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AIBU?

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Original poster

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

356 replies

FizzyCherry · 20/07/2017 22:38

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?

OP posts:
enterthedragon · 21/07/2017 11:00

A few years ago a child in our neck of the woods was presented with a bike for 100% attendance for 3years (whole of KS1) local rag was in attendance and the picture and report took up a large proportion of the page, DD saw the article and commented on the fact that ds would never be able to achieve 100% attendance due to his SEND because at least one of the clinics he had to attend were only open 2days a week during school hours.

He lost the chance of 100% attendance one year due to needing a fasting blood test on the first day of term, when I phoned the school to let them know I was asked why I couldn't have made the appointment for after school and when I reiterated the fact that it was a fasting blood test I was told that I had blown his chance of 100% attendance.

toosexyforyahshirt · 21/07/2017 11:10

Can we not congratulate anyone for anything, for fear of offending those who don't win?

Congratulate them for pure luck, for doing nothing at all? Winning what, life?

Hey congratualtions you didn't get cancer this year like another kid in your class, you can win a bike but he can't! Also, he might die! Yay you, well done, you winner!!

Hmm
TrinityTaylor · 21/07/2017 11:11

I think a "well done" is sufficient, any kind of material reward or fuss is bloody ridiculous

FuckDietCoke · 21/07/2017 11:29

I agree it isn't fair and is a little bit ridiculous. Sometimes it's a third party bribe, for example supply agencies will say "if you use our agency, we will give you two free bikes for the children for their attendance".

This makes the agency seem like they care about education matters (they don't really, they want the supply budget).

So essentially, the school get two free bikes to give out as well as tackling an issue most schools face.

I haven't read the full thread, apologies if this has been discussed before.

NataliaOsipova · 21/07/2017 11:38

If this was my child's school, next time they had something like chicken pox, I'd give the head teacher a call and say that I don't want them out of the running for a bike so will be sending them in regardless.

Absolutely. Surely sending your child in when he is actually ill and may infect others is not something to be encouraged?

blackteasplease · 21/07/2017 11:45

I also agree with pp who said that if the child is well etc attendance should just be expected and no prizes for it. If they are ill they can't be there.

And who wants kids in ridden with germs?

To another pp, my dd's school do also do the trick of calling you exactly after the aft5 register if they are a bit poorly so they count as present.

thatwouldbeanecumenicalmatter · 21/07/2017 11:49

I'm sat on the fence with recognising if a DC has had 100% attendance. My usually bionic DC who always gets 100% attendance was off for two days this year after being poisoned by the school chicken dinner whereas my other DC who had a chronic illness for years which meant like other posters having to attend clinics which are only open during school hours, being absent due to said illness etc managed to finally get 100% attendance this year. To us it's a milestone, that hopefully we've turned a corner - I'll be keeping DC2 certificate in his memory box as honestly I never thought I'd see the day.

But the whole thing is iffy, the parents/dc it's designed to encourage from having unnecessary absences (I'm related to one, the last time her DC was off school was because 'her sibling is off ill and she didn't think it was fair she should go to school' and there's loads more absences like that and I'm honestly surprised she gets away with it Hmm), really aren't going to give a shit about getting a certificate and it seems to only serve to piss off/rile those whose DC can't ever get full attendance due to no fault of their own.

userblahblahwhatever · 21/07/2017 11:59

Wish they did this at work.

Just ridiculous.

Why even bother?!

insertsomethingwitty · 21/07/2017 12:06

I hate these. I have a child with a heart condition and epilepsy. She has to have on average one morning or afternoon off every six weeks or so to attend a scan or a medication review or other. She is always at school before and after these appointments, but inevitably misses the odd registration. My other DD is perfectly my healthy, but wears a brace on her teeth and has to go every few months to have it adjusted, appointments only available during school hours. Not at all impressed about any posters who have pondered whether work ethic is a reason their children got 100% attendance. Both my girls arguably have to work harder than their 100% achieving peers to keep up with the rest of their class.

toosexyforyahshirt · 21/07/2017 12:09

Not at all impressed about any posters who have pondered whether work ethic is a reason their children got 100% attendance

It's a very stupid point to try, isn't it? Of course it's not work ethic, it's sheer good luck.
Which frankly should be it's own reward, if you are lucky enough to have children that can acheive 100% attendance you should be thanking your lucky stars, not telling us all how clever they are.

glitterlips1 · 21/07/2017 12:14

Don't agree with bikes being awarded because surely this is money taken from the school fund. However, I have nothing against children being awarded a certificate for 100% attendance. Why shouldn't they? Just because your child was ill and mine wasn't shouldn't impact my child. My child shouldn't be discriminated because of someone
else's issues!

toosexyforyahshirt · 21/07/2017 12:17

Just because your child was ill and mine wasn't shouldn't impact my child. My child shouldn't be discriminated because of someone else's issues!

