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Pupils given computer games for turning up to school
5:49pm Wednesday 19th March 2008
Children are being offered computer games consoles as prizes for turning up to school.
Nintendo Wiis are among a string of incentives in an initiative set up by Brighton and Hove City Council.
Digital cameras, Ipods and tickets to watch Brighton and Hove Albion are also up for grabs.
The gifts are intended to boost attendance rates at the city's secondary schools but have raised questions about the way anti-truancy measures are pursued.
They will be given as prizes for a draw which can only be entered by pupils who do not miss a day of school for a month, between April 21 and May 23 Organiser Maggie Baker, the city's principle education welfare officer, said they were a continuation of work which has improved attendance in the past year.
She said: "We are trying to target that particular period of time this year to see how well it works. It will cover the period when children in Key Stage 3 have their SAT exams as well as part of the GCSEs and the revision stage before them."
The project, called Just 24, will be used in all of the city's secondary schools, with the exception of Cardinal Newman Catholic School, and will have specific target areas.
Brighton and Hove City Councillor David Smith said: "Anything to get children in school in learning is welcome but I'm not sure if it is the right way to go about things. Children should be in school in the first place, I'm not sure if they should be rewarded for being there."
Mrs Baker said it was important to strike a balance between "the carrot and the stick".
A similar incentive project, where children were entered into a draw for a bicycle for consistent good attendance, reduced the truancy rate at St Bartholomew's Primary in Ann Street, Brighton, by five per cent.
Paula Sargent, headteacher of Patcham High School, in Ladies Mile Road, Brighton, said: "It's a great idea to promote the importance of attendance in school. Children can't learn if they are not at school. Something like this can get them back into the habits they need."
The prizes include tickets to High School Musical at the Brighton Centre, gig tickets and backstage passes at Komedia, meals at Nandos restaurant, a free haircut and manicure from SAKs and Rush hair salons and a milkshake a week for a year from ShakeAway.
Attendance at city schools has been among the most improved in the country. Primary schools saw the attendance rate rise from 94 per cent in 2005/6 to 94.7 per cent in 2006/7. In secondary schools the rate moved from 90.7 per cent in 2005/6 to 91.6 per cent in 2006/7.
What do you think?
Your Say YourArgus
sm, says...
7:31pm Wed 19 Mar 08
That'll be the booby prize then. Probably for the worst attendance. On both sides.
Ronnie, Brighton says...
7:50pm Wed 19 Mar 08
"The attendance rate rose from 94 per cent in 2005/6 to 94.7 per cent in 2006/7 by giving out prizes for attending school!" - point seven of one percent! MARVELOUS!
Is this a windup or something? I think it must be!
I thought kids HAD to go to school, they did when I was a lad.
Now this will work, believe me. If a kid doesnt turn up for school without proper reason (eg flu, the runs etc) he should get a right smack round the head. If he doesnt turn up next day, he should be smacked round the head again, only twice and much harder, then have to run round the school playing field for an hour after school.
Attendance will be up to 100% within 2 days!
****in Nintendo's, and digital cams as prizes for going to school - your havin a laf.
parent, brighton says...
10:20pm Wed 19 Mar 08
Angryman, hard at work says...
10:30pm Wed 19 Mar 08
How about this blue sky thought... getting children to understand how important LEARNING IS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
!
Jesus
just sayin, brighton says...
10:32pm Wed 19 Mar 08
k bye i will put it in writing"
dave, hove says...
1:26am Thu 20 Mar 08
Free drugs for smack-heads??
What is happening to this country.?
Colin, Brighton says...
7:20am Thu 20 Mar 08
nevahwen, says...
7:24am Thu 20 Mar 08
The country has lost the plot!
me, here says...
8:14am Thu 20 Mar 08
Colin wrote:you mean you dont already.... i do.....:-D
NEWS FLASH!! workers will get £500 for turning up for work
Spandex Leonard, At Work says...
8:53am Thu 20 Mar 08
Don't know what everyone's complaining about; I can't think of a better way to prepare our next generation for the "real world".
duke, hovetown hall says...
8:58am Thu 20 Mar 08
JOHNBOY, brighton says...
9:02am Thu 20 Mar 08
Spandex Leonard, At Work says...
9:03am Thu 20 Mar 08
In support of my above post, a nice bit of product placement and advertising while they're young. Coming soon - "McSchools" in your local neighbourhood.
Chris, Worthing says...
9:26am Thu 20 Mar 08
I believe if the soldiers of World War Two had known how this country would have turned out they probably wouldn't have bothered.
