Pupils from Abercarn Primary, Crumlin High Level Primary, Pantside Primary, Pentwynmawr Primary and Tynewydd Primary have been celebrating their 100% attendance records.
Pupils were recently presented with a special trophy by Mayor of Caerphilly County Borough, Cllr Leon Gardiner as well as a number of prizes for their respective schools.
The awards were made as part of the council’s Dragon’s Challenge scheme.
Word cannot describe…I give up! Not only is this a reward for doing something that is legally required and benefits themselves, it is patronising. Children turn up to school to learn, 100% attendance is not special, it should not be celebrated, it should be expected.
What next? Giving rewards for teenagers who do not commit petty theft, giving trophies to people who do not break the speed limit, or giving medals to people who do murder people.
The logic is backwards – definitely a Labour councillor who thought of it. You do not encourage behaviour by giving rewards to people who follow a set a legally-established rules, you improve attendance by punishing the parents and pupils who miss lessons without a good reason.
Rewarding children for 100% attendance is a ridiculous concept and is the creation of a right-wing politician who wants to promote the fact that his/her targets have been met. Some children suffer from chronic illnesses such as asthma and require time off/doctor appointments, and other children simply fall ill. It’s even advised that ill children MISS school to prevent other children catching the illness. It’s a no win situation. Children should not be penalised for missing school so long as there is an acceptable reason. As there is no 100% accurate way to verify reasons the idea of rewarding children for attendance should be scrapped altogether.
These, `prizes`, awards, for `attending school` are rediculous, they are
meaningless, they are akin to the many awards the Caerphilly council
bestow on itself for obscure reasons, unsually awarded by an an
organisation set up for the purpose of sycophancy, and usually for
regaining lost ground in some professional area within the Council, and
in areas where inefficiency or neglect of duty has abounded, they are
designed to “redress the balance”, they are a product of “Common
Purpose” in public life, for instance,
The Icelandic Bank
feasco? it wont be long, if they have not already done so, before some
obcure organisation presents Caerphilly Council with an award for
`Inovative Borrowing techniques and International Philanthropy`.
The
Chief Officer Pay Scandal? I am sure when the legal niceties are
comleted, the Caerphilly Council will be presented with an award for
`Open and Accountable decision making and Public Engagement, resulting
in resorative Public Confidence in Local Government`.
The
opencast mining planning application and the Ystrad Mynach,Network Rail,
Community Land Siezure Application? It wont be long before the
Caerphilly Council are presented with and award for, `Inovative methods
of showing disrespect to Developers and Its own Residents Both at the
sametime`, or, ` Inovative ways of displaying backbone Whilst bending
both Ways at the sametime`.
They could of course dust of the
`Coin Dies` they have stored away, strike a few Gold or Silver coins to
award themselves for this or that, I would bet though they have
forgotten they own this facility which is held by the largest medal
manufacturers in the country, some Councillors will be still be aware of
this facility because they have recently struck a gold coin to award to
a retiring church employee in Caerphilly. Do we really know what they
are up to, in our name?