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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

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

523 replies

cricketmum84 · 07/09/2021 16:35

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.

OP posts:
Hemingwaycat · 09/09/2021 09:39

In the midst of a pandemic when children may have to isolate or at least be sent home for a test, this is absolutely ludicrous. I mean, it’s shocking enough even without covid because nobody can help being sick and I’d hate to think of someone dragging themselves into school with norovirus so they can secure 100% attendance but it’s especially ridiculous now.

gregaliara · 09/09/2021 10:40

There are all sorts of souls: Kind souls , fine souls, sweet souls, exuberant souls, and also R souls. Your school is a member of the last soul on my list.

HarrietsChariot · 09/09/2021 11:04

It sounds like a fair system to me, the only reservation I have is the idea that badges must be worn prominently at all times. It should be up to the child who bothers to turn up 100% of the time to decide whether they want to display this fact, they shouldn't be forced to.

But things like jumping the lunch queue sound like a great idea, a tangible reward for their resilience.

Of course some children have health conditions or other legitimate reasons for missing school that mean they can't join the "100% club" but that's life. It's a good life lesson for the OP's daughter that life isn't fair. If an adult frequently misses work due to health reasons they will find most employers don't look on frequent absence too kindly and are experts at ways of easing such employees out of the company without being obviously in breach of legislation.

Cornettoninja · 09/09/2021 11:05

I’d hate to think of someone dragging themselves into school with norovirus so they can secure 100% attendance but it’s especially ridiculous now

If it wasn’t for the fact some poor dc would be ill I’d think it served them right tbh.

ManifestDestinee · 09/09/2021 11:19

@HarrietsChariot

It sounds like a fair system to me, the only reservation I have is the idea that badges must be worn prominently at all times. It should be up to the child who bothers to turn up 100% of the time to decide whether they want to display this fact, they shouldn't be forced to.

But things like jumping the lunch queue sound like a great idea, a tangible reward for their resilience.

Of course some children have health conditions or other legitimate reasons for missing school that mean they can't join the "100% club" but that's life. It's a good life lesson for the OP's daughter that life isn't fair. If an adult frequently misses work due to health reasons they will find most employers don't look on frequent absence too kindly and are experts at ways of easing such employees out of the company without being obviously in breach of legislation.

If it sounds like a fair system to you, you have no understanding of what fair means.

Jumping the lunch queue sounds like a good idea to you...a tangible reward for being lucky enough not to have a disability or chronic illness? Or even the random luck of not having covid or food poisoning?

Disability discrimination is not just life.

Edda09 · 09/09/2021 11:58

That is terrible! Why does everything have to be a competition?! I’d contact school and governors and drop in words like inclusion and discrimination.

lifeturnsonadime · 09/09/2021 12:07

Attendance awards are right up there with Pen Licences.

Highlights the issues experienced for children with disabilities and SEN. Makes them failures from the start and induces anxiety that can result in children not coping and being too anxious to be in school before they even start secondary school.

Just dreadful.

Original poster
cricketmum84 · 09/09/2021 12:12

@HarrietsChariot

It sounds like a fair system to me, the only reservation I have is the idea that badges must be worn prominently at all times. It should be up to the child who bothers to turn up 100% of the time to decide whether they want to display this fact, they shouldn't be forced to.

But things like jumping the lunch queue sound like a great idea, a tangible reward for their resilience.

Of course some children have health conditions or other legitimate reasons for missing school that mean they can't join the "100% club" but that's life. It's a good life lesson for the OP's daughter that life isn't fair. If an adult frequently misses work due to health reasons they will find most employers don't look on frequent absence too kindly and are experts at ways of easing such employees out of the company without being obviously in breach of legislation.

Funny isn't it how out of 480+ comments you are the only person with this opinion. Hmm
OP posts:
Sirzy · 09/09/2021 12:16

The only life lesson from this type of thing is that some people are discriminatory arseholes and sadly too often they are in positions of power.

saraclara · 09/09/2021 12:17

Jeeze, I hate people who think that good health is somehow a virtue.