You think your healthy robust child would be discriminated against because kids with cancer, epilepsy, severe illness etc can never achieve the same rewards as your kid?

Is there a 100% selfish parent award for you to collect?

coddiwomple · 21/07/2017 12:31

just because your child was ill and mine wasn't shouldn't impact my child

How can you guarantee your child will never miss a day, or half a day, from school? Can't you have a better goal for him than just turning up? It's not just illness, it's a stupid concept.

I find it very sad if the only school achievement to be proud of for a child is attendance. If the little one has some medical issue, and is struggling very valiantly to make it to school most days, s/he deserves a bloody medal. However, if my perfectly healthy kids make it to school, they do not deserve an award! They don't get award for being brushing their teeth, being polite, responsible, doing their chores and homework either(all age dependent)! We celebrate achievements, but not what is expected at the most basic level, it's ridiculous.

BrieAndChilli · 21/07/2017 12:37

I'm all for awards for achievement - sports races, spelling bees, good handwriting, kindness to others, etc etc but not an award for something which is really just pure luck. My DS didn't ask for or encourage a burst appendix so why should he be penalised for it??! You might as well give out awards for having ginger hair or being able to talk.

Amanduh · 21/07/2017 12:39

We have County on our backs all day every day regarding attendance.
We do certificates, an end of year trip, and a raffle prize, which we get donated usually.
County make us put incentive schemes in.
Attendance has increased 31% since doing so.
Sometimes the schools have no choice.

Floggingmolly · 21/07/2017 12:39

Discriminated against? Confused. By not getting his name in the hat for a free bike? Can you genuinely not see that it's the kids with health issues who are being "discriminated" against?
Get over yourself, you loon Hmm

londonmummy1966 · 21/07/2017 12:47

DD2 missed 2 days of school in year 5. First day was because a child smashed her hand with a hockey stick (not accidentally either according to the girls who saw it happen but not according to the teacher who was the other end of the pitch at the time). Swelled up massively and needed an xray. Second day was because the accident meant she couldn't take her violin exam at school two days later so it had to be rearranged for an outside venue three weeks later. Girl who smashed her hand got 100% attendance reward though.

toosexyforyahshirt · 21/07/2017 12:55

We do certificates, an end of year trip, and a raffle prize, which we get donated usually

So three different ways to discriminate against children with additional needs. How nice, the school must be so proud of themselves.

Spikeyball · 21/07/2017 13:27

Glitterlips I suggest you look up what the word discriminated means.

Downtheroadfirstonleft · 21/07/2017 14:08

Our school doesn't do 100% attendance awards. If they did, my kids wouldn't get one if it was annual as often as there s always the odd bug and I don't send them in if they are ill or contagious.

I don't have a problem with a small attendance award though. Yes it's pointless, but so are most of the (many, many) awards at our school. My kid gets a lot of academic awards as they are v academic. They try reasonably hard, not mega hard and they are rewarded for something that is mainly a genetic (or whatever) twist of fate. They (endless) sports awards are the same (we don't get those!).

If the awards are small and inconsequential, no harm done. The kids get a pep when they win one, but don't mind if they don't. There are effort prizes for the ones who really try, whatever attainment level they reach.

The problem isn't the awards imho, it's the scale of them. A stationary set or a small book token, fine. A bike or £100? Sheer madness and asking for trouble on many levels.

Falsenails77 · 21/07/2017 14:15

I've literally just seen somebody on my FB posting that their child's come home with a TV for 100% attendance!

I'd never heard of getting gifts for this until this thread and seeing that on my FB.....the worlds gone mad!

I hate these certificates, my daughter normally gets them but my son doesn't always due to a health condition that's obviously not his fault.

It's basically a congratulations on your good health certificate!

user1andonly · 21/07/2017 14:26

Awful :(

On many levels.

I don't agree with rewards for 100% attendance anyway but I just know I would've been one of the poor kids who'd rocked up every day and then didn't win the raffle and had to watch someone walking off with a bike.

So unfair in more ways than one!

toosexyforyahshirt · 21/07/2017 14:26

The problem isn't the awards imho, it's the scale of them. A stationary set or a small book token, fine. A bike or £100? Sheer madness and asking for trouble on many levels

I can assure you that a child who has no way of ever achieving these awards, through no fault of their own, still minds when its a small prize, not just a big one.
Can you imagine trying to explain to a chronically ill child why their friends get rwarded for being healthier than them? REally, try and picture that.

Amanduh · 21/07/2017 15:28

Well, like I said, our school has no choice.It's a demand put on us by county and ultimately, the government! We don't choose to do it.

Amanduh · 21/07/2017 15:28

Oops, bold fail!