I agree peng. Medical appointments shoukd not be classed as unattendence, that is awful. My son 5 started school in September, and has been ill nearly every month: Scarlett fever, virus, stomach bugs. His attendance is 90%. I have even sent him in before he's fully recovered, as I am aware of attendance. School ask you not to send them in when their ill, 48 hours if they have a stomach bug, but then penalise you when you don't and keep them at home. No wonder parents send their chil in when their ill.

Penggggwyn

You think it's helpful for children who do not get 100% attendance through disability and chronic illness to sit and watch others get it and be praised for it, and listen to the teachers go on and on about how excellent it is and how everyone should strive to this?

What that child is hearing: (from my own perspective as a person with a disability and with a child with chronic health issues)

'you will never be good enough. Yet again, you've failed, you've not pulled it off, you've not put enough effort in. Being sick is no excuse, because look at all these people who managed it. They tried so much harder than you. They gave it their all and so we are rewarding them. But you - you must try harder. But then there's no point, is there, because you have that hospital appointment on the first day of term, then you'll no doubt be admitted later in the term and then there's the orthodontist and the ENT as well as all that. So what's the point? You're obviously a failure and will never be any use. Only people who achieve 100% are any use to society, they are the ones who try. You are useless. Useless. Useless.'

Detest the 100% attendance awards. My DS has just finished chemotherapy after a long 2 years. It's left him with so many problems he'll probably never achieve 100% as we have too many , deliberately spread out, hospital appointments.

Fortunately it's "only" a shiny gold sticker at his school, but it still upsets him. He's punished enough with his condition without being singled out for this as well.

You took her out of school for two weeks you are being totally unreasonable.

Exactly Madhair

My OH is in the Navy - he is away at sea for the whole of most of the summer holidays every year - he has never gone on holiday with his DDs (I as their DSM have!) we take them for long weekends camping etc, we do not think we are entitled to flout all the rules and take them away for two weeks and they winger about not getting a certificate

*then whinge

I don't see the big deal. Hardly anyone gets 100% attendance so not getting it doesn't exactly single you out amongst your peers. End result is a few children get a reward that the majority don't - that's fine. Why begrudge them? No more traumatic than not winning the raffle - just luck.

When we visited secondary schools I was the odd one that asked about the ridiculous 100%. We visited 8 schools and only one had any common sense. They recognised that basically things happen outside our control.
Was so relieved when dc was accepted there. Not just for the 100% rubbish.

the older 3 never gained 100% for various reasons. Yet all walked away with gcse's and now hold down jobs. If they are ill they don't go in. This is what they learned from their educational years. It hasn't stopped their advancement either.

DS2 is in year 10.

Every year all the kids with attendance over 95% and good behaviour get invited to Thorpe Park (it's £25).

There were 10 coach loads this year and so am certain that long term illness is taken into account as is financial situation (I.E. there is help available for the price of the ticket).