Learners at R.E.A.L. Nanpantan had an interesting visit to a local monastery this month and got the chance to speak to some monks.
Mount Saint Bernard Abbey was founded by monks in 1835 and was the first Catholic abbey to be found in England after the Reformation.
Laurie Akroyd, Senior Deputy Head of Schools said: “The learners listened really well to a talk by the monks and asked lots of questions. We then had a look around the church, which is huge, and then the gift shop.”
In 2018 the monks began brewing their own beer which is for sale in the gift shop. Laurie added: “Some of the learners loved the fact that the monks brew their own beer!”
R.E.A.L. Education is committed to providing authentic experiences for your people, to help them understand and appreciate the diversity of faiths and beliefs in the UK.
Each year R.E.A.L. hosts a charity golf day to raise money for the R.E.A.L. Foundation Trust, and entries are now open for companies to join.
This year’s event will tee off on Friday 19 July at Rufford Park Golf and Country Club in Newark and all money raised from the tournament will go to the R.E.A.L. Foundation Trust. The charity enables young people to build up their self esteem and helps them participate as independent, mature and responsible individuals within their communities and wider society.
If your workplace would like to take part, then please email events@realft.org or call 0741 122 3221. There are several ways for workplaces to get involved, so even if you don’t play golf we have sponsorship opportunities available too, including as a headline sponsor to sponsoring each hole.
Are you up for a w-hole-some challenge?
We’re proud to announce R.E.A.L. Independent Schools Mansfield has received a ‘GOOD’ Ofsted rating after a recent inspection in March.
The report described RIS Mansfield as “providing pupils with a fresh start to their education” and that “the school wants the best for pupils.” One learner they spoke to said: “Everyone understands me. I am accepted here.”
Inspectors held meetings with the Headteacher, Director of Education and other senior leaders, as well as carrying out in-depth reviews into reading, maths and PSHE. For each in-depth review, inspectors held discussions about the curriculum, looked at curriculum plans,
visited lessons, spoke to both teachers and learners and looked at samples of their work.
The report found that “the curriculum is designed specifically to meet the diverse needs of pupils, is ambitious and subject planning is skillfully crafted.”
They recognised staff spend time getting to know each learner as an individual, taking into account their strengths and interests, while supporting learners to “improve their self-esteem and change their attitudes to a ‘can do’ narrative.”
The report also acknowledges that parents and carers are full of praise for the school. One parent said: “The school has made a huge difference to our lives.”
The report makes the fourth ‘GOOD’ inspection for RIS Mansfield and highlights how our vision of “we believe every child has a future” is evident throughout the school.
Learners regularly have visits from a local Police Community Support Officer to talk about different crime topics, from knife crime, to most recently county lines.
PCSO, Delia Farren, who delivered the most recent session, had this message to share with our learners.
“As a Youth Engagement PCSO for Leicestershire Police my role involves presenting educational workshops to young people in the area. I have regularly visited RIS Hinckley to deliver our educational offer over the last year.
“On Wednesday 28 February I was invited in to give a county lines awareness workshop to learners. The workshop’s aim is for them to understand what county lines are, how they operate and why criminal gangs recruit young people and the roles they are expected to play.
“We also explored incentives the criminal gangs will offer to entice young people into this criminal activity, how to recognise key warning signs young people may display if involved, and to understand the factors that can make some more vulnerable and susceptible to county lines.
“This was an ideal opportunity to work within a small group and a great way of engaging by creating an open dialogue for any queries to be answered and explored.
“I am fully aware of the challenges some of the learners are facing and I hope by being a regular visitor I can break down some of the barriers. I am always warmly welcomed by all staff and look forward to returning and having the opportunity to engage again with the young people at R.E.A.L.”
Kerry Newton, Hinckley Site Lead Teacher said: “These visits are important to raise the awareness of our students as to what is happening in reality out there. Also to educate them in the signs, the dangers of getting involved and how to seek help.
“If they are fully educated in these matters then they are forewarned and forearmed so they can make sensible and healthy life choices.”
A learner at R.E.A.L. has taken part in two categories at this year’s Crufts and has proudly taken home a 1st place rosette.
Holly Willoughby and border collie Hero, entered the Young Kennel Club’s ‘Graduate Agility Large’ category on the first day of Crufts. The course was a timed, action packed obstacle course, for Holly to skillfully navigate Hero through by running, jumping and weaving in between.
Holly also competed in the Young Kennel Club’s ‘Pairs Agility Large’ and narrowly missed out on a second rosette by coming fourth, however it is still a fantastic achievement.
Dawn Hembrow, R.E.A.L. Learning Manager said: “Everyone is so proud of Holly winning her class at Crufts! This proves that with consistency and dedication you can achieve your dreams.”
Well done Holly!
