Star of the week awards

Jott · 20/06/2022 15:10

At our school we make sure every DC in the class gets it twice during the year, once as an individual and once as a shared award (usually for some sort of group/team work). Reasons for the award are written on the certificate and can range from academic achievements to being exceptionally kind/helpful (e.g., looking after a new starter) to making progress in any given area(s) to representing the school and a million things in between. I would just ask the teacher and they'll be able to tell you how star of the week is chosen.

Workinghardeveryday · 20/06/2022 15:10

And so it begins!

my dd is in year 6 and still gets upset.

it’s down to the teacher if the randomly pick, pick so they all have a turn or pick who they think is actually star of the week….

you could breezily ask at pick up how it works - don’t be ‘that mum’ though if you know what I mean lol

orwellwasright · 20/06/2022 15:14

Depends. At my school there are recognition stars and teachers do try to distribute those fairly evenly and ensure everyone gets them. There are loads of these each week. There are also awards for displaying our Christian values and again, most kids will get at least one over the course of the year.

Then there's the really special award for exemplary behaviour and that's genuinely given to the kids who go above and beyond. It's often won multiple times by the same child and some kids will never get one.

I'd expect in reception for the teacher to be awarding everyone really, in a low key way, else it all gets a bit demoralising. You could always raise it with her class teacher.

YingMei · 20/06/2022 15:14

I don't think you would be unreasonable to ask the teacher if star of the week is on a rota or not. We had this with my DS- he is a good boy and tries hard and he was starting to get quite upset about it every Friday. I did ask the teacher politely if it was a rota and she said yes and was horrified he had been missed off. She even showed me the rota and he wasn't on it (he is last in the register and was new at the start of the year). It was an easy mistake to make and rectified with a short conversation. I would imagine in reception that everyone is meant to get it at some point

riesenrad · 20/06/2022 16:06

I think it depends. My ds went through a whole year without getting one and he did notice. At least he got two the following year.

I don't think it should be on a rota but I think most kids will do something nice at some point which warrants it once in the year even if something as simple as helping a teacher to carry something!

InChocolateWeTrust · 20/06/2022 16:12

Then there's the really special award for exemplary behaviour and that's genuinely given to the kids who go above and beyond. It's often won multiple times by the same child and some kids will never get one.

I think a school is getting something badly wrong if an award is won multiple times by the same child.

jellyfrizz · 20/06/2022 16:21

At every school I've worked at you keep a spreadsheet to make sure everyone gets one at some point.

tithead22 · 20/06/2022 16:25

I keep a spreadsheet and I ask for pupils to nominate classmates to because lots of things happen without teachers knowing.

NewOrleansOrDie · 20/06/2022 16:27

At this point in the year there is absolutely nothing wrong with mentioning that she hasn't had one.

Narwhalelife · 20/06/2022 16:28

My daughter is in year 7 now but I remember this well from primary school!

she won it once I think in all the years - as she got older she said it went to the kids this managed to sit still for longer than 5 minutes or who didn’t throw a pen at the teacher that day 🙄

I get that some kids have additional needs but come on, what about the kids (like my DD) who are just normal, generally good kids!

she is in a grammar school now and they are very generous with lots of different awards, prizes etc much nicer way if approaching things

lanthanum · 20/06/2022 16:30

DD never got it before about May. As I explained to her, if one of the silly boys has a good week, the teacher gives it to them because they might not get another chance. She was always sensible and did good work, so they were safe to leave her until later in the year, because they'd always be able to find a reason!

Later they changed the system so that there was a theme each week (linked to the start-of-week assembly) and so they had to be caught doing something related to the theme (eg being kind to someone, picking up litter). It did make it more random and less of a rota - so more possible that some children never got it, but at least they could see why the recipient was chosen.

PeekAtYou · 20/06/2022 16:30

I used to have to mention it at parents evening and they'd win the following week.

In theory is should be on a rota but in practice I found that some kids would win it multiple times and others would get it once because their parent had nudged the teacher into it.

