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AIBU?

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Original poster

Movie afternoon for high attendance

49 replies

bumblefeline · 18/10/2021 15:27

DS's school is having a movie afternoon this week for those with attendance above 97%. If you have been off with Covid this doesn't count towards the attendance.

DS has been off for a week recently with this rotten bug that's been going round, was very poorly and couldn't go in at all really. Turned into tonsillitis and a chest infection.

There are also lots of teachers off with this cold bug at the moment as well.

DS has had Covid last year and he was more ill with this cold virus.

Is it unfair of the school to reward for attendance when there is this nasty bug going around, but Covid doesn't count to attendance?

OP posts:
ChimChimeny · 18/10/2021 15:30

Definitely! DD has a treat afternoon but it's related to behaviour rather than attendance.

Artichokeleaves · 18/10/2021 15:31

Loathe this celebration of good luck, good health and ableism. Ridiculous. Particularly during a pandemic.

Blankspace4 · 18/10/2021 15:31

I think rewarding attendance is a really poor tactic in this climate!!! Only encourages parents to send sick kids into school, making more children and teachers sick with contagious bugs!

I’d have a word with the head teacher personally

fourandnomore · 18/10/2021 15:32

Absolutely unfair. Attendance isn’t the kid’s issue at this age, especially when the sickness is genuine. Hate this sort of thing!

Comedycook · 18/10/2021 15:33

Congratulations to all the healthy kids!

Ridiculous...

Mrsjayy · 18/10/2021 15:34

Attedence rewards and certificates are awful puts an awful lot of pressure and anxiety on little children it's not fair on them. I hated this carry on when mine were in school it's really unnecessary.

HarebrightCedarmoon · 18/10/2021 15:34

YANBU. Ableist and unfair.

LouLou198 · 18/10/2021 15:35

Ridiculous, particularly this year when many children haven't had full attendance due to isolation or being sent home from school should they cough more than once a day.

FourteenSixteenTwentyTwo · 18/10/2021 15:36

It’s awful and sends a dreadful message that you are ‘lesser’ if you are unwell.

I took two days off for my birthday this year and as bad luck would have it, DS who had just started school ended up really unwell with a high temperature and spent the day dozing on the sofa. He was only unwell because he’d picked up that bug at school!

Mrsjayy · 18/10/2021 15:36

When Dd2 was. In primary,the school board complained about attendance certificates they used to have star charts in classroom the bother they caused !

DearFrutti · 18/10/2021 15:36

Yanbu, it’s totally unfair.

Coulddowithanap · 18/10/2021 15:48

This same question gets all the time on here. I think everyone agrees it's an unfair to reward children for being lucky and not getting ill.

longtompot · 18/10/2021 15:50

YANBU My yd has a disability which resulted in her missing time from school so she would never have a good attendance score. It made her so sad. That, and the kids who used to always play up were rewarded for being good if they were so for a short while. She was good (nearly) all of the time and never got an rewards. She wasn't a fan of school, from a very young age.

SirenSays · 18/10/2021 15:53

They did this at my school, it was the opening day of a movie I desperately wanted to see but like your child I had been ill so wasn't allowed to go. My friends and I decided to skip school and go and see the movie at a different cinema.

lazylinguist · 18/10/2021 15:54

Loathe this celebration of good luck, good health and ableism. Ridiculous. Particularly during a pandemic.

^This. I'm a teacher and massively disagree with attendance awards. And on the blanket aggressive pursuit of good attendance figures in general actually.

SqueakyPeaks · 18/10/2021 15:54

I agree absolutely. I remember when DS was younger he had terrible attendance because I actually kept him at home when he was ill instead of sending him into school. I was definitely in the minority though. Parents sent kids in with chicken pox, d and v, fevers and all sorts. Consequently there was always some bug or lurgy!

girlmom21 · 18/10/2021 15:56

What are the children with attendance below 97% doing?

It's such a lazy tactic by schools to do 'reward' afternoons. We're literally 8 weeks into the first term.

FionnulaTheCooler · 18/10/2021 15:59

I'm still salty that my brother got a book token for perfect attendance and I didn't because I'd had the measles, 30 odd years ago. Having to be off sick isn't within a child's control. My DC's school uses house points which can be earned in various ways as an incentive towards a termly treat like extra time at playtime.

Whataday21 · 18/10/2021 15:59

In the paper was a story of a little girl who was not permitted to go on the attendance reward trip as she had missed one day of school...to attend her mum's funeral!!!! Outrageous. The school gave a really shitty response if I remember correctly.

FourteenSixteenTwentyTwo · 18/10/2021 16:00

What does 97% relate to in real days anyway? My son is on 92% (staggered start due to reception) after missing two days. Does that mean a single afternoon?

NigelSlatersXmasTaters · 18/10/2021 16:01

Where will the other kids be that afternoon? That's awful

Fallagain · 18/10/2021 16:04

Rewarding good health is crap. When I was teaching I had one kid in my form classic intensive care at the top of the transplant list another with a serious health issue which meant he was unlikely to survive until 25. No amount of rewards was going to improve their attendance. Students were also suppose to receive individual achievement points if the form collectively had over 97% attendance. I was always be telling management that it was ridiculous and breaking the disability discrimination act.

Original poster
bumblefeline · 18/10/2021 16:04

No idea what the ones who aren't allowed are going to be doing, maybe sat in solitary confinement or something equally depressing.

DS had five days off, one was for waiting on a PCR test. I don't believe in sending ill children to school. He's not been this ill in a long time, floored us both.

Think I will contact the head and ask why this is happening.

OP posts:
Fallagain · 18/10/2021 16:05
  • class not classic
FourTeaFallOut · 18/10/2021 16:06

My ds is missing out on the rewards for 100% attendance because he had to have bloods drawn to monitor his coeliacs at hospital. Hmm But he's in secondary and he couldn't care less although it does offend my sense of fairness.