Need to vent about school prizes!

[Toot]

How does your school award prizes? Gutted for my child as she has all As and a B from this year's exam results but is getting zip at the school prize giving event later this term. Her older brother, now left the school, seemed to get more but school policy seems to be changing its focus over recent years. Bit gutted for her.

What year is she in? Seems to me that quite often school prizes are given for effort & not necessarily for ability, if that makes sense. So, consistently high achiever isn't 'rewarded'. It can seem unfair but it's hard for schools to balance rewards for encouragement against ability.
Don't stress about it if she's doing well and is happy with her own progress.

It's a bit shit OP I'm sorry your DD.

DS2 has missed out on the effort prize by one mark on several occasions. As in, he needed all 6's and one teacher (usually PE or RME) gave him a 5. He has never had an award and is now in S5.

DS1 has managed the effort prize every year except one, that year he met the criteria but they made a mistake and refused to rectify it.

Last year he got 6As and a C and got no academic recognition as that only goes to those who get 7As. He scored 98% in Nat 5 Maths but didn't get the Maths prize as others scored 100%.

This year is the classic. I have an ongoing dispute with the school about them not allowing him to appeal his B in Maths despite being only point short and other mitigating issues. Anyway he's been a bit down about it but yesterday he came home beaming as he found out via the noticeboard that he'd won the S5 prizes for two subjects (one of which he crashed). This really took the edge of his disappointment and of course DH and I were delighted.

He comes home today to tell us that they made a mistake and someone scored 1 point higher than him in one of the subjects so he is only getting one award. He is really disappointed.

Now I obviously appreciate that mistakes can be made and I'm sure the mistake was an honest one and i'm sure the apology he received was genuine, but did it really have to be him!?

Obviously we are still saying that we are proud and that he has done well and that if he'd looked yesterday and had won one prize he and we would have been over the moon. Inside I am fucking fuming!

He is borderline aspergers is supposed to be getting support which is lacking and has never been provided.

I appreciate that there are many DC out there who get nothing (as I have one) but to make it obvious (on noticeboard outside the hall) that he had an award and had it taken away just feels very wrong. Obviously they have to give it to the person who got the highest score and I wouldn't suggest otherwise, but how fucking hard is it to look at the list and give it to the person with the highest score? It was a very small class so not like it was Maths or English or anything.

Only prizes ds' school awards is certificates of achievement. They do Highest Mark certificates per subject per year for S4, S5 and S6. Don't think that they do anything for "overall good results" for Nat 5 but they do for Highers. Iirc, there are 3 categories "Outstanding" (for 4 or 5 As at Higher?), Excellent (ds got one for 2xA and 3xB) and Highly Commended (for 5 passes at Higher?). They didn't really explain how the different categories were defined - but ds seemed to know.

They also give recognition for things like Saltire Awards, D of E (although one of this year's D of E Gold participant groups couldn't attend the Awards Ceremony which was last week as they were away on a kayaking or was it canooing? trip), sporting achievements, involvement in Young Enterprise and musical achievements.

So ds got a certificate with 4 awards on it for his 4 specific achievements in S5.

They also award a Dux and Proxime Accessit Award for the person (or this year, the two people) who had accumulated the most academic awards over S5 and S6) and the person who came next closest.

It was quite gratifying to see how many of last year's 6th years came back to get their award(s) and who chose to put their uniform on for one last time

ours are similar, S1-3 the reward is for effort.

S4-6 can still get effort award plus there is an award for 7As at Nat 5 and for 5 As at Higher, the dux and Proxime Accessit based on results over S5 and S6. Plus there are various awards for service to the school and community etc. Then there are awards for highest mark in each subject, mostly sponsored trophies by local businesses. There are different ones for Nat 5 and Higher.

Thanks Ladies. I did wonder/fear a weight of bricks would hit me from Mums telling me to get over it. Just gutted for her.Her C.S studies teacher told her that her project was the best in the year so with that and getting an A in CS she thought her moment had finally arrived and she'd get something (she was wrong). I think the prize for the 7 As at Nat 5 hurt the most as her B was 1 mark away from an A and they won't appeal (doesn't fit policy). I've said all the Mum things I can think of KIt30 i.e only 1 person can get a subject prize and getting As in 6 subjects and the B in another is fantastic in itself so prizes are not important but in actual fact, to her, they are. Lower down the school more prizes used to be awarded (when my oldest son was there. LIke some others here it depended on effort and attainment grades in reports but these have largely gone now. You seem to get the 'sweetie' award - given to kids who once smashed other kids faces in but have been good for a bit and awards for kids who have got over real problems in their lives (no problem with the second lot) but if you're a bright kid who doesn't get in trouble - zip! I really feel for your son Waxon. Being given a prize and having it removed is about the only thing I can think of that would make DD feel worse at the mo.

Our school seems to change systems each year. So far (S1 to S3) each depatrment is asked to nominate the 10 "best" children in each year. Most use test marks to assess the highest achievers, but some also include the children who have made the most progress or shown consistent high effort. Children nominated are then invited to the awards ceremony. Everyone nominated gets the same certificate - some will have one subject listed, some will have 6 or 7. They also award Junior Dux in S3 and Senior Dux in S6. This is all done in May/June though, after the exams but well before summer so they're obviously not basing the senior awards on exam results as they're not out yet.

Was the same when I was at school - I got the S6 languages prize, must have been based on class work or prelims as we hadn't had exam results yet.

