We’re looking for a great teacher of Mathematics at XP Gateshead

5th November 2026Geoff Hewitt

https://youtu.be/s-a5ct_w6G8

What if teaching Maths could be about more than covering the curriculum? What if every young person could leave school believing that they really are a mathematician? At XP Gateshead, that’s the ambition.

Joining XP Trust means becoming part of a community that does things differently. We believe education is about more than passing exams.

If you want to teach in a school where your creativity is valued and your work makes a difference, XP Trust is the place for you.

Find out more about the role here: https://xptrust.org/xp-gateshead-maths-teacher/

 

Remembrance Day Parades

9th November 2026Rebecca Jones

We have had some great pictures sent in from families whose children took part in Remembrance Day parades.

This is a call out for any photos of our students who were involved in any Remembrance day parades or services across the North East. We would really like to celebrate these students during our Remembrance Day community meeting this Friday.

Weekly Update for Famlies – W/C Monday 9th November

By Julie Mosley8th November 2026

Dear Families

Our students have returned well after the half term break and quickly got back into the swing of things, working hard and enjoying the learning opportunities they have had this week. We’ve had some great expert sessions in school which continue to feed into current expedition work supporting our students in their response to their guiding questions.

Working with experts

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G32 – What does it mean to be human?

Students in G32 have this week had a workshop session with experts from The Dialogue Society, connected to our curricular seam of cultivating diversity and belonging, through the unique perspective of the Life of a Chickpea.

They have also had input from our partners at North East Humanist: John Sargent and Les Milne, who each gave their views and humanist teachings about the nature of and importance of life and our shared humanity.

G31 Enterprise

Student Leaders from G31 spent a day at Redhills Mining Institute in Durham working with business leaders and entrepreneurs as part of the launch of a pilot scheme aimed at developing enterprise capability in students.

Our students were filmed and interviewed during the course of the day. There is potentially a slot on BBC Look North this Monday 9th at 6.30pm. The scheme has already been in the local news this week, and we are delighted to be one of the pilot schools.

G33 Fieldwork to Beamish 

Students in G33 had a fantastic day at Beamish this week, working with experts to bring the past to life in an immersive learning experience, which supported students’ studies of the Industrial Revolution and the importance of coal in shaping life in the Northeast. 

Beautiful work

G32 Students’ Creative Writing Broadcast in Honour of WWI Sacrifice

I think that the biggest highlight of the week though must be our G32’s final product from their 7.2 expedition ‘Do your bit‘ radio broadcast. This was played on Memory Lane Radio today as part of a programme of their Remembrance programme. 

This segment features excerpts from students’ creative writing on the theme of unheard voices from World War I. This year, the excerpts are taken from letters written by students either to those on the front line or to loved ones back home accompanied by music produced by the students. Their work explores and responds to the guiding question: ‘Why is it important that we honour all who sacrificed in WWI?’

The opportunity for our students to share their work with the community and a listenership of over 100,000 people is a wonderful one. Now in its fourth consecutive year, the broadcast has become a valued tradition, proudly showcasing our students’ work on this station. A huge thanks must go to our dedicated Digital Leaders for carrying out the recordings and Paul Wappat at Memory Lane Radio for organising this being played and supporting our students to honour all those who sacrificed in WW1.

You can listen here.

Our week ahead 

PE sessions this week

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

  • All G33 students (Year 7) have PE on Wednesday.
  • All G32 students (Year 8) have PE on Thursday.
  • All G31 students (Year 9) have PE on Tuesday.
  • All G30 students (Year 10) have PE on Wednesday.
  • All G29 students (Year 11) have PE on Wednesday.

Extended Study and Clubs

Our clubs will all run this week (see schedule below) along with extended study sessions every day except Friday. 

New Mandarin Club

We are delighted that our partnership with The Confucius Institute is continuing this year. We have a Mandarin Club, ran by a native Mandarin Speaker expert, Shanshan Li, which runs each Tuesday after school. We would love to see lots of students there – the Year 7s that attended last week had a great time learning language through engaging games.

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].

G32 Radio Broadcast Today

8th November 2026Martin Said

A reminder that today as part of a programme of Remembrance, G31’s final product from their 7.2 expedition ‘Do your bit‘ will be broadcast on Memory Lane Radio.

This segment features excerpts from students’ creative writing on the theme of unheard voices from World War I. Their work explores and responds to the guiding question: ‘Why is it important that we honour all who sacrificed in WWI?’

Please click on this link and to listen live following the 2 minute silence.

Sharing our Stories: 06/11/2026

6th November 2026Geoff Hewitt

Beautiful work this week

Here’s a selection of beautiful work from across the XP Trust!

To read about other stories from across the XP Trust, visit xptrust.org.

Top of the Blogs

Year 3 War Hero walk @ Green Top

4N Beautiful Work on VE Day! @ Plover

Stranded! Our survival Experience Day @ Carcroft School

Passage Presentations @ XP

Expert Visitors who care @ Norton Infants

5SO Carpenters @ Norton Juniors

Calling all geographers and climate activists @ XP Gateshead

Share your stories with us!

We now have a new dedicated news email so that you can send your stories, updates or ideas about potential news articles directly to us in Comms.

It might be something you or your students have achieved, a charity you’re supporting or anything at all that deserves a wider audience.

Write to us at [email protected] –  we want to hear about it, write about it and celebrate it!

Passage Presentations at XP

6th November 2026Geoff Hewitt

This video was created to support the Core Practice on Passage Presentations and features actual presentations from students from XP Doncaster and XP Gateshead. A huge appreciation to all those students sharing their stories and allowing us to create this piece of work to help future Year 9s shape their own presentations.

