where
learning
gets real
What kind of education prepares young people to dream and build a beautiful world?
Here is
Why should your kids learn these?
To be on top of their game now and in the future, your children need a relevant education. It's no coincidence that REAL School's learning competencies align with the World Economic Forum's top 10 rising skills.
academics
Literacy, maths, science, humanities
REAL School follows the National Curriculum in England. With expert educators, personalised support and meaningful assessment, students are equipped with essential knowledge, skills, and cultural insights to meaningfully understand and engage with the world.
In the lower school
Children build strong foundations in literacy through Read Write Inc. and Oxford Reading Tree, and in numeracy with IXL. Science and humanities are woven into projects, with a balanced focus on topics like geography, history, and science across the year.
Parents receive a clear end-of-term report tracking your child’s progress against the English National Curriculum and REAL School's learning competencies.
For children ages 5-9
In the upper school
Your child will focus on applying knowledge in real-world contexts. Maths is taught through three interconnected areas: core skills, problem solving, and applied maths. Where possible, literacy is woven into D2R projects to give meaning to written expression. When not, it’s taught as a standalone subject. Science is both project-based and standalone, with an emphasis on thinking and feeling like a scientist.
To support different learning needs, we combine live teaching with flipped classroom strategies and AI-powered tools.
For children ages 10-14
Nature
Outdoor skills, stewardship, and love of life
Learning happens everywhere, so why limit our children to four walls? The city is our classroom, the island is our backyard. Our weekly excursions promote a love of the world around us. REAL School is purposefully situated a short walk away from Óbudai island on the Danube river.
On Wednesdays, we deep dive into nature, because we will only protect what we love, and we will only love what we connect with. Our nature-based learning programme helps us learn about and from nature.
Some Wednesdays are in the city, not only because it is filled with learning opportunities, but also because it is a core area for sustainability challenges. These trips
always purposefully connect to our projects.
smart tech
AI, devices, and digital citizenship
We love nature—and we love tech. Our approach to technology is intentional and age-appropriate: no devices in the early years, and purposeful, values-driven use in the Upper School. Your child will learn to engage with technology ethically, creatively, and critically.
How to prepare your child for a tech-driven world?
They will learn:
• AI fluency & creative application: Understanding how AI works and using it to solve real-world challenges.
• Digital discernment: Evaluating information, algorithms, and media for bias, reliability, and impact.
• Digital citizenship: Using tech responsibly, with awareness of privacy, online behaviour, and digital ethics.
• Computational thinking: Solving problems with logical reasoning and tech-enabled tools.
wellbeing
Emotional intelligence and physical health
Our goal is to nurture emotionally intelligent, healthy, resilient individuals who build strong relationships and thriving communities. We teach conflict resolution, listening and sharing skills. Learn more about our school values, PEACE, here. And this is a sneak peek of the Play of Painting room, where there’s only one rule: we don’t talk about the children’s paintings. No critique. No pressure. Just the joy of creating.
PE
Run freely, climb trees,
use all resources
REAL School is lucky to be surrounded by some of the best natural resources in Budapest. The school is next to a large green field, where the children spend most of their break times—playing soccer, having a healthy snack and climbing the trees. The PE programme also empowers older students to swim, skate, sail and participate in a range of other physical activities in various locations around and beyond our campus.
Art
Art is essential for creativity, and emotional and mental wellbeing. It is also key for helping us thrive with our human qualities in the world of artificial intelligence. Children have dedicated Makerspace/Art lessons. These are also woven into projects, whether to help create a student product or enrich their learning experience.
And Makerspace
Entrepreneurship
Collaboration, resilience, innovation
Children are empowered to think innovatively, collaborate effectively, and solve problems practically and ethically. They develop relevant skills and mindsets for life, instead of the next test. Now more than ever, we need young people who are ready, willing, and able to tackle the challenges of their lives and the world they will inherit—and nothing prepares them better than project-based learning. (PBLWorks)
After two terms of dreaming, making, branding, and perfecting their sales pitches, the children brought their handmade products to Római Parti Piac. And the results were incredible! They were not afraid to walk up to strangers and win them over with their passion and confidence. They believe in what they are selling. In the end, no team was in the red, and some products completely sold out! Imagine the lasting impact and the skills the children gained from this project.
