Following incidents of anti-social behaviour in our local area, Northumbria Police have asked us to share the letter below:
Double, Double, No Toil or Trouble: G31 Nailed It!
We would like to congratulate G31 for their stunning production of Macbeth. As the culmination of our recent expedition, “What is Power?”, our students didn’t just perform Shakespeare; they explored historical forms of protest, the power of the earth to create great destruction, the power of art to send political messages and the power of music to unite us all.
At XP, we believe that Presentations of Learning are more than just the end of an expedition; they hold immense power for our students. They are a transformative rite of passage that reminds us of the words of Kurt Hahn: “There is more in us than we know.” When we push our students into the “stretch zone” of public performance, they discover reservoirs of confidence, resilience, and talent they never knew they possessed. This production was a vivid testament to that growth.
Along with presentations of learning, creating work that is beautiful, high quality and public also sends a powerful message to our students that their work, and by extension, they, matter. The students were also able to use their voice to decide how their art would be used as a form of activism; to raise money for their crew charities.
The student re-imagining of Patti Smith’s song, with all of G31 on backing vocals and our rock bands on lead vocals and instruments is also a beautiful piece of work, recorded at Blank Studios in Newcastle.
Please support us in teaching our students that their art matters and is a powerful vehicle for change by downloading the song and sharing with family and friends and via your social media channels.
https://xpgateshead.bandcamp.com/track/people-have-the-power
Thank you for your ongoing support of all we do at XP; it is a pleasure to watch the students continue on their journey to becoming the best versions of themselves.
We would like to congratulate all G32 students for delivering an outstanding Presentation of Learning, which marked the culmination of a full term’s work across the Humanities and Arts subjects.
Our Learning Expedition, “Do Your Bit,” explored the guiding question: “Why should we honour ALL those who sacrificed during WW1?” Throughout the term, students demonstrated commitment, curiosity and thoughtful reflection as they engaged with this important theme. Their presentations clearly showcased the depth of learning that has taken place and the care taken in preparing to share their work with others.
We are extremely proud of the work of both our staff and students in ensuring that our study of history reflects our curriculum focus of cultivating diversity and belonging. By exploring the experiences of individuals and groups whose voices have often been overlooked, our students have helped to ensure that the story of the First World War is told in a fuller and more inclusive way.
Educationalist, friend and advocate of XP, Ron Berger, highlights the importance of students sharing their learning with others, noting that “when students present their work to an authentic audience, the work matters more and the learning goes deeper.” Opportunities such as our Presentation of Learning help students to strengthen their understanding while also developing confidence and pride in their work.
We would also like to thank all the families who joined the live stream of the presentation. Your support means a great deal to our students, who are always excited to share their learning. As a school, we truly value the partnership with our families in helping students recognise the purpose and value of their work.
If you were unable to watch the presentation live, you can still view it by clicking on this link as the stream records automatically as it is broadcast.
We hope the presentation provided new insights into World War One and highlighted stories that may not always appear in traditional history accounts.
We’re looking for an English Teacher at XP Gateshead!
“If I were to make a list of the best schools in the world, XP would be on that list.”, Ron Berger, Chief Academic Officer of Expeditionary Learning, a network of over 160 schools in the USA.
If you are a teacher looking for a model of schooling that dares to break the mould, and has English, the Humanities and rich texts as the backbone of a multi-disciplinary curriculum, then this might just be for you.
XP Gateshead is a new mainstream 11-16 Secondary School that opened in August 2021. We are a deliberately sized school with each year having 50 students. For the first time this year we now have 250 students in years 7-11.
We are looking for great people who want to become even better to join our school.
We are looking to recruit an English teacher to join our HUMAN team at the newest of our extraordinary schools. As part of that team you would teach through cross-curricular learning expeditions which combine disciplines to answer important guiding questions on matters of social justice, protecting our planet and cultivating diversity & belonging.
You could join our team at the newest of our extraordinary schools: XP Gateshead. Our rigorous 3-D approach develops activism, leadership and equity in our students by creating beautiful work, which develops character and ensures that our children achieve academic success. As a part of our team you would also be a Crew Leader for 12-13 students.
