XP Gateshead

Dear Families

Welcome to the final week of this half term. It is hard to believe that we have only been together for 7 weeks having achieved so much! 

This is the first year we have been a full secondary school of five year groups, 7-11, and this half term we have successfully transitioned our G32 cohort into school along with 10 new staff who have joined our team. Our students have continued to work hard to develop their beautiful work, character and academic success and they, like staff,  will be ready for a well deserved rest and our two week half term break when we finish this half term on Friday 17th October.

G28 working hard in their final year

G28 students have started their final year with us at XPG and have stepped up to the challenge! Last week we met G28 families for an Information Evening where we went through important dates and information on the year ahead, post 16 pathways and shared our plans for end of year celebrations including a final Passage presentation from students. We also shared the final exam timetable with families. Please see the website post for full details and the slides which were shared on the evening. Thank you to G28 parents and carers for their attendance on Monday 6th October and Mr Said and G28 staff team for their work on this event.

G29 and their start to GCSE and Key Stage 4 courses

G29 students have made a good start to their GCSE courses and staff working with this cohort have commented on their mature approach to learning, their resilience and willingness to take risks with their learning and appetite for challenge.

In particular it has been really impressive to see G29 and G28 students working alongside each other to support each others’ success in their LOOL (Leading our own learning) sessions after school on Wednesdays:

• Geography
• Religious Studies
• Health & Social Care
• Sport

Growing maturity of our G30 students 

This half term G30 have made a great start to their first expedition with GQ “How are structures important in helping us to explain our world?”. Students will present their learning on structures that impact our world such as the atom, governmental structures and structures of habitation at their PoL at the Farrell Centre in December.

All of our Y9 students complete the DofE bronze award as part of our curriculum. G28 have started working on the physical section through sessions including badminton, basketball, yoga and urban-walking. This term we will focus on the physical section of the award and then in the coming months we will work on the skills and volunteering section before their assessed outdoor expedition in the final term of the academic year.

G31 responding to their guiding question

G31’s expedition is a long-standing favourite of ours with the guiding question “What does it mean to be human?”. In support of the artwork that they will produce, this week students will hot some experts from the NHS to discuss the importance of raising awareness around the need for organ donors. G31 have been praised in particular for their writing so far this term, and also their musical responses to stimulus material associated with The Blues.

G32 learning what it means to be Crew whilst studying in learning expeditions 

G32 have had an incredibly successful start to life at XPG and studying through learning expeditions. We are so proud of the culture in lessons, and students are producing very high quality work. This term their final product will be a book on the local history of Gateshead and its place in the wider history of the UK. We will be able to share the students’ writing and artwork at the presentation of learning in December and their book will be published in time to launch at the end of the academic year. It is our intention to launch this at Seven Stories, the national centre for children’s literature. All of our children in Year 7 will be able to say by this time next year that they are published authors and artists. They fully deserve this accolade!

Our ongoing professional development for staff

As you know, we are a school invested in learning for staff and students alike. Like our students, our staff complete induction, present Educator-Led Conferences (ELC’s), and plan collaboratively to produce a high-quality curriculum.

Each week and across the whole year we offer professional development (CPD) opportunities for staff, which this term has included:

• A focus on the holistic nature of our teaching and learning model
• How to plan and deliver effective explanations
• Instructional rounds – an affirmative process where we learn from observing each others’ practice with an expert facilitator to help participants unpack their learning
• A training programme for Early Career Teachers in partnership with Three Rivers Teaching School Hub
• Leadership of learning expeditions
• Development opportunities for staff for e.g.
  • Participation in Networks within our wider school trust.
  • Working with industry partners such as Into University, Beamish Museum, Tyne & Wear Museums The NHS, North East Diversity Education and Solidarity, and The Farrell Centre to raise aspirations and develop authentic products for expeditions.
  • Participation in national programmes such as Maths Mastery, STEM centre training.

As you know, we are a very small team, which is part of a relatively small school trust. I just wanted to take this opportunity to commend our staff for their commitment to our students and our school, this is evident in the way that we support each others’ development, providing capacity for each other to attend trining or opportunities, which in turn provide great opportunities for students through carefully crafted learning expeditions and not least the wide offer of clubs and opportunities. Our staff really are exceptional in their commitment to your children and are relentless in their hard work, the care and compassion they show.

