How does your school organise prizes or awards?

[schooldidi]

I went to dd1's year 8 parents' evening last night and was told that because she had a prize for Maths last year, she is not allowed to get the same prize this year. Her teacher sounded rather frustrated with that rule and said dd1 would have been top of her list.

I'm fine with her not getting the same prize every year (I'm fine with her never getting another prize at all actually) but dp is annoyed and keeps repeating "but if you're the best, you're the best, and if someone else wants to get the prize they have to beat you in order to get it". He's not going to do anything stupid like complain or anything, but it's a little niggle for him and he can't understand it.

The school I teach in has a similar rule that in years 7-10 you can only receive one prize, then in year 11 you are back in the running for any prize you might deserve.

Is this the norm in your schools? Or do some schools let the same pupils get the same prizes year after year?

We do prizes for effort and attainment. The attainment prize would go to the child with the highest attainment, regardless of their achievement the previous year. I guess in principle the effort prize could be negotiated to avoid the same person year after year .

We have no idea how prizes are awarded in my DCs' school! One gets one almost every year, and the other (in my opinion harder working) has never had one? It's tough! I think they should make it clear to the kids at the beginning of each year exactly how they are decided, then it's open and fair.

Prizes don't need to be "fair"- this approach is ridiculous! Best person gets prize, end of. Yes it means same person might go up year after year but any other approach sends the message that it's not worth striving to be the best. Effort prizes and "kindness cups" and the like may differ each year but for attainment the above applies

I don't think prizes should have to be fair either. I always get annoyed when I'm told that the child who is performing the best academically can't have the academic prize because they've already had it.

There are 3-4 prizes per subject at our school so it could be a mix of the same pupils and some new ones if deserved. No rules on not giving it to the same students - and some students (obviously deservedly win a whole raft of them).

Ds's school appear to do overall attainment prize x 3-4 and overall improvement prize x 3-4 per year group. He's in first year so no idea if it's the same kids every year.

Just realised I was slightly misleading about my school. We only have prizegiving in years 11 and 13 so it wouldn't be the same kids anyway. In years 7-10 and 12 there are just subject commendations which can be many per subject - maybe 15 out of year group of 120.

No idea about high school, but something similar happened to DD, and I am glad of it.

DD & "Ann" are both good at distance running. Unbeknowst to DD*, In y5 Ann was allowed to run a race competing with y6s on sports day (coming 3rd); DD wasn't offered any long distance events for y5 sports day. I only know because I am friendly with Ann's Nan who said how pleased she was because Ann finds it hard to excel at school.

I am glad for Ann, DD has heaps of confidence & other chances to show off her running talent. It was right that Ann had the opportunity & recognition when DD didn't.

*literally had to hide laptop screen 6x while typing this message, sigh.

Dd has had a prize every year in secondary things ...she has 2 this year in yr 11

I think I had a prize in every year in Secondary school too, mostly Maths (a family talent).

It seems strange to me that we aren't allowed the same children more than once, but I do see the reasoning behind it. Other children do deserve recognition for their achievements and efforts, whether they are the absolute top, or second.

we do prizes for excellence and endeavour - done by year group and by subject and then there are whole school ones for things like involvement in good causes, mentoring younger pupils etc etc.

The excellence ones tend to go to the same people although not necessarily in consecutive years but the endeavour ones are always changing.

Homebythesea, I said that I think it's only "fair" to let the kids know at the beginning how prizes will be awarded, surely that's not "ridiculous"!?

If it's you can't give the same prize consecutive years, then I think that's not too bad. If it's you've got it once, so you can't get it again ever, then I think that's silly.

My primary had a rule you couldn't have more than one prize except the top boy/girl/improvers exam prize (those were given every year, but the trophy prizes were only year 6).
Personally I think that was fair enough, even though if the usual rules had been applied I would have walked away with three trophies-just to make it different, I got none of the ones I would have got by the usual rules, but they gave me a different one.
There were about 10-15 cups that were given, so not everyone got one anyway, so perfectly fair enough. Dm wasn't impressed though

At secondary, there were only form prizes for the younger years which were strictly top only. But there was one prize "greatest contribution to school by a first year" otherwise known as the favouritism prize.
In our year one of the people who got it also got a form prize, which did seem a little unfair-particularly as he hadn't done anything particular for the school there were plenty of others who had done as least as much. I think in that case sharing them out would have been fair enough, he was very embarrassed by that too.

Mind gone- if you think that children need to be told the basis on which prizes are awarded then that surely indicates that those children have an expectation of a prize which has to be managed. This is a result of the "everyone must have a prize, no winners at sports day" type attitude which is indeed ridiculous.

If you need to explain the basis of how the prizes are awarded to act as an incentive to win one of those prizes then fair enough...

Up to age 13 last school had a class attainment prize, class effort prize, class progress prize and contribution to school prize. The attainment prize went to one of two people for about 3-4 years, but the others were different each year. Progress prize definitely went to someone new each time as it reflected different achievements. The kids were very realistic about the attainment prize going to the same people as they really were obviously the best academically in the class and if others had one it they would have seen it for what it was- a bit of a sad attempt to try to be "fair" which did't really work!

DCs school give two prizes per year group per subject. No idea if there are any rules about winning more than once etc, but DS has won a subject prize more than once but not in consecutive years. Each form has an Attainment and Effort prize and also house colours. There are also bronze,silver and gold awards for contribution to Drama, sport and music

This year we are doing Key Stage prizes in each subject- previously it was per Year. It's very difficult to choose! We do try to spread it out- otherwise it would end up with one child getting half a d

Oops... Half a dozen prizes. As Head of Dept I have to nominate a recipient and a reserve. We have three specials trophies in my subject (Performing Arts) and these do go to the best students.

Not sure there's a "fair" way to do it though.