XP Gateshead

W/C Monday 5th January 2026 

Dear Families

Happy 2026! We hope you have had a great Christmas and a safe and restful New Year. 

We are really looking forward to welcoming students back tomorrow to the start of our new term at XP Gateshead. 

There is a lot of information in this start of term update. Please read all of the following information carefully as there are important notes for all families and children. 

Important reminders for a good start back to school…

Punctuality

School opens at 8:00am every morning. Students should arrive between 8:00am and 8:25 am and there are spaces available for socialising, reading or completing extended study. Students must be on site for 8.25am for the call to Crew. A calm start to the day is really important for students to settle into learning so we ask that parents support their child with this. 

Dress code

Please refer to our website post for full details on our dress code. Can I remind parents of the following expectations around daily dress within school and ask for your full support around this as we move in to a new term 

For a normal day within school, it is not appropriate that students wear:

• Hats, hoods & coats inside school
• Revealing clothing, i.e. revealing the midriff, chest or upper thigh
• Noticeable make-up, including false eyelashes
• Valuable, sentimental or impractical accessories / jewellery
  • For example heavy chains, thick sovereign rings, or false nails
• Impractical footwear:
  • For example sliders, flip-flops or high heels

Daily kit list

As always, students need to bring a school bag with:

• A filled water bottle
• Pencil case including: pens, pencils, ruler, eraser, pencil sharpener, glue stick and purple biro pen. 
• A fully charged iPad.
• Their AR reading book (please remember that as part of our reading strategy, we expect all students to read between 20-30 mins. each day)
• Headphones 
• A healthy snack for break (no confectionery (sweets), fizzy drinks or energy drinks, nut products)
• A notebook

Last term we continued to have issues with individuals arriving at school without a charged iPad. Please ensure your child has a charger at home so that charging issues can be avoided this term. We do not provide replacement chargers. 

PE sessions this week

Our PE sessions this week are as follows. Please ensure that your child has their  full PE kit.

• For G32 students (Y7)
  • G32 Class 1 students have PE on Monday.
  • G32 Class 2 students have PE on Wednesday.
• G31 students (Y8) have PE on Tuesday.
• G30 students (Y9) have PE on Thursday.
• G29 students (Y10) have PE on Monday.
• G28 students (Y11) have PE on Monday.

Extended Study and Clubs

There will be no extended study or school clubs running this week. After school and lunch sessions will all start again next week.

New Term – New Expeditions

A new term means new and exciting expeditions for our students. Immersion takes place this week and our students will be working hard to find out what their new guiding questions are and the challenges and new learning their expeditions will bring. 

Staffing Changes for the New Year

As detailed last term, there is one staffing change for the Spring term. Miss Blaine will be leaving us on Friday 9th January. We will be contacting families of Crew Windsor later this week with crew plans for this term.

Dates to note this term 

Here’s our 2025/26 Calendar again for you to see our term dates this year. 

Student-Led Conferences G32 and G31

SLCs (Student-Led Conferences) replace the conventional parents’ evenings at XP Gateshead. During an SLC, your son or daughter will share their learning with you and their crew leader. You will have an opportunity to look at work from their portfolio and ask questions about their HoWLs (Habits of Work and Learning) and AP grades (Academic Progress). They will also share their progress around pledges set last term with you during the SLC and you will be able to ask questions around these. 

SLCs for G32 and G31 will take place this term in the two weeks commencing 27th January 2026. In the coming weeks you will receive an SLC invite from your son or daughter’s crew leader. It is an expectation that all families attend SLCs to fully support their child’s progress. 

Passage Presentations G30 

Our Y9 students will give passage presentations in March.  Passage presentations are an opportunity for students to reflect on their learning and their readiness to move on to the next phase of their education. G30 students will provide evidence to an audience of family, their Crew Leader and an XPG invited guest to demonstrate that they are ready to start their GCSE journey. 

In the coming weeks you will hear more about passage presentations from your son or daughter as they start preparing for this key passage at XPG. Passage presentations will take place during the 16th and 17th March and slots will be available throughout the days. There will be a booking system in place and shared with families in coming weeks.

We will be able to share more information about these important rites of passage, as well as our Key Stage 4 offer of GCSEs and other courses as part of an information evening for all Year 9 families which will take place on Thursday 15th January at 5:30pm.

G28 mock exams: Thursday 29th January to Friday 13th February

Our Y11 students will sit their final set of mock exams this half term in the week and we are planning for them to complete full sets of papers across subjects. We will be publishing a provisional mock timetable in the coming weeks. 