G30 POL Wednesday 9th of December

6th November 2026Hannah Simpson

Dear parents and carers of G30

Our POL for the learning expedition ‘The Ties that Bind’ will be taking place on the 9th of December.

Our POL this has a ‘Night at the Museum’ theme, with students demonstrating their knowledge of the real life viking artefacts they handled during immersion. In service to Scrooge’s transformation in A Christmas Carol, from misanthropic humbug to a joyful and charitable man, they will also be demonstrating their ties to the wider community by hosting an afternoon tea. Refreshments will be available for you at our ‘museum cafe’.

Attendance at this POL is extremely important, as it consolidates key GCSE content for English, Science and History.

As always, please let your young person’s crew leader know if you have any questions, in the first instance.

Many thanks

Team G30

G29 Final POL Thursday 3rd of December

6th November 2026Hannah Simpson

Dear parents and carers of G29

Our postponed G29 final POL will now take place on the 3rd of December, in school, from 4.30pm.

This will be a real highlight as their last POL at XPG, illustrating their learning achievements so far in year 11, and their character growth from year 7 to now.

The students will be showing you performed scenes from Romeo and Juliet, a live Screening of their TV project ‘An Elizabethan House Through Time’ and a carousel of top revision techniques.

As always, but particularly since this is the last POL, attendance is crucially important. This is not only an opportunity for students to take pride in their learning so far, but a tangible and practical way for them to show parents and carers the best way to help them revise for their upcoming GCSEs.

Please let your young person’s crew leader know if you have any questions, in the first instance.

Many thanks

Team G29

Calling all geographers and climate activists!

5th November 2026Rebecca Jones

There are two very interesting events coming up in our local area that you and your family might be interested in attending. The Baltic is hosting a green careers event on Saturday 21st November from 10:00 to 16:30. Timings are on the website, and you can choose which talks and workshops you attend. The day will include speeches, workshops, drop-ins, and talks from people across the North East. The event is free, and most workshops and talks do not require booking. The website provides a full list of the day’s activities and highlights which ones require advance sign-up.

‘If you’re looking for a career path that helps shape a sustainable tomorrow, this event is for you.

Join us for an exciting showcase designed to help young people, or anyone wanting to change their career direction, discover rewarding pathways in the creative and environmental sectors.

Throughout the day, you will be invited to connect directly with inspiring professionals working across nature and the outdoors, arts and culture, community and policy, green technology and engineering. Build your own schedule for the day from a carousel of interactive talks, hands-on creative workshops, and live tech demonstrations.’ 

The second event is being held at the Farrell Centre, which is where G31 will hold their POL on 1st December.

I highly recommend that GCSE geographers attend the talk, as it links directly to their human fieldwork titled ‘Has regeneration had a positive impact on the Ouseburn?’ The talk is titled ‘Who is the Ouseburn for?’ and will encourage students to consider the gentrification of the Ouseburn, which will be particularly interesting to any budding A-Level geographers!

This event is on Thursday 12th November 6pm and is also free, but spaces are limited and sign-up is required.

G33 Fieldwork – Beamish Museum

By Michelle Ross4th November 2026

As part of G33’s current expedition of learning, students will be taking part in important fieldwork at Beamish Museum in County Durham on Thursday 5th November.

This visit will provide an authentic and immersive learning experience, supporting students’ studies of the Industrial Revolution and the importance of coal in shaping life in the Northeast. The workshops will encourage speaking, listening, and historical investigation, helping students make meaningful connections between their Human studies and their work in STEAM where students have been building on their understanding of state changes and learning how learning how George Stephenson applied these principles to experiment with the development of steam engines and machinery that powered the Industrial Revolution. The visit will allow them to see these concepts in action and understand how scientific innovation transformed industry and everyday life.

Students must arrive at school by no later than 8:25am as usual, and we will depart after Crew at 9:15am. We expect to return to school by 4:45pm.

Equipment and clothing:
Students should bring the following items in a backpack:

  • Filled water bottle
  • Pencil case with pens, pencils, ruler, eraser, pencil sharpener, notebook, and reading book
  • Comfortable shoes and a waterproof jacket, as much of the day will be spent outdoors and we will go ahead in inclement weather
  • No iPads are needed for this visit.

A healthy packed lunch will be required. For students entitled to a free school meal, a packed lunch can be provided by school if requested. Please ensure lunches do not include nuts, fizzy drinks, or energy drinks.

This visit offers an exciting opportunity for students to experience first-hand how coal powered homes, industry, and transport, and to deepen their understanding of the region’s industrial heritage.

G32 Students’ Creative Writing Broadcast in Honour of WWI Sacrifice

By Michelle Ross4th November 2026

This Sunday, 8th November, as part of a programme of Remembrance, G32’s final product from their 7.2 expedition ‘Do your bit‘ will be broadcast on Memory Lane Radio.

This segment features excerpts from students’ creative writing on the theme of unheard voices from World War I. This year, the excerpts are taken from letters written by students either to those on the front line or to loved ones back home accompanied by music produced by the students. Their work explores and responds to the guiding question: ‘Why is it important that we honour all who sacrificed in WWI?’

Please click on this link and to listen live on Sunday following the 2 minute silence.

This is a wonderful opportunity for our students to share their work with the community and a listenership of over 100,000 people. Now in its fourth consecutive year, this broadcast has become a valued tradition, proudly showcasing our students’ work on this station. A huge thanks must go to our dedicated Digital Leaders for carrying out the recordings and Paul Wappat at Memory Lane Radio for organising this being played and supporting our students to honour all those who sacrificed in WW1.