Bringing our campuses together through football
What a fantastic day we had recently, combining the love of the football with a chance to explore exciting educational opportunities!
We hosted an energetic and collaborative football event involving staff and learners from across the RNN Group. Learners from Dearne Valley College (Sport and Protective Services team), North Notts College (Sport), and the FLEX/Apprenticeship/Esports teams all came together for a day of positive competition and team building.
The event focused on strengthening links between different provisions and local schools, highlighting how health, sport and personal development play a key role in our wider offer. It also served as a platform to engage students with our curriculum and showcase the life skills learners can develop through enrichment.
It also raised awareness of our HNC and Adult Learning opportunities within Sport. Before kick-off, students had the chance to embark on a comprehensive campus tour, getting a real feel for our vibrant learning environment.
But it wasn’t all about the academics. Just as importantly, the tournament aimed to strengthen our campus community and engagement. There’s nothing quite like a friendly competition to bring people together, and watching staff and students’ team up (or go head-to-head!) on the pitch was brilliant. The teamwork, the cheers, and even the good-natured banter created a fantastic atmosphere. It was a wonderful opportunity for everyone to connect outside of the usual classroom or office setting.
At 12 noon, we did a mixed activity session where everyone, including staff, participated side by side. There was a strong sense of unity as learners from different campuses worked together, supported by staff who encouraged inclusive participation. The staff team were victorious over the students during the group stages and tournament.
However, to end the day, we held a friendly match between Dearne Valley College learners, North Notts College learners and staff. It was a tight game, with the learners just edging out a 1–0 win over the staff team!
This event was a great example of collaboration and cross-campus activity in action. As our lecturer Enzo Guarini commented,
“It was a fantastic day for learners to experience our facilities, understand our commitment to wellbeing and achievement, and build one-to-one connections. We want to see this grow into something even bigger moving forward, involving even more learners and teams.”
The success of the day reflects our drive to build community, raise aspirations and bring our learners and staff together in purposeful, engaging ways.