We undertook a full audit of
staff use and student experience of Vivos and rewards.
We used the data recorded within
Vivo to determine how often departments/staff use the system and to see which
year groups receive the most Vivos.
We then disseminated a
questionnaire for staff on the use of Vivos. The results informed us that 38%
of staff rarely or never use Vivos. The main reason being the method in which
they are currently distributed is difficult to use on a practical basis.
Teachers in a classroom environment found it very awkward and long winded to
log in to the web based Vivo system, often didn’t know their login details as
they are separate to SIMS and therefore would not use the Vivo system.
A student survey across all Key Stages
informed us that the majority of students across all key stages still value
Vivos – even KS5. We didn’t expect to see the KS5 students value Vivos but they
overwhelmingly agreed that Vivos are a great incentive to achieve. Almost
equally there were requests for more positive comments to go directly to
parents/carers.
I visited Whitmore High School to
look at their use of electronic systems. They use a SIMS based reward system
that utilises InTouch. InTouch can use SIMS data to automatically send messages
to parents/carers. This was a “Light Bulb” moment. I thought “Maybe we’d be
able to use SIMS to distribute Vivos”. Further investigation taught us that
this was possible. We have now simplified the process of awarding Vivos by
using SIMS. Within a register as well as selecting an individual or a group of
students, any member of staff can simply use the achievement tab to reward a
student individually. This means no additional log in for staff. By using this
system the achievement is recorded within SIMS and InTouch can send messages
home. We have decided that a trial will determine the number of points/Vivos
that trigger a message being sent home via InTouch. Promotion throughout the
school will be essential. We will produce posters for classrooms and clear
guidelines for all staff on how to use the new system. The trial will also
determine how data is collected for Heads of Year and Heads of Department so
they are able to analyse achievement quickly and easily.
Advantages
- Sustains a fair and consistent approach to rewards
across the school.
- Fulfils the students’ requests for how they would like
to be rewarded (parental notification).
- Fulfils staff requests for easier use thus improving
the chances that students will be rewarded.
- Records achievements directly onto SIMS.
- Builds on the Canons ‘talking school’ ethos that
promotes open dialogue between stakeholders.
I had the opportunity to present
this project in an all staff meeting. It’s still in its early stages, but the
feedback from staff has been overwhelmingly positive. One teacher said “Thank
you, it’s so quick and easy now. I never used VIVOs before but I will now.” I
have had many other members of staff say similar things. It is now my
responsibility to keep this system consistent throughout the school. The trial
will inevitably find some kinks but I hope this system will promote the use of
rewards throughout the entire school.
