Aims

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Birchwood Community High School is an inclusive community that aims to celebrate the success of all its learners and students in all areas of school life, and to ensure that personal effort, commitment and achievement are routinely recognised, recorded and celebrated through the school’s clear and fair rewards system.

Policy Statements

• The spirit of the rewards system is firmly rooted in an ‘over and above mind-set’ and is intended to motivate all learners to achieve their very best and become confident, independent learners and citizens.

• Rewards increase the motivation of all learners, improving their self-esteem, aspirations and enjoyment of learning.

• The giving of rewards encourages all learners to achieve. Thus, they will receive credit for achievement throughout the school in all contexts. This will continue to raise standards and further improve behaviour and attendance.

• The system of giving rewards supports the role of the form tutor in celebrating success, and helps to facilitate the awareness of achievement by other members of staff and parents.

• Rewards support and promote good behaviour and should be used alongside the school’s behaviour and discipline policy.

 

Rewards Points – using the School Rewards System

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• Every member of teaching staff will recognise and reward learners for successes within their curriculum area(s).

• Every member of staff will recognise and reward positive behaviours outside of the classroom.

• Every form tutor will recognise and reward students for their contributions to their tutor group, and to acknowledge their successes outside of school.

• Every member of staff will recognise and reward a learner’s effort, attitude and commitment in any aspect of school life by sending a postcard, letter or e-mail home to the parents of the learner.

• In curriculum areas, one praise postcard should be issued per half term per class.

• Outside of lessons, praise postcards or e-mails can be issued at the member of staff’s discretion.

• Reward points should be given especially for good behaviour around our five “Team BIRCHwood” values.
   

  Team BIRCHwood

• Believe                       

• Independent            

• Respectful                 

• Committed                  

• Happy
   

This starts with good manners in and outside the classroom or random acts of kindness or good citizenship.

• Learners whose attendance is excellent, and who consistently demonstrate a good attitude to learning across all subjects will automatically be given reward points (achievement points on SIMS) on a half termly basis by the Year Team Officer, working alongside the Year Team Leader. This also applies to learners who are actively involved in learner leadership.

• Learners actively involved in school run extra-curricular activities will be given reward points by leaders of these activities on a half termly basis. Learners participating in the Duke of Edinburgh scheme will receive reward points as appropriate.

 

Methods of recognising learners’ successes

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Alongside the rewards system, learners are routinely recognised in the following ways, including verbal praise:

• Celebration breakfasts

• Academic prizes awarded at Presentation Evening

• Certificates

• The school website and/or school social media

• Birchwood Update weekly newsletter

• School noticeboards

• Assemblies

• Prize draws

• Privileges

• Stickers

• Praise postcards

• E-mails

• Praise postcards

• Fortnightly reward draw involving every year group

• Reward trips every term

 

Learners in Years 7 to 11 will accumulate rewards points during the school year which will be recognised through progress reports to parents three times a year. They will also be awarded bronze, silver, gold and platinum badges as they accumulate points throughout the year. Learners will be asked to wear the badge(s) on their blazer. Badges will be awarded to learners during assembly. Once a learner has accumulated enough points for a gold or platinum badge, the badge will be presented by the Headteacher, who will also write to the learner’s parents.

 

Every September will be a fresh start. Points will be reset at zero and learners will work towards bronze, silver, gold and platinum for that school year. There will be further recognition in Year 11 for those learners who have accumulated badges, at least up to the gold threshold, in each of their five years at school. The point thresholds are below:

• Bronze                100 points

• Silver                  150 points

• Gold                   200 points

• Platinum             300 points

 

Weekly rewards draw

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Every fortnight in a year group assembly, learners who have achieved a certain number of achievement points over that two week period, will be entered into a reward draw with a prize.  This will be publicised by the Year Team Leader.

Rewards trips

Alongside the allocation of rewards points for positive behaviours, learners also formally accumulate behaviour points for poor behaviour (that subsequently results in a sanction). For the purpose of establishing who is eligible to participate on the rewards trip, a learner’s total number of behaviour points will be deducted from his / her total number of rewards points and if he / she has a positive balance then he / she should be able to participate in the trip. This final decision will be made by the learner’s Year Team Leader and/or the Senior Leadership Team.

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Sixth Form

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In terms of the school, the reward system, the aims and ethos remain the same for Sixth Form students. Because students in the Sixth Form have chosen to continue their studies, they are very well motivated and are a credit to the school in their conduct and attitude. As a result, all staff will reward those who consistently meet or exceed the expectations set for them, with particular emphasis on excellence in work ethic and progress, and overall contribution to Sixth Form school life.

There are some minor differences in what Sixth Form students are rewarded for, and in the ways they are rewarded, but they will accumulate points in the same way as learners in main school and be recognised by the lanyards that they are presented with.

 

 

Appendix

Getting straight to the Points!

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