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media coverage of Examboost launch in London (photo: Scott Bickley)

Selected comments in the media & feedback

Sharing the exam rewards
Pupils will collect real shares for good exam results
Pupils who were promised shares in exchange for performing well in their GCSE exams are now counting their winnings. Two teachers in Rutland launched a website earlier this year to offer financial incentives to encourage pupils to work hard for their exams. The site, Examboost, offered rewards of shares in internet service provider, Totalise, to pupils who performed well in their GCSEs. Thousands of pupils in over 650 schools are believed to have signed up for the deal, with pupils now able to calculate the value of their shares. "Although there are schemes offering pupils cash for turning up to lessons, we felt that this wasn't necessarily the answer," explained one of the founders, Martin Roberts of Uppingham School in Rutland. "Examboost goes a stage further by encouraging students to achieve the best possible grades in their exams." Shares were allocated to pupils in relation to their grades, up to maximum of 120 shares for top scoring A-level students - with a guaranteed minimum price of 50p per share. For GCSE students, who received their results today, the scheme was offering 20 shares (worth £10) for an A* grade in up to three subjects. Among the recipients of shares was James Howell, a student attending a school in Bermondsey, south London, who will collect 44 shares for his grades. "I think I'll hang on to them until they are worth more. I registered for them because I thought it was a good idea to help me with my studies. It has also given me a better idea about investing money," he said.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/education/newsid_894000/894906.stm

Top marks for share scheme
by Christine Long
More than a million school pupils are being encouraged to join the dotcom share bonanza. Senior school students could earn up to £240 in free shares in an Internet service provider if they pass their exams this year. To be eligible for a shares payout students must register at the examboost website and sign up for e-mail with Totalise, the Internet service provider, before taking their exams. Payouts will only be made for core subjects at GCSE and A level, or their Scottish equivalents, and will be based on the grades achieved. The shares will be allocated in September when the company has verified the exam results. The scheme was developed by David Lewis and Martin Roberts, teachers at Uppingham School in Rutland, as a way of offering students an incentive to study harder, as well as helping them to learn about share ownership. Dr Lewis says: "Although there are schemes that offer pupils cash for turning up to lessons, we felt that this wasn't necessarily the answer." Students must be at least 16-years-old to qualify for entry into the scheme and any shares allocated to students under 18-years will be held until they reach adulthood. Registration for the scheme will close on May 14 in Scotland and on June 4 in England, Wales and Northern Ireland.
http://uk.biz.yahoo.com/000413/88/a3hkg.html

GCSE results are investment for enterprising pupils
Thousands of GCSE students across the UK are calculating what their grades were worth in share value. Pupils from more than 650 schools were rewarded with real tradeable shares based on their grades under a new initiative launched on the internet earlier this year. The scheme was set up by two teachers who felt students would benefit from a financial incentive to work harder for their GCSEs and A-levels. Dr Martin Roberts and Dr David Lewis, who both teach at Uppingham School, Rutland, launched the examboost web site in April after receiving backing from Internet Service Provider Totalise plc. http://www.ananova.com/news/story/education_internet-uk_945340.html

Pupils to be paid for getting good grades.
Scottish youngsters can gain more than £200 for four grade A Highers under the project. Standard grade students can also rake in up to £160 for four credits in English, maths, a foreign language and a science. Dr Lewis said "It is a bit of a radical move in education, to pay someone for their work. But we felt students were going through their school exams, then going to university and coming out £5000 in debt. Given that, we thought this idea, which lets them make money for their hard work, might appeal.
Edinburgh Evening News, Friday May 12th 2000.

"Its an idea that sounds too good to be true"
Angela Rafferty, Education Correspondent, BBC TV East Midlands Today.
Examboost was the lead story on Wednesday May 5th 2000 on BBC1.

Exam success to pay off in shares.
School pupils are to get "performance related pay" to boost examination results.
The Times, Thursday 13th April 2000.

"I think it's absolutely brilliant. I wish there had been a scheme like this when I was at School". Alan from Kilmarnock on Scot FM Drive Time.

