23/09/2026
Congratulations Heidi! A lovely story, that we wanted to share with you, of perseverance and dedication.
Heidi has achieved amazing results despite facing challenges throughout her time at secondary school. Heidi came to Hathershaw College as a bubbly youngster, always happy to get involved and try new things. However, this changed over time as people started to highlight differences between Heidi and others. This became more apparent through the school years and started to affect Heidi’s school life.
After getting support from school, Heidi was diagnosed with Autism. This came as a sense of relief to Heidi and signified that she is no different to anyone else. Instead of focusing on the differences, Heidi chose to focus on her strengths. She joined multiple school productions showcasing her talents and used The Link as an area in school to flourish and be herself. Heidi has built strong relationships with her peers and has excelled in her studies.
Despite having missed school Heidi showed great resilience and courage ahead of her GCSEs, achieving 7 GCSEs, grades 5-7. Heidi is now off to study A-Levels at Ashton Sixth Form College and is hoping to pursue Medicine in the future.
Heidi feels that her teachers and staff at Hathershaw have supported her well in overcoming difficulties and reaching her potential. When asked about her experience, Heidi said “I want to help other people in the same situation.”
