Pupils winning credit for good behaviour

SCHOOL pupils are being encouraged to make the most of a new kind of “credit” card which will see their good behaviour rewarded in an on-line account.

However the students will not earn money but points which they can save up or use and which can be converted into shop vouchers, privileges within school or the opportunity to donate to charity.

Leeds secondary schools Abbey Grange High, Swallow Hill, John Smeaton Community College and Primrose High are all setting up an on-line rewards system for students. They are the first schools to sign up in Leeds, and join 20 other schools and colleges from across Yorkshire which use the Vivo Miles system.

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Every pupil has an account which they can access through the school’s computers and will be given their own card.

Each school will then devise a system for awarding points based on pupil’s work, effort or attendance and develop rewards.

This could range from being able to save up points which can be converted into vouchers for high street shops to being given extra sports sessions or being allowed to skip the queue at lunchtime.

John Smeaton’s deputy head Julian Snape said: “We have had a rewards system, like most schools, for good behaviour for some time but we felt we needed to refresh it to bring it line with the digital technology that we use in school now.

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“All staff members will be able to reward pupils with points for hard work, excellence and achievement.

“What we really liked about this system is that it gives pupils the chance to give to charity and the beauty of it is that they will be responsible for their account and deciding what to do with the points so we will able to teach them about financial literacy, about not spending more than you earn which is an important things for young people to understand.”

Abbey Grange’s head teacher Carol Kitson said the school would hand out routine rewards which would be earned for demonstrating working hard across all subjects and having a 100 per cent attendance.

Teachers would also have the power to hand out discretionary points for pupils. Primrose High is closing at the end of this academic year but the new reward system will introduced as part of the positive behaviour strategy at the newly-formed Co-operative Academy of Leeds which is replacing it.

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