To keep them off school?

[AttendanceHmm]

My dc's school has been doing an attendance drive. They're obviously under a lot of pressure over poor attendance and I appreciate incentives are needed.

Before the holidays, we were informed that Mrs X's class had had over 96% attendance for the previous 4 weeks and therefore would get a reward, a day out after the holidays. As there were a number of spaces available, any dc who had 100% since Sept would go in a draw to fill the rest. So there are dc who only have, say, 94% who will definitely go, yet a lot with 100% who won't.

Wibu to keep my DC off that day and take them out, myself? They have excellent attendance and punctuality and I think it's unfair they'll be doing school work while their classmates are having a day out.

It might not be about winning OP but either way you are using your children to protest. Like I said before, campaign for change but don’t use your child’s school attendance as a protest tool.

A whole day out - a day out where? Is it an educational trip I wonder....I just can't imagine there being funds available for a jolly up at an amusement park!

I hate rewarding students for attendances illness cant be helped a child at my my children's primary has cancer she loves school but regularly cant go due to treatment or gets sent home if other children in her class have become ill it's just too much of a risk for her health it angers a lot of parents when they reward 100% because children like her can never get rewarded despite there eagerness to attend

I hate these things, yes mine would be off by protest.
Pity all the others won't follow though, giving them a clear message this isn't on.

I would be questioning the policy of rewarding good attendance. Rewarding children for something they have no control over is just ridiculous.

I once went head to head with the headteacher of a local private prep school who gave the children I childminded late points for being 15 minutes late one day. My car broke down on the way. There was nothing any of us could do about it and not something the children had any control over, we had never been late before. Eventually she backed down and removed the points, but still insisted it was a fair system. 😡

A local primary rewards for lunchbox contents gggrrrrrr

Who is paying for the day out? If it is the parents, it's not much of a reward. If the school is paying, I would think there is a better use for the money. Extra playtime should be enough for each child with 100% whatever class they are in. Classes with children who are absent through ill health/long term issues are never going to get the day out treat; very unfair.

Governors are aware as all have DC in the school. I understand the replies it just frustrating when dc come home after following all the rules and ask why their friends who have had time off are getting the attendance award when they're not.

School are paying.

They already have class rewards weekly which is annoying in itself, one of my dc got hot chocolate and extra playtime whilst the other got nothing, despite their attendance both being 100%.

I definitely would.
100% attendance isn’t a priority for our family. Just because Ofsted decide they are particularly concerned about something doesn’t mean my family needs to mindlessly adopt the idea. I’ve considered it and decided it’s BS

I was a primary teacher for 10years so feel quite qualified to say that.

My children go to school when they are well enough so long as there isn’t some compelling alternative that matters in the grand scheme of things. This year that has meant 95% attendance but another year it could be more or less. I certainly won’t be pushing my child off the leaming cliff to achieve 100%
If our school started to bring in these types of ideas I’d be very clear the respect or lack there of I have for the idea.

My children's former primary school was awful for this once it got a new head who was obsessed with attendance figures. Once a term, the class with the highest overall attendance would get a treat, such as a trip to a trampolining centre etc. Even though "overall attendance" by its nature is just an average and there were children in the winning classes who would have had lower than average attendance.... likewise children in the non-winning classes could have had 100% attendance but never had a chance to win.
I think the whole idea of rewarding children for not getting sick / penalising those who have succumbed to illness is despicable anyway, but if it must be done then surely the fairest way would be to "treat" all those with 100% attendance??
But that said, I feel that the recent obsession with attendance figures in primary schools is just barking up the wrong tree. Children who miss school are, for the most part at least, ill - not just bunking off. Granted, there are families who don't make the effort to send their children to school, but surely these should be the remit of social services, not school attendance drives?
And the only other main reason for non-attendance is term time holidays, which is a whole other ball game - offering a trip to soft play isn't going to stop a family from booking a cheap holiday if that's what they plan to do.

These attendance things bug me!

