Should pupils be paid to go to school to cut truancies?

[John 11]

Would a child age, say 14 onward be more tempted to go to school if they were paid say £10 (Possibily more) if they turn up for school for a whole week.

 

If they miss one day in that week, they don't get any of it.

[Lickszz 10]

Sounds good in theory. What happens if they are genuinely ill. I take it that this would be attendance as a whole. In which case these pupils would be missing out on the £10 through no fault of their own.

[DaBouncer 13]

Hell No. Their incentive should be to get good qualifications and be able to support themselves (and possibly families) in later life, coupled with the fact that more truenting 'may' send their parents for a stretch in Doncatraz.

 

I wouldn't want any more of MY tax money 'wasted' on paying kids to go to school, which by law they have to do in any case!

 

However, why don't the parents adopt the idea if they think it is a good idea!

[RPG 10]

they should give money to the kids who dont need incentives to turn up :/

 

i bearly missed a single day of school (even when i was ill!) and received nowt

[scaja 10]

Paid to stay at school, nice thought, for the students that is my question would be who would pay for it?

 

I never got paid to go to school and I don't think it should start now.

[John 11]

As for being ill, A doctors note should cover it I think unless someone can come up with a better system.

 

OK £10 isn't much - A Question DB raised is valid, why should they waste more of my TAX money?

 

That £10 would be spent on something - what ever they buy would benefit many businesses locally, in turn keep people in Jobs which means less chance of being unemployed in which case you TAX is being spent this way instead.

 

Most of that £10 would end up in the pocket of the Tax man anyway. So you really didn't contribute much of that £10.

 

More so, Kids are bored, would that £10 keep them out of trouble for a weekend? I.E. Spend it on cinema, Rent a video out or go ice skating? This lead to the question would crime be reduce?

[RPG 10]

grr!!

 

Im bored!! but i dont go out commiting crimes because of it, its a sorry state of affairs where we have to think of paying off kids not to commit crime.

 

plus do you *really* think kids who have the mindset of commiting crimes would go out to the local ice rink with lashings of root beer no, they'd spend it on a jumbo bottle of lambrusco or 3 packets of fags :/

[chill 10]

I don't think kids should be paid to go to school, I do think the parents should be fined if they don't turn up.

[upholder 10]

You are allways going to get truancy from schools if you pay the pupil to attend or not. Why not give them another incentive like something interesting to do when they are there. If a pupil isn't academically minded then let the pupil do a vocational course instead or what ever. At least they will be at school and learning something.

[alchresearch 215]

A better idea is:

 

Put in a full week at school and you don't get caned.

[*Twinkle* 10]

There is the EMA (education maintenance allowance) being pilotted in sheffield. This means that students can get from £5 to £30 a week for meeting a learning agreement set up by the school or college. (For sixformers and college students only)

It is sort of an incentive to go, but its not the only reason I turn up.

[kittykat 10]

If they dont want to be there they wont learn anything anyway so whats the point. Also its not fair giving money to truanting pupils yet none at all to good pupils. A lot of kids at our sixth form, got £30 a week for going but i got nothing just cos my parents earned more than £21'000. Why do they automatically assume my parents actually give me any money? I had to get a crappy job and pay for my own books and everything. Same goes for student loans and financial help for uni - i cant get any at all and my loan is £1500 a year (!!!???) just cos my dad had works hard, earns enough to be comfortable and pays a hell of a lot more tax than a lot of people. Hes not giving me an allowance or anything or contributing in any way. Im 18 - he has no obligation to so why dont i get any more than anyone else? oh no ive got to skivvy in some crappy posh department store and be at the beck and call of posh snobs who compain about everything.