My DD left school last summer. She was deputy Head Girl, got 5xAs in her highers in 5th year and got 3 AH at ABB (plus another Nat 5) in 6th year despite being unwell with an autoimmune disease in 6th year which caused her to miss lots of school time. Very few others had sat 3 AHs and only a handful had achieved 5xAs in 5th year. She performed solos in almost every concert and represented the school on many occasions, including winning several music trophies in 6th year. She also competed at national level in her sport. She was sent to talk to most of the school visitor including the inspectors and was considered a well-rounded, successful pupil.

She wasn't even invited to attend the final awards ceremony. It sucked.

That really sucks dotdotdash

At ds' school she'd have got loads of recognition, for both her academic and sporting achievements and she'd have had the opportunity to speak at the Awards Ceremony Head boy, deputy head boy, head girl and deputy head girl all spoke at the Senior Awards Ceremony (very impressively ) and the entire student executive the equivalent of prefects in my day were invited on to the stage to be recognised.

dotdash that really really sucks - your poor DD!

Most schools in our area East Dunbartonshire have now moved the senior award ceremony to September to reflect the actual exam results
Bearsden Academy's was this week The results were amazing

Ds' school (Southside of Glasgow) had its Senior Awards Ceremony last week in the evening, using the actual exam results.

Last year the Dux, the last award of the evening, literally only came through the doors of the assembly hall as the award was announced : he was/is at Medical School in Dundee, had attended a full day of lectures and then caught the train to come to Glasgow. Only it was the day of the massive signalling problems, so he had to catch a series of buses, providing a text commentary of his progress.

The "Junior" Awards Ceremony is held in June during the day (although parents are invited too).

Mine does that user1487... but right back to my initial point - she has 6 As and a B (only 1 mark away from an A to boot) yet is getting nothing. My DD also plays in school orchestra and sings in mixed choir (expected to do both at the awards ceremony actually but I've told her she can say I won't let her as she doesn't want to go as 'the entertainment').

Our school prizegiving is in June and based on the January prelim results. My son didn't do as well as another pupil so she got most of the prizes and was the Dux. In the actual highers he was the only one who got 5 As. So I suppose it was a bit unfair but at the end of the day it's what is on your certificate that's important for getting into university, not who was Dux or how many school prizes you got.

DD's school did the same re prelim results and June prizegiving. There were 4 in her AH language class and they ended getting A, B,C and D in their August results. The prize in June had been awarded to the pupil who got the C! DD was the B, but the A pupil must have been a bit peeved.

You just couldn't make this up, but DS has now been told that they made a mistake with his other prize too. He's upset and gutted and I'm upset and furious.

That's crap wax

I know your ds' school has a good reputation, but they're not exactly covering themselves in glory with either of your dses.

thanks pb, no they are not. DH has been told and he is furious.

Trying to work out what to do that would either make it better or at least not make it worse.

We've already told them that we will not be attending the prize giving.

It was the headmaster that phoned me, I think I am supposed to feel sorry for the senior member of staff who made both mistakes since they've been upset over the weekend. Not that I want a witch hunt and it's a failure of their systems and controls that a human error is allowed to remain undiscovered until after the details have been announced, but to expect me to be overly sympathetic when I have a child in bits to deal with is fucking crossing a line imo

And then try to tell me that my child is valued and appreciated by the school.....they can fuck off with that too.

I'm really not sure where we go from here but we need to calm down before making any rash decisions.

Now I need to work out what I am going to do about my elderly DM who is waiting on a picture of her grandson with his trophy :(

Wax if they had a scrap of humanity they'd award 2 prizes this year. They can't give and then take away - just wrong! I'd have to make a formal complaint. As it involved the Head you'll have to escalate it a stage to the Local Authority. Wrong is wrong and they are so wrong they have redefined the word!

I know toot, obviously the child who won needs to get the award but I am gutted and upset for him (im ashamed to say that I've been in tears) As I already have a complaint going with the council about the remark stuff and a meeting with the school this week about the lack of support they've had, it feels like I don't have the energy for yet another complaint. Felling like shite between this and just got a cold today too which isn't helping.

HM said he'd considered a joint award but couldn't really do that since they all know who got what now. Anything they gave him now would feel like it was a consolation prize, he's not stupid unfortunately for them (and him).

I don't care what they think he or anyone else knows Wax, he should get the prize (bet the difference in marks between him and the other child is quite small). Or they give him a more generally titled academic award but to say woops/sorry is pants! Hope your cold feels better soon (sending Mum hugs) xx

Yet in contrast, ds' school found itself able to award a joint Dux and a Proxime Accessit.

strange what can be done when there is a will

Aww thanks toot. He missed the Graph comm by 1 point and the engineering by two. This added to missing out on his Maths A by one mark too. it's a very academic school, there will be a number of pupils getting academic stripes for getting 5 As and I'm sure there are other pupils in a similar academic position as DS1 tbh.

It's not that I think he should get an award, just that to tell a child with confidence and anxiety problems that he has won two awards and then to take them away one by one is really unforgivable.

No doubt they'll be crowing about how brilliant they are when the schoolwise results are made public, I personally don't want my DSs results included in their stats as it's nothing to do with them really.

I don't even know anymore why I am bothering going in for the meeting on Friday as at the moment I am just so disgusted with them (and I'm also afraid I'll end up getting upset).

If the marks were the same they could do that pb. But there are only a small amount of kids in the classes and they know what points the others got now. I'm sure if I was the winning pupil I wouldn't be happy about sharing the award with someone who got less marks than me.

The big problem here is that this has all played out in public, so everyone knows that DS1 had the prize and then it was taken away. I'm presuming it was the pupils themselves that pointed out the mistakes as they've never really said how these were discovered. I'm not even sure whether it will still say DSs name in the programme or whether they've had to pay out to get them all reprinted. I want a copy regardless as we always keep a copy with DSs certificate. I presume he will still get the certificate even though we aren't going.