An example
Eco-Innovators project
Visit the REAL School campus with a lead educator or our Founder. You will have the chance to see the school in action, understand how its mission comes to life, and learn about its pedagogy and curriculum. Due to small groups, you will also have the opportunity to get all your questions answered, too.
What do all these look like in reality?
Come see for yourself!
HOW we teach
teaches more than
what we teach
We believe
No more
one-size-fits-all
No more forced curricula.
Learning is structured around how your children approach certain materials, and what competencies and skills that material might address. We call these structures Learning Forms. They are flexible, adaptable and embody a diversity of learning styles.
We ask 18-year-olds to make huge decisions about their career and financial future, when a month ago they had to ask to go to the bathroom.
Adam Kotsko
How to give students voice & choice?
By empowering them with agency in how and what they learn. It results in activities that are meaningful and relevant to students. It is driven by their interests, often self-initiated with appropriate guidance from teachers. As our children grow and mature, they need less and less scaffolding. They need to take their lives into their own hands.
illustrative schedule
community
Time dedicated to building relationships, social-emotional and cultural engagement through discussion, songs and rituals.
foundations
A learning form for Literacy, Maths, Science, and anything that needs a structured, practice-based learning experience using the National Curriculum in England.
real zone
Opportunity to continue project work, or join a language class, arts and music courses, game clubs or sports.
excursions
Learning happens everywhere. So each week we spend a day out in nature or in the city, exploring and getting our hands dirty.
DREAM TO REALITY
Real-life project work for entrepreneurial skill and mindset development, incorporating cross-curricular subject knowledge. This learning form follows a robust project-based process with a real impact.
dream to reality
Authentic project-based learning is at the heart of the learning experience at REAL School. We call the process “Dream to Reality” (D2R).
Children grow up experiencing that they indeed can imagine a better world and can develop the skills to build it. They do this every 6-12 weeks, over many years. This is profound impact.
Why project-based learning?
Because 40 years of research show that:
• 82% of students feel more motivated and interested in their subjects*
• 75% of students feel more confident in tackling complex problems*
• Students have 28% higher scores on standardised tests and 8% in Science compared to their non-PBL counterparts*
And it's way more fun!
An example
REAL driving question: How can art influence social justice?
REAL people: The children co-created artworks with visually-impaired artists from Kézzelfogható
Alapítvány and exchanged art pieces with children in two NGOs, Kompánia Tanoda and Igazgyöngy Alapítvány.
REAL places: Students scouted Budapest for social justice-related art dating from the World War II era. Their art exhibition was at Virág Judit Gallery, the city’s top contemporary art gallery.
REAL products: Students produced high-quality artwork on a social or environmental issue they felt passionate about.
Art for social justice project
What do parents say?
Wish there was this school when I was growing up! For anyone who’s looking to make a dent in the world, this is the place to make change happen for a new world for our future leaders.
Can your child join if their English is not strong yet?
REAL School welcomes children from all language backgrounds, and our English as an Additional Language (EAL) programme is here to help. Each student is assessed upon arrival, and support is tailored to their needs—whether they are just beginning or polishing specific skills. Young learners benefit most from early, play-based intervention in small groups, where they gain confidence through real-life role play and games. Our goal is to close language gaps early to prevent future academic challenges.
What kind of English support will your child get?
We use a flexible mix of in-class support and pull-out lessons to match each learner’s stage and classroom needs. Lower school learners may join EAL stations during literacy lessons, while upper school students receive more intensive, focused sessions. Every child’s progress is regularly assessed, and support is adjusted accordingly. Our aim is to integrate—not isolate—language development, ensuring students access the full REAL School experience with confidence and joy.
How do students transition?
REAL School students have successfully moved on to British, American, and Hungarian high schools with strong academic foundations and a powerful set of 21st-century skills. They leave as adaptable, confident learners with a portfolio of real-world projects—ready to thrive in any high school and beyond.
What would they need to get used to?
In our experience, there are only a few areas that students transitioning out of REAL School find challenging. These include standardised tests, not knowing why they need to learn something (“because it’s in the curriculum”), and a teacher-student relationship that might not be built on mutual respect. Young people are inherently adaptive. Our job is to keep and nurture this core mindset.