Bishop Hedley was established in 1967 due to the growing need to cater for the large populace of Catholic youth aged 11–18 in the Merthyr Tydfil and Heads of the Valleys area.

The school was named after John Cuthbert Hedley, Bishop of Newport, who opened the first Roman Catholic Church (St. Illtyd's) in the Merthyr Valley in 1863.

[1][failed verification] In KS3, pupils partake in English, mathematics, science, RE, ICT, Welsh, French, art, history, geography, music, design & technology and drama.

Pupils then have three choices out of ICT, French, art, history, geography, music, design & technology, drama, business studies and PE.

This was another positive report which said "The Catholicity of the school pervades all that goes on and provides a rich environment where pupils excel academically and grow spiritually.

During the mass, pupils sang and the bidding prayers were read in the different languages of the school community – Polish, Portuguese, Filipino, Welsh and English.

[citation needed] A successful modern twist on an old classic saw pupils in Year 8 and 9 praised by the manager of the Shakespeare Festival when they performed Macbeth at the Taliesin Theatre in Swansea.

The cast was praised for their mature performances and the manager of the Shakespeare Festival recommended that some of them try for the National Youth Theatre when they are 16.

[citation needed] Performances such as The Wizard of Oz in 2019, Hairspray in 2020 and Annie in 2022 have been a notable part of the drama department.