Hastings and Bexhill

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We have been working in Hastings and Bexhill since 2009.


Last year we supported over 150 Future Leaders to realise their potential and plan pathways to their ambitions.

Our partner schools in Hastings and Bexhill

  • Ark Alexandra Academy 
  • Bexhill Academy 
  • Bexhill Sixth Form College 
  • East Sussex College Hastings 
  • The Hastings Academy 
  • The St Leonards Academy 

I had to start school in January one month before the COVID 19 lockdown. I didn’t know English because I'm from a country where we just speak French. English was really a barrier for me because I had to study with technology online. During my studies, I had the opportunity to work with Villiers Park. We talked about my ambitions and goals, and we had many sessions during the year. We talked about skills I needed to achieve my goals. We developed these skills and now I can tell people the skills that I have.

Emilie, Hastings and Bexhill Alum

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I'd just like to say thank you for all the support over the years. I don't think I would have got as far as I have without the support It's definitely helped to develop me as both a person and a student. My confidence has certainly developed and I'm more emotionally mature than I was before the programme.

Abdul, Hastings and Bexhill Alum

Being part of the programme has really opened up so many doors, which is really exciting. But being afforded these opportunities that are usually for the ruling class and elite, I just feel so lucky.

Clara, Hastings and Bexhill Alum

I had to start school in January one month before the COVID 19 lockdown. I didn’t know English because I'm from a country where we just speak French. English was really a barrier for me because I had to study with technology online. During my studies, I had the opportunity to work with Villiers Park. We talked about my ambitions and goals, and we had many sessions during the year. We talked about skills I needed to achieve my goals. We developed these skills and now I can tell people the skills that I have.

Emilie, Hastings and Bexhill Alum

I'd just like to say thank you for all the support over the years. I don't think I would have got as far as I have without the support It's definitely helped to develop me as both a person and a student. My confidence has certainly developed and I'm more emotionally mature than I was before the programme.

Abdul, Hastings and Bexhill Alum

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Our Activity in Hastings and Bexhill

Why Hastings and Bexhill?

Hastings is the most deprived local authority in South East England. Recent government research shows that 8.9% of young people leave mainstream schools without pursuing further education, employment, or training, higher than the national average of 5.6%. With almost 40% of young people in Hastings living in poverty compared with 29% for the whole of England.  

Our Hastings and Bexhill Team

Get in touch with the team at hastings@villierspark.org.uk

By Bronagh Sumner April 25, 2025
In September 2024, we were thrilled to have Emma Cross join our team as a Progression Coach in Hastings and Bexhill. Before working at Villiers Park, Emma worked as a teacher across multiple schools in East Sussex and internationally. What does your role entail? As a Progression Coach, my role involves supporting young people across Hastings and Bexhill ?" especially those from underrepresented backgrounds ?" in achieving their academic and career aspirations. I provide one-to-one sessions to help students develop confidence, resilience and goal setting skills as well as supporting students in identifying their strengths, interests and potential career pathways. This support could either be through university and apprenticeship applications, personal statements, interview preparation, internships or other alternative career pathways. I have also been involved in organising and delivering workshops around applying for university and managing exam anxiety. What did you do before coming to Villiers Park? I spent some time in Hong Kong studying and teaching English at a local primary school. Throughout my time teaching, I discovered a passion for learning about education in international contexts, so I decided to study a MA in International Education and Development at the University of Sussex. From this, I gained valuable insights on the impact of globalisation on education policy and practice. I also volunteered with the Hastings Sierra Leone Friendship Link, where I had the opportunity to travel to Hastings, Sierra Leone, and work with some amazing individuals, focusing on developing education and healthcare around the surrounding areas of Freetown. What is your biggest project at the moment? My biggest project now is supporting our Future Leaders with their Leadership Challenge projects. I spend a lot of time working with groups, supporting them with their project proposals and implementation. We have some great projects this year, such as a community beach clean, a research presentation around A-Level Law, teaching a Year 7 PE lesson and a whole school football tournament. What is the biggest challenge you are currently facing in your role? The biggest challenge I am currently facing is finding local and contextual apprenticeship and work experience opportunities for our Future Leaders. Hastings and Bexhill have a limited offering for these opportunities, so it makes it difficult for our Future Leaders to feel motivated and involved in apprenticeships. What is your favourite part about your job? My favourite part of the job is seeing the direct impact you have on students’ confidence and aspirations. Watching students grow and see them go from uncertain about their future to feeling empowered and motivated and building strong relationships with young people and being their trusted mentor who helps them navigate challenges. Also, knowing that your work is making a real difference in creating social mobility and giving students access to opportunities, like university insight days, they might not have had otherwise. What is a book you will always recommend? This is How You Lose the Time War, by Amal El-Mohtar and Max Gladstone ?" high science fiction meets with poetic love literary! If you could travel to anywhere in the world, where would you go? It has always been my dream to go to Japan! I’m fascinated by the culture and landscape ?" and Japanese food is my favourite!? Or New Zealand to see all the different locations where they filmed the Lord of the Rings trilogy. Who are your two dream dinner party guests? Wow! So many people I would choose... but I would have to go with Chino Moreno from the band Deftones ?" just so I can talk about all the things I love about his music! And Hakuri Murakami to talk all things literature. What would your perfect weekend look like? A perfect weekend would be brunch in my favourite cafe (must have good coffee!), a sunny walk around the South Downs with the dogs, ending up in a pub with good friends, food and a band!
By Bronagh Sumner April 25, 2025
Villiers Park and Roku, a pioneer in TV streaming, are proud to be working together to inspire the next generation of leaders in STEM, technology and entertainment.
September 23, 2024
In July, we were thrilled to hold our 2nd Year 10 residential at the University of Bath. This year 81 Future Leaders from our hubs across the country travelled to Bath, some by coach and some by ...
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