Primary school end of year attendance 'medals': is it just me?

[BubblegumFactory]

Last day of term, just picked DS up from his really great primary school.
'Nice day?'
'Yes, nice day, apart from really stupid assembly where about 1/4 of the children got medals just for being at school'
'How do you mean?'
'If you had 100% attendance or missed no more than 1/2 a day, you got a medal. It's so stupid, children can't help being ill or having to go to their cousin's funeral AND that money could have been spent on something useful for the children'
'Yep' I have to agree'
It feels wrong but my 9 year old seems to have more common sense than the school ...
Or am I being precious?
Perhaps this year hurts more than usual ...
I'm all for praise and celebration but the attendance one really bothers me.

You're not alone, there have already been loads of threads complain about attendance awards.

Ah, wondered if it had already been discussed! Glad to know I'm not alone.

You if course aren't alone and I pretty much say the same thing and will continue to say the same thing on every such thread and that is:

If the only thing a teacher or head teacher can say about you after the whole year is that you basically just showed up then something is seriously seriously wrong.

I think I am a minority here, but I don't think nothing wrong with it, unless they give those children silly prize like trip to somewhere, etc., just certificate/medal/trophy.
It's very hard to get 100% attendance, illness, circumstance, etc. If it gives some children positive results, why not?
My ds is never likely to get it due to chronic illness, so I just simply think it's just so great to be healthy. And I don't think my ds thinks it's a stupid prize to get.

Yanbu but it's really been done to death on here

ah sorry! Forgot what board I was on

Yes attendance awards are pointless and annoying and there have been multiple threads on here about it. Some where children have been given trips or prizes not just a certificate as well

It's not just you as there are already a million threads on this yawnsome topic

It's been proven to raise attendance in schools because it promotes the idea that school is a compulsory thing. Believe it or not, some kids only have to make a bit of a fuss in the mornings for a parent to cave and keep them off. Sometimes the parent wants a bit of company that day. Sometimes the parent has less than positive memories of school and thinks they are being nice to their child by keeping them off. Those children are the ones that justify the giving of attendance awards. But I agree the awards should be token only.

When mine are ill I never think 'But what about their attendance award?'

Won't work here!

Green, if somebody thinks of "attendance awards" when their child is ill, it's totally wrong. I don't think that's the point.

They do annoy me tbh but only because some of us have little choice but to choose medical appointments for our children over school attendance at times.

Tomorrow, don't you ever think you are lucky that you have very academically able child?
My ds is the same. He gets awards for his talent. Just not attendance, because of his chronic illness. I just don't have any reason to resent somebody being healthy, like I don't want anybody to resent him for him being academically able.

I d think I am lucky and that ds is lucky that his academics come with little effort but after over a year of shuffling between doctors it's frustrating. I don't resent those that are healthy tbh just wish I could get answers and knowing that the conditions may well interlink with his intelligence is hard.

He should write down his very valid views on it and send them to the headteacher and chair of govenors.

If a 9 year old can see how wrong the system is you would wonder why those in charge can't!

Our school do attendance awards for excellent attendance (98% or over).

This year DT2 got one for 99.4% and DT1 didn't as hers was 97.6% due to the fact that the school insisted that she stay home for 24 hours after she had conjunctivitis and also for 24 hours after starting antibiotics for scarlet fever (so she missed 2 days). She was fine in herself and could have gone in both times but i followed school and medical advice.

The kids get a certificate though not anything else and at age 4 DTs don't know what it is for but in general I don't agree with it.

Schools don't exactly want to do this but Ofsted do ask for everything a school does to ensure good attendance. They want lists of every phone call made to parents about attendanxe, every referal, every fine, every meeting plus details of how we encourage children to have good attendance. They want specific details rather than 'We have fun lessons and the teachers are warm and caring so children want to come to school'.

I know a school that failed Ofsted on attendance alone. There attendance wasn't even dramatically below national. They were told they didn't reward the children for good attendance so there wasn't the incentive when they were under the weather but otherwise well enough to come to school. Absolute bollocks but schools are under rediculous pressure in this area. Lots of parents wouldn't read the report properly, would see the 'requires improvement' label and wouldn't take there children there. It's madness but very little schools can do. They hate it too.

DS2 got a certificate for 100% attendance and I think it was lovely and quite special. I felt quite proud of him. He didn't get any certificates for anything else - he doesn't excel academically or in sports. DS1 has lots of allergies and has never had 100% attendance but I don't see it as any kind of slight against him. It's all totally meaningless in the scheme of things - it's a laminated piece of paper!

Ironically, DS1 who got the 100% attendance certificate is now ill with a cold that would have kept him off school had it not been the summer holidays!

Blame ofsted, blame the parents that simply CBA to get their kids to school on time or at all, this is the problem... ofsted will be breathing down schools necks and they in turn have to go down a carrot or stick approach... mine missed out for a funeral and infection... i din't mind... i undestand why schools do it.

Loads of outstanding and good schools do not to attendance certificate or medals, it is not a necessary thing for meeting Ofsted targets. Not least because it does sod all to actually improve the situation, Ofsted (rightly) care about the persistently absent, not having a few kids who are almost always present game the system to improve the overall percentage.

So blame the school for having such poor ideas for ensuring attendance that they choose to use this divisive one.

No but meeting attendance targets is and if you aren't meeting the targets showing what steps you are taking to improve matters is important ... some schools consider attendance rewards/certificates/medals as an improvement step. Personally I'm not convinced.

I have been ASKED by parents to institute attendance awards! Some parents do like them, some don't. As with many things in school, you can't please everyone!!

Going through some old family stuff recently, I found some London County Council school attendance medals that were awarded to a distant relative in the 1890s! Plus ca change...

My favourite part of the last celebration assembly is when the head calls out those children with 100% attendance and about three of them are away!
They don't bother me either way. DS1 has never had 100% attendance but I can't get worked up about those who have done it getting a laminated certificate.