Anyone else hate that attendance is rewarded?

[coffeepleeease]

DD (5) started school in September, she picks up everything going and struggles to fight things off, so a common cold puts her out of action for a couple of days with a high temp and usually being sick from all the phlegm. So far she's had 2 days off for one cold with a high temp, and then 3 weeks later a day off for another cold with a high temp.

She now has a chest infection, started antibiotics yesterday and although she's now happy in herself she's coughing so much she's dry heaving and she had a high temp last night which seems to have gone down for now at least. She's also up all night having away so very tired. I'm not sure she's well enough for school tomorrow, so would be her 5th day off. School allows for 6 days absence over the year which is 97% attendance, and all those who "achieve" that receive a certificate in assembly at the end of the year. Children can't help being ill, I hate that attendance is rewarded (not just because my DD is a poorly child, I've always thought that even before having her). What are others thoughts?

Never met anyone who likes it! Children can't help being ill... often catching the illnesses at school from other kids being sent in ill.

It’s awful that children are rewarded for having good physical and mental health- it’s not in the child’s control.

It also makes some children resentful towards others if the class then doesn’t receive the class 100% attendance award.

I don’t like it either, but I can understand he schools do it. They are under pressure to show that they are doing things to improve attendance, because it dies make a huge difference to children’s education.

Tbh, your schools way of doing it doesn’t sound too bad, I’ve heard of much worse ways that really are unfair. Awarding 97% attendance at the end of the year gives children a reasonable chance of achieving it even if they do have a few illnesses and it deters children and parents from taking a day off when it isn’t really necessary. Unfortunately measures like this are the result of too many parents letting their children have days off for sniffles or taking term time holidays.

Rant ahoy! I can never believe this actually happens (I mean I know it does, but it's so mindblowingly cruel and stupid). I've even heard of schools where kids with 100% attendance get a special party and the rest don't :(

You can't help being ill, but not only that, the reasons to be off school generally affect the poorer and more disadvantaged the worst. Poor housing, living in more polluted areas, having to be a carer, etc.

It disproportionately punishes the worst off and those who are suffering already if they have a long-term condition or illness. Then you get primary school doing all the "be kind" and "support each other" stuff while being happy to humiliate kids for being unwell.

And on top of that how is it sensible to incentivise coming into school when you're ill and might spread something around? It's insane.

It's stuff like this that makes it hard for me to have any respect for the education system/schools, though I do try. How isn't it illegal?

If kids and parents are taking days off when it's not necessary, then they should look into the reasons and deal with that. Anyone who is off because they're sick or another pressing reason (funeral, young carer, etc) should be left out of it.

DD's school used to have a termly party for 100% attendance. They stopped it and now reward the class with the best attendance (not sure if they actually get anything or just mentioned!) and I think the most improved. Last year DD had 100% attendance when school was open. This year she was off twice in the first 9 days. Just how it goes!

DD was told she wasn't allowed to go on an end of year trip because she'd missed 3 days that term. She'd been to London to represent the school at a debate, all organised by them. A teacher went too and she was in the local paper. The boys who missed a week due to the rugby tour were allowed to go. Of course they were. It's appalling. I know of a young Carer punished for taking his mother to hospital, a bereaved child who was punished because their father died. It's just awful.

It's a wierd one. Whilst you don't want anyone punished or feeling bad, it's ok to celebrate things. I feel differently to the MN consensus on this. Things are celebrated, coming first is praised, in school, in life. If a child does well in a outside school swimming competition or dance or judo or karate we celebrate that. Sports day. Not every child is good at things. We can't all come too in maths. Some children do come down with every cold going. Some don't.

What waving is posting about is not the same thing. That's worse!

Yep

DS was diagnosed with a serious illness at the end of his reception year, since he's never managed to have 100% attendance due to subsequent treatment and on going medical apps

Last year, due to Covid, his secondary school announced that the end of year treats would be different that year as places were limited... so those with lower than acceptable (eg DS) attendance weren't even allowed to be considered

So whilst others were off having a jolly time, DS was at school being treated like a naughty boy attending lessons. A child who already feels "different" - lovely

It was always stupid, wasn't fair to kids with illnesses and encouraged the behaviour (which is already far too common in the UK) of sending kids in who threw up last night or even that morning but now 'seem fine' or giving a child with a raging temperature some Calpol 15 mins before dropoff get them over the threshold.

This risks the health and education of more vulnerable children, and doesn't really meet their duty of care as an employer. Any schools still doing it after covid really need it raised with their safeguarding lead.

At least being especially good at something like swimming or maths and getting a prize is not the norm, and generally involves some effort. If you stand out in a good way and get a prize or certificate, I think that's fine. Yes not everyone can do that but at least you are not being singled out for doing worse than others.

I think being left out of a party or trip is a really nasty punishment for a child who simply couldn't make it to school for a good reason. These things matter a lot to kids and schools know they do. It would make sense as a punishment for really bad behaviour, to miss out on something nice. Not for low attendance.

I just don't understand how teachers who do these things can have any empathy at all. I couldn't look a child in the eye and tell them they can't do something fun because they were off sick.

