Rewards and Sanctions

All staff at Holy Cross use a form of software to record rewards and sanctions called SchoolPod. It is a useful tool to help recognise the successes of our students, and also identify patterns of less positive attitudes to learning.

Teachers reward students electronically using our “Eight to be Great” criteria to encourage Learning for Excellence as displayed in the diagram below:

Parents/carers will be pleased to note the number of Reward Points on each half-termly report and it is a good indicator of your daughter’s engagement with learning and participation in the school community. Positive feedback is important for our students as it boosts their self-confidence and reinforces positive behaviours. Students’ Reward Points will also count towards the overall House Points total for their House and the winning house each term will receive a special treat – so an extra incentive to earn those points!

Sanctions for poor behaviour or inadequate work will also be logged using the same software and this will also be communicated to parents on the half-termly report. Students who display persistently poor attitudes to learning will be more easily identified and effectively monitored. Our system also allows us to record verbal warnings and written warnings, along with detentions. Currently staff may set a short 15 minute detention for a minor misdemeanour which could increase to a 30 minute or 60 minute detention if appropriate (e.g. a more serious offence or persistently poor attitude which does not improve). Should a 30 minute or 60 minute detention be issued, parents/carers will immediately receive an email notification. This extra communication helps both staff and parents to become aware early on if there are patterns of concern.

As always, if you have any concerns or questions please contact your daughter’s tutor in the first instance as they receive an overview every week of both Rewards and Sanctions.