A pound for kindness

Original non-fiction-style practice text.

Our school has begun awarding points for kindness, exchangeable for small prizes. Yesterday, a pupil asked whether carrying a chair for a teacher earned more than lending a pencil. I cannot blame him. The scheme has supplied a price list and then looked surprised when somebody asked about the prices.

Recognising thoughtfulness is a good intention. A quiet pupil who helps others deserves to be noticed as much as the child who wins a race. But turning each action into a transaction risks teaching a different lesson: that doing something for another person creates a claim on an adult's reward cupboard.

Thank pupils specifically. Tell them what their help made possible. Please stop asking a plastic token to explain why another person's difficulty should matter. Kindness can be acknowledged without being made to resemble a very small job.

Assess the writer’s attitude towards the school’s kindness points scheme. Use three details from the text to support your answer.