Mommabear20 · 20/06/2022 16:32

Another meaningless award! If everyone gets it at some point, it's not 'star of the week' it's 'whose name is randomly picked this week' 🤦‍♀️

Aksbdt · 20/06/2022 16:34

I asked the teacher as I didn’t know whether to prepare DD that it might not happen but apparently they all get it at some point in her class although am very aware that it’s nearly the end of the year…

SilverPeacock · 20/06/2022 16:37

Dd once didn’t get one all year and then not until later in the next year whilst other kids had had multiple. I was nearly phoning them. She still remembers this years later! Stupid idea if you ask me. I would ask the teacher. Don’t make the mistake I made and still have your 14 year old bringing it up as a point of trauma 😆

orwellwasright · 20/06/2022 16:39

InChocolateWeTrust · 20/06/2022 16:12

Then there's the really special award for exemplary behaviour and that's genuinely given to the kids who go above and beyond. It's often won multiple times by the same child and some kids will never get one.

I think a school is getting something badly wrong if an award is won multiple times by the same child.

Whilst I believe that acknowledging every child at some point will promote desirable behaviour so it's appropriate to share the praise, particularly for little ones, it's a fact that some children naturally display those behaviours more frequently than others. So why shouldn't they be acknowledged every time they do?

That's how life works isn't it? You don't tell the Olympic athlete she can't win gold because she won gold four years ago, do you.

iluvsummer · 20/06/2022 16:39

I’d ask as the term is coming to an end soon. We keep tick lists and I write all my certificates out at the beginning of the year (add in the date etc when they’re given out) so it’s really easy to keep track then of who has had one and there are no duplicates.

skgnome · 20/06/2022 16:41

It’s hard when your kid is constantly one of the last getting it… my DD’s last name starts with a U… I’m convinced it’s alphabetical in her school….
then again, the week she gets it she’s soooo happy!!

PeekAtYou · 20/06/2022 16:44

My dd worked out when she was y2/3 ish that if you wanted to win one then the easiest way was to behave badly one day then behave normally/well the next. I understand why children with behavioural issues benefit from rewards but children who behave well at school might be battling with their own issues like anxiety or an unstable home life which doesn't get the same recognition at school because the teachers aren't therapists and behaviour that puts people's safety at risk is obviously more urgent.

Cryingbutstilltrying · 20/06/2022 16:45

Definitely have a quiet word with the teacher.
DN is a quiet and helpful child, no trouble at all, and almost always got overlooked. SIL brought it up at July parents evening as he hadn’t had one all year and was upset. The teacher insisted he had, SIL insisted he hadn’t, made her check, he hadn’t. Of course he got it the next week.
DD and DS are shitbags so rarely got them. DD had 5 through the whole of primary but she didn’t care as she sussed quite quickly how they always went to the same kids. DS has SEN and seems to get them slightly more consistently for not throwing pens etc. So there might well be something in that theory.

megletthesecond · 20/06/2022 16:45

You should mention it to the teacher. They don't always keep track. DS didn't get anything in reception year, some of his friends got two awards. He was above average (but not top) and always really well behaved.

He said he'd start being naughty then being good so he got something. Obviously I shot that idea down quickly and spoke to his teacher instead who assumed he'd had a star of the week. Sadly there wasn't enough time in that academic year to get anything in the end.

ColmanFlamingo · 20/06/2022 16:49

Yep my two quiet children never got theirs until June or July because they were the invisible ones. Meanwhile little Tommy used to get one every other week because that week he hadn't hurt anyone!

Abraxan · 20/06/2022 17:05

Irritatedmum · 20/06/2022 15:05

Hi all. My DD is in reception and is starting to get a bit upset that she’s never had a star of the week type award. Do teachers tend to keep track of who’s had one and make sure they all get it? Or do they literally just pick? I feel sorry for her 😂

Every teacher at my school keeps a list, as well as a central list in our Celebration Awards book/record.

Each of our classes still have 2-3 children who have not yet had a SOTW type award as we generally only award one a week per class in the assembly.

Unfortunately someone always has to be one of the last to get their's but it definitely doesn't mean they haven't deserved one or that they won't get one.

Original poster

Irritatedmum · 20/06/2022 17:08

Thanks all for the advice and input. From what’s she’s told me - and from what I know from my older DD - it tends to be used either to encourage the very quiet or badly behaved kids and the others tend to get missed. It must be strange for a 5 year old to see someone who is often hitting other children get an award for having a good day, but then not get it themselves.

OP posts:

Crankley · 20/06/2022 17:19

I agree you should have a word. It seems wrong to me that a child is rewarded for not doing something bad when yours is helpful and kind. I know a lot of teachers may disagree but many do have favourites.

I'm in my 70s but still remember being voted as one of four team leaders in my class. The teacher said to the children, 'did you really mean to vote for Crankley - wouldn't Janet (her favourite) be better?' They stuck to their vote and she was furious as she gave me the blue sash.