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 would ask the governing body how this squares with their policies which cover SEND and equality.

I would be tempted to email the head and or governors about this. Just questioning the logic, more so at this time.

I hate this fucking bullshit. That school would be getting a very harsh email from me in reply to that. It is absolute bollocks.

I usually try to stick up for schools when parents complain about the end of year attendance certificates because I can see where they’re coming from for valid reasons, but that school’s plan is fucking obscene.

I worked in an office with no sick pay. People came in with all sorts and of course it spread like wildfire - whole section with d & v etc. They just updated office manual to ban you coming in if you had something contagious. I wonder if schools that have lots off with norovirus etc have these attendance awards. Vomiting in morning but still coming into school shouldn’t be rewarded.

“Dear Headteacher,
Thank you for the letter you sent home regarding 100% attendance - it was read with interest. However, may I point out one or two concerns.

1. We are in the middle of a pandemic; if a child tests positive for Covid at home but doesn’t want to lose out on the attendance award, they may well not notify school of the test result, come into school and become a super spreader. Down goes your attendance statistics!
2. You have many students in school who have ongoing health issues - long Covid being the most recent concern we are seeing amongst the youth, along with other disabilities. You are automatically excluding those students from the possibility of joining your 100 club. That is exclusionary and possibly disability discrimination. How does this sit with your ‘inclusive’ school?
3. The 100 club is sure to set pupils against each other, especially if one of the rewards is to jump the lunch queue! Imagine little Johnny in Y7 getting his pin badge only for big Billy in Year 9, who wants his dinner NOW, to take little Johnny’s badge? Not a good idea!
4. Bribery as a form of getting a student to do something YOU want them to do is an appalling way to motivate. Don’t do it.

I do hope you take my points into consideration when you realise what a terrible idea your 100 club is. I’ve copied this to the Chair of Governors for their information.
Regards
A disgruntled parent”

What nonsense - I had hoped that schools would use more common sense. We need to educate children that it’s better to stay home when ill so we don’t infect others…not 10 days quarantaine but a sensible approach.
Who wants to sit next to an ill classmate ?! I bet teachers would prefer it if truly unwell children are kept off too.

We had grandparents’ funerals 1 year apart and after the second 1, my dc said ‘ I hope next year no-one dies as I’ve never had the 100% badge’. Stupid attendance badges

This is awful. Definitely complain.

I was often off for a couple of days each month ill in my first year of secondary. I remember my mum being called to the school about my poor attendance, she quickly put them in their place.

Seems discriminatory to me - against those with medical conditions, dying relatives, girls with awful period pains.

I really hate this culture of turning up ill. All it does is spread germs. Listen to your body and rest!

How about they actually address the underlying issues of poor attendance? This seems like a great big tick in an ofsted box, rather than actually putting real policy and procedures in place to support students.

Also how does having an excellent attitude equal good attendance ffs!

It’s down to luck ! You can’t control your health 🤦‍♀️ It’s not lack of effort or a bad attitude so basically this is just a 100% luck award

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.

Ds is one of the most resilient people I know. He lives with multiple disabilities so he has to be. He has never achieved more than 90% attendance and it has been as low as 67% that is a massive achievement for him

What self respecting pupil would want to walk around school with perfect attendance badge on display...? Wee suck ups

What an incredibly stupid idea in the middle of a Pandemic... or just in general! Excluding students with conditions, that are considered disabilities, may well open them up to legal issues here.

Your not being unreasonable.
It makes me cross that those with disabilities /health conditions /learning disabilities are discriminated against with these policies.
I have 3 dc.
Dc1 is lucky if attendance hits 80% but is amazing in his resilience, he could be up all night but will be in school on time the next day (and I'm sure there's many students like him),
Dc2 will probably have a few hospital appointments per term so would not get the award, but I can't book all appointments out of school time so no choice.
Dc3 is the only one whom would be able to get this reward potentially (if he's lucky and doesn't pick up a bug because other students are attending school to get 100% attendance when ill).
Surely this also encourages attending when not well too which could then be passed onto others (one of mine is immuno compromised and therefore something that could make student a feel off colour could but my dc in hospital). We take risk every day Dc1 leaves the house however this policy increases the risk of vulnerable students and staff even more.

Attendance targets are just too rigid. They should be more flexible or on a sliding scale in line with each individual’s circumstances

You can’t and shouldn’t compare for example the potential or actual attendance of a really ‘well’ (lucky) child and one who has a chronic health condition

It's a secondary school. I have sent an email back in haste and father angry but will be following it up with a phone call when they open tomorrow. I'm just so angry!

Back in my day I used to swing the occasional day off school to avoid getting such awards. The one or two kids who did each year only got picked in because of it anyway for being “boffins.” Maybe the culture has changed!

*rather

@Sirzy

Ds is one of the most resilient people I know. He lives with multiple disabilities so he has to be. He has never achieved more than 90% attendance and it has been as low as 67% that is a massive achievement for him

Do you get the red letters then ? We do. I rip them up and post them back in the school office box

That cannot be real!

and

I am guessing it is another [expletive] academy?

Awful. Come back from a funeral or after recovering from surgery and when you are probably still feeling crap hand back your badge. Terrible award. I agree children’s achievements need to celebrated but this is not the way to do it!

@EvilPea

Good to encourage attendance, what with us still being in a pandemic / endemic.

Twats

I agree with you. However I don't think it is ever said that we are "in an endemic". Otherwise we would be constantly in an endemic of colds, flu and whatever else is commonly around.

I'm starting to thing we need to centralise school. Head teachers are increasingly off their fucking rockers with daft ideas and power trips - by the time our kids left school every bloody email from them was triggering bullshit.

Attendance awards are discriminatory and bullshit

As are just about all other awards.
Suppose you're the thick kid and are shit at sport. You're never going to win anything meanwhile the naturally athletic brainy kid beats you at everything without even trying.
I agree that that is a very poorly worded, I'll thought out letter and award though. I'm not against recognising good attendance though.