It's that time again, congratulations on your immune system

[takeitonthegin]

It boils my blood every end of school term. 100% attendance awards. Congratulations on not being poorly, congratulations on being sent to school with a stinking cold!

AIBU to be so grumpy about this? Anyone else feeling annoyed?

My team tried to introduce something similar, for adults. Yes, really for grown ups, in an attempt to increase attendance. At the time I was the senior manager lead on attendance management and I strongly objected.

My daughter had a 100% attendance record at school. She's 52 now, and in her working life she's had 4days sick in her life. She knows she's very lucky to have such a robust immune system. But she also lived with me (who can end up in hospital with a cold) that not everyone does. As a child, she hated being lauded for her attendance.

At my DGS school they get to go to a nearby shopping mall by coach for their 100 % attendance at Xmas. My grandson had medical appointments and despite being an above average scholar he wasn't allowed to go.
He was pretty disillusioned and disappointed.

My son has had 100% attendance this term for the first time in forever
However it's his 16th birthday today so decided to treat himself to a day off 🙄🙄

My daughters attendance certificate from today says she's down to 96%. I care not one jot. In this half term she's been off with a UTI and that horrible cold/cough illness (she ended up with antibiotics for that). She's always the same in winter term and I don't feel bad at all keeping her off school to get better

For those with children who miss out on trips because of their disabilities or chronic illnesses point out to school that it is disability discrimination- hopefully they will soon see the error of their ways

I've never understood it! Find it totally bizarre. There should be tiered absences so illness is one thing but students off for holidays etc is another but I've no idea how you police it

Literally the opposite of diversity and inclusion.
Ableism.

its ridiculous-they tell you you cant send a child in for 48 hours after d and v then punish the kid for it

as for parties excluding people thats just cruel

Does it also boil your blood when your kid passes his GCSE's because he has good "brain" genes? (And mine doesn't). Or when your kid gets picked for the football team because she has two working legs and good co-ordination? And when your kid gets her pic on the front of something or lots of attention because she's pretty? (And the neighbour's isn't). Do you get in a rage when it's your kid, the one with social skills, clear speech and charm who has all the friends and goes to all the parties? (And your sister's/friends' kids don't). No of course not. Because all these things are the result of marvellous parenting or hard work. (They are not - they are just as much the luck of the draw)

But the kid who doggedly goes in day after day - who just turns up and gets on with it even if he doesn't feel great - he shouldn't be rewarded because it's just luck. So your blood boils.

(Oddly enough employers value reliability and people soon get pissed off when their childminder/ nanny/plumber/hairdresser/car mechanic cancels due to sickness).
.

One of my DC rarely made it to the end of term, because they were so run down- especially this long term. They were always the one that ended up missing Xmas productions & parties.

Things aren't much better now they are a teacher - and yes they still struggle in when they shouldn't so as not to let their class down.

It's silly. My child had no days off last year but this year has had a run of bad luck/illnesses. Can't be helped x

Haha so true!! 🫣

My team tried to introduce something similar, for adults. Yes, really for grown ups, in an attempt to increase attendance.

British Gas actually did this for a while, when I worked there. Attendance was one of the KPIs that affected your bonus, but that didn't last very long - think there were too many complaints that something dependent on "luck" should never be a KPI.

So they changed to a reward system where if you managed a year's worth of not being sick you got to join the 365 club and got big yellow certificate. I'm not sure if they really imagined we'd put them on our walls like a bunch of 8-year-olds.

