To think this is fucked up (school 100% attendance)

[cricketmum84]

Recieved this letter from school before the start of term tomorrow.

I have a lovely, well behaved and studious year 8 girl who would love to attend 100%. However she had a bowel condition that causes extreme pain 2-3 days per month, enough so that she is unable to attend school.

Unfortunately she doesn't have the "resilience" needed to get these rewards.

Utter twats.

One girl at dds school had 100% attendance all the way through to year 11. Half way through year 11 she broke her foot and had a few days off.
This really affected her mental health. She felt a failure, as if she had let down her parents, she didn't get the big end of school reward, and took it all really hard.

The school had built it up to be such a big thing, she was held up as the perfect pupil, much fuss made about how she was going to be getting a big prize, then it was all pulled away from her at the last minute.

So pointless to reward attendance.

Luckily. My dd saw through it all and wasn't bothered by it.
She only had the occasional day off but never reached 100% in any year, mainly because I kept her off one or 2 days each September for a very important religious holiday. (So I guess there was racial discrimination there too)

Covid symptoms in that age group are very nondescript. My 15 year old tested positive on a pcr just before they broke up for summer her only symptoms were a headache and a bit of tummy ache for a day or two. Exactly the sort of thing you’d normally give them paracetamol and jolly them into school for. Her friends were same.

@Jemand

Even if they make exceptions for children with disabilities and covid, that still doesn't address the problem. It will still be grossly unfair to children with one-off illnesses and injuries, or children from chaotic homes who just don't have uniform or who are made to stay home to look after siblings etc.

Absolutely

@TheOneWithTwoParties

Attendance awards are discriminatory and bullshit.

100% agree!!!

Oh fuck no. Absolute idiots. Take this as far as you can. No way this would fly at my school!

@Canigooutyet

I once got a rather terse phone call from school about these rewards. One of mine got one but refused to go up and get it. The HT asked why she said because she didn't want it. She was further badgered by the head to give a proper excuse. She eventually said because it discriminates against people like her brother who would never achieve an award and she didn't believe I the antiquated system of awarding perfect health. The head was more pissed off that she got a louder cheer and applause than he had, as she had disrupted the whole school assembly. That he didn't appreciate being lectured at. I was already "that" parent as I had previously complained about the system and that rewards should include all their pupils. Resilience can come from a number of different ways that doesn't have to include perfect attendance.

As the mother of a strong willed daughter who will also stand her ground for her SEN brother, I salute your daughter, she is magnificent!

My son's school report was littered with " struggles to concentrate" and "DS needs to focus more in class". No shit Sherlock- he has ADHD. Would they write in a blind or deaf child's report that they struggle to see the board or hear? Really pisses me off. School are so discriminatory without even realising it. I would definitely send a strongly worded email and ask for a copy of the equality impact assessment they performed.

Yes we had something like this once in our primary school. It stopped after norovirus rampaged through the school. At the moment it is wrong on so many levels!

What a stupid scheme. As well as discriminating against kids with disabilities I think it’s also unfair in terms of gender equality. Many girls at secondary school age will just be getting to grips with periods, monthly cramps, pain etc.

That is shockingly awful!

@ Clymene why does it just discriminate against SEND students. It discriminates against anyone with health conditions who might require the time off.

I haven’t read all the posts but I can’t understand why everyone is so angry about this award. Is it because you feel it’s unachievable for your child and if they can’t achieve it no one else is allowed to?

You have to understand that a good performing school relies on good attendance. Like a good company relies on all your staff attending on time. If this is not something your child can do fair enough they may get a another award or maybe not.

Life isn’t measured by the awards you get.
However, if a child has attended everyday of school on time all year would you begrudge them an award or praise because your child couldn’t. It’s seems mean spirited.

A child may never get 100% in maths or be the best Athlete but if they learn the importance of attendance and punctuality in early life it will keep them in good stead for the future.

Let’s try and see the positive side of this letter. The school are trying to show how important attendance is. This to me is an aspirational goal for them.

OP is this not discrimination? Your child has an ongoing condition which impacts on her physical health (a disability as such) and therefore this club is discriminatory based on the lack of equal access. Unfortunately being an academy school this behaviour does not surprise me as they are full of this sort of rubbish. In your position I would write to the school pointing out the discriminatory nature of their behaviour.

@Indylindy

I haven’t read all the posts but I can’t understand why everyone is so angry about this award. Is it because you feel it’s unachievable for your child and if they can’t achieve it no one else is allowed to?

You have to understand that a good performing school relies on good attendance. Like a good company relies on all your staff attending on time. If this is not something your child can do fair enough they may get a another award or maybe not.

Life isn’t measured by the awards you get.
However, if a child has attended everyday of school on time all year would you begrudge them an award or praise because your child couldn’t. It’s seems mean spirited.

A child may never get 100% in maths or be the best Athlete but if they learn the importance of attendance and punctuality in early life it will keep them in good stead for the future.

