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COLA Is Good For You
The scheme was started at the end of 2004 by Miss O'Sullivan (see photo to the right, together with Phil Bakstad, Edge Hill University, Aimhigher Project Officer), when Year 11 pupils were invited to take part in a trial scheme, designed to help them develop their leaderships skills and to take more responsibility as members of the school community. As well as taking on the role of monitors, keeping an eye on younger pupils around the school at break and lunchtime, they followed their own interests working with pupils on activities such as peer mentoring, sports and dance training, and developing a school newspaper. Before the Year 11s left school they were asked for their reactions to COLA, and so were all the staff. The majority of teachers thought the scheme had worked well, and so did most of the pupils. Not everyone was happy with everything in the scheme, especially the break and lunchtime monitoring, but nearly everyone agreed they had benefitted from taking part. The COLA scheme has now been offered to current Year 9 students so that they can begin to develop their leadership and organisation skills as soon as they start Key Stage 4. Over 80 Year 9s have taken part in the training this week: this newspaper was produced during that training, and other students have been learning how to be peer mentors, or sports or dance leaders. The results of their hard work will be seen in school from September. While the focus has been on the older pupils who are to be the leaders of the future, the keystage 3 pupils are just as involved, as they can benefit from having a team of older pupils specially trained to work with them in useful and helpful relationships. A recent survey of pupils in years 7, 8 and 9, asking for their reactions to and suggestions for the COLA scheme showed that those who had been involved with COLA students during the pilot were very positive about the experience: over 90% had enjoyed working with and alongside the older pupils. There were also some interesting suggestions for more activities to be organised for after school clubs: trampolining, tennis and a computer club were popular ideas. As the scheme goes from strength to strength, ideas of everyone concerned will help to shape its development, so if you have any suggestions for how COLA can be improved, whether you're a student, a parent, a member of staff or a governor, Miss O'Sullivan will be pleased to hear from you. by Polly Smith |
In St. Chad's, COLA is something more than fizzy pop. It's Chad's Organisers and Leadership Award Scheme, and more and more students are getting involved.