But, if you had the luck not to be sick for 1,000 days you got a voucher for £50 or something, AND your name went on the roll of honour. A specially made wooden board mounted on a wall in reception with your name lettered in gold like those lost in the wars used to get. It was excruciating (not that my name was on it, but I did get enrolled in the 365 club, my proudest achievement ever! 🙄)

Kiddo missed his Christmas play and the last 2 days. I have a stinking cold. Fuck attendance awards

One of the worst awards going. Dc1 now left school but did amazingly well if attended 80% (is immunocompromised) and the effort to get in was probably 10 times what the lucky kids have to put in.
I also have a lucky kid with 100% attendance. Dc3 is probably about 90% because of multiple hospital appointments.
We had an email today stating all those with 100% attendance next term will be put into a draw to win an ipad, dc3 (whos asd and says it how it is) first comment was 'rewarded for being healthy and lucky wish I could give them some of my illneses'. Dc3 already knows their not going to be in the draw because we've already got 3 appointments booked for January that's before any actual ill days which are inevitable. I understand the need for bums on seats but don't encourage the sick to go to school and potentially cause serious illness to the immunocompromised staff and dc.

Ofsted ask about attendance and what strategies and interventions are in place to increase attendance and this is something the school will be measured on. As a parent, I feel it is unfair, my child has 2 unauthorised absences this year due to a stomach bug, the fact they are unauthorised worries me as we followed procedure. The school also told me that the 48 hours after last bout of sickness and diarrhoea is no longer required, which is bonkers for infection control and if it was winter vomiting it could close the school! On the other hand, as an education manager I understand the pressure all education providers are under to be rated as good or outstanding, so they really don't have much of an option.

Teacher and parent here! Totally agree with the overall sentiment of the thread!

It’s just a box ticking exercice that you can thank OFSTED for. They have been breathing down schools’ necks about attendance for years and low attendance figures can trigger inspections. This is a simple activity that “shows schools are promoting attendance”. It doesn’t make a difference though as illness is illness and can’t be helped and pupils should take the time to recover! Other reasons for absences are often engrained in other social and economic problems that schools and certainly not a certificate can feel fix, even though they are judged on it.

We got 'the letter' as well yesterday. My reception child has missed seven days of school since September over three episodes. One of which resulted in an ambulance ride and afternoon in A&E (I'm a paramedic as well so definitely not over reacting/PFB syndrome when it comes to illness).

However, one kid in his class had a week off to go on holiday and another got taken out of school for a day to attend an event. Just because my child has been ill with germs probably picked up from school we get made to feel like shit parents for being just below the recommended attendance % 😡

My DC will be lucky if they hit 85% attendance this term and they're generally well children. We've had a stream of viruses, stomach bugs, general unwellness and it was all topped off by scarlet fever last week that we couldn't get antibiotics for for the best part of 48hrs so couldn't send them back in. Nothing I can do about it - I just need to accept that this is how it is this term 🤷🏼‍♀️

Again though, especially with primary school, unauthorised holiday absence and other avoidable absence is much more to do with the parents than the child. It's not like a 7 year old can say "no I'm not going on holiday, I need to go to school"! Rewarding primary kids for attendance is nonsensical as it is it almost entirely out of their control. And as said by many others rewarding kids for being lucky enough not to be ill, or for being unlucky enough to have parents who send them to school when they're ill is discriminatory, cruel and can not in any way help attendance rates.

DS hasn’t been ill this term but won’t get 100% because his grandfather died and we had to go to the funeral. Last term he didn’t get it because he had a hospital appointment for an
ongoing issue. It’s bullshit.

I thank god we don't have these, not that anyone at my child's school would get a prize - I think every single child has been off ill this term.

Wow, OK calm down! None of what you said applies to my DD2. She struggles academically and is unlikely to pass her GCSE's. She rarely gets recognised and rewarded at school. I still think the fact that at the end of the school year she won't be allowed to go on the school trip to the theme park because she had tonsillitis is very unfair. She is currently on 91.7 ish percent and gives it her all every single day. I had to watch her get upset tonight about a ridiculous certificate, hence my post. I stand by what I said. Whether a child is excelling academically, rewarded for effort or not on the radar; attendance awards are pointless.

I'm pleased that your child received some recognition and reward, for mine it was another kick in the teeth.

Our school doesn’t do them.