Is it normal for some children to not get certificates in primary school.

[Thewishful3]

Hi,

Any parents/teachers out there please tell me if this is normal. My daughters is in year 1 she is probably academically smart as most of her classmates par some smart little boys. Now all year she has not once recieved a certificate for absolutely anything . She has become a confident reader over the year, her spelling is great and her maths is ok. Now a lot of kids who were struggling were still receiving certificates. I am real confused as she works hard and she has a strong willingness to learn. But she has said I never get certificates and I feel like this school is really going to drag her back. Thank you

Yes and no. In Year 1 it’s unusual to get nothing at all - the teachers usually work it so that every child has a turn to get something once (that’s my experience anyway, maybe not all schools are the same).

But it’s more likely that struggling children will get something over a child that is absolutely fine, as a way of encouraging them. It’s always “Timmy is usually a little shit but he’s had a good week this week, so we will give him star of the week” rather than “Sarah is always such a great pupil so we should give her star of the week.”

Sounds like my daughter. She got one certificate after the first half term in reception. Nothing since. She does well at most subjects.
DD has certificates from after school hobbies which make her really proud and works hard to get to the next stage so I don’t think she’s that bothered about not getting any from school academically. Could you get your daughter involved in any clubs?

Often the kids who always show up, get on with thier work without fuss and meet thier targets get overlooked for prizes. The kids who are struggling tend to get them. My DS1 who had a few problems at primary got lots of headteachers awards.🤔, DS2 who was a model pupil got none. When DS3 gets to school age I will assume all is well if he doesn't get prizes 🤣

Unfortunately basically this.

Yes I have heard this before but she said everyone receives certificates apart from her. They have certificates for all the different subjects and they select a few kids from each year. She loves art she colors day in day out at home. She comes home and just reads books. I just find it really odd.

That’s crap. At DD’s school they do a weekly award given in the assembly and choose a friend to sit at an awards kids table - it’s a big deal - and every child gets it a couple of times a year. For everything from listening well, clear writing, supporting classmates, improving confidence. improvements in particular areas, all sorts of things big and small and the kids all love it.

I have a ND DS that struggles and a DD that sounds similar to yours. DD very rarely gets certificates, DS gets them most weeks. Sadly with the SEN crisis teachers are desperately trying to spur on struggling DC. I think no news is good news, just make sure you give DC lots of praise and recognition for her school work at home.

It’s a horrible system I always thought in primary school kids that small would get some kind of recognition at least once. The effect this can have on young kids i just feel like all kids need to be awarded in some way so they feel encouraged to do good.