Year 12 Students Impress with Innovative Community Projects at Borough Leadership Event
Around 100 Year 12 students from across Bedford Borough showcased their creativity and leadership skills at an Apprentice-meets-Dragons’ Den style Ready2Lead? event, where Biddenham School’s PCOS Project was crowned the winning entry.
The winning project focused on raising awareness and understanding of Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS) among young people, aiming to break down stigma and promote better health education.
Students from nine schools and colleges pitched their ideas to a panel of senior leaders from the local authority and health services. Each project was designed to make a positive impact on young people’s lives, inspired by the Children, Young People and their Families Plan for Bedford Borough 2022–2027, which was written by local young people and centres on six key themes.
The event formed part of Ready2Lead?, an annual leadership programme run by Bedford School, with The Harpur Trust, which helps sixth form students develop essential leadership skills such as public speaking, project management, marketing, and budgeting. Over the past two months, students have worked in teams to design and implement projects that reflect their chosen theme.
The 15 groups set up displays and presented their ideas at Bedford School, to a panel which included: Chief Executive of Bedford Borough Council Laura Church, Service Director for Education, SEND and School Infrastructure Chris Morris, Director of Public Health Vicky Head and Deputy Director Ian Brown.
St Thomas More’s The Happy Minds Project
The year 12s also got feedback from special guests HM Lord-Lieutenant of Bedfordshire Susan Lousada, High Sheriff of Bedfordshire Camilla King and Mayor of Bedford Borough Tom Wootton.
Two schools were recognised by the panel as Highly Commended for their outstanding projects:
- St Thomas More’s The Happy Minds Project – helping SEND and Pupil Premium children in the upper years of primary school, with workshops ranging from arts and crafts, to cooking and sports.
- Wixams Academy’s Ready2Cook – empowering young people with the skills and confidence to prepare healthy and affordable meals.
Simon Everitt of Bedford School and founder of Ready2Lead?, said: “We were blown away by the impressive ideas these young people developed to make a real difference in their communities. Ready2Lead? is all about nurturing future leaders, and the students have demonstrated creativity, confidence, and commitment. Their projects were imaginative, well-researched, and presented with pride.
“Since launching six years ago, Ready2Lead? has engaged all the borough’s sixth form providers, bringing together young people from diverse backgrounds. Our vision is to empower every young person to make a unique and positive impact on their world.”
Laura Church praised the students, saying: “You have been absolutely inspiring. The quality of your research and presentations at your stalls were exceptional, and the ideas you’ve developed in such a short time are fantastic. You make us extremely proud of our borough. We look forward to working with some of you to develop these projects further and ensure young people’s voices continue to shape our future plans.”
Wixams Academy’s Ready2Cook
The other projects were:
- Bedford Girls’ School’s Urban Angels – developing a safer way for young girls travelling through Bedford Town Centre through a network of safety checkpoints, accessed via a website, mapping the safest routes and requiring users to scan at checkpoints.
- Bedford Girls’ School’s The Bedford Bloom Project – helping to transform Bedford into a greener, fresher and more vibrant town by turning overlooked, abandoned and unused spaces into eye-catching pockets of nature.
- Bedford Modern School’s Converting2Compost – an environmentally focused initiative that aims to help the Bedford community by turning food waste from local schools into a nutrient-rich compost to be used in other areas of the town.
- Bedford Modern School’s Revive the Ouse – a community-driven initiative dedicated to restoring the River Ouse and its surrounding areas.
- Bedford Modern School’s Fitness Tracker – promoting physical health while supporting local businesses in Bedford through a creation of an app.
- Biddenham International School’s Red Flag Awareness – educating young adults aged 14-to-19 years of age, on the signs of domestic abuse and how to notice them in theirs and others relationships.
- Bedford School’s Budget Bites – supporting lower income households and children in our town by improving access to cheap, nutritious and most importantly, delicious food.
- Bedford School’s Disco Politics – an education tool for the younger population on the way our political system is run and unbiased overviews of all the political parties.
- Bedford Sixth Form’s Mind & Motion – dedicated to helping teenagers in Bedford achieve mental and physical wellbeing through support clubs and active, engaging physical-health events.
- Kimberley College’s Checkpoint – a local map highlighting help centres, services and practical support to support young people’s mental health, as well as mentoring and a digital space where young people can ask for support.
- Mark Rutherford School’s Educational Supply Bank – providing a safe place with no judgment, that allows students who are facing financial difficulties access to school supplies.
- Mark Rutherford School’s Bedford Bonds Map – a digital platform designed to help people across Bedfordshire find and share safe, welcoming, and inclusive spaces in their communities.
To find out more visit www.ready2lead.co.uk.