Fucking BIKES for 100% attendance?? Has the world gone mad??

[FizzyCherry]

I know this is the whole 100% attendance thing again, but I have literally seen it all now.
Not one but TWO people on my FB time line have posted pics of their kids with brand new bikes awarded for 100% attendance. AIBU to think that's taking the piss now?

The weird thing is, it's not the same school, not even the same county - they don't know each other, one parent is an old school friend in the South West, the other a former colleague in the north.

In each case, every child with 100% attendance was given a raffle ticket, the prize was a new bike. Only one prize, apparently, so none of this whole class goes to the zoo thing.
Both are primary school age, one Yr 2, the other Y4.
So these are two that I know of, how many other children are being given something that some of their peers is can only dream of, just for turning up?

My school dropped attendance certificates this year as they were felt to be divisive. How divisive is spending £100 on just one kid?

Am I missing something here, or what?

No. Thats not what i am saying at all

Luck is part of it but pride, responsibility, determination, fighting spirit all equally contribute to getting 100% attendance for the year. For kids and parents.

Don't forget selfishness.

Luck is part of it but pride, responsibility, determination, fighting spirit all equally contribute to getting 100% attendance for the year. For kids and parents

Oh fuck off with this shit. Your kid not getting D&V is not due to their fucking fighting spirit. My DC still being alive is down to determination and fighting spirit, you haven;t a clue what you are talking about.

It boils down to this: anyone who supports rewards, prizes, parties for 100% attendance is advocating for disability discrimination.
It is that simple.

It is not that simple- i dont think anyone advocates discrimination of disability. I certainly dont.

I believe that longterm sickness/ disability related absence is not counted anyway

It is not that simple- i dont think anyone advocates discrimination of disability. I certainly dont

But you do if you think it is ok to give bikes to healthy children that those with illnesses cannot win. You do advocate discrimination.
You just prefer to see it differently, but that changes nothing.

Seriously? Dd got a sticker (and was well chuffed)

Am i correct in my understanding that long term health / disability related absences are not allowed to be included?

Just to put a different slant on it, my 10 year old nephew (who was adopted by my dsis 3 years ago) has had a real struggle at school this year and a pretty terrible teacher throughout which has resulted in a poor report, largely due to a huge lack of support. He'd been told that children with 100% attendance receive a small gift and certificate. He has 100% attendance and was so excited about this one achievement (be it luck or whatever) would be celebrated. It was the one area in which he could feel positive about school, during a year that has been marked by bullying and failure to support to support him emotionally and educationally. Assembly day came and went. All the other 100% kids got their certificate and gift. He was left off the list and was on tears of frustration and disappoint, poor poor boy. For some children this is actually one of the few things that they can feel positive about. He's not good at sport either, but is a very bright boy who is being failed in terms of reaching his potential educationally and socially. That award would have done wonders for his self esteem and confidence. Bastard school. My dsis will be complaining.

No, its pure luck that your sore throat is mild enough to allow you to still go to school.
Yes, that's what my colleague told me Iast time I made to work with a painful sore throat. She goes off as soon as she gets a cold. That's what she's been off 5 times this year already whereas I have been only once in two years.

For her, it's normal to be off as soon as you're not 100% because that's her normality because that's what she's always done and I expect that's what she is also teaching her kids.

Well said, coddiwomple - the system is crackers !

That is utterly shit!!! And as a parent of that school I would be utterly fuming. Not all children can make it to school 100% of the time, in fact my DS missed school on several occasions this year (1 was.for a month) due to an emergency op and then a readmittance for further complications. His immune system was compromised so suffered absence for further ill health. So aibu to think that he couldn't attend after operations and hospital stays. He didn't want to stay off, he had to. I understand why schools award perfect attendance to encourage children to come to school however it simply isn't possible for many children.

Am i correct in my understanding that long term health / disability related absences are not allowed to be included

No, you are not correct.

That is absolutely awful, the school ref need to justify reasons however no.amount of justification will let your nephew forget this. Awful

I agree it's completely ridiculous. Dd1 got star of the year (they do it daily and weekly) she got a certificate and it was given during assembly. She's 8 and has told me she's much happier that I've got the laminated certificate to keep forever over any 'prize'

Yes, that's what my colleague told me Iast time I made to work with a painful sore throat. She goes off as soon as she gets a cold. That's what she's been off 5 times this year already whereas I have been only once in two years

Your colleague has nothing to do with it. Either you were well enough to go to work or you weren't, and it's pure luck either way.

Interesting on other threads - holidays being a prime example- children have to learn that other people will have better than them and others worse.
Not sure why attendance is any different. Ok so you won't get the prize because you were ill...and?

And toosexy that's bollocks. One persons "too I'll" is not the same as another's.

Surely the reward for attending school is an education. These prizes could be better spent being donated to charities providing schooling to children in refugee camps - maybe the kids would learn how lucky they are.

I don't like the way schools focus on attendance even though I know it's part of their Ofsted assessment.
People who are going to skive are going to do it no matter what. So all the school is doing is pressuring parents to send sick children to school.

And toosexy that's bollocks. One persons "too I'll" is not the same as another's

It's not bollocks, and thats not the point. And since we are talking about children who don't even decide what too ill is, it's even less accurate.

People who are going to skive are going to do it no matter what. So all the school is doing is pressuring parents to send sick children to school.
THIS
Also, @FlandersRocks, your kids should absolutely not get any kind of reward for you taking on day trips and holidays... Wtf?!

Aren't children supposed to attend school unless ill. Rewarding one child is appalling just because they have managed to escape the dreaded lurgy and whatever else does the rounds. Never given a certificate even never mind an expensive gift for turning up at work 100% for 40 weeks each year.

next term if my kids aren't off ill at all, they'll be entered into a draw to win a scooter, sponsered by a large local toy shop.

no chance of us winning, my kids catch everything!

So glad my children don't go to a school that does this. Schools are big enough germ-fests as it is without incentivising going in sick. All that does is make everyone ill, damage everyone's education (even if they are in school, I don't believe they learn much if they are feeling rotten), and then the child like mine who risks hospitalization with every illness barely stands a chance of being at school a decent amount of time, let alone 100%. It doesn't teach resilience or hard work, just selfishness and focusing on personal gain over other's well-being.

They used to give out certificates for this in a school I worked at. This was the state school I worked at, not the private school. Anyway, they stopped awarding for 100% attendance as it (rightly so, in my opinion) gained the reputation as a bit of a non-award, given you don't have to actually do anything to achieve it. House points, individual awards and other achievement awards are fairer I think.

If there are real problems with attendance, not of the genuine variety, then a certificate and book token (or bike) incentive isn't what's needed, and not likely to do much good in majority of cases.

My eldest managed 100% attendance this year. Not sure how as me, his dad and his brother have all been ill at some point...he just manged to keep his for the weekend lol.
He got a certificate and a badge and got to join in some extra baking activities with the other 100% attendance kids. He had a great afternoon.

I remember getting extra house points at high school for attendance but no big rewards.