Mum demands school attendance rewards end after her kids were denied cake and hot chocolate

Mum demands school attendance rewards end after her kids were denied cake and hot chocolate Danielle Hand has launched a petition to have school attendance rewards ended after her son and daughter did not get sweet treats in class after missing some days of school A furious mum said school attendance rewards should be scrapped after her kids were left bawling when they were denied hot chocolate and cake because they did not have 100 per cent attendance. Danielle Hand, 30, claimed her two young kids were singled out in their class and were not given any sweet treats at their primary school, after missing a few days this school year. Michael-James Kendall, five, and Brooklyn-Harper Bond, seven, told their mum they had to sit and watch their friends eat their cake or cookie and drink a hot chocolate or milkshake. Brooklyn-Harper had missed six days of school and Michael-James missed five, which included an unauthorised four-day holiday. Danielle, from Doncaster, said she could only afford to go away out of the summer holiday period. She took the kids 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 ahead of 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 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. "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." 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. The mum 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. He has since sent a letter to Danielle stating that he has "noted her concerns" and "encouraged" her to raise the issues with the school. Mr Miliband 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.