Parents slam school and say it is 'bribing' children to attend

The school is giving away vouchers in daily prize draws, with even bigger amounts up for grabs if kids attend on Friday

A school has been accused of bribing kids to turn up to class by offering vouchers in daily prize draws.

In one of many initiatives aimed at encouraging good attendance, Ellesmere Park High School in Eccles, Salford, is giving out the vouchers every day this week. A message was sent to parents explaining that 'this week we will be running rewards every day for those students who are in school and on time'.

Listing a breakdown of the rewards, it says the draw will be 'for those students who are in school and arrive on time' and 'will be drawn at random towards the end of the school day'. It explains that: "Monday to Thursday the prizes will be to the value of £50 (vouchers) each day. On Friday the prizes will be increased to the value of £80 (vouchers)."

READ MORE:The 'remarkable' school with its first 'good' Ofsted rating in 20 years

READ MORE:Christmas events for families in Manchester and things to do with kids this festive season

But parents say it's effectively bribing kids to attend and often it's the ones who consistently behave well who miss out.

One dad, whose son attends the Wentworth Road school, said: "It sends a message that the most important thing about school is a daily lottery rather than an actual education. Surely there’s another far easier way of dealing with persistent non attendance?

"I feel sorry for the kids who are there and actually want to learn, who now might end up working hard because they want to achieve something, but watch kids who aren’t bothered about putting the effort in walk off with an £80 prize for bothering to turn up on a Friday. Kids shouldn’t need bribing to go to school and parents shouldn’t need bribing to send them."

He added: "Reward kids for good attendance over a year, by all means. But trying to push your numbers up by offering a prize for the most basic thing is really unfair to the majority of the kids who already value going to school every day."

Another parent said that her daughter has 'never had anything for consistently going to school and being on time just because it's the right thing to do', and believes that schools in general fail to acknowledge those who are always well behaved.

"It's always felt to me, not just at that school, that if you are consistently good and cause no issues then you get nothing," she said. "It's almost as if the rewards are focused in the wrong direction so there is almost no incentive to behave."

The school however has defended the prize draws, which it says is one of many initiatives it has hosted over the last four years to encourage and celebrate good attendance, including acknowledging those whose attendance has improved.

It says the prizes mentioned would be split between a number of pupils, so it would not be one child walking away with £80, but rather a number of kids sharing vouchers of that value.

A spokesperson for the school, which is is part of the Consilium Academies multi-academy trust, said: “Attendance at our school is significantly above the national average. Given all the challenges that communities have faced since the pandemic, this is something that we are rightly proud of – and it shows the real partnership there is between the school, our students and our parents.

“That is why it is important that our approach to supporting every child to come to school is multi-faceted and goes far beyond one single initiative. We need to celebrate and reward those students who are consistently at school, and provide the right levels of support and, in some cases, challenge to those who are considered to have higher than normal levels of absence. This helps to create a culture which positively champions students being in school.

“We are saddened if this message has been misunderstood and would always encourage any parent to come to us if they do have any concerns. We would then be able to provide reassurance that our approach is working and is driven by the core desire to help every student secure the very best possible education.”

The spokesperson also highlighted comments made about the school by Ofsted after inspectors visited earlier this year.

He added: “As Ofsted noted when they visited Ellesmere in the summer and gave us a Good outcome in every judgement area, the pride that pupils have in our school community is tangible.”

The report, which was published in September following the July inspection, says: "Pupils enjoy attending this vibrant and inclusive school. They are happy and they enjoy learning. The pride that pupils have in their school community is tangible, for example, through the work that they do to raise money for charities.

"Leaders have high expectations for pupils’ learning and behaviour. They have ensured that the positivity of the school’s ethos is woven into school life. Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) benefit from the same ambitious curriculum as their peers. This helps them to achieve well."

It adds that 'most pupils attend well' and says 'leaders are working successfully with a group of disadvantaged pupils to help them to improve their attendance."

What do you think about the prize draw? Does your child's school do something similar? Let us know your views in the comments.