Attendance Rewards

[Fivemoreminutespeaceplease]

DC6 has just gone back to school after having chickenpox over Christmas and needing last week off as his spots still weren't scabbed over. I contacted school and notified them of this at the time and they advised he could not return until all spots had scabbed over.

He has come home today absolutely gutted - most of his class received certificates and attendance rewards in assembly this morning for 100% attendance; an assembly that parents of said children were invited to.

I am livid that children of primary age are being awarded for something completely out of their control. Children cannot help being poorly, nor can they help if their parents decide not to take them into school for any reason so why penalise them for it?

If there is something I'm missing, I'm more than happy to be corrected but what are others thoughts, are attendance awards reasonable?

I agree with your points but I couldn’t really get that worked up about this in your situation. I’d really feel for kids who have a long term health condition who are regularly off but otherwiseI think it’s good for kids to learn that they can’t win every prize and sometimes life is a bit unfair. There might have been kids who won who struggle in their learning and never win anything.

They’re a sign of a thoroughly unimaginative leadership team imo (after 20 years working in schools).

They’re also discriminatory toward children with health issues.

You're not missing anything. They're pointless and discriminatory, even more so in view of the upcoming teacher strikes.

My son is 9. He has asthma.

He was sent home from school because he needed his inhaler a lot (I'm glad they had common sense to send him home!)

Then he needed hospital and had 2 days to recover.

He cried in A&E because he won't get an attendance certificate.

The pressure they put on kids is awful. We've had a long long chat about how the attendance certificate is not very nice and literally rewards a child for being healthy.

Sad times.

YANBU.

It also goes against all health messaging about keeping kids off in line with NHS guidance, eg for 48 hours after D&V, if they have a fever, etc.

They seem to have quietly dropped them altogether in DC's school, as they don't seem to have reappeared since Covid ( although saying that last year they had two huge Covid outbreaks so doubt any child would've got one!)
When they did have them they were quietly handed to the relevant children in class at the end of the year along with the punctuality ones. I always thought I should've got those as I was the one making sure they got there on time!

It seems in DC's class, the only parents who are ok with them are the parents whose DC have 100% attendance.

DD is poorly today so no doubt I'll be getting a phone call about her attendance today. I can't wait. 🙄