Top 10 academic performers awarded in assembly - year 7

[mids2019]

My daughter's school apparently awards the top ten academically gifted pupils with a small award every year -starting with year 7.

I think on balance it is good to praise and award children for their efforts in all parts of school life. However how do you prevent the same people being awarded prizes every eyar? It seems to me if someone enters the top ten it means someone has fallen out of the top ten and this would be as noticeable as getting on?

Do you think this is a good idea?.(full.disclosure my daughter wasn't in the top ten)

Well it depends how it is assessed really.
Best average end of year exams?
Best average grades across the year?
Highest number of commendations or similar across the year?

Most of those would be reasonably open to movement each year if pupils put the effort in.

I think it's nice that academic achievement is rewarded - it's an area where children often aren't acknowledged. Somehow it's fine to recognise those good at sport or music, even art and drama. But saying someone is clever, or academic, is somehow seen differently.

I'm not sure kids are going to remember year on year who was in the previous 10.

True

I don't quite know the measures the school has to be honest.

I think it is a good gesture thoigh.

You’d be surprised how much variation there is. They’re not rewarding the most academically gifted, they’re rewarding the highest academic achievers, and academic achievement is absolutely NOT only down to innate ability, it is also hard work.
Ime there will be a few who are always in it, some who are in it once by a fluke, others who drift in and out depending on how hard they have worked that year.

I don’t think it would be healthy if this was the only thing the school ever gave awards for but generally academic achievement is just one thing among others: sport, art, community service…. Our school also has subject awards which very often go to the kid who is just really interested in that subject regardless of ability.

My school used to do attainment prizes for each department, the same pupil sometimes won more than one prize, in the same way some children will be picked for district sports or win lots of events at sports day, some will play in school concerts or be the lead in more than one play.
Prizes for academic achievement are about that, you won't get a first class degree because you tried your best, if you don't hit the required standard.
I see nothing wrong with this.

Schools should offer a range of prizes,
Pure academic achievement
Improvement
Good attitude etc

If DDs school did it purely for academic achievement she would win in almost every subject (ASD and exceptionally gifted in most academic areas apart from art/ creative things) which wouldn't be good for the other children and nor would it be good for her.

I think it works. At primary level our local school had stopped giving prizes in the interests of inclusivity and went with an approach of every child getting a prize parading their merits.

Why would it matter if it was the same 10 children every year?

would you stop someone competing in sports day next year because they won this year?

would you throw someone out of the 1st football team because they got to be in it this year?

I don’t understand the perceived problem

It probably will be largely the same children every year, but so will be the first hockey team, rugby team etc.

The kids who aren't in the top ten should be encouraged and valued in other ways but it's ok to recognise the high achievers.