Pocketing good behaviour

London: Good manners cost nothing, so the saying goes. But for parents these days, it seems, having a polite child can come at quite a price.

Research shows almost half of youngsters are bribed with pocket money to be on their best behaviour.

More than a third are also having to earn their weekly allowance by doing household chores, while one in five is rewarded for helping to clean and feed pets.

The survey, by the Child Trust Fund, also found about a fifth of children received cash for finishing homework on time, accumulating points on a reward chart and for getting good marks at school.

Children are being given record amounts of pocket money and the government is proposing that, from 2012, pupils as young as five will be taught personal finance. A report by the London School of Economics showed that in spite of the recession Britain's young had never had it so good.