Punishment Day
A parent of a Year 7 child who is struggling with attendance has got in touch. Their school (in a deprived area) has sent a letter about the Year 7 Rewards Day, to be held in the last week of term. It is a fun activity day to be held at school, run by an external company. It is the sort of thing most of the children will not have had the opportunity to do before.
To attend, children must have above 90% attendance, not too many behaviour points and their parents must pay a significant amount of money. Payment won’t secure a place, because if the child’s behaviour or attendance isn’t good enough, they’ll be excluded regardless.
If they can’t participate in the Rewards Day, they must attend school anyway in school uniform and do a normal school day.  Her child is at 80% so isn’t invited. This is a punishment. Being excluded from a Rewards day will be experienced by those children as a punishment.
Here’s why policies like this are counter-productive and unfair.
These policies reward the lucky. They reward those who find school easier, who don’t suffer from chronic illness or anxiety and whose families can find extra money.  They reward those who are more able to control their behaviour (something which is highly variable at age 11).  They reward those who have had a better year.
These policies shame the vulnerable. They make it highly visible to everyone who are the year’s ‘Successes’ and ‘Failures’ in the eyes of the school. They end children’s first year at secondary school by reminding them all that some of them have had a much harder time than others – and that those people are not worthy of celebration. It could lead to increased bullying and ostracization.
These policies are a double punishment. Behaviour points are already punished by detention or isolation. There is already a system in place for attendance. To collate those points and attendance rates and then punish the children again means that the slate is never clear.
For those who are struggling this is a way of ending a difficult year on an even more difficult note. They will conclude that their school thinks the problem is them. It is very unlikely to lead to improved behaviour and attendance in Year 8, because it doesn’t address any of the reasons why school is hard for them – and it will make them feel bad about themselves and negative about school. Â
What’s the alternative? If you’re going to do something fun at the end of term, do it for everyone. Show them that they are all part of the school community and that they are all worthy. End the year on a positive note for all, regardless of attendance and behaviour points.
 You never know, that might make a difference – and it will be the most vulnerable who most need to know. Â
We had the same issue with our Yr7 ASD son - his attendance has been okay (just under 97%) even though he's struggled with the whole school experience, but the rewards day was given to the children with the highest house points, and he didn't make the cut. He has no idea why he hasn't got as many house points as the others - he has zero behaviour points and is doing well academically, teachers all seem to like him, yet most of his friends were invited to the rewards day and he wasn't. The rewards kids wore sports kit and wristbands while the others were in full uniform, so it made it really obvious which kids weren't "good enough", and of course the children who didn't make the cut had to sit in lessons watching and hearing all the others outside having fun. He absolutely felt like he was being punished for something, but has no idea what or how to "fix it" next year. For a kid who has managed to drag himself into school even when he was finding it a struggle, it's a real kick in the teeth to find you still haven't been "good enough". It's a needlessly cruel system.
I tried to read that out to my husband but I find it too upsetting. This has been the case in schools for so many generations now, making children feel like they are rubbish.
I have home educated before but after Christmas my 5 year old grandson became a school refuser because of being bullied by a peer. Hearsall the victim blaming before from schools and we knew there is an alternative.
So on Friday we had our rewards day which I admit included a trip to Smyths toys. But so often I think about the unfairness of this little boy who was so eager to love school but had the stuffing knocked out of him.
Tomorrow we are going fossil hunting with our end of year trip to the seaside.
I still feel angry at the system that is ingrained in rewarding only those who can but we are not engaging with it and learning is flourishing here.
My heart goes out to those children who have been made to feel second best and worthless. It's a similar sentiment to painting over the Disney wall frieze in the refugee detention centres. Cruel and unnecessary.