We will consider applicants at all stages of their teaching careers. Each year we put together phase teams and draw from the experience of our staff. With this in mind there are potential leadership opportunities in addition to this teaching role. You can read our recent Ofsted report here.
We believe a person is judged by their character and the quality of work they produce.. Through our cross-curricular learning expeditions students study and address important guiding questions, making connections between disciplines and across time. Our students are published authors, having created a local history book; they are published podcasters having created a podcast about forgotten voices of war; they are changing our community for the better having hosted a public health conference with a motion that demanded that we learn from the past. Our students learn that they are important because they can do work that matters.
This role is based at our school in Gateshead. There are seven other schools in our Trust which are based in Doncaster. You would also work closely with colleagues from across our Trust, particularly in your subject area. There is an extensive induction process when joining our Trust.
XP Gateshead is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and the successful applicant will be required to undertake an enhanced check via the Disclosure and Barring Service .
If you would like any further information please contact us by email at [email protected] or by telephone on 0191 481 4360.
There will be an opportunity to look around the school and meet leaders on Thursday 16th April at 4:30pm or Monday 20th April at 5:00pm. Please contact our office using the details above if you would like to attend this evening.
To find out more and apply for the role, click here: https://xptrust.org/xp-gateshead-english-teacher-2/
G32 students will remain in school to complete their POL and may leave once it has finished.
The live stream will begin at 4:30 pm, and the presentation is expected to last approximately one hour.
Students who make their own way home will be dismissed as soon as it is finished whilst those who are being collected afterwards may wait in school until their parents arrive. We appreciate that many parents will wish to watch the presentation before travelling to collect their child.
Below is the link (to click on at 4:30pm) for G32’s Presentation of Learning this evening for their learning expedition: ‘Do your bit’. Enjoy
G28 Easter Revision Timetable 2026
Dear Families,
As we approach the Easter break, our focus is on supporting our G28 students as they enter the “final push” toward their GCSE examinations in May.
To help our students feel fully prepared and confident, we are running a series of dedicated revision sessions over the holidays. These sessions are designed to help students consolidate their learning and ensure they are ready to produce their best possible work during the exam period. It is not our expectation that all students attend all sessions, however students are welcome and in some instances will be directed. Sessions will run from 9.30 – 12.00 in the morning and 12.30- 15.00 in the afternoon.
G28 Easter Revision Timetable 2026
The following sessions will be led by staff to provide focused support:
| AM (9.30 -12) | PM (12.30- 3) | |
| Monday 30th March | Maths | |
| Tuesday 31st March | Photography / Fine Art | Photography / Fine Art |
| Wednesday 1st April | History | English |
| Thursday 2nd April | iMedia – NEA practice | iMedia – NEA practice |
| Tuesday 7th April | Maths | Geography |
| Wednesday 8th April | History | English |
| Thursday 9th April | Science Foundation | Science Higher |
| Friday 10th April | Religious Studies | Religious Studies |
Action Required: Session Sign-Up
To ensure we have accurate registers and can maintain student safety on site, we require families to confirm attendance in advance.
Please complete this [Link to Google Form] to let us know which sessions your child will be attending.
As discussed during our recent TSLCs, we want our students to strike the right balance between productive revision and well-earned rest over the break. We appreciate your ongoing support in helping G28 step up to this challenge so they can head into the summer feeling proud of their efforts.
If you have any questions, please contact your child’s Crew Leader in the first instance.
Thank you as always,
G28 Crew Leaders
Here is the link to download G31’s recording: ‘People have the power’.
https://xpgateshead.bandcamp.com/track/people-have-the-power
This is a re-imagining of Patti Smith’s song, with all of G31 on backing vocals and our rock bands on lead vocals and instruments.
The track was recorded at Blank Studios in Newcastle.
All proceeds from the downloads will be shared between G31’s chosen charities, so please share this far and wide with family and friends:
We’re looking for a Spanish Teacher at XP Gateshead!
“If I were to make a list of the best schools in the world, XP would be on that list.”,
Ron Berger, Senior Advisor, Expeditionary Learning USA.
If you are a teacher looking for a model of schooling that dares to break the mould, then this might just be for you.
