Hedley鈥檚 College Joins the Power of Specialist Further Education Campaign
Hedley’s College took part in Natspec’s nationwide campaign, celebrating the transformative role specialist further education plays for young people with SEND. Running from 1 鈥� 5 December 2025, the campaign united colleges, learners and sector partners across the country in highlighting the life-changing impact of specialist FE through sharing powerful learner stories.
During the week, our College community teamed up to showcase the incredible creativity, ambition and achievements of our students at Hedley’s College.
Pop-Up Shop
We kicked off our campaign with a brilliant pop-up shop showcasing a fantastic range of merchandise created by our talented students.
Each piece reflected the skills, creativity and hard work our learners have put into their enterprise projects. The pop-up shop offered more than just a display of their work. It provided valuable real-world experience in customer service, communication and teamwork.
The buzz around the shop set the perfect tone for the start of our campaign, demonstrating not only the high quality of our students鈥� work but also the importance of celebrating specialist further education and the opportunities it provides.
Student Council: What College Means to Us
Our Student Council hosted a 鈥淲hat College Means to Us鈥� Teams meeting with several other specialist colleges as part of the ongoing campaign.
Students shared thoughtful reflections on their experiences, presenting a PowerPoint filled with photos, quotes and key words that capture what college means to them.
They also listened to students from Rotherham Opportunities College and ESPA College, learning about their projects, achievements and what makes their own college communities so unique. It was inspiring to see our students engage with such maturity, asking questions, celebrating each other鈥檚 successes and recognising the shared values that exist across specialist FE settings.
Disability Awareness Training
A group of our students delivered two inspiring Disability Awareness Training sessions.
The first session was delivered to local employers, including Gardiner Richardson, Northumberland Football Association, Scope and North East Museums. This was followed by another session with students at Dame Allan’s School.
This training highlights exactly why specialist provision matters, not only for educating our students, but for empowering them to educate the wider community. Nothing promotes inclusion more effectively than students sharing their own stories and offering practical advice on how workplaces, organisations and the community can become more inclusive, based on their lived experiences.
Community Mural
Students and staff are also creating a whole college art movement, inspired by the Thank You X cube mural.
Our college is working together to produce individual cubes to show creativity, inclusion and choices which will all be put together to create one big community piece.
This collaborative project highlights the talent, confidence, and independence that specialist FE helps our students develop every day.
A Visit From Our Local MP
Catherine McKinnell, Newcastle MP made a visit to College to round off our campaign.
She had a tour of our College, meeting some of our students and finding out some of the great activities and projects that they’re working on.
Then the Student Council shared a presentation that they had prepared for her, highlighting how important Hedley’s College is to them and all that they have achieved. Catherine was especially impressed with our students for engaging in remarkable activities, including the Gold Duke of Edinburgh Award and adaptive surfing, where they developed new skills and enjoyed every moment.
Thank you Catherine for taking the time to visit Hedley’s College and find out more about our brilliant young people and how we support them.
