Would you let your child’s school know if they achieved an award?

[Planet42]

My child’s school says they like to know but is there any point in letting them know?
My dc has achieved a Duke of Edinburgh award, outside of school as they don’t run it. I’m very proud of him and I partly want to let the school know but I’m also thinking is there any point?
It’s just me showing him off really, isn’t it? They probably wouldn’t really care.

I was just thinking about it today! I’m not British (which means many things feel strange to me and I’m not one of those who’d feel free to email the staff about tiny little things that aren’t directly connected to school, if at all... Maybe because of my English or lacking the sense of belonging etc. I just wouldn’t. So today I was reading with my young daughter the school newsletter, and like every week I read about this girl who achieved merit in trombone grade 2, and the other one did some amazing charity with her brother, and I was thinking to myself that I’d never dare to tell school about my daughter’s achievements in all her after school activities. I would feel very embarrassed to do so (not that I wouldn’t like to show her off;). I’m not sure I’d feel different in my homeland, maybe it’s a matter of personality and not of mentality. Just some thoughts:)

I don't think DofE outside of school is 'noteworthy' enough.

The 'external' things that get mentioned at DD's secondary school are things like winning medals at National Trampolining championships etc.

At primary it is different and they are happy to celebrate lots of things.

Email his form tutor.

I'm a secondary form tutor and I always like to know what they are up to. Some of my 'quiet' students do fab stuff out of school and I'm always dead chuffed for them. I would care.

Congrats to your son, by the way!

@Shugi123 my thoughts are similar. It does seem trivial but I was wondering if I’m doing him a disservice

@TeenPlusTwenties when the school mentioned they like to be informed of awards, they even mentioned scout badges? They’re probably in a similar level.

@FredtheFerret thank you my ds is probably one of the ‘quieter’ students and has done quite a bit outside of school. This was his biggest achievement.

I run DofE at our place! It's hard work (for the students).

He's done brilliantly.

Yes do let them know.

I once got an award which was really special and was unaware my parents had told the school. There was a big fuss made at an assembly - remember I had to go up
On stage and everyone clapped. I had no idea about it but luckily was young enough it wasn’t embarrassing/awkward.
Well done to your son op !!

I guess my question would be "what do you want the school to do with the information?". Do you want them to praise your child at school? Do you think it's important they know to support something he does at school? If the school is small and makes a point of recognising achievements, this might be worth doing. I can't imagine my DC's school much caring about a Duke of Edinburgh award. They do put schools news up on their website but for external things it would have to be of the level of getting selected to join a national team or something like winning a local citizenship award. If your DC wants to raise it with school it sounds like it's the sort of thing that might be appropriate to talk about during tutor time.

I suggest you ask your child. Would they like it if their form teacher singled them out for a "well done"? My DS said no to me letting the school about him passing music exams (though may change his mind if he reaches the higher grades, especially if he gets a distinction). He said yes to me letting them know about a significant sporting achievement. He was subsequently asked if he'd be ok about it going in the newsletter, and he said yes (but no to a photo ).

Which level of award was it? At schools that do DoE, bronze is completed by large numbers, but fewer do silver/gold so it's seen as more notable.

It’s just that the school asked to know, they even mentioned scout awards. They said they put it all on their records as a kind of cv? But I’m not sure what use it is really.
He’s actually done silver. I didn’t bother telling them about bronze but I thought this was more of an achievement especially as he managed to do things during lockdown and school closures.
I don’t know why. Maybe just to have it recognised as an achievement? I’m sure if he’s done it through school, there would be some recognition.
He thinks it’s silly to let his teacher know but i was just thinking about what they’d told us a couple of years ago about informing them.
It’s not really a big deal if I tell them or not.

If your DS thinks it's silly, I guess that's your answer.

If the school really wants to record every award a child gains down to the level of scout badges (unless they just mean the big awards like Queen's Scout, not that your child has achieved their Artist badge) this must be a huge overhead for them! I suspect most people don't.

[For what it's worth, DS's school didn't even acknowledge when he completed his DoE Silver - which he actually did through the school. He was simply given his certificate on the way out of tutor time one day. DS thinks this was perfectly fine and would not have wanted anything else.]

At secondary level, I think the child should be able to tell the teacher if they want something to be recognized and celebrated.

I think an email to his form tutor about silver doe is justified. Just so they can say ‘well done!’ To him as well. Knowing about kids achievements outside of school helps with building positive relationships within school.

