To think it's time to scrap 100% attendance awards

[ParadiseLaundry]

DS came home from school today with a certificate for 100% attendance this term.

This surprised me as his school is not one that uses reward/punishment charts or has 'star of the week' etc.

What does it actually achieve? You can't help it if you are ill, and if you are you should make sure you stay away from others. It isn't really an 'achievement' to not get ill and it's definitely not an achievement to get ill and then go into work/school and spread it around. Surely COVID has highlighted this?

Aibu to think it's time they scrapped this, particularly in schools.

YANBU.

My DD’s friend was sent into school with a sickness bug because her Mum is so adamant she gets the 100% attendance award every year. She told her to have a drink if she felt sick and not to run around in the playground .

@BendingSpoons

DDs school have changed it. They now have a golden box that goes each week to the class with the best attendance. They get to choose rewards like extra play time or a disco in the hall. It still annoys me a bit as DDs class are clearly never going to get it due to 2 children who are basically never in, but I think it's a better system.

That's horrific. What will end up happening in some classes is that the child/children who stop the class from getting rewards will be singled out and potentially bullied and/or isolated by their peers.

Yanbu. It’s discrimination pure and simple. Anyone will a medical condition will never be able to achieve it. Therefore it’s giving the message that attendance is more important than respecting people’s health.

I would have said attendance awards were a waste of time. My son (who has asd) got 100% attendance for this term last year. Since covid-19 he has been a terrible school refuser and his attendance is more like 55% this term. The old certificate has been great evidence that his needs just haven't been met since lockdown 😕

Imo, from working in various schools over the years, you can tell a lot about the leadership in a school just from the fact they do attendance awards.

DDs school have changed it. They now have a golden box that goes each week to the class with the best attendance. They get to choose rewards like extra play time or a disco in the hall. It still annoys me a bit as DDs class are clearly never going to get it due to 2 children who are basically never in, but I think it's a better system.

Bloody hell - that's even more stupid a system than individual awards for attendance. Now not only do you not get a prize if you're ill you also annoy your class mates who want to win. Stupidest thing I've ever heard.

I think they’re horrific. Why would you reward someone for not being disabled/having a health condition/catching norovirus? It’s like rewarding children for having blonde hair and blue eyes in Nazi Germany.

Ds attendance this term is just above 90, that is fantastic for him. He is a child with multiple health conditions and lots of appointments he hates being off but often has no choice

To the parents of children winning the attendance awards - have you ever complained to the school about them?

I think complaints would have a much bigger impact coming from recipient families who can obviously see the unfairness

@BendingSpoons

DDs school have changed it. They now have a golden box that goes each week to the class with the best attendance. They get to choose rewards like extra play time or a disco in the hall. It still annoys me a bit as DDs class are clearly never going to get it due to 2 children who are basically never in, but I think it's a better system.

It’s a recipe for bullying doing it that way

It's a ridiculous idea that is intended to give children a damaging worth ethic that getting praise and recognition for attendance is more important than their health and wellbeing.

My best friend's son had an accident aged 6 and is now disabled but goes to a mainstream school. He's had some time off every now and then due to ill health, appointments, etc. Up until his accident he'd always had 100% attendance and his school made a big song and dance and even gave out small gifts. When he returned and had less than 100% attendance he was heartbroken and the school said he should've tried harder to be in all the time. They also charged her for trips he couldn't go on due to lack of accessibility and took him for trips promising he'd be looked after but when they got there, the TA who was supposed to be supporting him 1:1 went off with another group and he was left to be pushed in his wheelchair by a friend. There were also no changing facilities so he sat in a soiled nappy for the whole day.

Needless to say she's joined me in homeschooling our children. The mainstream school system, due to budget cuts and understaffing is unsafe.

My dd did violin lessons in Primary, which took place in school weekly with the visiting music teacher, all organised by the school. When she was put in for an exam, I had to take her to the external music centre for it, being out for about 2 hrs - and she had her attendance reduced as a result! Madness.

Completely agree i hate the bastard things

My DD has 60% attendance and therefore not eligible for the award. She has 60% because school stuck her on a part time timetable. Shes 100% for that.

I’m glad all the comments have been negative towards this, it’s a terrible way of rewarding kids for something they have absolutely no control over!! For example my son has asthma, asd and incontinence so we see various professionals throughout the year and the hospital admissions or time off school if he’s not well/wheezy. It’s not his fault he has asthma etc and I can imagine being sat there whilst other people get awards for not having asthma etc is pretty upsetting for kids. I’d absolutely complain if my school did this. Reward kindness, helpfulness, ingenuity etc my son got a wee prize for his enquiring mind a few years ago but they all got something

My dcs are lucky enough to get a lot of attendance rewards but I think it's an awful idea.
They are not too bothered about them now and I chuck them straight in the recycling bin because we have talked about how unfair and ridiculous they are.

Well done for being healthy or not having neglectful parents is a terrible reason to reward kids.

They’ve always been very unfair and stupid but this year they’re just nuts tbh.

@BendingSpoons

DDs school have changed it. They now have a golden box that goes each week to the class with the best attendance. They get to choose rewards like extra play time or a disco in the hall. It still annoys me a bit as DDs class are clearly never going to get it due to 2 children who are basically never in, but I think it's a better system.

OMG!

I have a child with a disability. The only time they said 'I wish I wasn't disabled' was about not, by definition, ever being in with a chance of an Attendance Certificate.

If he knew that his absences affected his whole class, and contributed towards them losing out on an actual prize, he would have been distraught.

WAY to much pressure to put on the kids who through no fault of their own bring the class attendance down.

Had his school moved to that would have been straight on to Ofsted over discrimination.

As it was, his school removed appointments for kids with permanent conditions from the criteria for attendance.

The may as well hand out certificates that say “congratulations you don’t have a disability or chronic health condition“ !

Schools are obsessed with attendance because of Ofsted. It’s ridiculous, discriminatory and a surefire way of spreading illness around. I hate it with a passion and would support any campaign against it!

I have always loathed them.

Last year school posted the photo of their 100% attendance party on Facebook. I saw it whilst sitting with my daughter in hospital as she recovered from the biopsy that diagnosed her cancer. Needless to say she will never get an attendance award. But that says it all - and it did feel like an additional kick in the teeth for both me and her.

DDs school have changed it. They now have a golden box that goes each week to the class with the best attendance. They get to choose rewards like extra play time or a disco in the hall. It still annoys me a bit as DDs class are clearly never going to get it due to 2 children who are basically never in, but I think it's a better system

So you are annoyed because your child doesn't get a prize due to 2 kids in the class. How do you think it feels to the child who has to attend appointments for new splints, or regular injections to prevent spasms, or dialysis? Even kids with parents who take them out of school for Aunty's birthday can't help it. If you are annoyed, the kids will hardly hold back when they see their peers getting a disco

Yep they're crap

DS has just started at secondary school, attendance points account for a huge portion of the house points that the children can achieve. DS has a medical condition that has him under 4 different hospital depts, impossible for him to avoid appointments during term time (hosp is 45 mins away).

I've spoken to his HOY who has said that DS will get full attendance awards assuming he isn't off sick. Which is brilliant (I'm hoping this applies to other children who need hospital apps) but why has it taken this long for school to acknowledge that it's hardly fair to punish DS for having a medical condition?!

Since Covid, we have to take the orthodontist appointments we are given, even if it's during the school day. I used to make them for after school but now there's no choice. I would hate to think she misses out due to something beyond our control.

My daughter missed out as she had one day off to attend her Grandad's funeral. I thought that was harsh as it's not like he died deliberately to spoil her school attendance.