A mother from Doncaster has called for an end to school attendance rewards after her two young children were left in tears when they were denied hot chocolate and cake for not achieving 100 per cent attendance.
Danielle Hand, 30, claims her children, Brooklyn-Harper Bond, seven, and Michael-James Kendall, five, were singled out in their class and refused sweet treats at their primary school after missing a handful of days during the current school year. Brooklyn-Harper had been away for six days, while Michael-James had missed five, including an unauthorised four-day holiday.
Family trip outside summer holidays
Danielle explained that she could only afford to take the family away outside of the summer holiday period. She took the children to Tattershall, Lincolnshire, in September to lift their spirits following the loss of several family members over the past year.
The mother-of-three discovered what had happened on October 22, the final day of school before the October half-term, while settling her children down for bed. Children in the classroom were given food and beverages to enjoy while working, but only if they had achieved 100 per cent attendance since September.
Children forced to watch classmates eat treats
Danielle said: "When I put them to bed, I get them a drink of their choice. Brooklyn asked me why she couldn't have a hot chocolate. I hadn't made them yet, so I asked what she meant, and she said at school. I thought I might not have paid for something, so I asked her what happened."
Brooklyn explained the attendance issues, saying that she and a couple of other children in her class had to watch their friends eat cake in front of them while doing Maths. Brooklyn is currently being tested for autism, and she was really upset about it.
Danielle added: "I asked Michael if the same thing had happened to him, and he said so, but he wasn't given a cookie and milkshake, I'm assuming because he was in a lower key stage. But what broke my heart was that he is only a toddler still and is being punished for something he doesn't understand. I later found out four other children in his class weren't given treats. I felt sick to my stomach, I was furious."
Petition and complaint lodged
Danielle claimed the school had not informed her about any attendance incentive programme, though she hinted that comparable incidents had taken place before. She has launched a petition challenging attendance-based rewards and lodged an official complaint with the school, which she pointed out holds a strong Ofsted rating.
The school has initiated an internal review and has committed to meeting with Danielle to address what happened. Danielle has also contacted Ofsted and her local MP, Ed Miliband, who has written back to confirm that he has "noted her concerns" and "encouraged" her to raise the matters with the school. Mr Miliband also voiced his hope that her concerns would be given "full consideration" and result in a "constructive resolution".
A spokesperson for Outwood Grange Academies Trust said: "As this matter is currently under review by the school principal in accordance with our complaints procedure, we will not be issuing a comment at this time." Attendance rewards are commonly used in schools as a way to encourage pupils to turn up regularly and on time.
