Cash Rewards for Good School Report?

[Gymbob]

Okay, so it might be a tetchy subject, but do any of you give cash rewards for a good school report? I know other incentives are available and am pondering all the options, but if you do give cash rewards how much do you give?

Cheers

depending on the age.

My DD is at nursery and i always reward her with things she might ask for all the time.

At the moment she is loving "hello kitty". she was a good girl and cleaned her room.

My cousin also has a DD older in 7 years in y2. She is top of her class and above average. she got five pounds to spend on whatever she wants. She is really happy, but i can bet she will just squander on sweets..

whatever you choose.. I think rewards are a good thing !!!!

little point to it with primary aged kids i think.

what makes a 'good' report anyway? surely you should be offering rewards throughout the year for smaller achievements?

Nope. Have two children of vastly differing abilities: am not going to reward dd for basically getting an easy ride. Nor am I going to withhold rewards just because one child has had a difficult year or just hit a plateau in their learning, as often happens. Or reward a child because they have suddenly matured enough to understand something.

Not much into monetary rewards anyway. A smile is a good reward imo. And learning something is its own reward.

Nope here too. Just praise and looking forward to summer holidays.

No, agree with Cory, learning something or doing well in something is its own reward.

I also have children of vastly different abilities so we avoid any direct comparisons.

I do reward for good behaviour in general, small rewards. like 10p a time in the pot every time a stranger says one of my children has behaved well, but it has to be unprompted. and if I had a child who was unhappy at school I might reward effort or attendance. but not achievement.

I wouldn't at primary age, but... I might consider it with teens. And I will probably pay handsomely for good GCSE results.

No, never have. I would more likely 'punish' a bad report. Luckily mine have never had one! When I say a bad report I mean being disruptive, or not getting at least a B for effort.

I've never promised rewards for grades at GCSE or A levels either. I know mine have all tried their hardest. The dyslexic lads who just scrape a C in english, worked much harder for it than DB & DS who got A.

ds (yr 6) has had an outstanding school report this week- not just academically but generally just making me feel proud that my helpful, conscientious boy is well thought of and has been considered an asset to his class.
DD (year 8) through bloody hard work and determination, has got herself moved into a higher ability teaching group for yr 9.

They are getting £50 each- ds is buying new cricket whites and dd is taking herself off to see Legally Blonde.
They are not children who are showered with gifts during the year- they get nothing from doting grandparents or relatives- and IMO they deserve a reward.

One problem is, I find half the report is actually about how the teacher/headteacher chooses to view it. My dd is no more hardworking and no brighter than she was two years ago, but her reports make much pleasanter reading because she is at a nicer school where they prefer to value the work she puts in and the results she gets rather than whinge about how much trouble it is to meet her SN. Meanwhile, dd remains the same person she always was. So it would seem pretty odd to dosh out monetary rewards to my children depending on something controlled by the teachers (or the head teacher to be exact).

I shall expect ds' reports to take a turn for the better when he leaves junior school in a year's time. Not that I suppose ds will change much. But then ds doesn't write the reports.

I agree with Cory - am doing a lot of that at the moment. DS1 got a glowing report at the end of Y6 and a much less glowing one at the end of Y7 - but in fact Y6 was a doddle for him and Y7 has been hard work in a much more demanding environment. And since I know that, it doesn't much matter what the report says, if you see what I mean.

No

Would never even occur to me to either reward or punish a school report. Good reports get praise, 'points for improvement' get discussed in a neutral manner.

In the last century, when reports included your position in class, my parents used to reward us if we were placed in the top 10. But the rewards were never money. One year my dad grew a beard for me!

My Dad never did that PrettyCandles. I've always had to grow my own beard .

This is interesting- DC1 just got brilliant reception year report- DH thought we should give him a present, I don't think it's appropriate to reward based on that. However he's had lots
of praise and we have compromised with 'family end of term surprise treat as we have all worked so hard'

No cash, but I will cook a dinner of their choice!

I reward for effort - not the outcome

I've always thought it a bit odd, TBH. I remember when my next-door-neighbour did her GCSEs (she's 3 yrs older than me) her parents promised her money for each A, B and C grade in an effort to get her to work harder. I thought it was odd even then - surely (my teenage self thought) you should want to work hard to get the grades, not to get cash. My parents didn't give me or Dsis money for doing well. I was taken out for a lovely meal for both GCSE and A Level results, but I suspect that would have happened whatever I got - my parents were more into rewarding the effort than the actual grades (and A Level day was also my 18th birthday, so they had to so something)

My DTDs are pre-school, but it is my intention to do what my parents did and reward effort (not necessarily with presents though) rather than grades.

Reminds me of that channel 4 prog on G&T chilren several years ago when one family celebrated 11+ results with more presents than birthdays. It was bizarre

I think money for good reports/exam results is really odd. We won't be doing it with DS.

Far more likely to make a favourite meal.

How do you assess quantity of effort, how would you distinguish top effort compared to good or average or poor effort? You have to have an objective system, no? Or the kids will complain bitterly that you've been unfair.

Sometimes my DCs will get £1 or £2 other times they might get a MacDonalds for tea other times they will just get lots of praise.

I have offered DD cash rewards for her GCSEs which she is about to start. But I know that at age 16, it will go towards new clothes for starting 6th form.

She is very able but as her latest report says, she doesnt push herself. I will offer cash rewards for DSs at that stage too, but they have different academic abilities than DD so They will be offered something achievable.

No to cash rewards. Our two always used to get a trip to the book shop to choose whichever book they wanted.

Now that they are older, we tend to take them for a meal out.

Oh and if they ask for something they get nowt!

Eg: dd2 recently scored a 100% in a geography exam, so we surprised her with the new stupid Stephanie Meyers book.

Dd1 got an A* in a French test and asked for an MP3 player, so she got nothing!

prettycandles i love that your dad grew a beard for you