Prizes and Awards at School

[crazygracieuk]

How does your school pick children for prizes and awards?

I have 2 at the same junior school. My oldest wins almost everything going despite putting in little effort while my middle child tries really hard but never wins. They are top groups, popular and well behaved at school. My middle child is liked by her teachers but my oldest's teachers always really gush about how fab he is.

Is there a knack to being picked for this sort of thing??

There certainly seems to be at MY DC's school...namely be G&T and have, ahem, forceful mothers.

Feel this whole issue is contentious and awards rarely prove motivational to the majority of children. It's nigh on impossible to be fair, simply because achievement pretty easy to measure and effort not so. I am primary school teacher and always felt uncomfortable about public awards, particularly charts on the wall. And as for 100% attendance certificates- don't get me started!!!

The 100% attendance certificates wind me right up - effectively penalising a child for having the audacity to have had diarrhoea. It's insane.

There are weekly certificates at our school for "Good Effort" - they do seem pretty fair about how these are handed out.

Prizes are end of yr6 only - sport, football, music, academic performance. DS2 got the academic one and I was delighted - he's never going to be one of the cool kids, is a lovely eccentric geek, and that meant a lot to him.

Ds1 was awarded the 100% attendance certificate despite having 3 days off last year. When I pointed it out to school they gave me the Little Britain answer of "but the computer says..." and he is being given a medal thing from the mayor next week.

My children aren't G&T (hasn't that been abolished?) and if I was giving off campaign vibes wouldn't both of my children win?

I wish I knew how to help dd get noticed more. She puts in lots of effort at school and the recognition would do her lots of good.

ROFL at child with 100% attendance medal who was off for three days...

That's ok if they are g and t but not if just foreceful mothers!