To hate "perfect attendance" awards

[EllieRosesMammy]

Surely after going through a pandemic perfect attendance awards should be scrapped? I refuse to believe any child can go an entire year without being ill atleast once, so essentially schools are rewarding the ones who have been sent in to school to spread their germs around.

And then articles like this:
lm.facebook.com/l.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.hulldailymail.co.uk%2Fnews%2Feducation%2Fhull-boy-not-missed-day-7300887&h=AT15pbp4zAEVNauE8SDiHV7nuGzjlB9PVwvxfhka2nSCw-fUJHOIxI50ErMwsi96rnXaVdNlk-5HQsPc1agljITptxr5RX-ZjnYAfri6FdNPKn8NIxmThMtnLPlpKaQ1u7hR_L29GLjDoZuRVqbvtw

7 years and he hasn't been ill once? Give over 🙄

one thing he was good at was showing up every day and being reliable

Not being ill isn't a question of reliability or being good at something though, is it? It's pure luck.

I'm all in favour of giving awards for things other than academic achievement. Awards for a clean behaviour sheet - definitely. Awards for a marked improvement in behaviour or attitude - yes.

And I'm hugely in favour of excluding kids from prom (and anything else fun) for persistent, serious poor behaviour.

I don't understand the attitude that not getting an award is somehow 'punishing' a child for less than 100% attendance. Is the child who didn't get a medal for coming 4th in the sprint at sports day being punished? Or the kid who came last? I totally disagree with sanctions for genuine illness in situations like prom, but a primary school attendance certificate? Most primary schools seek opportunities to reward every child, sometimes attendance is the only thing a child has managed.

Yet again, there's a difference. I'm not talking about attendance certificates, but the schools where the 100% attenders get vouchers or invitations to a party or similar. If that was on offer for, say, effort with school work, every child in the class would be eligible and would have a decent chance at getting it. But when it's on offer for attendance, some children are in the position where they stand absolutely no chance through no fault of their own. And that's basically unfair.

And what if the child with a disability hasn't managed to win any other prize or certificate either? How does it help them to know they can't even become eligible for this one because of those essential medical appointments or unavoidable relapses?

Yeah out school have Head Teachers Awards. One child per class get one most weeks. Child with undisclosed SEN probably got one once in 3 school years. Also had online learner of week during the lockdown. Could never win that as couldn't engage properly in online learning.
Finally got s diagnosis and a change of Leadership at the school meant that suddenly they started rewarding effort and they introduced an Awards for the SEND children.
Child now much happier as finally is getting some recognition.

@Fairislefandango

Not being ill isn't a question of reliability or being good at something though, is it? It's pure luck

I disagree , reliability is a characteristic of personality, that demonstrates being persistent and consistent and someone you can depend on. People regularly put “reliable” on job CVs and application forms , and part of building that character starts in school by getting out of bed, not when ill but oftentimes when someone has that momentary thought where they can’t be arsed and decide either to go or not to go.
employers value reliability. Reliability is important in relationships. Society needs people who are dependable , reliable and committed and there are many many people who just aren’t that way inclined.
not luck… a characteristic.

the same way other personality characteristics are rewarded in school and in later adult life.
like bravery
kindness
honesty
carefulness

Disability is something separate to this and all of those characteristics can be shaped both with or without a disability it’s just strange that mumsnetters seem to want to hang on to one particular award and criticise it when literally every other award in school could equally be affected by disability.
all other achievements have adjustments made for disability :
sports day
reading targets
literacy targets
music and art
dance
numeracy targets

No child is equal at everything and every child won’t win every award and there is no reason why an attendance or commitment award couldn’t be adjusted similarly with imagination.
much better than bitter adults just angrily dismissing children who have earned these awards.

I was just reading a terrible story about a teen denied a ticket to her prom because she failed to meet attendance targets. She has chrohns disease ffs. This was a Church school. They should be ashamed of themselves.
She got her Prom in the end through the kindness of local people but that is the type if shit some people are defending.

But they aren't reliability awards.

Whenever he's in school, Bob can be relied upon to be helpful in class, mentor his peers and work hard
Is not the same as
Bob turns up to school every day.

If yo u want to do a reliability award, fine but it's seperate to attendance. It comes under the good behaviour stuff.

Perhaps in secondary in a school with an issue around kids bunking off but certainly in primary where it's on the PARENTS to arrange their delivery to school every day. Not on the kid. If DS says "golly, I feel like watching TV today and doing a spot of gardening" it's tough, he's going to school. Because that's MY job.

If it encourages reliability in any form its a good thing

If every school just did certificates then it wouldn’t be the same size of issue.

the problem is that some (clueless) schools have bugger awards for attendance - extra golden time, days out and the likes.

They also often have class awards. So when they are discriminatory enough that little Mary misses out on the trip to the cinema or video afternoon because of her attendance, they also make Mary the most hated kid in the class because the whole class miss out