Let’s try and see the positive side of this letter. The school are trying to show how important attendance is. This to me is an aspirational goal for them.

Because people shouldn't be rewarded for their sheer luck.

It sets a really unhealthy mindset from a young age.

People shouldn't feel they have to attend work when really ill or in pain. We have employee protections for this - the pandemic should have taught us this!

People shouldn't be encouraged to attend a workplace with something contagious that callus be serious if their colleagues caught it.

Those with long term health difficulties and disabilities shouldn't feel they are failing before they start because they can't achieve 100% attendance.

You also have to remember there are policies on sickness bugs to have 48 hrs absence after the last loose stool or sickness. If people are up all night they just come in and that causes problems. Schools have been closed due to noro outbreaks in the past.

Not catching a cold or stomach bug, not having a broken limb or appendicitis. Not having a disability. They aren't achievements. They are luck. And why should you get to skip the lunch queue if you're luckily enough to be healthy?

Surely the unhealthy people are more in need of a decent meal?

So indylindy - how exactly do you think a badge and a place at the front of the dinner line will help a child with chronic health conditions?

How will it help the child who has to get younger siblings up and to school because parents are working or have a life where they aren’t always present?

How will it help the young person being bullied so is scared to go into school?

How will it help the girl who has started her periods but hasn’t got any sanitary protection and so stays home?

I could carry on but you get my drift. If a school wants to help improve attendance they need to work with the young person, their family and if needed other agencies in order to tackle issues and make sure support is there. Setting unattainable goals won’t do a thing to help those who need it.

@cricketmum84 How popular are the kids in the 100% club going to be?🙄😂 Don’t worry. Enrol your DD in the 100% resilience club at home, and reward her for going in to such a bonkers school.

That is an horrendous thing to do - not only is it discriminatory towards those who have known conditions with inevitable effects on attendance, but it also encourages bullying, by those with badges and those without. It just segregates the student body rather than encourage them to work together and treat others with respect.
Not to mention, there may be pupils who will have to isolate due to COVID contact - which may be part and parcel of some kids' lives at the moment due to parents jobs/siblings in other schools etc.
Things like this club will discourage some from isolating when they should be, therefore increasing COVID numbers instead of reducing them.
for you and your daughter for having to deal with such a ridiculous attitude from school

@Indylindy because it perpetuates that attendance equals excellence. Presentism alone is generally regarded as pointless and doesn’t produce much.

I’m old and my secondary school had ‘house’. I much prefer the system of earning house points which could be awarded on based on individual achievements so the kids whose achievements might not be immediately obvious had the opportunity to have them recognised.

I don’t like this school’s approach either and it clearly isn’t fair on kids with genuine disabilities and illnesses... but I do wonder what schools are supposed to do to tackle the problem if/when they have very poor attendance. It’s not unreasonable that Ofsted have asked schools to report on attendance - it’s obviously not good for children to miss lots of school without very good reason and it’s disruptive to the other kids and teachers as well. But what are schools supposed to do? I imagine this one thinks it has gone down the carrot route rather than the stick route, except that it is so carrotty for the attenders that it’s effectively a stick for the non attenders.

Omg - in the current climate with COVID still running rife I would be infinitely more worried about the fact that this is nigh on encouraging/ bribing children/ parents to ignore positive lateral flows and drag sick kids into school ( many don’t need much persuasion anyway) and the detrimental effect that will have in any children with less robust health - let alone the likelihood of spreading flu outbreaks/ making staff sick etc It’s an incredibly short sighted and ridiculous “ award” which should be reported to public health!!

attendance awards are discriminatory to those with disabilities and long term health conditions. I would be letting her no that in no uncertain terms!

I'd call them out citing disability discrimination.

FFS, this is the sort of shit that really makes me sad. Whoever came up with that must be a complete narcissistic megalomaniac. So they’d like students to attend even if they’re ill? It’s just setting kids up for the sort of toxic productivity that is so often expected in the workplace- the idea that if you listen to your body and rest when you’re ill then you’re somehow weak. And don’t get me started on the fucking badge.

I haven’t read all the posts but I can’t understand why everyone is so angry about this award. Is it because you feel it’s unachievable for your child and if they can’t achieve it no one else is allowed to?

Obviously not, @Indylindy. Perhaps if you read people's posts you will understand their objections?

You have to understand that a good performing school relies on good attendance. Like a good company relies on all your staff attending on time.

A school that can only secure good attendance this way isn't a good performing school. It's setting an absolutely dreadful example to tell people they must be excluded from privileges and treats because they're disabled, or they had an illness or accident, or because their parent stops them going in to school by making them look after younger siblings, for instance. It's also not at all clever to try to push children to come in when they're ill so that they can spread their germs around everyone else. I really think this should be an automatic fail for Ofsted.

Schools know exactly which families are taking the piss on attendance but rather than spend some time dealing with them they'd rather set a generic target. One of my kids is asthmatic and will never have 100% attendance. It's obviously ridiculous to reward a child for the fortunate circumstance of their good health.