XP Gateshead is a new mainstream 11-16 Secondary School that opened in August 2021. We are a deliberately sized school with each year having 50 students. We are now in our fifth year of opening and have a full school of 250 students.
We are looking for great people who want to become even better to join our school.
We are looking to recruit an ambitious teacher of Spanish to join our team at the newest of our extraordinary schools. We are appointing a team of new staff so we will consider applicants from all stages of their teaching careers.
You would work within your wider faculty in school and Spanish team across our Trust to ensure a love of language at XP Gateshead, that Spanish is strong at KS3 and there is continued strong uptake at GCSE with great outcomes.
Our rigorous and ambitious 3-D approach develops activism, leadership and equity in our students by creating beautiful work, which develops character and ensures that our children achieve academic success.
You can read our recent Ofsted report here.
We have three cross-curricular seams at XP Gateshead: Protecting our Planet; Making a Stand for Social Justice; Cultivating Diversity and Belonging. Spanish is an integral part of ensuring that our students value communication, respect diversity and are capable global citizens.
Through learning Spanish, we ensure social equity for all of our students by teaching in mixed ability groupings. This enables students to develop key skills in oracy, reading and writing to become effective users and interpreters of another language. This empowers them to have an impact on the wider world, where Spanish is the second most spoken language, and gives meaning and purpose to their learning in a truly global sense.
You will join our team of dedicated professionals in an innovative school setting with the purpose of improving life chances for young people in Gateshead. As a part of our team you would also be a Crew Leader for 12-13 students.
This role is based at our school in Gateshead. There are seven other schools in our Trust which are based in Doncaster. You would also work closely with colleagues from across our Trust, particularly in your subject area. There is an extensive induction process when joining our Trust.
XP Gateshead is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and the successful applicant will be required to undertake an enhanced check via the Disclosure and Barring Service .
If you would like any further information please contact us by email at [email protected] or by telephone on 0191 481 4360.
There will be an opportunity to look around the school at 4.30pm on Thursday 16th April or at 5:00pm on Monday 20th April with an ambassador tour from students and a chance to meet leaders. Please contact our office using the details above if you would like to attend this evening.
To find out more and apply for the role, click here: https://xptrust.org/xp-gateshead-spanish-teacher/
Dear Parents/Carers
Welcome to the final week of our Spring Term.
Last week was definitely a week full to the brim with high quality work and learning with staff crew on Monday, G29 Passage Presentations across the week, Fieldwork for G32 and G31 and Experts in and outside of school working with our students. It is a testament to staff and students alike that we are able, as a small school, to continue to thrive during weeks like this with every visitor to school. This is a product of the strength of our school culture, the character values shown by students and staff and high quality work seen across our school. Our expectations are high at XPG and I know, we set the bar high but time and time again our students step up to this challenge.
Every visitor to school this week has commented on the warm welcome they have received from staff and students alike, the openness and integrity shown in all discussions and the strong culture that runs through all of our work. Our students and staff are important and together we are building a school where academic success, beautiful work and character are equally valued and celebrated.
In the words of Finn from G30:
“It is great to come to a school where being a good person is highly valued.”
G30 Passage Presentations
Without a doubt, Passage Presentations are one of the highlights of the year at XP Gateshead and last week we saw our G30 students stepping up to, and indeed surpassing, the high expectations and demand of Passage.
Over the past three weeks we have seen our Year 9 students work hard to produce beautiful scripts to tell their XP journey to date with integrity and how they have developed as a learner. Students have supported and challenged each other to show real craftsmanship and quality in their writing, lifting each other to produce work better than they thought possible. The spirit of Y9 crew and compassion has underpinned all of this work and the success students have achieved.
We would love to get your feedback as families on the process. You can let us know your thoughts using this Google Form.
To stand and present to an audience takes real courage and maturity, as reflected by our panellists (families and experts alike). Many of our panellists who support the process year on year and have paid special tribute to the quality of this year’s in comparison to what were already really strong precedents. This is testament to the hard work of Year 9, their Crew Leaders and other teachers that have supported them through this process.
Andy Sprakes, Chief Academic Officer at XP Trust, posted a blog last week about ‘The Power of Passage Presentations at XPG’. It’s well worth a read if you haven’t already done so.
