College Blog Post - 25.09.2026
What a week it's been! Here's what everyone here at Pathways has been up to.
Run Club Update... Week2 - Still Going Strong! 🏃
Well, it turns out Week 1 wasn't just a flash in the pan! 🎉
This Monday, 10 hearty souls turned up ready for Week 2 of NBC Run Club, proving that last week's runners hadn't been put off by sore legs, hills, or British weather. 👏
The first victory of the day came before we'd even started...
It wasn't raining! ☀️🎉
Lessons finished, lunchtime arrived, and while most students and staff were thinking about sandwiches and a well-earned break, the Run Club crew had other ideas. 🚐🏃♀️🏃♂️
We jumped into the minibus and headed down to Alexandra Park, gathering at the Lion's Den for this week's briefing.
Before setting off, staff introduced the group to Parkrun, a free weekly 5km event held every Saturday morning at 9am. 🕘 It's open to everyone, takes place in parks all over the country, and luckily for us, there's one right here in Alexandra Park. 🌳
The course is made up of three laps of the park, but this week's mission wasn't to complete all three. Instead, the challenge was simple:
👉 Learn the route
👉 Understand the hills
👉 Try not to sprint off like you're being chased 😆
With that, the group set off... and within minutes there was some serious panting going on. 😮💨
It seems a few runners may have forgotten last week's golden rule about pacing themselves! 😂
The first major obstacle was the park's famous hill. It's one of those climbs that seems to get bigger every time you look at it. 📈😅 However, the reward for reaching the top is a lovely long downhill stretch towards the lake. 🌊
After covering over 1km, we stopped for this week's team photo. 📸 Everyone was still smiling, which either means they were enjoying themselves or they were too tired to complain!
Feeling refreshed after the downhill section, students then learned another rule that every runner eventually discovers:
"What goes down must come back up!" 😁
Cue a few groans, some dramatic sighs, and one or two negotiations with the hill... 😅
But with a spoonful of determination and plenty of encouragement from the group, everyone tackled the climb back towards the Lion's Den. 💪
The result?
✅ Everyone completed a full loop
✅ Everyone ran well over a mile
✅ Everyone earned a massive round of applause 👏👏👏
A team clap and plenty of proud faces brought Week 2 to a close.
The students are already building confidence, learning how to pace themselves, and proving that they can achieve more than they think.
Now let's see what Week 3 has in store... 👀🏃♂️🏃♀️
💭 Quote of the Week
"Most people never run far enough on their first wind to find out they've got a second." - William James
Mathematics Update... Building Strong Foundations
It has been a fantastic start to the new academic year for Mathematics. Students have settled well into their learning routines and have completed a range of baseline assessments to identify their current understanding and areas for development.
We have practised ordering and comparing numbers, converting digits into words, and solving calculations using all four operations: addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division.
With a particular focus of understanding how to round and estimate numbers applying these skills confidently through a variety of problem-solving activities, well done to all our students new and old for demonstrating positive engagement and a strong start to the year.
Maths 25.09.2026
BTG Update... What a fantastic start to the academic year for our BTG students!
It has certainly been a busy couple of weeks. Students have been getting organised by providing identification documents for DBS applications and applying for bus pass cards, helping to ensure they are fully prepared for the exciting months ahead.
One of the highlights of the last three weeks has been seeing how well our students have settled in. It has been wonderful to watch the group come together, get to know one another, and begin forming new friendships. The positive atmosphere and support shown between students has been fantastic to witness.
Kurt and Kayden have been working incredibly hard as they complete their training at The Royal Oldham Hospital before starting their placements. Both students successfully completed a range of essential training sessions, including Safeguarding Adults and Children, welcome, Values and Induction, Counter Fraud, Food Hygiene, Moving and Handling and Health, Safety and Welfare training. Their engagement and enthusiasm throughout the sessions have been exceptional, and both walked away with valuable new knowledge and skills to support them in the workplace.
Meanwhile, Kyra has been enjoying some quiet time, relaxing with a good book and a hot chocolate. Caitlyn, Nina and Maia have also been developing their independent living skills, enjoying the process of making delicious hot chocolates complete with sprinkles and marshmallows!
Four of our young men, Aaron, Andrew, Dontay and Joshua have settled brilliantly into their placement at Destiny. They have had an excellent first couple of weeks, learning new photography skills while confidently stepping in front of the camera themselves, whilst also exploring the local environment.
Nina recently visited the Student Hub at MMU and thoroughly enjoyed her meet and greet with the lovely Helen. She came away feeling very positive about the experience and is extremely excited to begin her placement journey. Nina is now looking forward to receiving her official start date and getting started. To top off what was a wonderful day, she even treated herself to a Papa John's on her journey back to college from Manchester!
Maia has settled exceptionally well into her placement at MAHDLO, where she has been supporting staff with the preparation of upcoming events. Staff were delighted to see Maia presenting herself professionally on the reception desk, greeting everyone with a huge smile. We are incredibly proud of how confidently she has adapted to a new environment and embraced this exciting opportunity.
Meanwhile, Kayleigh and Nikita have also made an excellent start at Phoenix Day Care Centre. After successfully completing their settling-in day, both students attended their first full placement day this week. They thoroughly enjoyed the experience and have shared with staff how pleased they are with their choice of placement. It is wonderful to see both young ladies building confidence and making such a positive impression.
Olivia has been keeping extremely busy developing her creative and digital skills. She has been designing her own physical merchandise inspired by a range of franchises that interest her, using programmes including IbisPaint X, Google Drive, and Adobe Photoshop. Olivia has shown great dedication and enthusiasm towards her creative projects, with the ambition of one day running her own Etsy shop and selling her unique products. We look forward to seeing her continue to grow her business and design skills in the future.
Some of our BTG students recently enjoyed a visit to the GOW Youth Club in Oldham town centre, where they had the opportunity to take part in a range of fun and engaging activities. Students spent time playing pool, table tennis, and board games, whilst also exploring their creative skills by making clay models. The visit provided a fantastic opportunity for students to socialise, build confidence, develop teamwork skills, and enjoy a positive experience within the local community. Everyone had a great time and have asked for future visits.
We are incredibly proud of all our students and the commitment, confidence, and enthusiasm they are demonstrating in their placements and personal projects. Keep up the fantastic work! 🌟 Over the coming half term, we will continue with inductions, training and placement visits to ensure every student feels supported, confident and ready to take their next steps into the world of work.
We are excited to see what the rest of the year brings and look forward to sharing more of our students' achievements along the way.
Natasha Hughes - Senior Job Coach
BTG - 26.9.25