Staff Days

A reminder that we have two staff development days each half term; 

Friday 23rd and Monday 26th January. Our whole staff will be travelling to Doncaster on Thursday 22nd January for a twilight CPD session which will launch our XPTrust Teaching and Learning conference on Friday so school will end at the slightly earlier time of 1:30pm on Thursday 22nd January to allow for this.

Our second set of staff days this term are on Friday 13th and Monday 16th March.

As normal, students are not expected to be in school on staff days.

Holiday dates

Please note that our dates do not always fully align to other Gateshead schools.

Spring half term break starts Friday 20th February. We return to school on Monday 2nd March 2026. 

Easter Holidays

We break up for Easter holidays Friday 27th March and return to school on Monday 13th April 2026. Please note that the bank holiday weekend of Good Friday 3rd April and Easter Monday 6th April fall within our two week break this year. See our 2025/26 Calendar.

As usual if you have any questions please contact your child’s crew leader in the first instance. Thank you as always for your ongoing support.

Julie Mosley

Principal

Final Post of 2025

Thanks to our families for your support this term, the last couple of weeks of Presentations of Learning (PoLs) are always a special time, giving students an opportunity to present the best versions of themselves to their families. We have had fantastic feedback from all who attended the PoLs in Years 7, 8, 9, 10 and 11 and look forward to showcasing work on our website where we will curate each expedition and link to our final products.

G32 PoL at St. Mary’s church in Heworth, Tuesday 16th December

What a fabulous first PoL for our Year 7 students. This was a truly impressive and packed culmination of their cross-curricular expedition. It seamlessly interwove centuries of North East history, from the Romans through the Industrial Revolution, with core science concepts, culminating in a published book of creative writing and compelling performances of music and drama. The deep dive into local figures and events like the Felling Pit Disaster demonstrated a profound and personal connection to their community’s story.

What a great way to finish the term, alongside their fantastic advent challenge.

G28’s Final PoL at XPG, Wednesday 17th December

G28’s final PoL was a truly spectacular and powerful abridged performance of Romeo and Juliet, staged across a range of spaces within the school to immerse the audience in the world of the play. The students delivered their lines with passion and provided insightful scene analysis, demonstrating a deep understanding of the text’s themes and characters. It was a production that truly made their final PoLone to remember! As one might say, ‘O, it doth teach the torches to burn bright!’

Staffing Update 

As you may be aware, we have recently advertised a Learning Coach/Crew leader role and a Pastoral Leader (Phase Leader) role at XP Gateshead (see website post).

We are unfortunately losing Saoirse Blaine from our team at the end of our first week back to school in January. Saoirse is resigning from her position as Learning Coach and Y8/9 Phase Leader at XP Gateshead and going to work with the NHS as a Children’s Wellbeing Practitioner. 

Expert in school – Craig Buglass

On Thursday, Craig Buglass Co-Founder of Spark Design Academy and world-renowned designer spent the morning at XPG talking to our students from Y8, 9, 10 and 11 about his work in design and his creative career which has ranged from fashion design to football kits including world cup winning Brazil shirts and the Arsenal invincibles team. Craig also talked about his progression to leading teams of designers and consulting for organisations on their brands.

It was great to hear Craig talk honestly about his journey, stressing the importance of curiosity, resilience, and backing yourself, and how unconventional pathways can still lead to meaningful and fulfilling work. 

Craig has since been in touch with high praise for our students and school culture:

“It was genuinely inspiring to see the school in action. The sense of purpose, strong Crew culture, and the way learning is brought to life through expeditions and real-world relevance really stood out. I was grateful for the opportunity to share my own life journey and introduce the work we’re doing with Spark Design Academy. The learners’ openness and thoughtful questions were brilliant. I left feeling genuinely energised and optimistic about what schools like XP Gateshead are enabling young people to become.”

We want to thank Craig and the team at Spark Design Academy for the time they have given to our students and are excited to be at the start of a partnership with their organisation.

XPG – above all, compassion 

As is always the case at Christmas, our crews come together to support charities and this year it was great to see G32 support Gateshead Foodbank in their Reverse Advent Challenge – see post.. 

Crews from the rest of the school put shoeboxes of kindness together to support the CHUF (Children’s Heart Unit Fund which delivered to the Children’s Heart Unit at the Freeman Hospital – see post.

Finally, we would like to thank you all for your ongoing support this term and the contribution you make to our crew. Can we take this opportunity to wish all of our students and families a very Merry Christmas and restful holiday period. 

We return to school on Monday 5th January 2026 and look forward to another successful New Year at XP Gateshead.

Julie Mosley

Principal, XP Gateshead