DD came home excited that the head teacher was taking the whole school to the cinema. The letter in the book bag explained it was only for children who had 100% attendance. She had been ill. She was effectively being penalised for being ill.

SO your children aren’t in he class that got the attendance award, but as there are spare places, all other children in the school who have 100% attendance get a chance to fill the empty spaces.

YOu are annoyed because you think the school as approached this incorrectly, and that all children getting 100% attendance should get the treat, rather than handling this on a class basis.

You are being unreasonable- your child listen will face these types of situations all through live - team based competitions, house systems at school, relay teams for sport, and even team awards in the workplace.

You need to teach them this is fine and to roll with it.

Rewarding your children for 100% attendance by taking them out of school seems counterintuitive??

We had attendance based awardshen I was in school - none of the kids cared either way - but boy did the mothers get worked up!!

I can still see a mum shouting at the teaCher holding her daughter (who had blond plaits) about her daughter being punished for having chicken pox. Poor kid was mortified. Over a bloody Easter egg😂

Everyone can’t win all the time and kids need to learn that sometimes life isn’t fair.

Nonsense. All they learn from this is that adults discriminate against disabled children.

This school needs to be reminded that this sort of scheme is a direct breach of the Equality Act. Not a great example to set the children, is it?

It is a class award though, not an individual one. Your children were obviously not lucky in the extra draw, but the trip is for the class not for 100 per cent attendance but for the class with the above OFSTED 96%.

I still don't agree with attendance awards, but surely you can point out to your children that it is a reward for that particular class with a few extras via the draw? That's not worthy of a day off for a trip out for your children IMO especially as the majority of the school is in the same situation!

take them out for a treat dinner instead or treat activity on the same day but after school. It would be petty to keep them off, it also send a poor message to your children but I think the school are alos BU giving a whole day off for 4wks good attendance! Extra playtime or special school based activity would be enough.

Does anyone else think it seems wrong to reward good attendance with what could amount to a day off school (depending on the nature of the trip).
I can see why they want to encourage attendance, but children can't help being ill. Some parents will send their children on regardless, meaning they get full attendance but spread it to others.

“I do not agree with a school policy on so am going to keep my children out of school” is probably the sort one attitude that caused an attendance problem at the school and led them to introduce attendance awards.
I don’t think your school are handling this especially well but surely the message to children from teachers and parents has to be that attendance at school is important and is not optional (unless genuinely ill). If you tell your children anything else, you are part of the problem and really can’t complain about the solution.

Education lawyers are looking out for a test case to highlight the illegality of this sort of policy. I'd suggest you ask the governors whether they really want to be in the frame for that.

Ds class would be stuffed from the off and that could quite easily lead to bullying.

His school do nothing more than an Easter egg for those with 98% or more type things. Ds was well in the 80s as normal and came home with one anyway from the head!

I would like to point out there are always awards and winners at school for different things. The sports day has medals for those that win races - is that fair for those kids who try their best but don't win? The local library gave an award (linking with schools) if you read 6 books over the summer holidays - does that discriminate against those who can't read? The House team that wins the most merit marks for doing good work through the term got an award, - was that fair?

School life is competitive and it's not always a level playing field. I don't make it a big thing for my kids - they know they should do their best for their own sense of pride, not for the awards.

In my DC's primary school class there was a child with a genetic disorder that meant that he had a lot of medical appointments in school hours; a child with unstable epilepsy who had quite long spells in hospital after serious seizures, which happened at least twice a term; and a child who was out of school for almost a term following a car crash. If anything the prize would have been a reverse incentive for them: the kids might well have worked out that, as they stood no chance of winning, there was really no point in trying and they might as well skive off.

Most sports days are worked to give all children a chance.

Unless the library scheme specifies they have to read war and peace then the young person can pick the books that they can/will read

A merit scheme gives everyone chance to earn points and when done properly should reflect the ability of individuals

What a stupid system but it's equally daft to keep them off. It's only a day out and life sometimes isn't fair.