Pizza parties and iPads used to boost school attendance, report finds

Pizza parties and iPads are being offered to pupils as incentives to improve school attendance, according to a report that says sanctions alone are less likely to work.

- Sally Weale

While some schools in England are using fines, detentions and letters to parents to crack down on absence, others prefer a rewards-based approach, with prize draws for bikes and iPads, trips and "praise stamps" that pupils collect then trade in for chocolates or stationery.

The study by the National Foundation for Educational Research (NFER) found that schools that combined rewards with sanctions reported seeing higher pupil engagement with attendance policies.