Yes. I'd much rather they did awards for resilience or kindness. Something that we should be trying to encourage in young people. An award for staying healthy is such a shame for kids who have medical issues. I'd go as far as saying it is discrimination. It isn't exactly a healthy attitude to push kids to go to school and ignore any health issues, physical or mental.
I'm so glad that I've never worked in a school that has handed out such awards.

As a teacher I think it's pointless. It does nothing to impact on the minority of very poor attenders who have a myriad of barriers for school attendance. It's just a box-ticking exercise to show Ofsted that attendance is important to the school. Luckily my school stopped doing them with COVID and hasn't re-started.

Everything thats rewarded can be classed as unfair. The child who cant run or swim fast. Isnt good academically throgh no fault of their own. So I can't see whats wrong with attendance awards. They can work well. I dont agree with children being stopped from a fun day though. That is unfair.

It isn't the teachers choosing to do it!

You can thank Ofsted and the DFE for setting attendance targets and putting huge pressure on leadership teams which in turn lead to these ridiculous decisions made in school.

Pisses me right off. But I have a child who has a few medical issues and our primary used to count attending medical appointments as an absence for the 100% attendance certificate and treat afternoon.

SEN children and those with medical issues are disadvantaged in this reward system of 100% attending

LoadaBollocks.

*It isn't the teachers choosing to do it!

You can thank Ofsted and the DFE for setting attendance targets and putting huge pressure on leadership teams which in turn lead to these ridiculous decisions made in school.*

Yes I know, but I'm just saying I don't know how any teacher (or SLT) can do it. I'd have to say "I'm so sorry, this rule is really mean" and give them a treat myself.

If you're going to compare it to academic achievement, sport etc, it's the equivalent of saying you can miss out on a party or treat because you're dyslexic and shit at spelling. We wouldn't do that would we - because we understand that SEN is something a child can't help.

There have been so so many posts about this. Even news articles. Children are upset and betrayed by it. Parents hate it.

But schools continue to do it because the department of education tells them to. I have the strong impression that all the stupidest staff in the civil service get managed into the department of education and stay there. But even so, who came up with the idea of punishing ill children for being ill?!

Ps when DD was 4, she had a medical condition that meant she missed a bit of extra school. Her teacher, knowing this, decided that DD mudt collect the attendance certificates from the office and hand them out to the class. DD was the only child in class not to get them. She was in semihysterical tears at pickup it was a while before she calmed enough to speak.

It isn’t about the bit of paper, it’s about forcing children as young as age four to realise that the people who have total power over them all day are neither kind nor competent. And that is a very scary thiught for anyone let alone at age four.

It's indirect discrimination, both against children with disabilities and those of other faiths. I had that confirmed by the Equality Advisory and Support Service helpine.

Tell the school to stop. I've said on other similar threads - I did this at my DC's school and not only that school but the whole group of academies seems to have stopped doing attendance rewards. It's legally unjustifiable, you just have to tell them that.

There may be pressure from DfE (and there is, masses), but frankly shame on any teacher who chooses to pass that on in the form of discrimination against disabled kids/ kids of non Christian faith!

I have one dc who missed less than a fortnight from preschool through to year 13.
Then I have 2 who generally miss over a fortnight every year due to hospital appointment etc.

No, I don't think it's this dreadfully mean achievement that MN seems to think.
I do think some schools go OTT with the reward, which I think is the issue. It should be a small reward, not a school trip or party-those are disproportionate.

For dd, some years she got a certificate, and at the end of year 11 got an amazon voucher for having 100% attendance for 5 years. Nothing amazing.

But for those that are saying that it's no effort and just about being well. It is a certain amount of luck, but at times there were times dd made the effort to go in (not because of any prospect of a prize, I'll add) when my others would have not even considered the possibility.
Things like getting home from A&E (potential broken arm) at 2am. She got up and went in, even when I suggested she could stay at home.

Mine won't ever win a sports' award, or an art's prize, or anything like that. Being good at those things is a matter of genetics, some work, and some luck. To me the attendance is similar.

One of the other dc who got the 100% attendance at the end of 5years from dd's year, I was sitting next to his mum and she said it was the first prize he'd had at school which wasn't one everyone got. Do you begrudge that child?

What I do find more of a non-prize is when a group is chosen to do something that lots of the other children would love to get the opportunity to do-and then get a prize on top of that. So the football team get a prize for being in the football team, or the person who took the lead in the school show gets a prize for that, to me that's doubly rewarding them.

@MargaretThursday but that attendance award was just luck.
One illness, one nasty accident...

Schools should stop this type of reward for attendance. However they must address school non attendance. That’s not about genuinely ill children. It’s about the ones who are missing one day in 10 or worse repeatedly. Everyone knows DC get colds when they start school. All those new bugs! However that’s not the same as chaotic families who need help.

Ofsted are not impressed by non targeted attendance schemes. They want to see how the school is tackling the persistent non attendees. The drive to get children into school was never expecting 100 % attendance. 92% is what they want and that’s fairly low! It’s obvious a child that’s ill will be below that but they are not the issue. It’s the ones who don’t have anything wrong but are absent should be the focus. Schools are meant to work with the parents. Not blame the children. But it’s much harder than having a party for the best attenders!

Yeah my daughter lost her award one yea after her Grandpa died and she wanted to attend the funeral. How heartless .