XP Gateshead

Dear Families

Another week of great work at XP Gateshead from staff and students alike.

Our G28 Pioneers are continuing to lead the way and set the standard for all students with their approach to GCSE exams. They have continued to show real maturity, determination and resilience and we could not be prouder of them. The spirit of crew has been strong across the whole school with the rest of our students showing respect and being mindful when moving around the school when the exams are taking place. 

This week we had a successful JCQ exam inspection. These inspections are unannounced and check a school’s compliance with exam regulations. This was a successful visit and we were praised for the quality of our work. A huge thank you and congratulations go to Mr Mead who is our Exams Officer, Mr MacDonald who provides exam admin support, our three new invigilators and our staff for their craftsmanship and quality. 

On Friday, our Year 11 students received their leavers hoodies and it was great to see them worn with pride during Friday’s History exam. Thank you to Mrs Dobson who coordinated the purchase of hoodies this year and Lily and Hannah for their work in distributing them.

G29 students return to us on Monday after a successful week on work experience and we are really looking forward to hearing all about their time in the workplace.

Students have experienced a range of placement in fields such as the charitable sector, engineering, architecture, retail, finance, education and more.

We have had positive feedback from employers and families. Thanks once again to all of the organisations and families that have supported this process.

As mentioned earlier this week, those students that did not manage to secure placements have been working in school this week on virtual work placements alongside training in  tech and media production. We will continue to work with families and organisations to organise placements for the next half-term, ideally in the week of 29th June.

This week

G28 GCSE exams

Exams continue for our Y11 students with another full week

• Monday 18th May
  • Science – Chemistry Combined Paper 1 (1hr 15, am)
• Tuesday 19th May
  • English Lit – Christmas Carol, An Inspector Calls, Unseen Poetry (2hr 30, am)
• Wednesday 20th May
  • Religious studies – Component 2 Christianity (1 hr, pm)
• Thursday 21st May
  • English Language – 20th Century Fiction Reading, Creative Writing (1hr 45, am)

We have continued to put timetable changes in place to allow focused revision sessions prior to exams and make sure that our Y11 students are fully prepared. 

Good luck again to all of G28 – keep on keeping on, you have definitely got this!

Like we did across the Easter holidays, we will be offering May Half Term Revision sessions for our Y11 students which will take place during morning and afternoon sessions.

Students who would like to attend revision sessions will need to arrive for the start of the advertised times in the morning and/or afternoon as the reception desk will not be staffed throughout the day. Students will also need to bring a packed lunch if necessary, they will be permitted to leave site between sessions if they are working across the day, however this is just a thirty minute break.

I am sure that G28 families will want to join me in thanks once again to the staff who have offered their holiday time to run revision sessions for our students. 

G29 return to school

This week students will return to sessions and start preparation for their upcoming SLCs in Crew. SLCs will take place in the fortnight commencing 1st June, and will include reflections from students on their work placements as well their mock grades.

Mock grades will be shared with students on Wednesday of this week.

Working with Northumbria University

On Monday experts from Northumbria University will be working with G29 students to look at study skills. We will be following up on sessions like these as we move towards GCSEs so our Y10 students are fully prepared for academic success next year.

A group of Year 9 students will also be working with our partners from Northumbria University in a session designed to promote thinking about university-life and study.

Our continued work with Newcastle University, Northumbria University and Durham University is indicative of our ambition for all students. A university pathway is something that all children should both consider and be prepared for.

G30 Ouseburn Fieldwork – Wednesday 20th May

On Wednesday 20th May, G30 students will be taking part in a fieldwork visit to the Ouseburn to explore interdependence within ecosystems.

The current forecast predicts sunny weather, with a chance of showers and temperatures of around 20°C. Please ensure your child comes fully prepared with:

• A full water bottle
• Rain jacket
• Suncream
• A sun hat
• Their full school kit
• Packet lunch

For more details please see Miss Jones’ website post.

G32 and G31 Student Led Conferences (SLCs) 

SLCs continue this week for our Year 7 and Year 8 students.

