THE LITTLE LEVER WAY

OUR PRAISE CULTURE

People are motivated by the positive far more than the negative.  Seeking success and happiness will spur stronger action than seeking to avoid punishment.  Psychological studies repeatedly show that people are far more likely to be spurred to action by a vision of a positive outcome than they are by avoiding a negative one.  We place a great sense of importance on the use of praise and rewards.

Every student has the opportunity to earn achievement points every day.

Students earn achievement points for upholding our Core Values: Be Kind, Work Hard and Take Responsibility, as well as demonstrating the Little Lever Habits.

Daily Points

Each day every student is automatically issued 3 achievement points called Daily Points.

Daily Points represent our minimum expectations that students follow our Core Values and Perfect Climate in their three lessons, every day.

Students run the risk of losing their Daily Points if:

  1. They receive one or more in-class corrections that day
  2. They are booked into the reflection room or are placed in the reflection room during the day.

NB: If a student is absent that day, the Daily Points will be removed by the Attendance Team once absences have been confirmed.

Reward Point Categories

Each day in PREP time public praise is given to each form group based on the total achievement points the form earned the previous day.  This promotes a sense of family, belonging and teamwork.  There is also public recognition for individual students who have gone above and beyond to demonstrate our values and habits each day. Here are all the achievement points categories every student is able receive on a daily basis:

Be Kind: Helped a member of our team – 1pt
Be Kind: Played by the rules so everyone benefitted – 1pt
Be Kind: Helping a fellow student – 1pt
Be Kind: Was respectful, polite and courteous – 1pt
Work Hard: Great answer/response in a lesson – 1pt
Work Hard: Great question in a lesson – 1pt
Work Hard: Excellent effort and engagement in the lesson – 1pt
Work Hard: Did what it takes for as long as it takes – 1pt
Work Hard: Never gave up – 1pt
Work Hard: An excellent piece of classwork – 1pt
Work Hard: Persevered with the hardest work – 1pt
Work Hard: Remained positive in the face of adversity – 1pt
Take Responsibility: Uniform, Equipment & Planner – 1pt
Take Responsibility: Excellent effort in Low Stakes Quiz – 1pt
Take Responsibility: Hard the courage to do the right thing – 1pt
Take Responsibility: Reading Routes: On a Good Route – 1pt
Take Responsibility: Great teamwork – 1pt


Be Kind: Excellent Corridor Climate Conduct – 2pts
Work Hard: Excellent effort in Step Assessment – 2pts
Work Hard: Star Player in the Lesson – 2pts
Work Hard: Excellent effort towards the Gold Standard – 2pts
Take Responsibility: Reading Routes: Always on it – 2pts
Take Responsibility: Reading Routes: Busted Reading – 2pts

Take Responsibility: Retrieval Practice deadline met – 2pts


Take Responsibility: Magic 15 (100% weekly attendance) – 3pts


Be Kind: Kindness Award nomination – 5pts
Work Hard: House Star Player – 5pts

Take Responsibility: Proud Wednesday – 10pts and postcard


Work Hard: Praise List – 20pts and postcard


Work Hard: Gold Award – 25pts and badge
Take Responsibility: Headteachers’ Award – 25pts and badge


Work Hard: Rewards Points Champion – badge

Daily Reward Prizes

Each day we reward the form in each year group who have collectively gained the most points the previous day. The form with the highest points total receives ‘fast-pass’ break and lunchtime stickers for everyone in the form, which allows them access to the front of the queues for a quicker service.

These are announced and distributed every morning on the yard at the form line up by Senior Leaders. Each winning form receives a round of applause by the rest of the year group, sharing their success which in turn, nurtures that community spirit of helping every person achieve things they never thought they could.

Weekly, Half Termly and Termly Awards

The recipients of these awards will be shared publicly in school, on our website and social media news feeds. They represent outstanding contributions students have made to our values of Be Kind, Work Hard and Take Responsibility.


