Introduction
The Natspec Games provide an inclusive sporting opportunity for young people with special educational needs and disabilities across Natspec member colleges. The Natspec Games supported by AoC Sport are held each year. The host colleges provide a variety of inclusive sporting opportunities for students to take part in. The aim of the day is to create a fun environment for students and to provide them a chance to demonstrate and celebrate their skills.
This year over 330 students with learning difficulties and disabilities took part in a range of activities and sports over the summer term. The events were supported by regional and national sporting governing bodies, organisations and partners.
Colleges that hosted the Natspec Games in 2025 are:
- Royal College Manchester (Seashell Trust)
- Treloar College
- Hereward College
- Landmarks College (cancelled due to extreme weather)
Royal College Manchester (Seashell Trust)
Royal College Manchester hosted Natspec Games at the Manchester Athletics Stadium on Thursday 19 June 2025. The activities offered were Boccia, Hurdles, High Jump, Long Jump, Discus, Javelin, Sensory Tennis, Drive Deck and a team cone collection activity, followed by afternoon races on the track.
The students that attended the event were all young adults with SEND. There are lots of different needs and everybody is given the opportunity to access the day no matter their needs. Participants attended with multi-sensory impairments, autism and profound and multiple learning and physical disabilities. Including wheelchair users 159 students attended from the following 11 colleges:
- Royal College Manchester (host college)
- Woodbridge
- Pure Innovations
- Flourish
- Expanse Learning
- Ascent
- Beaumont
- David Lewis
- Lifebridge
- Activate
- Trinity
- Expanse Learning
Treloar College
This was the second year Treloar College hosted a Natspec Games. The games took place at Treloar College and the students who attended the event had varying conditions and disabilities including duchenne muscular dystrophy, cerebral palsy, spinal injuries, autism, ADHD and hearing impairments.
The event included the following activities, Boccia, Cricket, outdoor races, Rounders and an area for games and play.
The following colleges attended the event with over 60 students taking part.
- Treloar College
- Orchard Hill College
- St John’s College
- St Elizabeth’s College
- Syon Manor College
Hereward College
The Natspec Games 2025 at Hereward College took place on Thursday 12 June 2025. Hereward College hosted a variety of sporting activities, including:
- Football (Delivered in partnership with Skyblues in the community)
- Power Hockey (with sports-specific powerchairs provided and session hosted by Power Hockey England)
- Golf (supported by EDGA and the Jutn Rose Foundation)
- Boccia (Hereward College Sport Leaders)
- Table Tennis (delivered by Coventry Table Tennis)
- Gym Challenges (delivered by NHS lifestyle coach team)
- Traditional Sports Day Races
These events were designed to be inclusive and engaging, allowing learners to try new sports, build confidence, and develop teamwork and leadership skills. The power hockey sessions were especially notable, supported by the college’s partnership with Greenbank, which provided 10 specialist powerchairs for learners
145 students from the following colleges attended the event:
- Hereward College
- Trinity Specialist College
- Homefield College