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.

My eldest ds primary school have been doing this since reception in the form of golden time, assemblys to present 100% attendance awards, certificates etc. It really sucks that they do this. My workplace was going to bring something similar in (if you have 100% attendance you get an extra day holiday or something like that) the site employee forum said that it would just encourage people to come to work when they're ill and pass it on to other people so that idea soon got thrown out the window

This will be really fun for them when delta hits their schools. Which will happen. It's fucked up attendance in the States in ways no one had expected.

They just announced pediatric covid cases surpassed 250,000 in a week for the first time since the beginning of the pandemic. 2400 children were hospitalized in that week alone from covid, the highest number in the whole pandemic.

And schools in the north are just opening this week. (They've been open in the south for about a month.)

Oh, and that's with 12+ having been eligible for the vaccine for months.

--
All that aside, it is a bullshit policy not to recognize health reasons as a legitimate excuse from class. You want to make it 100% attendance + excused absences? Fine. Otherwise, you're literally making kids sicker.

Oh how awful too to make some poor child hand the badge back on the day they get back from being ill too. What a horrible idea. And so if you're lucky enough not to have a chronic condition, or even just come down with a bout of gastroenteritis, you get to jump the lunch queue!? WTF!?

I hate these attendance drives, my Ds will be on a half day Friday because his neurologist only does his conditions clinic on a Friday morning. So ds will miss at least 3 Friday mornings a year. Then there's his paediatrician, occupation therapy clinics too etc

I'm just echoing many others here, these awards and clubs discriminate against pupils with health conditions, including mental health conditions, and those who unfortunately fall victim to a general illness which they should not be taking into school to spread around.

Absolutely hate hate hate them.

In primary school this may be a badge of honour but I fail to see any secondary student buying in to this

Oh I'm sick of the 100% attendance awards already! DS5 had a morning off last year so he could go and be tested for covid as he had a cough. Came back negative but because of that he lost his 100% and the poor kid just didn't understand at all, he kept telling us we shouldn't have got him tested 🙈

So they’re actively encouraging ill children to turn up in school for fear of not getting in this club!! Nuts

Our school never mention attendance at all and they are never bothered or ask why we are late if we ever are. I once emailed in when my MH was very bad and apologised for being repeatedly late and they said not to worry and they fully understand.

These practices are ableist not only to children but to parents too. Yes there are some children whose parents don't send them in just because they can't be arsed but to make a whole school target because of a minority seems stupid to me.

So what, I never got it either but I knew it was to make the ones that had bad attendance try and do better. Maybe she will get something else she’s good at. Stop trying to see discrimination in everything. It really pusses me off.

@threatmatrix

So what, I never got it either but I knew it was to make the ones that had bad attendance try and do better. Maybe she will get something else she’s good at. Stop trying to see discrimination in everything. It really pusses me off.

And how will it help sort the problems that are making them not be in school?

Does the badge have magical qualities?

Absolute discriminatory bullshit. Complain. Loudly.

My daughter has four or five conditions meaning lots of hospital appts throughout the year. No way she's ever going to get 100 per cent attendance. I shall be teaching her that what matters is not presenteeism but hard work, effort, kindness and paying attention to your mind and body (good health)

@threatmatrix

So what, I never got it either but I knew it was to make the ones that had bad attendance try and do better. Maybe she will get something else she’s good at. Stop trying to see discrimination in everything. It really pusses me off.

Spoken as someone who needs to learn more about discrimination

@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.

🤦‍♀️🤦‍♀️🤦‍♀️🤦‍♀️ And this kind of thing is exactly why we should all be so glad we have bloody employment laws in this country… and why we have to have disability discrimination laws, which frankly should be “no shit Sherlock.”

Imagine if a workplace did bonuses and perks for employees who didn’t ever have take days—with anyone pregnant, anyone who had a family tragedy, anybody who had to take a day to care for their child, anybody who had ongoing health issues—all penalised. And the rest of the office encouraged to be superspreaders. They’d be up in front of an employment tribunal in minutes and absolutely skewered.

@threatmatrix

So what, I never got it either but I knew it was to make the ones that had bad attendance try and do better. Maybe she will get something else she’s good at. Stop trying to see discrimination in everything. It really pusses me off.

Yeah fuck the chemo kids, that’s what I always say!!

FFS. Moronic.

Complain to the Head and cc in the local authority - raise it at PTA - this is vilely exclusionary

This post has actually made me finally register on MN, rather than just being a Watcher/Reader.
Surely this is disability discrimination? Certain characteristics are protected in law, particularly regarding vulnerabilities. Your daughters time off for medical reasons should not impact her attendance record - and this should be clear within ofstead guidelines too. This is too damn mean! The taking away of a badge too, how cruel?
Fight the powers that be by writing to the head, asking for clarity, and writing to ofstead asking for clarity.
If there are any charities you have connections with through your daughters requirements, writes to them too.
Work on the system, not in the system! It can change!

My DD is extremely conscientious and loathes any thing that makes her stand out from the crowd. If her school had this, it would probably induce her to pull a sickie in the week before half term so she wouldn't be expected to wear a badge "with pride".

Bunch of shite. People going to school or work when sick is half the reason it’s so difficult to clamp down on diseases.

What the actual fuck

They could do something similar with rewards for something else. A good deed, helping a fellow student or teacher. Litter pick. Improved behaviour. Anything else

1st world problems eh?

@Bertiebiscuit

Complain to the Head and cc in the local authority - raise it at PTA - this is vilely exclusionary

Nothing to do with a PTA - governors need to know.

@larkstar

1st world problems eh?

Disability discrimination is a first world problem?

I hate these and agree with the other comments regarding them being a reward for those lucky enough to be in excellent health or that have been in school unwell and spreading germs. With 4 children I have spent 13 years seething at year end assemblies over these - i would also challenge the validity of 100% attendance helping grades- my eldest is has just achieved 10 grade 9’s, highest grades in school by a long way. Her attendance is always around 80% due to health issues- these awards were very upsetting for her. Rewarding children for things they cannot control benefits nobody. Even those who are not ‘academic’ (a label I also detest’ ) deserve better rewards than ‘good health’.

Does the school realise that we are still in a global pandemic requiring 10 days isolation if you test positive for Covid? That this is a legal requirement and there is no choice in this. Surely encouraging students to do the right thing, stay home and get a test if they have symptoms rather than risking making their classmates and teachers health would be a better. Same rubbish as presenteeism in the workplace.

Schools should give pupils equal opportunity to achieve. This is done by making accommodations for those with disabilities or conditions which might hinder their attendance. It could be resolved by something like including authorised absence in the criteria, or, even better- providing a different incentive instead.

It boils down to them not being able to single out pupils who need to improve attendance taking priority over those who can't achieve full attendance.