A school trust has faced criticism after launching a new rewards system where children are gifted televisions, Nando's vouchers, and trips to Alton Towers for arriving at school on time. Co-op Academies Trust put the scheme in place at several schools across the North of England, namely in Belle Vue, Walkden, Swinton, and North Manchester.
How the reward schemes work
In Portland, the initiative sees children rewarded with a raffle ticket every day they attend school, with those present five days of the week in with a chance of doubling their raffle tickets to ten. Every Friday, during assembly, winners are pulled from a prize draw with different wins to be had every week, and a separate prize is up for grabs for Early Years Foundation Stage pupils.
Meanwhile, the academy in Swinton has dubbed its initiative Strive & Achievement Points, where students can collect points throughout the school year which they can exchange for various awards. Points can be earned for good behaviour, correct uniform, as well as attendance, with awards including Manchester United tickets. Four tickets for every home game are up for grabs thanks to their partnership with the club's foundation.
In Manchester, 401 students won a trip to the school's highly anticipated end-of-term trip to Alton Towers for showing excellent punctuality, 100 percent positive behaviour, as well as earning full marks in Spark Reader and Maths. Pupils across the academies trust were also entered into a big prize draw for a Lenovo tablet at the end of term, with a raffle earned for every week they were in full attendance.
Examples of prizes awarded
At the Co-op Academy in Walkden, various prizes have been earned by lucky pupils for their punctuality and attendance, with two winning a 40-inch Smart TV, and another a £40 Nando's voucher. Gold confetti falling from the sky as Co-op Academy Trust Schools announce the winners of a Lenovo Tablet for children entered into a raffle for attending school. A pupil who won a 10-inch TV screen and a £40 Nando's voucher won by another pupil. Ahead of the half term in February, 20 pupils at the school won Nando's vouchers after winning a draw because they had attended school daily for two and a half weeks.
Background on attendance challenges
The reward scheme comes as schools have continued to battle with attendance rates since COVID, with headteachers often laying blame on the pandemic for negatively impacting relationships between families and schools. However, some have taken aim at the reward shops and raffles introduced by Co-op's Academies Trust, with one pointing out, "Aren't you... meant to be on time every day." "Being on time every day should be expected," another chimed in, while another branded attendance the "bare minimum." "Rewarding bare minimum behaviour is not effective," a person quipped, as another was left aghast at the prizes being dished out for turning up to school.
Meanwhile, others described it as a "fab incentive" as well as a "fantastic idea" from the school trust. However, Belle Vue Academy in Gorton was found to be outstanding in all areas in its most recent Ofsted report in 2024, with absence rates "well below the national average." In the report, Ofsted said staff knew pupils as well as their families "exceedingly well" and were able to spot issues and barriers and remove them.
By comparison, students attending state-funded secondary schools in Greater Manchester were absent without authorization around one day out of every 26. And in the academic year of 2024/25, the rate of lost school sessions was above the national average, sitting at 3.8 percent. The current national average for unauthorised absence rates in state-funded schools across England stands at 2.43 percent.
Principal's perspective
Belle Vue Principal Scott Fletcher, who introduced the rewards scheme after being appointed in 2022, told The Times: "Where we have lower weeks of attendance, we do daily raffles. So basically, if you turn up that day, you're in with a chance of winning. We gave out 10 TVs in 10 days. The prizes are not necessarily only for the child but for the family. So when they're taking those 40-inch TVs home, they're putting it in their living rooms and it's contributing to the family's lived experience."
Co-op Academies Trust says its reward shops, attendance prize draws, as well as its recognition schemes, help pupils feel "valued" and "encouraged." It also added that it is just one of many ways they improve not only the students' attendance but their confidence, helping them to "feel seen, valued and motivated." Some have taken aim at the reward shops and raffles introduced by Co-op's Academies Trust, with one pointing out, "Aren't you... meant to be on time every day." Meanwhile, others described it as a "fab incentive" as well as a "fantastic idea" from the school trust.
CEO's statement
Chris Tomlinson, CEO of Co-op Academies Trust, told the Manchester Evening News: "Excellent attendance changes lives. We know that children and young people achieve better academically, socially and emotionally when they are consistently in school and fully engaged in learning. Our rewards initiatives that some of our schools have adopted are part of a much wider approach focused on pupil experiences, encouragement, recognition and belonging. We are incredibly proud, alongside other interventions to improve attendance, of the positive impact this work is having across our academies, particularly in communities where schools continue to face significant attendance challenges following the pandemic."
He added: "These programmes are not simply about prizes. They are about creating positive school cultures where students feel recognised, valued and motivated to attend every day. Alongside high expectations, strong pastoral support and close work with families, rewards can play an important role in helping young people build the positive routines and habits that support long-term success." Co-op Academies Trust said these schemes are just one part of a larger strategy to ameliorate attendance, with pastoral support, family engagement, breakfast clubs, activities, and attendance monitoring in place to support pupils.
