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 Richard Thomas said today it is the first year the school has introduced the scheme and despite criticism from some quarters believes there is nothing wrong in offering cash incentives to pupils.

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.