Shinsei Academy

Ricky Hatton is an inspiration because he never forgot his working-class roots.

Growing up on a tough estate in Manchester, he earned the nickname "The Hitman" through years of hard work, discipline and determination.

Even after becoming a two-weight world champion and one of Britain's biggest sporting stars, he remained down-to-earth, proud of where he came from and closely connected to his family, friends and local community.

Hatton showed that you do not need wealth or privilege to achieve extraordinary success.

His story is a reminder to our pupils that resilience, humility and a strong work ethic can help people overcome obstacles and achieve their dreams.

Next up on our artwork is the inimitable Ricky Hatton.

Ricky Hatton is an inspiration because he never forgot his working-class roots.

Growing up on a tough estate in Manchester, he earned the nickname "The Hitman" through years of hard work, discipline and determination.

Even after becoming a two-weight world champion and one of Britain's biggest sporting stars, he remained down-to-earth, proud of where he came from and closely connected to his family, friends and local community.

Hatton showed that you do not need wealth or privilege to achieve extraordinary success.

His story is a reminder to our pupils that resilience, humility and a strong work ethic can help people overcome obstacles and achieve their dreams.

We had some messages asking to explain who some of the figures are on the walls of our new site so we thought we'd do a couple of posts about the people that we have chosen to inspire our young people.

Firstly, .

Katie Taylor is an inspirational boxer that has reached the pinnacle of the sport. She shows what can be achieved through hard work, determination and staying true to yourself.

She has never been the loudest person at the press conferences and pre-fight circus, instead letting her actions speak for themselves.

Throughout her career, she has faced challenges, helped break down barriers in women's boxing and inspired a new generation to believe that anything is possible with dedication and resilience.

Even after reaching the very top of the sport by winning Olympic gold and becoming an undisputed world champion, she has remained humble, respectful and committed to improving.

Katie Taylor proves to our young people that true success is about character as much as talent something we teach everyday.

Thanks to .comltd for such an amazing fitting today at our new site.

Our new site is completely filled with inspirational figures from the world of sport, politics, literature, and history.

Malcolm X's message of education is especially poignant - the future really does belong to those who prepare today.

When our new site is completed, we will show the full range.

Shinsei is different from other providers - even in the types of figures we expose our pupils to.

Shinsei Academy features as a case study in the latest report by the Centre For Social Justice.

The report explores the trajectory of boys as they travel into adulthood. We presented our provision to the CSJ a while back so it was a great surprise to see us included in the July report.

We are incredibly humbled to have had our work included and acknowledged in this way.

Shinsei Academy is incredibly honoured to have received a donation from King's College, Cambridge University.

We were nominated by a student (and supporter of Shinsei Academy) and selected from a group of 50 charities and companies (alongside 6 other companies/charities). The student that nominated us knows who they are and we are eternally grateful for their support.

The grant will be used to support a young person attending Shinsei and will fund a place with us at the Academy.

This is a huge honour for Shinsei and is a recognition of the work we do here and the impact we are having.

We are grateful to .college for their support and their generousity.

Shinsei Academy isn't just another AP- we are pushing the limits of what is possible with pupils that are outside of mainstream education. Our young people deserve more and we aim to raise their aspirations and break the cycle of exclusion that plagues our communities.

Next academic year is going to be a huge step up as we open our second site.

Tomorrow evening, Chris Cluitt will be speaking (virtually) at a United Nations Side event in New York.

We will be discussing how Shinsei uses martial arts to engage young people back into education.

Education is a right and many of our most vulnerable young people are missing out due to exclusion.

Very humbled to have been asked to attend the event and be part of the panel.

Director, Chris Cluitt, spent a great weekend representing Shinsei Academy at Cambridge University's department for Social Innovation.

The weekend was inspiring in so many way, not least because of the passion of the lecturers and the variety of entrepreneurs in the room.

Social Ventures like Shinsei aim to tackle some of this country's biggest issue and it was amazing to see the depth of knowledge and Innovation from the attendees.

Shinsei is more than just a place where pupils go when they can't go into school - we aren't a baby sitting service. Shinsei is trying to change the perception of what is possible for young people that are excluded.

Attendance matters because pupils can't benefit from education if they aren't in school.

While national attendance in Alternative Provision is around 57%, our pupils are attending at 94%—a figure comparable with mainstream schools and significantly above the national average for AP. This doesn't happen by chance.

It comes from building trusted relationships, offering a curriculum and provision that young people genuinely want to engage with, and removing barriers through daily pick-up and drop-off from home. When pupils feel safe, valued and understood, attendance follows.

There are no other provisions doing what Shinsei is doing. Share with anyone that is working with or knows a young person that is struggling with exclusion.

Today, pupils sparred incredibly well and respectfully, then learnt about the biological principles of Aerobic and Anaerobic respiration in their biology class and then went to the gym and trained weights to learn about this process practically.

Alternative education isn't just 'looking after kids' or 'doing enrichment', it's about giving pupils the skills and knowledge to feel confident in their mainstream schools and build their self esteem in real meaningful way.

What use is a trip to the shopping centre? It widens the gap between them and their peers that still in school and learning.

Shinsei is pushing the limits of AP and what pupils in AP can achieve.