We’re always proud of our learner and staff achievements at R.E.A.L. and as we take a look back over the last 12 months, it’s easy to see just why we’re so proud.
RIS Ilkeston started the school year knowing they’d just received their first ever Ofsted report, which came back as ‘Good’. A fantastic achievement for the team that was shortly followed by an Ofsted inspection at RIS Blidworth who kept their ‘Good’ rating too.
To then put the real cherry on top, R.E.A.L. won Education Today’s Independent School of the Year award, an amazing win that echoes the positive Ofsted reports.
Throughout the year, learners have excelled both in and out of the classroom. From LEGO creations being displayed at Mansfield Museum, to R.E.A.L. learner Archie, who was proudly honoured at the Mansfield Rotary Courage Awards in March, for his sheer resilience and determination over the last few years.
Along the way we’ve also had theatre trips, special guests, live performances and many, many afternoon teas. It’s not every year we get a new monarch, is it?
This is just a handful of the great news stories from our last school year, if you’d like to read more, head to our news stories page on the R.E.A.L. website.
R.E.A.L. learners have been exploring different cultures, as part of their ‘Learning for Life’ days.
The immersive experience brought Arabic culture and Islamic practices to life in the classroom. Learners enjoyed writing their names in Arabic, tasting Arabic food and learning about the importance of the Quran. This multisensory experience made for superb learning opportunities for our learners.
Clare Walker, Head of Personal Development shared her reflections with us: “It has been a wonderful and insightful experience for our learners and I’m incredibly proud of how they all engaged and asked fantastic questions!”
A follow up session will be arranged to visit a Mosque and observe prayer times. At R.E.AL. we believe that giving students opportunities to extend and enrich their understanding of different communities, practices and cultures is crucial.
We’re so pleased to announce our team of amazing R.E.A.L. walkers has conquered the Yorkshire Three Peaks challenge.
Rich Smith, Kelsey Hill, Adrian O’Malley, Victoria Stubbings, Paul Allen, Maria and Simon Wills, and Darren Hill (the energy supplier/cook) were the brave squad who took on the 24 mile challenge to raise money for the R.E.A.L. Foundation Trust.
The walkers completed the many hills in an incredible 11 hours and 35 minutes.
Kelsey Hill, Director of People & Business Operations at R.E.A.L. said: “We did it! There are absolutely no words to describe our incredible journey, so we’ll let the video do the talking.”
The walkers would like to share a video montage of the journey, including a much needed celebration at the end.
Kelsey said: “We would like to thank everyone who sponsored us. We’re proud to say we raised an amazing £2305.”
To make a donation to help a great charity that supports the families of R.E.A.L. learners who are facing financial hardship, click here.
As we’re approaching the end of the school year, why not take five to look back over the last five years in the month of June.
While many of us were taking part in street parties, eating scones and drinking tea across the Platinum Jubilee Bank Holiday last year, some members of R.E.A.L. staff were pushed to their absolute limits cycling from Cumbria to Tynemouth.
The epic journey saw Martin Thorne, Maria Wills, Steve Quinn and others cycle 150 miles over three demanding days, all in aid of raising money for the R.E.A.L. Foundation Trust.
In 2021 we were getting ready to announce our new Creative Digital Arts course in the new R.E.A.L. Digital Suite at Hinkley. The Digital Suite had the latest state of the art equipment with Apple iMacs, wireless mice and keyboards and a large interactive digital screen.
2020 was a challenging year for many with Covid, and in different and difficult times, there’s nothing like a bit of silly dancing to keep spirits high. The R.E.A.L. Mechanics team at Kingsmill Way collaborated with Creative Digital to spread some quarantine joy to their learners, with staff donning exercise gear for a very special quarantine workout video!
The hilarious video highlighted social distancing and handwashing, whilst the team danced to a dedicated quarantine workout track. It was uploaded to Mechanics learners’ online workbooks to give them all a smile.
In 2019 learners volunteered at different community projects to support a variety of activities. Learners were busy gardening, collecting litter, painting and decorating, helping to create a wall mural and preparing and cooking food for the community kitchen project.
Last but not least, back in 2018 we opened a new Wellbeing Room at Kingsmill House.
The room contained a large blackboard wall for ideas and suggested activities, a bookcase full of relevant books, comfy seating to enhance relaxation and engagement, sensory lighting, smartwatches (to be used as heart rate monitors) and a TV screen which can be used to support innovative Mindwave technology.
We love sharing with you all the good news and latest goings on at R.E.A.L. so it’s nice to look back at all the great work our learners and staff continually do.
A talented R.E.A.L. learner has created a bespoke Plinko game out of wood.
Many of you will have played a Plinko board game at some point in your life, and some may remember a much larger version on the TV show ‘The Price is Right’. Now, Concorde learner Sam can proudly play his very own handmade game.
Stephanie Broughton, Learning Manager said: “We worked on this together for around six weeks. I was really impressed with the learner’s commitment to complete the game to such a high standard.”
Sam’s inspiration to make the game came from fairs he’s visited with his parents and his interest in traditional Japanese games.
Stephanie said: “We have enjoyed playing the game as much as we enjoyed making it.”
Spending time outside has been proven to improve mental health. So with the warmer days and the fact we’re in the UK and have to make the most of them, learners have been taking some classes outside, in the great outdoors.
