To think attendance rewards suck.

[AG29]

The school Dc go to have a problem with persistent absence and are desperate to get their figures up. Making stupid changes like letting kids back into school sooner than 48 hours after a sickness bug which in my opinion will speed it around even more making more kids sick. Anyway..

A while ago the school introduced attendance rewards. Firstly for those at 100 percent attendance and then those over 98 percent I think at the end of the year. Last year DS only had one afternoon off the whole year therefore went on the over 98 reward trip. Fine I wasn’t going to say no but it didn’t seem fair to the other children.

Now there’s one every term and I think it sucks. DS’s attendance is quite high around 98/99 percent. DD’s is at 94 percent. She’s been poorly twice and has had a speech therapy app (school granted permission for her to attend within school and a doctors app). So I have one being rewarded and the other not. Both have additional needs so they struggle to understand concepts like attendance. DD is only 4 too.

Aibu to think it’s wrong they are rewarding kids for being lucky enough not to get sick or their are parents are sending them in sick?

It just seems like such a poop system. Good attendance is so important, I get that. Both mine are only kept off if absolutely necessarily.

Often younger children are going to get more sick as they start school and start picking up those damn germs.

In my sons first year of school he got 2 sickness bugs, chicken pox, numerous colds which at the time often lead to bronchitis for him and even impetigo. It was a nightmare but things have got better and he hardly ever gets ill now.

It just seems wrong to be rewarding children for things out of their control..

YANBU

It is totally silly, I agree.
If there's a massive absence, they need to find a cause, do some digging instead of just rewarding children for going to school. 100% attendance does not correspond with good school results.
If someone is absent on a regular basis, this has to be looked into.

YANBU. They gave my daughter's class a talk about how you should try and go to school, even if you are not feeling well. She's 8. All it means is that she gets anxious when she is genuinely too sick to go to school. And it discriminates so much against children with chronic illnesses.

If it helps encourage parents to get their kids to school, I'm all for it, although don't put much emphasis on it for ny kids. Its a good life habit to get into but it should be across the board - teachers too!

YANBU bloody silly idea. Lots of sick kids in school spreading illness so they can get a certificate at the end of the year.

Since January one of my DDs has had 15 days sickness (mixture of D&Vx 3, Scarlet Fever and impetigo). In addition 2 school closure days, 4 days of authorised holiday, and 12 days of no school place. Her sister has had less sick days, but was without a school place for nearly half a term.
Percentage wise their attendance looks rubbish. But it was all of their control. The holiday days are the only bit that is not justifiable completely- it was authorised due to their dad being in the Army.

Why punish children for being ill?

Giving rewards for just turning up have always completely baffled me.

At the school I taught at, they would be entered into a draw and get a prize (usually an iPod).

I just didn't get it.

You can't prevent illness so kids get unfairly punished for being ill? And how exactly, for the kids who truant on a regular basis, is a potential prize and a certificate enough incentive for them to return to school?

Drove me mad! We'd all have to applaud all the kids that turned up 🙄🙄

i am surprised that schools are allowed to do this. it discriminates against disability and illness. plus its rewarding children for something they have no control on.

Yeah that's ridiculous. You can't punish children for being sick! At that age it's not like they're choosing to bunk off or whatever, they are only kept off at the parents discretion so why punish the kids.

Also, rewarding attendance by taking the kids out of school seems a bit daft 🙈

I really don't like it. My daughters school throw a 100%'ers party.

I think if you are going to reward something, it should be 100% punctuality, not attendance.

Kids get ill, end of story. Nobody wants a sick kid, but it happens and if we do the right thing and keep them from spreading it, they lose their chance of rewards. It's rubbish.

I’m torn on this one @AG29. On the one hand my one child loves to strive for the 100% attendance and all that comes with it (a blessing because she used to hate going to school), but now it’s a real struggle to get her to stay at home when she’s sick.

Now I’ve written that out, it actually is not a good thing at all!

Oh and in other news. My daughters school actually closed for two days to clean. There was a ‘high level of sickness’, so they shut up shop for everyone for two whole days.

It's ridiculous. In my dc's primary school they get a certificate but in secondary school they get cinema trips, non uniform days etc. My dc will never get it because of disabilities.

THIS!!! THANK YOU!! My daughter is that kid that seems to pick up everyone else's bugs. Last year she was ill for a couple of weeks and I started getting letters home. She was 4 and so technically not even at compulsory schooling age. Anyway, the school kept ringing saying she's been off a lot, I asked them whether I should bring her in while she has a stomach virus, of course they said no. Other parents take their kids to school regardless of how ill they are (I understand that parents have work commitments and don't always have a choice) but the point is, should we be punished or have our kids feel left out or upset for not getting a certificate based on something they have no control over.

They don't want to be sick. They want to be playing with their friends in school. So why make them feel bad.

YADNBU and I think this unfairly discriminates against disabled or poorly children. Problem is what can we do about it?

YANBU so glad my school don't do them. Both my kids always beg to go to school when they're ill. It would be a nightmare if turning up sick to infect everyone else was encouraged by the school.

YABU, most rewards are discriminatory against some children, whether its ability in lessons or on the sports field.

My kids have never been award getters in any category. You just have to teach them that it doesn't matter and not to care.

I agree, I hate them why reward a child for not being ill?

Agree YANBU

Thank you all. The school just don’t have certificates for good attendance. It’s full blown trips, fun things, parties. Seems a bit ott.

I don’t keep mine off for no reason but if they are poorly they are kept off. You cannot win as the school want them in but don’t want sick kids in either.

Many parents have complained and written to the school about this but it’s carrying on.

I'm a teacher and head or tear and I hate it. There are a few parents who will let their kids have a day off per week. There are a few families who book 2-4 weeks of holiday in term time every year including exam years. Those absences affect teaching, learning and progress. But, those kids that get flu and are unlucky enough to be laid up for a week do not deserve to feel bad for taking time off when they are poorly.

Head of year not head or tear!!!

My dd misses a lot of school. That is never going to change. We do our best to keep her healthy and as much as humanly possible schedule her many medical appointments outside school hours. Those nice, fun random days off during the school Calendar that most kids get to enjoy? She spends at appointments.

She is still academically the top student in her class so I am not worried about her. It does make me question the quality of education if a student can miss as much as my daughter missed and not suffer academically.

I understand that schools wish to encourage good attendance - it's only common sense. But it's not ok to actively reward some children at the expense of others who have no control over the issue.

So, what can you do about it? Well, how about challenging the school governors on their policies about inclusion? Write to the chairman of governors and ask about their inclusion policy. I bet they have one (even if it's hiding in another policy) and I bet that it doesn't allow for children to be excluded from any school activity for reasons beyond their control.

Write to your school governors. Challenge practice versus policy.

YANBU. DD’s attendance is low because of oncology appointments, she will never get an award for attendance.