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.

I've only just seen this thread so not much to add after so many replies. But it's outrageous and I would definitely be making a complaint against it being used.

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.

Trust me, children with chronic illnesses and disability, and children in deprived homes, already know full well that life isn't fair. They really don't need another lesson in it from the people who have a responsibility to educate other children that that is categorically not the way to behave.

@Clymene

And at a time when Covid cases are going through the roof, it seems particularly unwise to encourage children to come to school when they're unwell

This 100%

My child's school do something similar. Kids shouldn't be "bribed" into attending school. A simple certificate at the end of term in recognition of their 100% attendance should be enough. Definitely discriminatory for those who have health conditions or cannot attend everyday due to genuine illness / circumstances.

I can just imagine the lunch queue.

All the healthy children pushing their way past the ill and disabled one's, shouting
'let me through, I'm a healthy person so deserve to eat all the good food before you inadequates!'

All the Violet Beauregard children, pushy and bolstered by their sense of entitlement because they get 100% attendance

@notanotherjacketpotato

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

We need more parents with this attitude.

My ds has a condition which affects his legs. Standing makes it worse.

Standing longer because he doesn't have 100% due to disability will have an adverse effect rather than improve his attendance!

I really think that it is mean and discriminatory for a child with, as an example, Crohn's Disease, to be told that they need to learn that life isn't fair. That child is already very aware it's not fair, at all.

What is egregiously unfair is offering the healthy kid a reward for basically nothing. They already have many rewards.

What I really like about letters home to parents like this, is that they are often and without irony, followed up with letters imploring parents to - please stop sending your darlings to school with the latest sickness bug. Often accompanied with a passive aggressive jibe about 'we understand some of our parents need to go to work but...'

Email back and tell them that they've misspelled "Clueless Germ-Spreaders' Club."

I'm surprised COVID didn't put paid to this kind of crap, to be honest.

Covid absence doesn't link to overall school figures

Doesn't matter. We're forecast a terrible flu season this winter. RSV and other bugs are going wild too. Headteacher is an absolute idiot.

@irresistibleoverwhelm

This is discriminatory and I hate these awards. A letter to the Head is in order pointing out their obligations under the equality act not to discriminate against those with disabilities, and their moral duty not to penalise children with SEN or chronic illnesses (or indeed other problems at home or school refusal).

These attendance awards are seriously shit and should be outlawed.

This

Quote the equality act...

Call the EASS for advice... They're brilliant!

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

Tell you what, how about we have an exclusive club for all those children quietly struggling with pain, injecting themselves 5 times a day to stay alive, who spend several days a month in hospital, who’s legs don’t work etc etc and exclude anyone who can boast 100% health. Let’s deny entry to the club room to any child who boasts a full nights sleep and particularly make sure that the club members get special privileges on account of their disability.

The threads on the poor healthy children who will never be able to access that club, just because they are healthy, that would ensue….

@Getawaywithit

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

Tell you what, how about we have an exclusive club for all those children quietly struggling with pain, injecting themselves 5 times a day to stay alive, who spend several days a month in hospital, who’s legs don’t work etc etc and exclude anyone who can boast 100% health. Let’s deny entry to the club room to any child who boasts a full nights sleep and particularly make sure that the club members get special privileges on account of their disability.

The threads on the poor healthy children who will never be able to access that club, just because they are healthy, that would ensue….

Love this response. Puts it so clearly.

The number of threads on here about perfectly ably behaved children not getting stickers when those with behavioural problems "seem to get them all the time" is an indicator of how that will go.

It's bollocks and I don't give a shit. I send my kids in if they aren't too poorly and it isn't COVID related, but not if they are properly ill, as they aren't going to learn anyway. Common sense. I see Ofsted and schools are lacking in it.

The issue with the stickers is that if it is not explained to the child that the effort the child made to behave is rewarded, not the behaviour itself it gets very confusing to a five year old. My son behaves well (not looking forward to second child going - he will be the opposite) but when he left school one day he asked my why the naughty boys got all the stickers. He thought if you behaved badly he would get them. The intention of rewarding good behaviour isn't flawed, but the method is.

@SmashingBlouson

The issue with the stickers is that if it is not explained to the child that the effort the child made to behave is rewarded, not the behaviour itself it gets very confusing to a five year old. My son behaves well (not looking forward to second child going - he will be the opposite) but when he left school one day he asked my why the naughty boys got all the stickers. He thought if you behaved badly he would get them. The intention of rewarding good behaviour isn't flawed, but the method is.

Then it’s up to parents to teach children to understand that everyone is different and needs different approaches.

You say your two children behave very differently so I wokld assume you don’t have a one size fits all approach to parenting so why would you expect a teacher to do the same?

Sirzy

I did explain this to my son and he understood better and as a result had much more empathy for the child who was disruptive. It was sad as I could see the child struggled with the school environment, but in a kids mind my son just saw a naughty child who was aggressive and disruptive. My issue was the school didn't explain and he came to the wrong conclusion about what behaviour was rewarded, but I can understand why it might be difficult to do this.

I think there should be a different reward system based on the child's abilities and setting individual goals, and it should be more equal where kids that make an effort everyday should be rewarded too. It's important to celebrate a child's strengths, but you need to do this with all children and not just a few. I felt this system was more about keeping behaviour in check than celebrating a child's achievements, whether they relate to behaviour, sport, or academic activities. Other than this though, the school is great and they don't sweat the small insignificant stuff like other schools, and I appreciate this as a working mum. It's just a very minor thing to me.

As for the 100% attendance I do agree it discriminates. It's not achievable for some children. I would hope a one size fits all approach isn't employed here too.

I hate attendance awards. How about being a good friend awards, working hard awards, being helpful awards instead??

Massive slow clap due to all the parents who send their poorly kids into school so they get 100% attendance.

PS It's a very bad scheme anyway; but some schools do this without much thought, or in order to have some sort of prize for pupils who are seen as conscientious but are unlikely to win prizes for high performance in any subject. but on reading the letter, it seems that someone at the school is ultra-smug: ' It is expected that the pin badge is always worn with pride around the academy' - WTF! That sounds like the worst sort of private school for young ladies from the 1950s or earlier; except that in those days people didn't use the term 'resilience' as though it's a virtue. I hate the way it is often used nowadays: often basically as a way of getting round taboos against using mental health problems or social class issues as insults.

@Usernamenotavailabletryanother

Not only are they discriminating against children with health needs, the way vulnerable children’s absence was recorded during the last school closure period means that all children in care, or on a CIN or CP plan, and most adopted children cannot get one of these awards, whilst their non vulnerable peers can, despite attending school for the same number of days.

It’s disgraceful- parental income is a far more powerful factor in educational achievement, so by this logic they should give awards to children whose parents earn over £40k. Drivel.

I didn't realise that about vulnerable DC. Mine are on a CIN plan. No wonder my DD's attendance was so low. Luckily school are sensible about it, though.

The problem is that these awards are designed to overcome poor attendance of kids who are repeatedly absent. Their families still pay no heed, whilst everyone else is resentful about a ridiculous expectation.

The good news is, it will likely be a very small, very boring club. So the appeal might wear off.