School certificates

[Curlyyyy]

My DD is in reception and every Friday they have a little assembly and 3 children each week are presented with a certificate. Each Friday she is coming home and said she feels sad as ‘they didn’t choose her’ for a certificate. She’s been trying hard and is always telling me about everything she’s learnt at school but she keeps saying ‘I didn’t win’. I’ve reassured her she will have her time to get one but she feels like everyone else is getting one apart from her

It's literally only been just under a term.
It's nice you validate her feelings but honestly, 3 kids week in a class of 30 is 10 weeks, she's less then 6 weeks in yet.
Try not to put the focus on her having her time and getting a certificate as some kind of validation for her efforts.

She's learning to read and write, making new friends and learning new skills in numeracy and language. That in itself should be celebrated.

This is quite common and she will get her turn

We've been back at school what 4 weeks? That a max of 12 children who have had a certificate so far.

So around 18 who haven't.

If you get to whit week and she still hasn't had one, maybe post then?

Most teachers keep a list of who they've given certificates to to make sure no one gets left out.

I hate things like this, our school does the same. In fact my daughter didn't get one at all for the whole of year 3 despite getting great reports, no negatives in parents evening etc. Even went from working towards the standard at the end of year 2 to finishing the year on expected standard in maths after we did extra work at home to support what was being done in class. She is in year 4 now and the slumped shoulders on a Friday when she comes out of school make me cross more than anything. I don't think these certificates benefit the class as a whole, they demoralise the 'middle' who aren't either getting one for outstanding achievement or improving previously poor behaviour. Just my experience in our school though. Other schools may ensure everyone gets one eventually...

YABU - give the school chance!

If we were at Easter and she hadn't received a certificate then I'd say something since there would be more than enough time for her to have got one but it's been about 6/7 weeks since term started so if they're giving it to 3 children a week then they haven't had time to get through the whole class yet.

Especially in Reception they will probably be "front loading" the certificates - giving them to the children who struggle the most or who are showing most improvement so that a) they reinforce the behaviour they want and b) so they can encourage those who need it most. This means that the "average capable" students have to wait a bit longer for their acknowledgement.

Additionally you should be encouraging your child not to see the certificate as the be all and end all of the school week - it is not a prize to be "won" but an acknowledgement of working hard and doing her best, which she should be doing anyway.

I mean how many Fridays has there been since she started school? You have to help her manage her disappointment as well as your own.