Behaviour and Rewards

We recognise all students value rewards, whatever their age or ability and so at Oasis Academy Coulsdon we make rewarding students one of our top priorities.

The main way we reward students is through a merit system.  Teachers give students merits (recorded in their Record Books) for a whole range of reasons covering academic and extra-curricular areas.  Students volunteering to serve e.g. helping at parents’ evenings receive additional merits.

Each half term students receive a ‘pay-slip’.  This is based on a typical pay slip that they would receive in a workplace and is designed to recognise their achievements in any given week.  Each student starts the half term with an imaginary £35 per week of the half term– that is £1 for each lesson (30) and mentor session (5).  Each merit they earn is added to their total.  However, just as in real life, there are deductions – these are demerits given for poor choices.  The student will then end up with a final ‘wage’ earned that week.  The top ten in each year group receive a ‘golden pay-slip’ that earns them first entry into the Diner for the following week.

Rewards events are planned for each half term.  The entry criteria for each event will be based on their average pay-slip score.  The powerful part of the wage slip is that every student has a fresh start each week and can continually try to improve.

Merits and certificates will also be rewarded for good attendance and behaviour as well as academic achievement and effort at the end of each term.

We also understand that low level regular praise is important – kind words and encouragement do much to build good relationships which research has shown to be a common theme in outstanding lessons.

Students respond well to positive communication from school to parents and carers and we encourage our staff to do this wherever possible. The merits in Record Books and comments in exercise books are efficient and effective methods of informing home of the positives their child has achieved and we urge parents and carers to monitor their child’s record books on a regular basis.

Exhibits of students’ work can be extremely motivating and let students know that we have taken notice of their achievement, are proud of it and will display it for other students, staff and visitors to see. Student panels in our Academy have identified good, regular marking as a reward in itself and we’re regularly monitoring and reviewing our formative assessment policies and procedures to ensure student work is being scrutinised and students have an opportunity to improve their work.

Working relationships between pupils and adults are positive. Pupils behave well in class and around the school... The school has high expectations of pupils' behaviour.

(Ofsted, March 2024)