Outwood Academy Hemsworth students were given the opportunity to visit West Yorkshire Police’s Carr Gate Complex as part of the Academy’s Community Action Programme.

The Academy’s Community Action Programme is run by its Safer School Partnership Officer, PC Stacey Caddick. The programme is designed to reduce anti-social behaviour, reduce exclusions and break down barriers between, school and community.

The Carr Gate complex, a world class training facility, was opened in March 2014. It houses Firearms, Driver, Public Order, Crime, IT, Foundation and Leadership and Development training for the West Yorkshire Police.

As part of their visit, the students were put through their paces, literally, with some of them undergoing and completing the police fitness test, as well as learning about different aspects of police work.

Toby Rutter, Principal of Outwood Academy Hemsworth, said: “We believe education goes beyond the classroom. It goes into the local community, and wider society.

“This is why we encourage students to take part in activities like our visit to the West Yorkshire Police’s fantastic facilities.”

At the Carr Gate complex the students got to board a police helicopter and meet some police horses, and discuss with the horses’ handlers what it’s like to be on duty with a police horse.

Further to this, a live firearms training session was observed by the students before they attended the MOE department, where they were given a full demonstration on how police enter properties using the MOE kit.

In addition to the visit to the Carr Gate Complex, students from the Academy were also given the opportunity to visit South Kirkby Police Station. The students were able to speak with on duty officers, trial some of the equipment and experience the process of being arrested.

PC Stacey Caddick, who has been working for West Yorkshire Police since 2005, said: “The South Kirkby police station visit was a great example of the extracurricular learning opportunities the Community Action Programme provides the students.

“I believe good relations between the police and the local community are key to policing. That Community Action Programme is so important, it helps build these good relations with the future adult generations of the local community.

“We aim to ensure that all the CAP activities enable students to get out in the wider community, learning more about society and how to be a well-respected member of  society.”

The visit by Outwood Academy Hemsworth students news helped mark a major milestone for the Outwood Grange Academies Trust, as it saw all its schools that have been inspected by Ofsted since becoming part of the Trust, be rated as either ‘Good’ or ‘Outstanding’.