Student Rewards
At CoLA, we recognise students’ achievement in a variety of ways. Every day, students can collect Achievement Points for their House (more on this below) by demonstrating our school values of Ambition, Resilience and Duty.
These achievement points can lead to a wide range of rewards; from phone calls home, to hot chocolate and donuts at break time. See the list below:
House Competitions
Aims
CoLA house system aims to give students a greater sense of community within a whole school environment. Students will have the chance to engage and interact with other members within the school by participating in numerous inter house events and activities that occur throughout the school year.
Reimaged and relaunched in September 2019, all CoLA students are split into four different houses depending on their form – Hawking, Mandela, Parks and Seacole.
Why these house names?
The four houses all represent a significant historical figure in modern times. All four individuals also overcame extreme adversity in their lifetimes and of course embody resilience, duty and integrity.
Chosen by the pupils in a whole school vote, these houses were selected by our students, for our students.
Our Houses
Rosa Parks (Forms A & E)
Rosa Parks (1913 – 2005) was an African American activist. In 1955 in the USA, Parks refused to give up her seat on a bus to a white man. She was jailed for not giving up her seat, which sparked a boycott. Her actions started the Civil Rights Movement for Equality in the USA.
Stephen Hawking (Forms B & F)
Stephen Hawking (1942-2018) was a theoretical physicist and cosmologist, widely considered to be one of the greatest scientists of his time. In 1963, Hawking contracted motor neurone disease and was given two years to live. (He survived another 55). He studied to become a Professor at Cambridge University. His most famous book, A Brief History of Time, sold more than 10 million copies!
Mary Seacole (Forms C & G)
Mary Seacole (1805 – 1881) was a Jamaican nurse who became well known in the Victorian period for her nursing efforts during the Crimean War. Seacole was actually turned down as a nurse who wanted to go abroad and help the soldiers. Undaunted, Seacole funded her own trip to Crimea to do her part. She also visited the battlefield, sometimes under fire, to nurse the wounded, and became known as ‘Mother Seacole’.
Nelson Mandela (Forms D & H)
Nelson Mandela (1918 – 2013) was a South African political activist who spent over 20 years in prison for his opposition to the apartheid regime; he was released in 1990. In 1994, Mandela was later elected the first leader of a democratic South Africa. He was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1993 for his work in helping to end racial segregation in South Africa.
House Points
The house system allows students to contribute to school life by taking part in inter house events which run throughout the year. House competitions offer the most house points in one go.
1st Place – 1000 points
2nd Place – 750 points
3rd Place – 500 points
4th Place – 250 points
However, any house points that an individual student earns, be it for class work, home learning,going above and beyond at break and lunch time, will all go towards the House Points total. On the other hand, any behaviour points gained are deducted from the house total score. The house with the highest points before the last week of school in July, is the winning house.
House Competitions
There are over 20 different House competitions throughout the school year, and they range hugely to ensure that all students can get involved in as many as they’d like throughout their time at CoLAS.
Some (but not limited to) house competitions are here:
- Sports Day
- Christmas Card Design
- War Poetry (Armistice Day)
- Spelling Bee
- PE Fitness Tests
- Photography Competition
- Black History Month Speech & Sticker Design
- Basketball Competition
- Designing a LGBT banner and poem
- CoLA got talent
- Chess Competition
House Cup Winners
Each year, the House with the most points wins the prestigious House Cup. Who will it be this year?