Square One learners got cosy on blankets, to sit and write their work outside while a Concorde learner saw some stunning views on a visit to Matlock to learn about its history.
Learners at Hinckley built and painted wooden structures so that they can hang positive messages on them. While others at Hinckley used their bushcraft skills and built dens out of branches, leaves and pallets.
Kerry Newton, Teacher said: “The learners loved working outside in the sunshine and when it was finished, complete with carpet and windows I should add, it then provided a welcome shady place to sit at breaktime.”
Kerry has also been doing lots of Science investigations with the learners at Hinckley and Nanpantan hubs.
Kerry said: “As well as being outside, we’ve been having fun indoors in Science too. We’ve looked at dissection and anatomy, we’ve made square bubbles, helicopters, electrical circuits, copper sulphate crystals, reflection and refraction, rainbows, chemical reactions, the list goes on! It’s been great fun for our learners.”
We’re excited to announce we’ll be hosting a series of Creative Arts workshops in July at the Old Library, Mansfield.
The workshops take place during school time between 12 and 20 July and are open to any R.E.A.L. learners, no matter what they study.
James Mills, Creative Arts Provision Manager at R.E.A.L. said: “The aim of the week is to raise the profile of the Arts to learners, and expose them to new skills and experiences that will hopefully create new passions and ambitions within them.”
There are four workshops for learners to join in on the following dates and times.
Drumming workshop: 12 July, 10am – 12pm
Live music performance and Q&A: 12 July, 1pm – 2:30pm
Dance workshop: 19 July, 10am – 12pm
Graffiti workshop: 20 July, 10am – 12pm & 1pm – 3pm
Artists ALT BLK ERA and Jess Fisher will perform live and share their experiences in the music industry. Nottingham sister duo, ALT BLK ERA have played at Glastonbury and Jess Fisher is a pioneering and self professed disabled musician who is part of the Able Orchestra who have played at the Royal Albert Hall in London.
James said: “We have selected industry professionals who are based in and around our locality who will deliver bespoke experiences outside what we normally offer here at R.E.A.L. Creative Arts.”
All learners are welcome to come along to any of the sessions, please chat to your Learning Manager to book on to a workshop.
Colleagues from R.E.A.L. Education are putting on their walking boots and taking on the Yorkshire Three Peaks challenge to raise money for charity.
On 1 July, staff will begin their 24 mile trek at sunrise and aim to have climbed the three peaks before sunset. With just days to go until the big day, our team of R.E.A.L. walkers completed their final training walk last weekend, where they covered an amazing 19 miles in the beautiful Derbyshire district of Derwent Valley.
Kelsey Hill, Director of People & Business Operations at R.E.A.L. said: “This last walk was a great opportunity to combine our training of pace, endurance and cardio into one final combination practice. Colleagues have designed and executed a really robust programme for us, let’s just hope we’ve done enough!”
All money raised will go to the R.E.A.L. Foundation Trust, which provides accessible community based projects and programmes to support young people. The Trust also supports the families of R.E.A.L. learners who are facing financial hardship, by providing them with bursaries.
Victoria Stubbings, HR Manager at R.E.A.L. said: “The hills were steep, the paths were rocky, but our spirits were higher than the climbs we faced on our final training walk. Many of our learners face their own challenges and often feel like they need to climb mountains on a daily basis. Our Yorkshire Three Peaks Challenge is set to raise money to support the families of children and young people who face financial hardship.
“By donating to our fundraiser, you’ll be helping us to alleviate some of that financial burden often felt by many families in our local communities in the East Midlands.”
We’ve so pleased to announce we’ve just passed our goal of raising £2,000 but our colleagues would appreciate any further support, no matter how small. Not only will the money go towards alleviating pressure on local families, but the thought of donations will boost the team up the hills, as they embark on their mammoth 12 hour journey. If you’re able to help, please do so by donating here.
Learners and staff are amazing at getting stuck into fundraising challenges at R.E.A.L., and this years’ Red Nose Day was another perfect opportunity to show what R.E.A.L. can do.
Staff set themselves a goal to take it in turns cycling 150 miles in eight hours, which equals the distance of riding from our site in Worksop to Leicester, and back again.
The day went brilliantly and the cyclists, including a learner, ended up clocking over 200 miles and raising over £250 for Comic Relief.
We’re sure the reward of sweet treats may have served as some encouragement on their miles as Concorde hosted a bake sale too. Full of homemade cakes and biscuits, the sale raised just under £100 for the Comic Relief pot.
R.E.A.L. Independent School Blidworth, were locking up for the day when they were asked by police if they could provide a safe place for local care home residents to take shelter.
Unfortunately a fire had broken out at neighbouring Hatzfeld House care home and the residents had to evacuate. Luckily, nobody was injured and after two hours, six fire engines and lots of tea and biscuits, the residents were able to return home.
The manager of Hatzfeld House kindly dropped off a lovely hamper to say thank you to R.E.A.L. for their help.
Ali Wellings, Head of Behaviour and Attitudes said: “I’m super proud as always of the amazing team we have here. The Blidworth community has made us feel very welcome and it was lovely to be able to support them with this incident. We’re now talking about ways we can work together in the future as part of the community.”
