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Celebrating 50 years of Enrichment

Celebrating 50 years of Enrichment

How Enrichment has been part of shaping the Hills Road experience since day one

Published on 25/07/2025

Hills Road Sixth Form College has been celebrating its 50th anniversary this academic year, and right at the heart of its story is Enrichment. From its earliest days in the 1970s to the present, Enrichment has been a defining part of life at Hills, offering students the chance to explore new interests, build confidence and grow beyond the curriculum.

What is now known as the Enrichment programme has always existed in some form. In the early years, it was known as General Studies, a broad, loosely structured set of activities designed to get students thinking outside their subject areas and engaging with the wider world.

A varied offering

Courses ranged from cooking, photography and bee-keeping to war poetry, car maintenance, cross-country running and even cryptic crosswords. Alumni and staff have memories as varied as the course offerings...

Alumna Rachel Daly, who studied at Hills Road between 1986 and 1988, remembers: "I did voluntary work reading to a partially sighted older lady and Russian GCSE.”

Former teacher (and current Adult Education staff member) Di King taught at Hills Road from 1999, and taught the popular Enrichment programme 'Young Enterprise' throughout the 2000s and 2010s. She recalls, "The students were rather good at it and won some awards!" [shown left, Young Enterprise students circa 2011]

A tradition of creativity

Over the past five decades, Enrichment at Hills Road has reflected the diverse interests and talents of its staff and students.

From forensics [shown right], bee-keeping and car maintenance to war poetry, European history and a recycling initiative that pre-dated mainstream environmental action... the programme has consistently offered students new ways to think, create, and collaborate outside of their subjects.

As well as generations of students expanding their horizons, many Hills Road staff over the years recall their Enrichment sessions fondly as some of their most rewarding teaching experiences.

“I used to teach an enrichment called 'The Absurd from Alfred Jarry to Monty Python' which included literature, art, drama, music, radio and TV comedy," remembers Jonathan Binfield, Teacher of English. "One year, we staged ‘happenings’ including bursting into a Psychology lesson, doing a John Cleese funny walk, only to leave without explanation!"

Ian Harvey, who joined Hills Road in 1975 as a biology teacher and was one time Head of General Studies (1987–1992), recalls just how varied and creative the programme was in its early form. “We simply asked staff what they were passionate about and built the programme around that,” says Ian. He fondly remembers staff-student drama productions where roles were often as imaginative as they were unorthodox. “In my first year, I played Koko in The Mikado," he adds. "I couldn’t sing, but it was brilliant. Staff and students were just cast members together.”

Looking ahead

Enrichment remains a vital part of the Hills Road experience today, with a vast range of topics from the serious to the surreal: blindfolded painting, surrealist poetry, dance, language tasters, and themed festivals like HillsFest.

If you’re a former student or staff member with a story to share, the College would love to hear your memories! Whether you helped organise a student project, starred in a play, or just remember a particularly quirky Enrichment session, your experiences form part of this rich and colourful history.

Send your stories to Head of Enrichment, Sara Macfarlane: smacfarlane@hillsroad.ac.uk