So the 100% attendance prize this term was an ipod shuffle!!!

[RaisinBoys]

Aside from my thinking that a prize for 100% attendance is questionable, what is wrong with the humble book token?

Yes, I am really old!

And no, It's not just because my DC did not "win"

[Southwest]

Completely inappropriate I'm with the book token but only if everyone gets one (I do think no one should)

I have 2 kids dc2 is super compliant easy to teach bright funny kind you get the picture dc1 is difficult disruptive poorly coordinated rubbish at sport poorly organised etc etc

The fact that dc2 received a 100 percent perfect attendance record with no lates and dc1 received over 10 lates must try harder kind of report just shows how totally crap the whole idea is and the fact that such useless data is collected analyses and used to decide who gets what and what goes on school reports is breathtaking IMHO !!

[amck5700]

I have a son who is academically at the top of his class - behaves immaculately, has never ever lost any Golden time in 6 and a half years, works hard I'm told - has perfect school reports, is polite, responsible and mature - he can be a little chatty but stops when asked - this is all taken from his school reports and parents nights not my own view. In virtually every report report I am told he is a pleasure to teach - the only thing he is ever told to work on is his handwriting which could be neater.

He has had 100% attendance, with no lates for 5 out of those years.

He has only ever managed to get star pupil twice. - 30 odd kids in the class, 40 weeks of school - you'd think there might be some opportunity for him to get it wouldn't you??

The whole thing is a farce.

[colditz]

As the mother of two asthmatics, I think these attendance awards are a complete pile of shit.

[amck5700]

colditz - i don't mind them per se, as long as there are a variety of awards that all children have a chance of wining, Not everyone can be good at everything, so if there is a mix of academic awards, sporting awards, creative awards, behaviour awards then attendance can be part of that mix. Your children may not have a chance in the attendance stakes, but may be very musical or clever - some kids might not have much going for them other than they turn up every day which could be an achievement in itself.

[Southwest]

Annoyingly things like this are used to judge our children though and assign worthiness whether it be for school reports or prizes or simply whose mother gets to accompany the school trip.

In our school again all the prizes went to the daughter of someone who helped out in the school it was really incredibly blatant and incredibly annoying you just looked at some of the kids and knew their chance of winning a prize for anything on merit was very low, surely they should be top priority for the reception nice sitting prize!!

[cory]

The difficulty to me used to lie in persuading a recalcitrant child that dutifully attending her painful and laborious medical treatment was as worthy as merely sitting in a classroom, when the school were so obviously saying the opposite.

Otoh my lazy son who never does a stroke of work at school unless bullied by his teachers and parents can feel comfortable that his mere physical presence makes him more worthy.

[treesntrees]

The Head Teacher of the smallish primary my children first attended had a prize giving ceremony towards the end of each school year and believe me every child got a prize for something ranging from academic excellence to someone who was always the first to comfort a child who had fallen over or always held the door open for teachers. Her imagination was boundless and each child beamed when they went up to get their prize. She also celebrated each child's birthday with a present and the whole school singing Happy Birthday. Like I said a smallish school with tiny classrooms holding fifteen or sixteen children. No reason why similar can't be done on a class basis though.