Prizes for school attendance: Outrageous or a creative lure?

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cj07m58m11ro

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Dr Martha Deiros Collado believes the TV giveaway is an "outrageous" idea

One school in Lincolnshire is offering pupils with 100% attendance the chance to win a 40-inch smart TV. But the giveaway has opened up a debate about how we motivate our children. Should we really be rewarding them just for turning up at school?

Dr Martha Deiros Collado, a child clinical psychologist and author, gasped when she was told of the approach by Haven High Academy in Boston to boost school attendance.

"It's a wild idea," she exclaimed. "It's an outrageous incentive. I have worked with children who will never achieve 100% attendance."

Every two weeks, those students with 100% attendance have a chance to win the TV.

Haven High Academy in Boston, Lincolnshire, says it is "resolutely committed" to boosting attendance

Haven High Academy's head teacher, Austin Sheppard, said he was "resolutely committed" to improving attendance, adding staff wanted to ensure it was a prize that students "would be eager to win".

The TV "seemed a great fit", he added.

Parents back school's TV giveaway for attendance

And it would appear, based on the comments of students and parents approached by the BBC earlier this week, that there is support for the initiative, with one parent, Bryan Robson saying: "It gives kids more incentive to come to school every day and to learn."

But Dr Deiros Collado is not convinced.

"More often than not, attendance is not a choice," she said. "Often, there are some very good reasons for missing school.

"Is it right, for example, that a child who has suffered a bereavement, might not be in with a chance of a reward? As far as I'm aware, if a child wishes to attend a grandparent's funeral, for example, in most schools it would go down as an unauthorised absence."

Parent Bryan Robson thinks a TV is a good incentive for children to attend school

Dr Deiros Collado fears such reward strategies - based on extrinsic as opposed to intrinsic motivation - will encourage children to "push through" when they should be resting.

"We should be preparing our young people for life," she said. "Sometimes, we all need rest - both physical and mental. That's the right thing to do. But these kinds of reward systems effectively punish children for being unwell."

Defending the giveaway, Mr Sheppard said there was a "significant link" between attendance and outcomes, as noted by the Department for Education in a report published in March.

The report is unequivocal, stating "attendance is associated with higher average academic performance in an assessment year across all pupils from all backgrounds".

The school was rated inadequate by Ofsted following the last inspection in July 2024. Despite this, the academy ranked among the top three schools in Lincolnshire for improved attendance in 2024/25.

Mr Sheppard said the prize giveaway formed "part of a comprehensive attendance strategy that includes many elements of accountability and other rewards".

Dr Deiros Collado said: "I understand that schools want to raise attendance. So many schools are being pushed to increase attendance. But I think the focus should be on creating a fully inclusive learning environment rather than on extrinsic rewards.

"The motivation for going to school should be about feeling a sense of belonging and being valued."

Dr Chris Rolph suggests the real reward should be the benefits that come from education

Dr Chris Rolph, associate professor of education policy and practice at Nottingham Trent University, is a former head teacher of Monks Dyke school in Louth, Lincolnshire.

He described the giveaway as "creative".

"It's an extension of what schools have done for many, many years, which is to try and think of carrot and stick approaches to try and help people improve attendance," said Dr Rolph.

'Superficial and short-term'

He conceded, however, that a 40-inch TV "seems quite a big reward", adding: "The value shouldn't be in a television that you win in a draw but in the education itself and the benefits that you are going to get from that."

Dr Rolph said he believed the TV giveaway was "a little bit superficial and short-term" and suggested that it risked masking the real issue: why education is not valued by some.

"I don't blame the school for doing it," he said. "I understand why they have done it... they don't have the resources to address the real root of the problem, which [involves] working with families and working out why they don't value the education."

Retired head teacher Alan Cornwall, from East Yorkshire, has spent 40 years in education, and recognises the problem.

He said: "Schools are being pushed to increase attendance, and I do feel that heads are between the proverbial rock and a hard place.

"On paper, giving away a telly may have looked a good idea. It may even have been a hit in a staff meeting but the practicalities and outcomes may not be as intended. A one-size-fits-all approach to a school's reward system is not always the best option.

"The fundamental issue here is why don't the children want to come to school?"

Dr Abigail Wright, an educational psychologist, says such rewards are "unhelpful"

Dr Abigail Wright, an educational psychologist, labelled the TV giveaway "unhelpful".

"It's hard for schools when they're up against data-driven targets but this may be putting some children with different experiences and needs at a disadvantage," she says.

"The priority has to be creating a culture that focuses on autonomy and empowerment."

Turn up to school...win a free TV?

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