Reward points

[SpottyHamster]

DSs school has a reward system for good work/ behaviour. The pupils who have achieved a certain number of merits get a reward at the end of term. Both DSs are disgruntled as they are quiet, averagely hard working types and only get a merits for doing some extra fab piece of work. However, badly behaved pupils get a shed load of merits for simply getting through a lesson without being disruptive. Last year those to receive the prize at the end of term were largely those who also had the largest number of exclusions, or the complete geniuses. Is this a fair system, I realise it is important to praise all pupils when they achieve something that is hard for them, but often the merely average get overlooked. What does your school do, or is it better not to have such schemes at all? In my school we just got points that went towards the house.

DSs school has something similar, a credit for a particularly good piece of work. I think if you get 20 or something you get a prize at the end of the year.

I don't think there are any seriously disruptive pupils (it's a grammar school and run as a very very tight ship, discipline wise), so the people getting the prizes are likely to really deserve it.

I do see why you are annoyed if the badly behaved pupils are getting prizes just for behaviour which the others are expected to exhibit all the time.

It seems to be standard practice in our schools. One of my ds told me not to worry if I suddenly received messages from school about him not behaving well. His logic was that if he misbehaved for a while then when he behaved well again he would receive a reward just like he was watching some other children receiving
I think he was in y8 at the time. He did say he wasn't seriously considering doing this although the thought had crossed his mind and he was genuinely disillusioned with the situation. When I mentioned it to my older children they all nodded and agreed that this is what happens and just shrugged.

Yes, this happens at our school too.

Dd figured out in year 4 or 5 that a couple of sloppy bits of work followed by a good piece earned her far more credit than trying hard all the time. She worked like that for several years - everyone thought she had good and bad days and heaped on the rewards on her good days to try and encourage her.

Our school has merit points and also a policy where by if a pupil has done something particularly good, they send a letter in the post congratulating your child and yourself for a good job. (We had our first letter last week! )

Yes, standard pactice in our school as well.

The theory is that naughty/disruptive pupils want attention, and it is better to praise them a lot when thay do something well (like bahve properly-which is what most kids do anyway), rather than focus on bad stuff

Kids in my school don't like it either, and I don't feel it is that fair myself.

What really annoys me is the way naughty kids get loads of attention and support from learning mentors and well behaved ones don't. Sometimes I feel it is like rewarding bad behaviour.....