SLCs, like PoLs, are key moments in the development of our students and it is vital that parents, carers and families fully support SLCs. It has been wonderful to hear of the pride our families, staff and students have felt following SLCs last week and we look forward to hearing more this week.

Mr Said will be in contact with families of Crew Windsor with details for their SLCs which will take place in person in school following the half-term break.

G33 In-Person Information Evening, Wednesday 20th May at 6pm.

As part of our transition work, we have now met almost all our new students and their families online. This is a huge undertaking, as you can imagine but having 30 minute family meetings allows us to start getting to know our students well.

On Wednesday at 6pm, we will hold an Information Evening for all of our new families in Year 6. It is vital that all families attend as we will give important information about the Outward Bound course that takes place for all students at the start of Year 7 as well as our iPad scheme. In addition, we will address some of the misconceptions about our school so that families are completely clear on what we are: ‘A mainstream school with a relentless focus on beautiful work, character growth and academic success’, and also what we are not. There will be an opportunity for you to ask us questions too of course. Please see the website post for more details.

PE sessions this week

Our PE sessions this week are as follows. There are some changes due to exams so check the days carefully. Please ensure that your child has their full PE kit.

• G32 students (Y7) 
  • Class 1 have PE on Thursday this week
  • Class 2 have PE on Wednesday this week
• G31 students (Y8) have PE on Tuesday this week
• G30 students (Y9) have PE on Monday this week
• G29 students (Y10) have PE on Monday this week

Extended Study and Clubs

Extended study and after school clubs will not be running this week due to exams, G32 and G31 Student led Conferences and G33 In-Person Information Evening.

Half term break starts Friday 22nd May 

We come to the end of a six week half term on Friday 22nd May and as always, we will finish at 1:30pm for our usual de-gunge. 

We return to school on Monday 1st June 2026. 

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

Dear Families

Another week of great work at XP Gateshead, even though we only had 4 days in school! 

Last week there was a lot of hard work from staff and students alike at XP Gateshead. Character growth alongside academic progress and beautiful work is at the core of our ‘Three Dimensional’ approach for students, staff and leadership, including governance. 

The Importance of Crew at XP Trust

Our design principles at XP Trust are summarised in one sentence:

We build our community through activism, leadership and equity, sharing our stories as we go.

Crew is integral to our school’s approach and has been designed with the above in mind as is articulated in our core practices document:

“The cultural heart of XP is expressed through the concept of Crew. This concept is pervasive and runs through everything we do from dedicated Crew sessions, through our curriculum, to the way we enable student and staff voice. Crew is our culture and promotes and sustains the building of community. Crew empowers our students and staff to be activists; to develop their leadership skills; and to be champions of equity. The measure of success in our Trust is weighed through service and kindness as well as the academic success of our children. Crew allows everyone associated with our Trust to become part of something bigger than themselves and fosters a sense of community and belonging, reflected in the stories we share with each other every day.”

If we get crew right, we get everything right!

Our Crew Days each half term give us a chance to revisit character development. They allow us to take time to reaffirm the importance of Crew, building positive relationships through shared experiences and challenges. Students at XPG are ‘Crew not passengers’ and it is vital that we continue to build our crews and culture strong as this is the bedrock of our work at XPG.  

On Friday students across Y7, 8, 9 and 10 spent time together revisiting the importance of crew, taking time to tend to, challenge and build crew with a different focus for each year group. Our Y11 students will get a chance for their final crew day before the half term. 

G32 Crew Day – Walk for Water

G32 Crews carried out a day of fundraising on Friday completing the Walk for Water challenge linked to their studies from the last learning expedition “Staying Alive”. Across the day, many students walked the equivalent of approximately 10 miles, carrying 5-litre bottles of water around repeated 170-metre laps of the school yard. Each crew worked together to carry five 5-litre bottles for the entire course, taking turns and supporting one another every step of the way. For more details, see the website post. 

There is still time to donate – please click on this link if you would like to do so. Thank you to everyone who donated, encouraged and cheered our students on today. They should all feel immensely proud of what they have achieved.