At kid level especially, it's an absolute lottery. Lifestyle choices don't come into it until adulthood, and even then, health is still pretty much a case of good or bad fortune,

And frankly I don't admire the 'resilience' that makes someone think it's fine to come into work or send their kid into school with an infectious condition.

Sally27 · 09/09/2021 12:25

That’s a horrible, horrible letter. This would cause my son so much anxiety.
And it puts pressure on sending children to school ill, whilst we come out of a pandemic… makes sense… NOT!!

Sirzy · 09/09/2021 12:27

And the most resilient children in any school will quite probably be the ones with poor attendance because life has taught them they need to be resilient to the shit they are going through.

BeenNeverSeen · 09/09/2021 12:37

@TheOneWithTwoParties

Attendance awards are discriminatory and bullshit.
This
Tinysnickers · 09/09/2021 12:45

Holy shit. That's a disgrace.

SpnBaby1967 · 09/09/2021 12:48

Has the last 18 months taught your school nothing Hmm

It's not resilience, its dragging yourself into school despite feeling like shit.

Avocadodo · 09/09/2021 12:57

@greensnail

That's ridiculous! Having to hand your badge back after you're off sick, what a way to welcome a child back to school when they've been unwell, or bereaved, or whatever other issues they have in their life that prevent them from attending school.
Yes I thought this element of it was particularly cruel. You must wear this badge and then if you're off you have to hand it back in, as if being off wasnt hard enough as it is.
Avocadodo · 09/09/2021 12:58

And are they trying to spread covid?

loumoo · 09/09/2021 13:30

This actually boils my blood.

My daughter LOVES school, and takes it very seriously. She's a perfectionist at everything she does and gives a daily commentary on class dojo points (a whole other thread) as she is determined to be up there in the leader board. She follows every rule and instruction to the letter and is unbelievably diligent.

She also has cancer and is almost a year into treatment with 2 years (🤞🏼) of daily, weekly and monthly chemo to go. She's off school more than she's in.

This would actually break her.

notanotherjacketpotato · 09/09/2021 13:53

If my kid queue jumped a disabled/often unwell child at lunch times I'd disown them. How is this being encouraged?

Nillynally · 09/09/2021 13:54

As a teacher I do think things like this are gross. It's encouraging children to come in ill (have we learned nothing?!) and it's also asking them to not listen to their bodies and take time off when they need it. However, this will be some poor sod's performance target and they're unlikely to get a pay rise next year if attendance is poor. It's wrong but it's why they do it. We used to invite low attendance children for a hot chocolate on a Friday as a celebration of being in all week not bloody badges and parades

notanotherjacketpotato · 09/09/2021 14:02

@HarrietsChariot

It sounds like a fair system to me, the only reservation I have is the idea that badges must be worn prominently at all times. It should be up to the child who bothers to turn up 100% of the time to decide whether they want to display this fact, they shouldn't be forced to.

But things like jumping the lunch queue sound like a great idea, a tangible reward for their resilience.

Of course some children have health conditions or other legitimate reasons for missing school that mean they can't join the "100% club" but that's life. It's a good life lesson for the OP's daughter that life isn't fair. If an adult frequently misses work due to health reasons they will find most employers don't look on frequent absence too kindly and are experts at ways of easing such employees out of the company without being obviously in breach of legislation.

So because discrimination against disability exists in the work place for adults, we may as well crack on with it in schools too to teach them as early as possible how unfair life is?

Instead of rewarding kids for attendance we could teach them about inclusion so that they don't grow up to perpetuate the work place behaviour you describe.

CloudPop · 09/09/2021 14:05

@SpnBaby1967

Has the last 18 months taught your school nothing Hmm

It's not resilience, its dragging yourself into school despite feeling like shit.

Quite.
ellyeth · 09/09/2021 14:11

Horrible, and a huge disincentive to children who have health issues.

ellyeth · 09/09/2021 14:12

There might also be children with difficult home situations who sometimes have caring duties. Why should these children be, in effect, penalised?

ellyeth · 09/09/2021 14:13

I much prefer NillyNally 's school's approach.