St. Bede’s Catholic School and Byron Sixth Form College, Peterlee and St. Wilfrid’s RC College, South Shields, are proud to be two of six schools across the region recognised at the inaugural North East United Awards Ceremony, held at The Beacon of Light in Sunderland.
The event celebrated the achievements of young people who took part in North East United, a pioneering 12-week programme designed to improve attendance and re-engagement through the power of sport, mentoring and community partnerships. Both schools are part of Bishop Chadwick Catholic Education Trust.
Led and fully funded by The Edwin Group, in partnership with Bishop Hogarth Catholic Education Trust, Bishop Chadwick Catholic Education Trust and Spark Education Trust, the North East United initiative brought together football club foundations – including Newcastle United Foundation, Sunderland AFC Foundation of Light and Middlesbrough Football Foundation – to deliver an innovative approach to improving students’ engagement in education and attendance.
Pupils followed a programme which included sessions on the importance of teamwork and problem solving, life skills and aspirations, emotional wellbeing and mental health as well as community and contribution, pupils were recognised in this special ceremony for their efforts – which saw them increase their confidence and eagerness to achieve good attendance.
Paralympic swimmer, Lyndon Longhorne, gave an inspiring and motivational speech, and presented the awards alongside Dame Maura Regan, Education Advisor at the Edwin Group. Macie Sinclair, from St. Wilfrid’s RC College won the Rising Star Award. Mr Taylor from St. Bede’s Catholic School and Byron Sixth Form collected awards for pupils Joseph Crowther – Resilience Award and Leonard Cartwright – Community Award – who were unable to attend.
Data shows that, while national attendance declined from Autumn 2024 to Spring 2025, students on this programme increased their attendance from 86.22 to 87.24% – a reversal of the national trend.
A report on the outcomes of the programme was published ahead of the ceremony, highlighting the programme’s success in supporting Year 10 pupils at risk of disengagement and demonstrating the importance of collaborative, human-centred approaches in education.
Anthony Logan, Deputy Headteacher at St. Bede’s Catholic School and Byron Sixth Form, said,“This programme has made a real difference to our students, not just in terms of attendance but in how they see themselves and their potential. We’re proud to have been part of North East United and we look forward to building on its success in the future.”
Liam Roberts, CEO of The Edwin Group, said, “We are incredibly proud to celebrate the success of the North East United pilot and our local partnerships to improve attendance and the engagement of students in education. We recognise the importance of ensuring that every young person has access to the best possible educational experience and it is fantastic to see the positive impact the programme has had on encouraging students to re-engage with their education.”