G31 Crew Day 

As our Year 8 students develop and mature, we challenge them to get stronger together developing their leadership skills and charity work. Throughout the day they prepared for charity bake sales in school this week, and then in the afternoon worked together as crews to create natural art in Windy Nook Nature Reserve. If you take a walk through there, you will see our students’ work before nature reclaims it over the coming months.

G30 Crew Day 

On Friday our Year 9 students worked in Crews exploring the Windy Nook Green Corridor to answer the question: “What is our relationship with the species on our doorstep in the local green corridor?” The day combined an ecological survey, environmental stewardship, and navigational challenges.

Across this year G30 students have had additional crew sessions learning new skills, volunteering and getting physical. Our curriculum at XPG is set up to develop the skills and attitudes young people need to become more rounded, confident adults. Qualities that colleges, universities and employers are attracted to and will not only strengthen the character of our students, but will strengthen their CVs too. 

G29 Crew Day

Crew Day for our Year 10 was all about getting ready for their work experience placements taking place this week. 

Our students enjoyed a morning session with the great Alfie Joey (writer, comic, artist/cartoonist and BBC Radio Presenter) who talked about the power of public speaking and how best to present yourself in new situations. 

Following their morning keynote,  students spent the day preparing themselves for the world of work. In anticipation of work experience starting next week, students spent time discussing and researching workplace norms and participating in roleplay to familiarise themselves with employment situations. They took responsibility for contacting their new temporary employers to confirm and finalise details of their placements.  

A game of rounders at the end of the day gave students the chance to enjoy time together in their crews. 

We also saw a pancake party for Crew Attenborough to celebrate Sir David’s 100th birthday and a home-made pizza party in Crew Stanton (G28).

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This week

G28 GCSE exams

This week our Y11 students face a full week of GCSE exams:

• Monday 11th May English Literature component 1 (Romeo & Juliet, Poetry)(am)
• Tuesday 12th May Religious Studies Paper 1 (am), Science – Biology (pm)
• Wednesday 13th May Geography Paper 1 (am)
• Thursday 14th May Mathematics Paper 1 (am)
• Friday 15th May History Paper 1 (am)

A huge thank you to staff and students alike for their hard work and the support they have shown each other. I know that our students have really appreciated the staff support and the timetable changes in place to allow focused revision sessions prior to exams. 

Good luck to all of G28 – you have got this!

G29 Work Experience

This week the majority of our Y10 students are on work placements.

This is an important rite of passage for our students and we wish them every success. We would like to thank the families and organisations that are supporting our students this week too.

If there are any queries about your child’s placement please call the school office or email Mr Said [email protected]

Students that have not yet secured placements, or have placements in different weeks must attend school as normal for the week. Tomorrow students will be carrying out media production training with Mr Hewitt which will support their studies in the current Year 10 HUMAN expedition. Following this there are a range of activities across the rest of the week.

G32 and G31 Student Led Conferences (SLCs)

SLCs start for our Year 7 and 8 students and their families this week. Students have worked hard to prepare for their conference, preparing to share their recent work, evidence of work around the pledges they have shared and responses to the questions parents and carers have asked to be addressed in the conference. Please can I remind all families that SLCs, like PoLs, are key moments in the development of our students and it is vital that parents, carers and families fully support SLCs. 

You should already have received an email from your child with an updated snapshot and a link to ask questions of them in advance of the SLC. Here is that link if your child has not yet sent that on to you. You will also receive a link to sign up for a time slot from your child’s Crew Leader. Please contact [email protected] if you do not receive this.

PE sessions this week

Our PE sessions this week are as follows. There are some changes due to exams so check the days carefully. Please ensure that your child has their full PE kit.

• G32 students (Y7) 
  • Class 1 have PE on Thursday this week
  • Class 2 have PE on Wednesday this week
• G31 students (Y8) have PE on Tuesday this week
• G30 students (Y9) have PE on Monday this week
• G28 students (Y11) have PE on Monday this week

Extended Study and Clubs

Extended study and after school clubs will not be running this week due to exams and G32, G31 Student led Conferences.

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