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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

Class awards (I know, I know!)

63 replies

sparepantsandtoothbrush · 16/06/2017 13:43

DD is y5, among the top achievers in the class, always well behaved etc. Her teacher gives out, at least, 4 awards a week. Homework hero, maths magician, spelling superstar and the general star of the week. DD hasn't had a single award all year! It's easy at the start of the year to dismiss it with comments about children needing a confidence boost or children who struggle at things making a huge effort to improve. However, with 5 weeks of term left (which means over 120 class awards have been given out between 28 children) DD is feeling massively deflated and frustrated.

DD has even mentioned it to the teacher herself and asked her what she can do to improve and the teacher laughed and said DD was already doing amazingly and to just keep up the good work.

Is it just a case of DD sucking it up (which she has done with good grace until last week!) or would it be worth mentioning it to the teacher?

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MrsELM21 · 16/06/2017 13:47

Same here, but DS is only in year 1, in our school it seems to be very much for when the poorly behaved children improves and the poor kids that do well and behave all the time are overlooked

MrsELM21 · 16/06/2017 13:48

I did mention it at parents evening and the teacher was horrified that DS had never received anything, he did get one of the small award the very next day but never the 'big one!'

MollyHuaCha · 16/06/2017 13:55

Teacher might be planning to give your DD 'the big award' at the end of the school year maybe?

Original poster

sparepantsandtoothbrush · 16/06/2017 14:03

I did mention it at parents evening and the teacher was horrified that DS had never received anything, he did get one of the small award the very next day but never the 'big one!'

My only worry with mentioning it is that I want DD to feel she's got an award on her own merit rather than because I've been in!

There's no big award at the end of the year as far as I know

OP posts:

RedSkyAtNight · 16/06/2017 14:26

By Year 5 I think the idea that "every child must get an award" has largely gone out of the window. So you don't get one just by being a well behaved hard worker - you've got to do something above and beyond what you usually do.

Witchend · 16/06/2017 18:45

I'm fairly certain that our junior rewards are given out in a specific, possibly alphabetical order.
Ds has had 3 years there and got the standard 2 in each year. He gets one within a week of spring half term, and the second within a week of the 30th of April. (ie within a set fortnight)
If he gets the same next year (last year) I plan on taking a photo and sending to the head and suggesting that they alter their orders per year so as not to make it so stupidly obvious.

Leeds2 · 16/06/2017 18:53

I volunteer in a primary school, and so get the weekly emailed newsletter. They have Star of the Week for the Reception, Year 1 and Year 2 classes, with a reason given (such as using descriptive words in a piece of writing, good behaviour on a trip etc). This week, the Star for Year 1 was given to a girl who only started at the school this week, and it was given for settling in well. I thought that was lovely, and made me think of how chuffed I would be if I was her mum!

WindwardCircle · 16/06/2017 18:56

My DD is excatly the same, well behaved, accidemic and never gets awards. Actually she did get one this year, but according to her it was because the person meant to get it that week was off sick!

I've explained to her that those awards are really incentives for children who are struggling with their work or to control their behaviour, and she understands that, but all children thrive on praise and I do think teachers should realise that's it's upsetting for any child to be passed over week after week.

user1483972886 · 17/06/2017 06:50

We are in the same boat... DS1 is in the top of his class for everything but hardly ever gets star of the week but loads of house points. When there is a supply teacher 9/10 they say how great he is, helping other kids etc but his normal teacher is not so gushing... one week a child got star of the week for finally bring abl ed to do a forward roll.. he is 7 ... our 3 year can do a forward roll.
Our 7 year old twigged in reception there is no link between performance and getting star of the week for himself... I think it's just how it is!

Ankleswingers · 17/06/2017 06:56

Exactly the same here.

5 weeks to go with this teacher. DS hasn't warmed to her, neither have many other children.

I'm counting down the weeks tbh. I am going to raise it with her but not until the very end of the term. I

Dentistlakes · 17/06/2017 07:01

Exactly the same situation here. If awards are to be given on merit they they should be awarded accordingly. If not then the teacher should be keeping a list to ensure all the children are recognised throughout the year.

kktpj · 17/06/2017 07:06

I spoke to dd teacher about this. Apparently she gives them by pulling names out on lolly sticks. Kinda pointless then

roamingespadrille · 17/06/2017 07:17

These systems do not work. Just let your children understand that. They don't work for children who find it easy to behave, because they behave anyway (it's rewarding in itself to behave well and achieve). They don't work for children who find it difficult to behave well, because...they find it difficult to behave well. A piece of paper and a clap in assembly is not going to change that.

