Achievement badges

[aliasPrickleandJones]

I'm angry and sad about something that happened at DD's school.

They had an assembly and awarded badges to those students who achieved a pass in both English and Maths at the recent GCSEs in November. They are Year 11. By all accounts the students had to troop up to the stage and be awarded the badge while the rest just sat and felt like failures.

DD failed maths and was feeling pretty disappointed about it. She is a hard worker but finds the subject very hard. She said that she felt humiliated as the entire year group could see who passed and who didn't. Talk about rubbing salt…

Seems divisive and crass, I've complained.

Just wondered if any of your schools do something like this?

But if your efforts and abilities are NEVER recognised, then why would you continue to put the effort in? It'd be like cooking dinner for your partner every night, and never being shown any appreciation for your efforts, no matter whether you are chucking a plate of microwave noodles at him or a 3 course a la carte menu. You'd soon give up on the food that requires the effort and stick to the easy noodles.

Why is it such a 'soft' thing to do to recognise everybody's skills, rather than just those who are academic? Why should those who are less academic not have their achievements praised too? And not only that, but have to 'toughen up' and not be bothered by that too.

It's demoralising for those whose efforts are never recognised. Must remember to include this when looking for schools for non-academic DS2. (Doesn't get automatic sibling link I don't think, as we are now out of catchment for DD & DS1's Secondary.)

who says they're not though? the school may celebrate lots of things and the children also have parents, clubs etc. you can't do everything at once.

IME it's usually the kids who are good at sports who are always trooping up in assembly to pick up trophies and accolades. Kids who are merely good at their studies don't usually get any.

kind of agree nobleg. also my nephew who was always fantastically behaved and got really good marks soon picked up on the fact that he got fuck all whilst kids who'd managed not to swear for one whole lesson were getting assembly awards and such.

i don't think in most schools that there is an over rewarding of academic success or good behaviour - quite the opposite.

Posting this has been a real eye opener for me. I'm not sure what I expected, but certainly not what I got.

I am in favour of rewards, but not done this way and at this time in the GCSE preparation. As someone said to me, at this stage it is those that are failing to achieve their targets that need support and encouragement - to not give up but step up.

And it not the badges that my DD objects to (yes she said they were naff). It's the alienation and sense of failure that she felt as she (and others) sat there knowing that their name will not be called.

Her school is a good one. They do most things right. They sometimes post letters to the students praising them on something that they have achieved. Why couldn't they have done that this time?

And as for those who said that she has to toughen up… I did not mention quite what a tough time she is having at the moment, seeing cahms, seeing the school counsellor. We are worried about her. The school knows about this (indeed they were the ones who put the extra support in place).

Unfortunately the reality is that some children are not as resilient as others. For whatever reason, they are vulnerable and need extra support and help. You say that she is nearly 16. True, but not an adult, still child-like in many ways.

I wish you well to those whose children thrive in the cut and thrust of the competitive arena. But please spare a little thought for the others.

If she is having a tough time, and I am sure this wasn't what she needed - I hope she's alright x

My DC's Secondary manages to do it all at once - they have an awards Ceremony for each year group every year, in the evening. They get an ex-pupil in as a speaker, and make son event of it. If a school with 1,800 pupils can do this, I can't see why other schools can't or won't.

They have Sports awards, Academic awards, effort awards, attendance awards, awards for each subject - so if you are good at History, but not at other subjects, you might get an award for History, awards for most improved student in each subject, awards for vocational lessons, awards for most helpful student, awards for achievements outside of school, like DofE...

As I tell my DC - Everybody is good at something, nobody is good at everything.

And I'm glad that their school recognises this!

couthy - it was a post mock exam gathering. kind of doing exactly what it said on the tin. across a school year i'm sure they do more.

Actually it was a post real GCSE Maths and English thing.

My DCs school also do a prize-giving on GCSEs.

But the prizes are for children who exceeded their target grade, which is a much better way of doing it IMO.

So the reward for getting a D if predicted a E and an A if predicted a B is the same.

Should we not have the Olympics?

Hardly the same thing. Education is compulsory, attended by children, still developing their characters, their success in it can open or close doors for them, etc.
it's daft to compare it to the Olympics.

I've worked out why I'm at odds with most of the posters I. here: you're all Tories

no but education, mainstream, mixed comprehensive education is preparing children for society. not existing in a bubble and promoting and creating expectation for types of treatment and entitlement that they'll never see again once they leave.

But why was it not enough for those kids who passed to have passed? That would be closer to real life. When I passed my driving test, there was no public recognition if it. I was just allowed to drive unaccompanied. If you pass a GCSE paper, that should be enough, why do you need a badge in assembly too? If anything, that's breeding a sense of entitlement.
Like I said, I'm coming at this from a very different position. I am absolutely against certificates and prizes for all, I absolutely believe children should learn about competition and that when you go for a job, there's probably only one winner, and if it's not you, then tough, you weren't as good as someone else. But the practice described by the OP was, in my opinion, ill-advised and unnecesssrily demoralising.