At Kedleston we are very lucky that many of our former young people stay in touch, regularly calling, emailing or even popping in for a visit to let us know how they’re doing. We love to hear about their lives since moving on from Kedleston. It’s also a fantastic opportunity for current young people to hear just what’s possible.

Sarah* used to attend Leaways School in London and recently visited the school and shared her latest news. She said: “It’s great to be back at Leaways – I’m great and it’s been lovely to come back. I miss everything about the school, especially the support from staff. When I first joined Leaways, I didn’t want to start, I didn’t want to be in education. That changed when I came to the school and then I didn’t want to leave Leaways because of the support I got from the teachers.

“I’m currently studying Health and Social Care Level 2. Leaways helped me get onto the course that I wanted to do which has led me to where I am now. My future aspiration is to be a social worker.

“I would tell my younger self, and the current pupils at Leaways, to never give up on studying and on yourself – you are capable of anything!”