Get your child to save their energy for something else.

user1491810905 · 17/06/2017 07:25

Wow I am surprised by this.

I do 5 certificates weekly, 4 minor and one larger. I keep a really detailed spreadsheet with dates and names so I can keep track of how has had what and when.

When it comes to deciding I look at the spreadsheet and look at which children are 'due' something. I can honestly say that I easily find something I can genuinely reward each child for. Sometimes a child is due something but they've had a bad week, and I might tell them "I really hoped you might get a certificate this week for xyz, but I don't think that's going to be able to happen now, let's work together to really improve xyz and maybe I can have another think about it next week."

It really really isn't hard to ensure all children are catered for and feel that their achievements are worthwhile, high ability or low, well behaved or badly behaved.

FYI the order is random so they end up with at least 3 each year, one of which is the larger, no set times but they generally get something every term.

mrz · 17/06/2017 07:30

I really hate the whole "due" expectation. Children aren't stupid they know when they've been given a certificate simply because they're due one rather than deserve one.

roamingespadrille · 17/06/2017 07:35

had a bad week, and I might tell them "I really hoped you might get a certificate this week for xyz, but I don't think that's going to be able to happen now, let's work together to really improve xyz and maybe I can have another think about it next week."

And do you really believe that approach helps the child improve?

CreekyOldKnee · 17/06/2017 07:56

We had this issue at out school - all the kids that were always good felt the naughty kids were always rewarded for doing things that they did all the time!

Parents complained and after a while it was acknowledged that this shouldn't be the case.

They have now introduced a "name of school" superstar award. Each term, 5 kids from each class whose behaviour is consistently good get awarded it and can come into school in mufti and spend the afternoon doing something fun.

It's worked brilliantly because now the kids know that they are recognised for consistently good behaviour.

Also, it can be given to the same child more than once so is an actual indicator of behaviour, rather than an "everyone will get it at some point" reward.

roamingespadrille · 17/06/2017 08:17

'consistently good get awarded it and can come into school in mufti and spend the afternoon doing something fun.'

Can you not see how appallingly discriminatory this is?

Mamabear12 · 17/06/2017 08:29

I would say something. All schools give out awards differently. My dd old school seemed to give awards out to some kids more often. Her new school seems to give it out to everyone on more equally. And my dd and another child both got it for settling in well. I think that's a good idea to help encourage the kids when starting a new school. I would def say something if your dd never got an award w all those awards given out. Simply not fair.

robinia · 17/06/2017 08:36

Same happens at my school. One of my dc could not have behaved any better or tried any harder and never got anything, either during the year or in the final prize giving. It did affect her negatively - made her obsess about trying even harder and being the best, to the point where she had a near breakdown at yr 9 sats. Fortunately, as she has got older she has got better at dealing with her stress.

2014newme · 17/06/2017 09:23

I would mention it to the teacher. Why haven't you?

ScarletSienna · 17/06/2017 09:28

I would mention it.

I hate these sort of awards and certificates though and thankfully work in a school that has no reward system for behaviour or attendance etc. Here's an easy read why -
hepg.org/hel-home/issues/10_2/helarticle/the-case-against-rewards-and-praiseM

Northgate · 17/06/2017 09:31

I'd mention it to the teacher too.

I understand wanting DD to feel she's got an award on her own merit - but would she have to know that you'd mentioned it to the teacher?

Pud2 · 17/06/2017 09:34

If he gets the same next year (last year) I plan on taking a photo and sending to the head and suggesting that they alter their orders per year so as not to make it so stupidly obvious.

Really??!!

Muddlingalongalone · 17/06/2017 09:50

I've been umming and ahing about saying something for a few weeks now. Dd (yr1) had a new teacher in January and hasn't had anything since. 2 awards a week, class of 29. She seems to do well in other initiatives but not get a certificate. She doesn't seem fussed so I'm ignoring it.
If she was fussed I would say something though

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