Cash handouts of up to £180 are being offered to the best performing pupils at a Black Country secondary school to encourage them to do well in their GCSE exams.
The financial incentive has been introduced by Walsall’s Joseph Leckie Community Technology College for all its Year 11 pupils. Students are split into mixed ability groups of between eight and ten and awarded points for their performance throughout the term. Pupils receive a point if they exceed their predicted grade and are deducted a point if they miss their target in each subject.
The top team at the end of the Easter and Summer term will each be awarded £400 to split between all the members with a further £800 incentive for the group performing best in their GCSEs. School chiefs estimate a pupil could earn up to £180 if they were in the top set each time.
Deputy headteacher
He said: “The aim is to get the pupils working together as a team, rather than as individuals, and to encourage each other to work hard.
“It has been a big talking point around the school and the pupils are very excited by it. In the past we have offered pupils money based on their exam results but this is a taking a slightly different approach and hopefully will give them an incentive to work hard throughout the year.
“It is not a massive amount of money but it certainly is enough to get the pupils interested and hopefully the GCSE results later in the year will prove it is the right thing to do.”
The innovative scheme has however attracted criticism from the NASUWT union. West Midlands representative Paula Roe said: “Giving them vouchers seems more appropriate. There are problems with giving them hard cash.”
The initiative is being funded from the school’s budget and could be extended to future GCSE year groups if it proves a success.
10 Comments
Now you wonder why kids today wont work,unless they are given something for nothing!
Exam results are something that the kids should be proud to be working for.Install some pride in these kids,stop bribing them,i wasnt paid to work hard and put the hard graft in.
I did very well for myself.and i had a superb career after leaving school if you keep telling the kids its all about money they wont realise the hard work that faces them when they hit the work force!
DISGUSTING! How are those with lower abilities i.e those with learning difficulties, meant to feel? They’re not physically able to be ‘top performers’! The money would have been better spent on an after exam celebration or something similar - so that ALL pupils could be congratualated!!!
This is about boosting league table positions and increasing intake to boost finances.
another bloody scandal and who pays the school budget stick a pin in me to see if i am dreaming
Typical of Labour’s Britain. Blackmail through and through. I remember when you worked hard and tried to do well in exams because you wanted to be ’someone’. These days youngsters appear to want to live on the dole.
I despair, it’s not worth further comment, I have to earn
my money like 1000’s of others.
Next step? Financial incentives for Key Stage Tests. Idiots
We totally agree with Karen. What a disgrace.Isnt self esteem more important than money.Obviously not.
Some interesting misunderstandings and reactions.The report says pupils are working in mixed ability groups of 8 to 10. As I understand it, the idea is for pupils to collaborate with each other in order to boost their performance.If the process is well managed the pupils will learn some valuable lessons about working cooperatively. However, the idea of financial reward is distasteful.Let them identify a charity and give to it. That will raise their feelings of self worth and citizenship.
i am a student in yr 11 at a different school. why is it that they can afford to do this when other schools can not. if children know that they are going to get money if they try harder then they are going to do it just to get the money. this is bribery and if done at this school then it should be at every school in the uk. thanks