BE KIND AWARDS

Kindness Awards: staff nominate students who go above and beyond in demonstrating acts of kindness both in and out of school. Students are issued with a certificate and the ‘Be Kind: Kindness Award nomination’ of 5 points.


WORK HARD AWARDS

Praise List: recognising students who have worked hard in lessons, completed their retrieval practice and successfully managed their own behaviour each fortnight. Students receive a postcard and 20 achievement points.

  • How do students make the Praise List?

    Students who work hard in every lesson, every day, will make the Praise List.

    Every two weeks students are awarded a work hard score of 1 – 4 by each of their teachers. (For Years 7, 8 and 9, scores are awarded in English, maths and science. For Years 10 and 11, scores are awarded in English, maths and science and their Option subjects.)

    • 1 = We couldn’t ask any more of these students. They always work hard in class and retrieval practice is always completed to the best of their ability.
    • 2 = Whilst there is a little room for improvement, students will know and remember more if they continue to work hard and complete their retrieval practice in this way.
    • 3 = There are concerns with how hard a student is working. There has been at least one instance where their retrieval practice has not been completed.
    • 4 = There are serious concerns about how hard a student is working in their lesson. Retrieval practice is not being completed. The student has been issued with an in-class correction in the previous fortnight.

    Students who achieve an average work hard score of 2 or better will make the Praise List.

Gold Awards: students who appear on every Praise List each term receives a Gold Badge in recognition.

Chevron Champions: students who achieve a net total of 100-149 points each half term receive a Bronze Chevron Champions badge, students who achieve a net total of 150 – 170 points each half term receive a Silver Chevron Champions badge and students who achieve a net total of 170+ or more points each half term receive a Gold Chevron Champions badge.

 

Reward Points Champions: the Top 10 NET points earning students in each year group at the end of each term receive a Reward Points Champion badge.


TAKE RESPONSIBILITY AWARDS

Magic 15: attending every session every day (3 sessions) for the whole week (15 sessions). Students receive 5 achievement points.

Proud Wednesdays: An opportunity each Wednesday lunchtime for students to bring a piece of work they are proud of and have public recognition for it. Students receive a postcard, 10 achievement points and a Freddo and have their name and achievement written on a leaf to hang on our Proud Tree in the Library. Students must be able to articulate why they are proud of the work and recall the knowledge and skills they have learnt.

Headteacher’s Award: for an exceptional contribution to the life of the school or wider community. Students receive 25 achievement points and a badge.

What can students use their reward points for?

As stated above, students are rewarded for their points totals each term through a range of badges and postcards in recognition of their achievements.


Students are able to use their points in our termly Praise Auctions. On the last day of each term the school puts on Reward Points Auction. Students who achieve a NET points total of 100 or more points in a term are invited to join the auction and use their points to bid for a range of prizes.

Prizes range from chocolates to shopping vouchers, Lego sets to books, sports equipment to pamper sets, scooters to mountain bikes, air pods to games consoles!

The auction is a ‘blind’ auction. Students bid for any of the prizes on offer by writing down their maximum points bid for that item and posting it in the bid-box next to the item. The highest bid wins the prize!


In Year 11 students are able to use their points towards their Leavers’ Prom ticket.

Each term students who receive 100 or more net reward points totals will receive a third off the price of the summer Prom ticket.

  • Everyone will be invited (as long as there are no serious misconduct issues)
  • Tickets are £30 – meal, DJ, photo booth
  • You can work towards a free ticket by accumulating reward points each term.
  • 100 points = £10 off your ticket price
  • 300 points = Free ticket!

How can parents/carers find out about their child’s reward points?

One of the biggest motivating factors for a student is praise from their teachers but most importantly from their parents or carers. It is what young people value the most!

SIMS Parent App

By using our SIMS parent app (link above) you will be able to see the achievement points your child earns each day and the reason for this. A simple conversation to say ‘well done’ can have an enormous impact in encouraging students to keep working hard, keep putting in maximum effort and making them feel a sense of pride and satisfaction at what they have achieved! It can be the catalyst for them to go on and achieve great things.