The 2025 Thomas Hepburn Memorial Service

This weekend I attended the annual Thomas Hepburn memorial service at St Mary’s church in Heworth with Mr Said and two of our choir, Lyra and Molly . Each year the NUM and Reverend Lucy coordinate a service which pays tribute to Hepburn’s commitment to working people and the trade union movement. Aside from the connections to our character values, local history and students’ first learning expedition in year 7, we continue to keep the connection to our community. 

This year Lyra and Molly with accompaniment from Mr Said were included in the service, performing one of G31’s songs “Start a Union Boys” which was written about the life of Thomas “Tommy” Hepburn and invoked a wonderful reception from the attendees. 

Our students laid a wreath to honour Hepburn alongside wreaths from many other dignitaries. Local MPs and former MPs were in attendance alongside local councillors and members of the education community. All were full of praise for Lyra and Molly’s performance and the quality of the music that G31 had written last year. It’s important to note the courage these students demonstrated especially when their numbers were down.

All in all a wonderful way to spend a Saturday morning and I’d encourage everyone to look out for next year’s Thomas Hepburn memorial service which takes place in October.

In addition, G31’s songs from their first expedition are now on the final stage of editing before they will be released globally via streaming sites such as Spotify and Amazon Music. Very soon our G31 students will be published songwriters!

Our week ahead 

Tyne and Wear Fire and Rescue Service 

On Monday we have experts from the Fire Service joining students in G32, G31 and G30 to give important fire safety briefings as part of our safeguarding work at XPG.

Expert with G31

On Thursday, we welcome Specialist Organ Donation Nurse Dominic Manning into school. Dominic will field questions from the students about the importance of organ donation. Dominic works for NHS Blood and Transplant but is based at Newcastle’s hospitals and helps people throughout the North East through the decision to donate organs.

G28 mock exams in Spanish and Art

This week our Y11 students start their mock exams with a focus on Spanish speaking and Art. Students will build their ‘exam muscle’ by once again experiencing the conditions in which they will work when it comes to their final practical examinations in the Spring term. Spanish speaking trial exams take place over Monday and Tuesday and then on Wednesday and Friday all students in Art & Design, both fine art and photography pathways, will work on their portfolio of work in exam conditions.

Extended Study and Clubs

Over the last two weeks we have offered Club tasters to our students over lunchtime and after school. It has been great to see the appetite for enrichment opportunities and special thanks goes out to staff and our student leaders who have offered clubs to our students. All clubs will run this week (see schedule below) along with extended study sessions every day except Friday.

Our before-school G28 fitness and revision clubs on Tuesday and Thursday, with fitness from 7:15am and then revision sessions starting at 7:45am. Also please remember that a free breakfast is on offer to all students from 7:45am onwards every morning.

PE sessions this week

• G32 students (Year 7) 
  • Class 1 have PE on Monday
  • Class 2 have PE on Wednesday
• G31 students (Year 8) have PE on Tuesday
• G30 students (Year 9) have PE on Thursday
• G29 students (Year 10) have PE on Monday
• G28 students (Year 11)  have PE on Monday

Early closure this Friday 17th October

Don’t forget that school finishes at the earlier time of 1.30pm this Friday. This is to allow us time to “degunge” and set up for the next half term. Please make arrangements to pick up your children at the school gate for 1.30pm this Friday. As always, please be conscientious of our neighbours if parking as it is always very busy when students all leave school at the same time.

We return to school on Monday 3rd November 2025. 

Thank you for your continued support through this half term. We hope everyone has a safe and restful holiday. We are looking forward to next half term where we will be continuing to focus on our culture of beautiful work, character and academic success. Students will be adding work to our “beautiful” work portfolios and getting ready for student-led conferences and presentations of learning which will be an opportunity for you to see some of the work your children have been doing – more on this later.

As usual if you have any questions about your son or daughter please get in touch with your child’s Crew Leader in the first instance or email general enquiries to [email protected].

Thank you as always for your ongoing support.  Together we are stronger #WeAreCrew.

Julie Mosley