Yes definitely let his form tutor know, it would be nice to get a well done from someone outside his family and have his efforts praised. It would be a bit OTT to tell the headteacher though.

Agree that if your DS doesn't want the school told, then you shouldn't. Well done to your lad

Having done DofE, it is harder than a basic scout badge! I think if the school say they like to hear these things and your ds is happy for it to be shared, then share it. If the school never mentioned anything then I could understand feeling unsure about sharing, but as it stands, Id do it! Why shouldnt we shout loud and proud about their achievements, boost their ego a bit and give them more impetus to keep doing extra curricular activities. I think its great. Well done to your ds!

Our school newsletter has pictures of (usually the same) kids and a note of their achievements outside school, it’s a bit, parent promotion, and makes for a bit of a eye roll from the other kids but that’s only the regulars, it’s nice to read about the quieter ones and DofE is a great achievement!

@FAQs

Our school newsletter has pictures of (usually the same) kids and a note of their achievements outside school, it’s a bit, parent promotion, and makes for a bit of a eye roll from the other kids but that’s only the regulars, it’s nice to read about the quieter ones and DofE is a great achievement!

I think this is why some schools encourage parents to let them know. Left to their own devuces they know some parents will, but most won't, so it ends up with the same kids being recognised all the time.

Our school has an online tool which allows students to record their own achievements (visible to staff) with the purpose of building up a list that can be used for their personal statement when they apply to higher education.

Our school's MAGT coordinator also separately maintains a spreadsheet of achievements for kids who are on her register, but it's probably not very up to date as, again, it relies on students/parents letting her know about things.

Another secondary teacher here... definitely email his form tutor, they can then spread the news if appropriate or at least congratulate your son and ask him about it! I'd be pleased that the parent let me know and I would be impressed that he'd done it out of school.

In DD's school the teacher can give out positive points for out of school achievements if it is something they can link to a subject.

So, DD got points for her merit in a LAMDA exam from her drama teacher, friends got them for dance exams or instrument ones from the dance and music teachers. Points are given for sport achievements by the PE teachers.

If it is something which can't be linked directly to a subject the form tutor can give them out. So, charity work, DoE if not linked to the school's program, Air/Sea Cadets for example. The school sees that achievement doesn't have to be linked to school work and supports out of school training and children engaging in out-of-school activities.

In primary the school had the last week of term as a celebration assembly and children could bring in certificates/throphies/medals they gained in the term. Some things were mentioned inbetween like some of DD's cohort's national and international sport success.

I do. DS does a fairly niche sport outside school but is too shy to mention it to his PE teacher because he's all about rugby and football and not interested in any of the boys who aren't in the school squads. I messaged the PE department last year when he won a bronze medal at a national-level competition and a trophy for excellence and resilience, and again when he qualified to represent Wales at the British youth championships, and they were very pleased that I'd let them know, as they had no idea he was even competing. His form tutor always wants to know as well, and makes a fuss about it in pastoral time, which is good because he's too shy to mention it himself and it makes a change from the same rugby/football kids getting all the credit.

In our prep they publish kids achievements in a weekly newsletter. Some of them are really worthy eg music grade exams results, sport achievements at county level but majority are like ‘ “Congratulations to x for achieving a duckling award”, or “ for swimming 25 meters “, or “ being a good eco warrior and picking up a few plastic water bottles left behind in the field”. So def worth sending yours to school

I would be guided by what your child wants.

DD competes at world championship level, another girl at her school does the same but at county level.

Other girl's Mum told the school and a photo went up on the wall in PE with a big write up about it, school made a bit of a fuss etc.

I asked DD if I should tell the school about her and she was horrified at the prospect as it was showing off.

She did include it in her personal statement though when applying for sixth form as she felt that it was relevant in terms of the soft skills around it such as commitment, determination, etc etc

I think it's worth mentioning the really big achievements (like spiderlight's ds getting a national-level medal) but I personally wouldn't share all the smaller achievements like DofE, music exams etc. I think dd would find that really embarrassing tbh!

No, I never did, as my dc didn't want me to.

They were happy to take swimming badges, Chief Scouts Awards etc in to 'Celebration Assembly' in Junior school, but it isn't really the done thing for teens.

My dd2 was given a special award after stepping up to administer First Aid and organising the scene / bystanders when an older gentleman fell ill in the High Street - I was proud of her, but she felt mentioning anything to the school (or her Dof E - Gold, or her QSA) - was something only Primary school dc do. I repsected her right to let whoever she wanted know and not tell people she didn't want to.