A mother from Doncaster has launched a petition to end school attendance rewards after her two children were left in tears when they were denied cake and hot chocolate in class because they did not have 100 per cent attendance.
Danielle Hand, 30, said her son Michael-James Kendall, five, and daughter Brooklyn-Harper Bond, seven, were singled out at their primary school and did not receive any sweet treats after missing several days this school year. The children told their mum they had to sit and watch their friends eat cake or a cookie and drink a hot chocolate or milkshake.
Brooklyn-Harper had missed six days of school and Michael-James had missed five, which included an unauthorised four-day holiday.
Family trip and the incident
Danielle, from Doncaster, said she could only afford to go away outside the summer holiday period. She took the children to Tattershall, Lincolnshire, in September to cheer them up after losing several family members over the past year.
The mum-of-three said she found out about the incident on October 22, the last day of school before the October half-term, while putting her children to bed. Pupils in the class were given a reward, to eat and drink while doing their work, if they had 100 per cent attendance from the start of the school year in September.
She 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.
"That was when she explained the attendance issues, and 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."
Petition and formal complaint
Danielle said she was not made aware of any rewards scheme for attendance by the school but suggested there had been similar instances in the past. She has now launched a petition against attendance rewards and put in a formal complaint to the school, which she said has a good Ofsted rating.
The school has since opened an internal investigation and has agreed to meet with Danielle to discuss what happened. The mum also contacted Ofsted and her local MP, Ed Miliband.
Mr Miliband has sent a letter to Danielle stating that he has "noted her concerns" and "encouraged" her to raise the issues with the school. He also said he wishes her concerns were given "full consideration" and to find 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 often used in schools as an incentive to encourage pupils to come in to school and on time.