Teaching duo launch revolutionary web scheme to reward exam results. Students passing GCSEs and A-levels this year can now be paid in shares - thanks to a pair of Rutland teachers. The duo believe their scheme could be the biggest idea to improve educational achievement in the UK. Front page, Rutland Mercury, Friday 14th April 2000.

Congratulations! Your site, Examboost has been awarded a Five Star rating by Schoolzone's panel of over 400 expert teachers. This is in recognition of the fact that it is an outstanding educational site: useful for teaching and learning and easy to navigate. Philip Collie, Schoolzone.

Feedback from students

"This scheme was an excellent idea, and I hope that it remains successful and a good incentive to study hard for years to come".
Andrew Durston, A level student, Canford School, Wimborne

"If I was getting money put in my hand I'd be delighted"
Chris Dalton, Scottish Higher student.

"I believe that the Examboost scheme is very beneficial to the general state of education in this country. For me the idea of getting something extra for doing well in my exams did not make me any more determined as I already had a strong commitment to my studies. However there is a large majority of people who need that extra incentive to work hard for their results and Examboost provides them with that. Students will be more prepared to work if they believe that they are getting something like shares out of their results rather than just a grade on a piece of paper that might not help them in later life anyway. Examboost is a cert. getting ahead in life with good grades is not".
Thomas Harpley, Acle High School

"I have been using Totalise since about September last year. Things just keep getting better and better. I wanted to say thank you to Totalise and the Examboost team for the free shares. I hope the company keeps going, I am always up to help a company that is looking out for my best interests. I got an A, B and a C in my A'levels, It was a great feeling to know that someone else out there cared as much about my results as I did. Thanks again. YOU ROCK"
Jordan Geldart, John Leggott College

I think that Examboost is an excellent idea and provides us with a small (at the moment but will increase as more people join) but well worthwhile incentive to work and revise that little bit harder and hopefully cross the grade boundaries.
Andrew Lovell. Eastwood Comprehensive School.

" Just a line to say great idea and thanks for such an opportunity".
James Howell St Michael's School, Bermondsey.

"I have now registered my exams and I feel that with the help and encouragement of examboost I will achieve the best possible grades. Maybe even I might go a little further. But I feel that with the new network it might encourage some students to work harder and perform well, but me personally I feel that I will do well anyway as I know that the grades will last with me forever, the money is just a little topping on top of the grade that I surely will be proud of, if it is what I aimed for".
"Anita" in an email to Examboost.

"Congratulations on the success of the establishment of your company. It has been a pleasure to know that someone empathises with the struggles that we as teenagers go through. It is a great scheme which I am sure will help encourage other students of the same age to do extra well in their exams. I think that rewarding students for their efforts and achievements is great and will make them feel special and more determined to do well in the future. All the best. We are all rooting for you at St. Michael's. Keep up the good work".
"Emi" St Michael's School, Bermondsey.

"I would like to pass on my comments about your website and service, I think they're brilliant!"
"Rahil", GCSE student, by Email

" I think it's a great incentive"
Neil, GCSE student, Wath Comprehensive School.

Feedback from teachers

"Not a good idea at all. This is not part of education. It is distracting teachers in schools and pupils from the main purpose of education"
George McMillan, former Assistant Rector of Perth Academy

"I am concerned about this..."
Chris Thatcher, President of the National Association of Head Teachers (TES 14/4/2000)

"From what we can see, you have a winner and we would like our students to part of it".
Frank Wilson, Assistant Examinations Officer, Holywell High School

" I work as a music teacher at the Perse School in Cambridge and would be happy to recommend the scheme to any of my students".
Gavin Richards The Perse School, Cambridge.

"Two science teachers at a famous old English public school have come up with an imaginative new scheme, which might soon represent a revolutionary change to the lives of many students and young people, up and down the country. They have devised a scheme which will offer pupils financial incentives to pass their exams. In this era of internet access this latest scheme can be made equally available to every student in the country taking public examinations".
M.R.J.Burton, Director of Studies, Uppingham School.

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