Flat Foot Soozie, Brunswick Square says...
9:27am Thu 20 Mar 08
The obvious inference is that Brighton teachers are not much cop. If they were any good, then children would want to go to their lessons.
What a hopeless, dependency, consumerist mentality this "scheme" will bring to children's minds.
SS, Brighton says...
9:33am Thu 20 Mar 08
Miriam Binder, Whitehawk says...
10:17am Thu 20 Mar 08
Bignose, Argh says...
10:40am Thu 20 Mar 08
Idiocy.
Flat foot soozie, brunswick square says...
10:44am Thu 20 Mar 08
Flat Foot Soozie wrote:cardinal newman is a school that does not approve of this bribery as pupils should be made to attend lessons,please ignre ny imposters comments the real soozie
Why is Cardinal Neman school not part of it? Perhaps the great prelate would have disapproved of this bribery, or perhaps that school is better than the others and has no need of this? The obvious inference is that Brighton teachers are not much cop. If they were any good, then children would want to go to their lessons. What a hopeless, dependency, consumerist mentality this "scheme" will bring to children's minds.
QT, Hove says...
10:48am Thu 20 Mar 08
Flat Foot Soozie, Brunswick Square says...
11:12am Thu 20 Mar 08
Flat foot soozie wrote:You foolish impostor. I can spell.
Flat Foot Soozie wrote:cardinal newman is a school that does not approve of this bribery as pupils should be made to attend lessons,please ignre ny imposters comments the real soozie
Why is Cardinal Neman school not part of it? Perhaps the great prelate would have disapproved of this bribery, or perhaps that school is better than the others and has no need of this? The obvious inference is that Brighton teachers are not much cop. If they were any good, then children would want to go to their lessons. What a hopeless, dependency, consumerist mentality this "scheme" will bring to children's minds.
McD, Brighton says...
11:25am Thu 20 Mar 08
Sue, Brighton says...
4:38pm Thu 20 Mar 08
At my sons school, if you have 100 % attendance per term you are entered into a draw with prizes donated / sponsored by local business.
If you have a day off for any reason, you will NOT be entered into the draw. For some kids, it's being rewarded for something they do everyday anyway but for others it's encouragement. My son loves school and even goes back after to do clubs but some kids don't like school and need a short term incentive, like winning an I pod, to motivate them.
parent, brighton says...
5:06pm Thu 20 Mar 08
JOHNBOY, brighton says...
5:08pm Thu 20 Mar 08
Johninbrighton, Brighton says...
5:58pm Thu 20 Mar 08
Sensible, Brighton says...
6:25pm Thu 20 Mar 08
The ignorance of some of these posts is beyind belief and people should be ashamed of themselves.
whoops, check your work properly says...
6:58pm Thu 20 Mar 08
Hahahaha!
teaching staff issue, brighton says...
9:26pm Thu 20 Mar 08
lindyloo, colchester says...
11:08pm Thu 20 Mar 08
just sayin wrote:what a lot of short sighted people who have posted on here.. i think its a brilliant idea.. maybe not conventional in the ideal society but education is the fundamental basis for the university of life... rather use this incentitive than have another gaggle of deliquent layabouts who will be appearing on the Jeremy Kyle show in the future. well done Brighton&Hove
what will the principal EWO do when the kids stop attending school because some kids maybe to busy playing with consoles, some kids get a better quality of education and learningskills by perfecting and completing the console games themselves "forget homework im on the last level"
ASHAMED of myself, brighton says...
8:12am Fri 21 Mar 08
Julie, Brighton says...
2:33pm Fri 21 Mar 08
justsayin, brighton says...
5:45pm Fri 21 Mar 08
lindyloo, colchester says...
4:09pm Sat 22 Mar 08
im actually a midwife who brought up 4 children on my own.. who all went to school and then went on to uni. I said the university of life so please read before you slate me off. You obviously have a problem with council workers??? I also stated that the incentives were not ideal but sadly the way society is evolving any idea to get a minority of children to school has to be considered anyway let you get back to your miserable conference and by the way I quoted Jermey Kyle not Springer
just sayin, brighton says...
1:57pm Sun 23 Mar 08
just saying, brighton says...
2:03pm Sun 23 Mar 08
lindyloo, colchester says...
9:04pm Sun 23 Mar 08
just saying wrote:fair dinkum just saying thanks for last comment and yes you spoted the deliberate mistake on Jeremy
lindyloo colchester; if you are still a midwife, just saying,you are an asset to the NHS and and society
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just sayin, brighton says...
6:56pm Wed 19 Mar 08