Behave at school and you'll be given a PlayStation or plasma TV, pupils are told



Pupils are being offered TVs, PlayStations and iPods in return for good behaviour as part of a reward points scheme expected to be operating in 1,000 secondary schools

within two years.



Tens of thousands of pounds are being spent on prizes to cajole pupils to turn up on time to lessons and behave when they get there.



Youngsters collect Vivo points as if they were shopping at a supermarket or making regular flights and trade them for desirable gifts from an online catalogue. Truants and classroom troublemakers can get in on the act simply by demonstrating improvements in attendance or behaviour.



Children can earn a PlayStation by performing well in school

Schools taking part in the scheme insist that gold stars, house points and traditional incentives no longer influence children’s behaviour.



But critics claim the prizes amount to ‘bribes’ and encourage pupils to play the system rather than learning the true value of turning up and working hard. Children are being led to expect prizes for good behaviour that would previously have been considered the norm, it was claimed.



A school which is spending £15,000 on prizes had to fight objections from one of its own pupils that it was ‘paying students to learn’.

The scheme is already operating at half a dozen secondary schools and the outfit behind it – Vivo Miles, a link-up between a teacher and technology experts – has been

inundated with inquiries.



At least 200 secondary schools are expected to be operating it by September next year and 1,000 by the end of that academic year. A version designed for primary schools

is also in the pipeline.



Pupils are given an online account, which allows them to check how many Vivos they have been awarded, and a credit-style card they can use to access their accounts at special kiosks.



Some schools allow staff to punish pupils by removing Vivos from their account. Schools typically spend between £2 and £20 per pupil a year to take part in the scheme.



Rod Boswell, assistant vice-principal at Westminster Academy and a key player in developing Vivo Miles, said: ‘Schools have always had awards.’ His school spends

£3,000 to £4,000 a year on prizes.



Barnfield South Academy, in Luton, spends £10,000 to £15,000 a year on prizes. Principal Patrick Hannaway said: ‘One member of the student council was concerned

about “paying students to learn”; the debate was launched, the arguments were had.



‘An overwhelming majority of learners, parents, carers and staff accepted that this platform simply reflected real life and prepared young people for associating the ideas of “lifelong learning” with “achieving and maintaining economic well-being”.’



But Anastasia de Waal of think-tank Civitas, said: ‘The whole point of going to school is to come out better educated with more opportunities – pupils need to recognise

that in itself is valuable.’



A report for the National Union of Teachers found ‘little sign’ reward systems led to improvements in pupil behaviour.



