This last school year has been jam-packed with successful stories from both learners and staff and will go down as a year that all at R.E.A.L. should be incredibly proud of.
Brilliant Ofsted reports were released for R.E.A.L. Education and Independent School Hinckley throughout the Autumn and Winter term, with both receiving an overall rating as ‘Good’. The reports were full of inspiring feedback such as describing R.E.A.L. as a school where “leaders and other staff place pupils’ personal development at the heart of the school’s work.”
This comment is proven by even just a few of the great learner stories over this last year. From a learner being scouted for a role with Vogue Autogroup after being spotted on Instagram in October, to two learners having their own poems chosen to be published in an anthology in February.
In April, learners appeared on TV, as their amazing efforts at a local church in Mansfield were filmed by East Midlands Today. They were helping load up a van with donations to support those in Ukraine, and for R.E.A.L. this was just one of many ways all sites teamed together to help fundraise.
Fundraising has been an important part of the last year and Head of Schools at R.E.A.L. Education, Nikki Purcell, raised an amazing £700 for Rainbows Hospice for Children and Young People, by walking 5km a day, every day for 50 weeks during 2021! Martin Thorne, Maria Wills and Steve Quinn raised £1000 for the R.E.A.L. Foundation Trust by cycling over 150 miles over three days.
Learners have taken part in Masterchef-style cooking competitions, bumped into Paralympic swimmers, had residential trips to Lea Green, saw the Nottingham Tennis Open, had guest visits from local Police, performed to live audiences, celebrated different cultures and even fed meerkats in what can only be described as a very eventful year.
We can’t wait to see what the next year brings for everyone at R.E.A.L.