A Key Stage 3 learner at R.E.A.L. has the amazing opportunity to potentially be selected to represent England in the Under 15’s Fishing World Championship.
Arley, who has been fishing for the last five years, says he felt good when he found out the news. Arley said: “When I found out I had a chance to represent the country I felt good, but I’m aware that I still have some work to do to be selected.”
Arley’s fishing tutor, Ian said: “Arley is a competent young angler who is refining and developing his angling skills and knowledge with ‘Young Anglers’. He’s also willing to help other anglers and demonstrates the skills to progress to become an Angling Support Coach once he reaches the age of 16.”
As a KS3 learner, Arley has been working to achieve the Angling Trust ‘CAST’ Awards, which are a set of awards that celebrate his practical angling achievements. He has already achieved Level 1, 2, 3 and 4 awards and is now working towards Level 5. Ian said: “His achievements are also recorded in our ‘Young Anglers Angling Passport’ enabling Arley to identify which areas to focus on to reach the practical criteria for the award.”
Arley also competes in Junior Open League matches which take place on a Saturday between April and October, junior matches during the school holidays and several regional events. Arley said: “I just enjoy being able to be outdoors, on my own, doing my own thing where it’s nice and quiet.
“My biggest ever catch was an 18.5lb Carp, however, I enjoy mixing it up and fishing for all different species of fish.”
The events include the Derbyshire & Nottinghamshire Schools Angling Championship, Canal & River Trust Regional & National Celebration of Young People & Fishing, Angling Trust Cadet, Junior & Cadet National Championships.
Ian said: “Arley has recently been selected to attend the prestigious Guru Talent Pathway events. The Talent Pathway sees our young talented anglers from across the country being coached by some of England’s top senior anglers. The pathway is part of the selection process for this year’s England U15 team who will compete in the World Championships taking place in Serbia later this year.”
We’d like to wish Arley the best of luck with his Talent Pathway sessions and we’re sure whether he’s selected for England now or not, he will continue to develop his obvious talent and ‘reel’ in success.
Learners at Nanpantan have been creating brilliant, dinosaur dioramas as part of their STEM lessons.
A diorama is usually a 3D replica of a scene, or moment in time and presented in a box. Inspiration for the dinosaur setting came from this term’s theme being ‘Origin of the Species’.
The masterpieces took around three hours to make in total, although the learners had started making plans the week before.
Laurie Akroyd, Senior Deputy Head of Schools said: “Learners worked together in pairs, and they all really enjoyed the challenge. They loved their efforts enough to take their dioramas home!”
There’s always something quite magical about going to a theatre, from the show itself, to the props, lighting, dancing and singing. Often leaving you thinking, how did they do that?
Learners across various R.E.A.L. sites were recently given a full backstage tour at Nottingham’s Theatre Royal as part of their ‘building blocks of theatre’ module.
In this scheme of work, learners have studied lighting, sound, costume design, make-up, stage sets, special effects, scripts and stage directions.
Debra Lloyd, Teacher said: “Visiting the theatre made all of this studying come to life. It helped the learners to make sense of all the many parts that need to come together to make a theatrical performance happen and experience first hand what happens backstage.
“They were able to visit dressing rooms, see where the props and costumes are kept, explore the auditorium, see the huge spotlights and experience what it feels like to stand on the stage.”
At R.E.A.L. we offer a holistic approach to teaching making experiences meaningful for young people. If you’d like to find out more, email enquiries@real-education.org.
“Ladies and gentlemen, let’s get ready to rumble…” so learners might not have been thrown straight in the ring for a fight but they’ve had the fantastic experience of being taught boxing tips and techniques.
Learners on R.E.A.L’s BTEC Sports course visited Nuneaton Combat and Exercise centre for a session led by professional boxing and MMA trainers.
Kerry Newton, Hinckley Site Lead Teacher said: “The learners loved the excellent training and discipline involved. The facilities were top notch and learners soon developed a great rapport with the trainers.”
The session involved them doing warm-ups, skipping, training on the bags and pads, footwork training and individual time in the ring with the trainers.
Kerry said: “It was such a positive and encouraging delivery and the trainers were thrilled to discover real natural talent they could work with. We’ll be coming back again and possibly starting some kickboxing sessions in the near future too.”
Deciding what to do after school can be a difficult decision, which is why we think it’s important at R.E.A.L. for our learners to experience different post education options.
Learners recently visited Nottingham Trent University’s Science and Engineering department and got the chance to use some of the most up-to-date technology and equipment. This included creating 3D models, glass blowing and working with robotics.
Maria Poyser, Site Lead Teacher said: “These out-of-classroom experiences are vitally important for our learners, particularly the University visits, as it raises their aspirations and helps them to see that education is and can be exciting.
“It’s not just about sitting behind a desk, it’s about creativity, innovation, research, daring to try new things; and most importantly it doesn’t have to be beyond their reach.”
