Hedleys College Round Up 2024-2025
Check out this year's round up!
Police Cadets
We welcomed a new cohort of Volunteer Police Cadets this year, our award-winning scheme in partnership with Northumbria Police.
After taking their oath, our students began their Police Cadet sessions, where they鈥檝e been learning about vital topics such as knife crime, antisocial behaviour, and hate crime.
From honouring Remembrance Day with meaningful activities to raising 拢250 in support of a local toddler group, our Cadets have shown outstanding commitment, compassion, and community spirit. We couldn鈥檛 be prouder of all they鈥檝e achieved!
British Diversity Awards
We travelled down to London for the British Diversity Awards, where we were shortlisted for ‘Community Project of the Year’.
This award was for our outstanding Disability Awareness Training, a powerful initiative developed by a group of our students to promote understanding, inclusion, and empathy around disability.
Their training has reached over 1,200 people this year alone, including schools, employers, and community groups.
We received the incredible news that we WON the national title!
Work Experience Opportunities
Through our Hedley’s Beyond team, our students have engaged in a variety of work experience opportunities based on their career aspirations.
Employers such as St Oswald’s Hospice, Bellway, Morgan Sindall Infrastructure and Eldon Square have provided brilliant opportunities to engage our students into the world of work.
Widow Sons
The Widow Sons made a very special Easter visit to our students, arriving in style in a motorbike convoy.
Our students loved hopping on the bikes and revving the engines, before each receiving an easter egg from the Widow Sons.
Duke of Edinburgh
Some of our students completed their Duke of Edinburgh Awards in Bronze, Silver and Gold this year which is no small feat.
Despite being tested by tough weather conditions, our expedition groups persevered and showed incredible teamwork, resilience, and determination throughout.
In addition to earning the prestigious awards as a team, our students gained invaluable leadership skills, boosted confidence, and personal growth that will stay with them for life.
Animal Taster Sessions
Who doesn’t love a visit from some furry friends?
Our students loved when rabbits, guinea pigs, and even a tortoise came to Hedleys College.
Inclusive Football
Every Friday this year, a group of our students joined forces with members of Horizons for a kickabout!
Each week was a fabulous excuse to get involved, get moving, and work as a team to play the beautiful game.
Market Stalls
Our market stalls this summer were an absolute hit!
Students created items and helped sell items to the public, including arts and crafts, sweet treats and health shots.
Our Police Cadets welcomed visitors and helped direct them to the stalls, ensuring a brilliant experience for all.
Reverse Job Fair
Some of our students attended the Hedley’s Beyond Reverse Job Fair, a brilliant opportunity for them to showcase what they have achieved and their career aspirations.
Amongst the employers in attendance was Bellway, Barratt Homes, Northumberland FA and Opencast, who were highly impressed with our student’s confidence and achievements.
Adaptive Surfing
We鈥檝e been absolutely loving our adaptive surfing sessions with South Shields Surf School!
These sessions give our students a fantastic opportunity to get out on the water, try something new, and build new skills. It鈥檚 been inspiring to watch their confidence grow each week as they embrace the challenge and enjoy every moment.
The Hedleys College Awards
Our annual awards ceremony at the Grand Hotel in Gosforth is always a standout moment in our calendar, and this year was no exception.
Families, parents, carers, and local employers came together to celebrate the remarkable achievements of our students over the past academic year. Awards were presented in a range of categories, including Occupational Therapy, Social Enterprise, and Health & Wellbeing, recognising the hard work, progress, and passion shown by our learners.
The highly coveted Principal’s Award was handed to our excellent student James for his key roles in initiatives such as Disability Awareness Training, Golf Day, work experience and more.
Bingo Bonanza
We wrapped up the term in the best way possible: with a bingo bonanza!
There was music, dancing, and plenty of excitement as students celebrated in style and took home some fantastic prizes.