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Primary education

Join our Primary Education forum to discuss starting school and helping your child get the most out of it.

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Original poster

Attendance awards

36 replies

HelpMeLogIn · 06/02/2016 20:49

At sharing assembly with all the parents in attendance, those children who had achieved 100% attendance were invited to the front of the hall and all given a gold certificate for their attendance.

Some children, who for some reason or another had had time off for illness, sat there looking glum because they wouldn't get a shiny certificate.

Cue lots of complaining on Facebook later about upset children and discrimination against children that had been ill.

I marine that the school had to do it as part of some box ticking exercise but it does mean that children that get ill are excluded from this rather public reward system.

Yes I get that some will be upset by this. One of my kids got 100% attendance but the other one didn't. Luckily they're not bothered, or it could have caused a row. There has been an awful lot of Facebook complaining though by offended parents. I'm really not that bothered about it and I don't get why they're so upset. It seems daft to me to let them take it so seriously. Of course it discriminates and therefore should be ignored for being ridiculous, not pandered to and turned into a big deal.

Am I wrong? I just can't see the big deal.

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saltlakecity · 07/02/2016 13:31

Seriously, you have no idea about my levels of sympathy so do not even go there. It's funny how so many people think they could run schools better because they happen to have been in one as a child. If you can do such a fab job at it then train to do the job or contact your mp with your concerns. Meanwhile I will continue to do a good job with the children I have. I'm trying to talk to someone who isn't listening so I won't bother to reply now. Have a good day.

Sirzy · 07/02/2016 13:34

Ahh so now your assuming you have more experience in schools are you. So you don't want people to judge your experience but you will make assumptions about other peoples

You are hardly doing a good job of articulating an argument for these awards other than it looks good for ofsted!

catkind · 07/02/2016 13:34

DS has always got these. We call it the "aren't you lucky you weren't ill certificate" and bin it. I think it's stupid and sends all the wrong messages, and am not surprised parents may be annoyed.

I don't know if statistically speaking it works, perhaps schools would say it does. But does it work for the problem children - or rather the problem parents - or does it just cause motivated children to go in when they'd be better in bed? To be reluctant to participate in out of school events which might be more educational (music exams etc)? Even if it does work for the parents who are really just being lazy, I'm afraid it's still not acceptable to be discriminatory or (maybe more to the point) to give our kids the message that discriminating is okay.

HarveySchlumpfenburger · 07/02/2016 13:57

I think it would be difficult for anyone to articulate a sound argument for these awards other than 'it looks good for Ofsted'. I don't think there is one other than that.

It doesn't even stand up very well on that point since lots of outstanding schools manage to get that without the ridiculous certificates.

MrsPear · 07/02/2016 14:01

Ds1 will never get one as he has hearing loss.

user789653241 · 07/02/2016 14:06

My ds has chronic illness, so there will be no way he will get the certificate. But he is ok with it.
I think it's a good thing for some children to get a award for being healthy.
I don't think it's a big thing at my ds's school anyway, and when I saw a ds's friend came out with a certificate and showing it to his mum proudly, I genuinely felt happy for him.

RedOnHerHedd · 07/02/2016 14:17

At my DCs school they do term attendance awards and a yearly attendance award. DS2 is set to get 100% so far but DS1 had sickness and was off for a day. But our school does green certificates for "good" attendance too, so it's not just those with 100%.

HarveySchlumpfenburger · 07/02/2016 14:30

But wouldn't it be better for him to get awarded for something that he'd put some effort for rather than just being lucky, irvine?

I can't really work out what the target group for attendance certificates is.

user789653241 · 07/02/2016 14:39

Well, in the past, he has been awarded for something he didn't put so much effort in, like academic stuff or art stuff. In a way, it's unfair to the children who actually put effort in it, and he was just lucky. I don't know...

starry0ne · 07/02/2016 15:53

I think the point of these certificates is Ofsted not to motivate kids to school..I know a child in my son's class has usually one day a week off...It affects her friendships, and obviously her work... I say get someone to work with this child and her parents instead of a sheet of pointless paper.

NickiFury · 07/02/2016 16:01

I'm honestly not trying to be a twat but I have been seeing the word "ridiculous" spelt as "rediculous" all over the place just recently. Is it a spell check error or do people really think it's spelt like this?

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