www.teachsecondary.com 81

gets a Vivo account.Teachers and support staffgive or ‘pay’ them Vivo pointsworth a nominal 1p each. Thiscould be for opening thedoor, opening their booksor opening their minds. Youdecide what points are given forand you add them electronically toa student account. Students thencheck online using their own PIN to see howmany points they’ve earned and if they wantthey can spend them on an online shop, savethem or donate them. It’s deliciously simple andit works. Big time. It’s been proven todramatically improve student motivation, raiseattendance, boost attainment and help fosterschool values.

The system provides statistics, league tables,and the ability to track staff usage to ensurerewarding transparency and fairness. It also hasa Parental Engagement Platform so parents andguardians can set up their own personal Vivoaccount and view information relating to theirchild’s rewards as well as receive updates byemail and set pledges towards which studentscan work.

Vivo HQ lists plenty of reasons why its rewardsystem is the bee’s knees. The revampedwebsite is worth visiting to read more but for mewhat stands out is that it has the potential tomake a real contribution to personal financeeducation, cut down on all that adminassociated with more traditional rewardsystems, and encourage students to go theextra mile. The good thing is, you define yourreward categories and how many Vivos eachbehaviour or achievement is worth. You can alsocustomise the shop, so you can select therewards you want to appear. So if you want toset up automated reward points for attendancethen the system links to your school MIS andyou can dish out additional rewards forwhatever you see fit. I can certainly seeVivoMiles having impact (although personally, I'donly link them to proper achievement ratherthan for underlining work or remembering a PEkit – a stance with which I'm told most schoolsusing the system agree).

Now, some schools manage behaviour andmotivation without the need for gifts and

rewards. So do youactually needsomething like

VivoMiles? Well this systemdoes have its critics and it hasweathered some bad press

relating to raffle tickets beingsold as rewards. Some argue

that this type of system amountsto bribery and a large number of

students will play the system withoutactually changing their spots. Perhaps – but manystudents interestingly opt for donating their pointsto charity or for non-material rewards like alunchtime fast-track jump the queue pass. It alsoencourages saving.

And then there are those that say rewards forthis and rewards for that don’t match the world ofwork. If students expect rewarding every fiveminutes for mundane achievements, the criticsinsist, when they start work then they will have arude awakening. Some of the arguments dodepend on which side of the moral divide youposition yourself. I think that a sensible rewardssystem has a place, and with over 500 schoolsusing VivoMiles, I’m clearly not alone. Schools canuse Vivo's bronze, silver and gold certificates tomark consistent attainment, and there's a leaguetables section on the system, as well as anoptional ‘gold club’ that students can get intothrough earning a certain number of points,entitling them to further privileges.

To be fair Vivo is pretty good at responding tofeedback. New system features such as SIMSwrite-back and a group rewarding matrix are nowavailable and there are smartphone applicationsfor teachers, parents and students.

A school ethos and culture of praising,encouraging and rewarding students is central toachieving high standards of behaviour and that isno easy task. It could be that you are looking torefresh and revamp your whole-school rewardssystem. If you are then take a look at what peopleare saying on video. You can even chat to a Vivoschool if you want or join an insight sessionhosted by a school. Consider the costs carefully,though. Schools typically spend £4-£6 per pupiland you could spend a whole lot more.

What do points make? Prizes… oh, and potentiallya highly motivated school population as well.

Some large secondary schools are spending

thousands a year on rewards to keep order in

the classroom and cut truancy. It’s the way of

the world. Once upon a time if you worked

hard and behaved well it was good enough

to get a ‘well done’ from your teacher to spur

you on to greater things. Then at some point

a reward culture developed and so we

thought it was a good idea to give students

loads of points and cover them from head to

toe in stickers. Now if you knuckle down,

remember your manners and eat your greens

then you get a speedboat. Happy and

motivated students are a different kettle of

fish these days.

This brings me on to VivoMiles, a nationalaward winning web-based reward systemlaunched in 2007 that takes rewarding studentsto a whole new level. In a nutshell, each student

CONTACT: VIVOMILES.COMREVIEWED BY: JOHN DABELL

PRODUCT REVIEW | VIVOMILES

VERDICT: A rewardinginvestmentVivoMiles is a low-stresshigh-impact option forsimulating a token economic system based on positive reinforcement.Check out the successstories on the website.

GET BAKING AND BUILDINGFOR SHELTER’S GREATGINGERBREAD HOUSE SALE80,000 children will wake up homeless thisChristmas. Help end this outrage by hosting aGreat Gingerbread House Sale and raisingmoney for Shelter. Gingerbread-themed lessonplans linking to the Key Stage 3 and 4curriculum have been created especially forsecondary school teachers, so it couldn’t beeasier to get involved.

From cosy gingerbread chalets to toweringgingerbread town houses, the money raisedfrom each sale will go towards helpinghomeless children this Christmas, and ensuringthat Shelter can continue its vital work keepinga roof over the heads of families in need.

To sign up simply visitwww.shelter.org.uk/gingerbread

VivoMiles

review_Layout 1 25/09/2013 11:11 Page 2