The words of Kurt Hahn couldn’t be more true
“There is more to us than we know. If we can be made to see it, perhaps for the rest of our lives, we will be unwilling to settle for less”
Preparing for the culmination of expeditions
As always, the hard work continues in sessions at XP Gateshead. Students have been working hard on termly assessments, completing their final products for expedition and getting ready for presentations of learning (PoLs).
Year 7 have been preparing for their presentation of learning which will be streamed via Youtube on Wednesday 25th March at 4.30pm . They have worked hard on their drama performances of the play White Poppies and drafting their creative writing, uplifting lesser heard voices of WWI.
Our Year 8 students have been working hard on their Macbeth performances as part of the ‘What is Power?’ expedition. Our students are showing real courage and stepping up to the challenge of performing in front of an audience. On Friday they worked with actress, playwright and director Christina Berriman Dawson who was full of praise for our students commitment to their roles, especially our leads who are playing the royal couple – Lady Macbeth and Macbeth.
This is another important moment in developing character, especially courage and we can’t wait for families to see the students’ work on Tuesday evening this week.
Not content with knocking it out of the park for Passage, Year 9 are also now preparing for their Public Health conference which will take place in the next half term. As well as an expert panel, every student will host a marketplace on an issue related to the impact of alcohol on public health. This week will see students working with more public health experts to help them to be ready for this event.
Year 10 are working on preparing for their debate which takes place in the first week of next half-term and stepping up their revision in readiness for their mocks.
As a reminder, please note the Presentation of Learning (PoL) dates. There have been some changes this term due to venue changes so please check these carefully.
Year 7 HUMAN – Why is it important to honour all those who sacrificed in WWI?
This will take place via a stream on our Youtube channel on Wednesday 25th March at 4.30pm – with students presenting live from school. We will post a link to the stream in a separate post later this week.
Year 8 – What is Power?
PoL on Tuesday 25th March at Caedmon Hall, above Gateshead Central Library at 5pm.
ALL YEAR 8 FAMILIES: Please use this Google Form to let us know how many family members will be attending. See Ms Tatters post for full details of the event and how G31 need to be equipped on Wednesday.
Year 9 – How can we continue to make progress on public health?
PoL on Wednesday 15th April in school from 2pm. This Presentation of Learning is in the form of a Public Health Conference, hosted by our students. Please note the earlier time for this.
Year 10 – Are we really free to choose?
PoL on Friday 17th April at Newcastle Sixth Form College after school.
Students will be using the campus earlier as part of the preparation for the PoL and also as part of their continued preparation for Post-16. We will post a confirmation of the start time in a separate blog post.
The week ahead
G31 PoL – What is Power?
Students have additional rehearsals this week, and will be travelling to Caedmon Hall on foot on Tuesday. Students will have an earlier lunch so will not need a packed lunch unless usually provided. The forecast for Thursday is mild and dry. See this post for more details.
On Thursday G31 students will need:
- Black (or dark) clothing for the performance, ideally as plain as possible e.g. black jeans/trousers/skirt and black t-shirt. (XPG polo shirts are fine for this performance)
- Usual full kit including fully charged iPad and water bottle
- Comfortable walking shoes or trainers (not crocs)
- A coat
- Optional: A packed tea or healthy snacks if they want to eat before the presentation starts at 5.00pm.
G28 Final TSLC (Teacher Student Led Conference) – Wednesday 25th and Thursday 26th March
These final TSLCs for G28 students and their families will be an opportunity to discuss strengths and areas for improvement arising from the latest round of mocks. Staff will give guidance on where students need to focus their revision over the Easter Break and the programme for students once they enter the flow of daily exams.
Whilst it is important for students to come back energised from the Easter Break, we will also advise on striking the right balance between productive revision and well-earned rest. This is now the final push in advance of GCSE examinations after which students can rightly enjoy a long summer knowing that they have given their best.
G28 Interactive Media Mock
Students in G28 iMedia will have a mock non-exam assessment this Wednesday during the school day. Over the last term G28 iMedia students have worked on manipulating assets, responding to client briefs and preparing proposals. In this block of time students will have the opportunity to practise the 5 hour production section of what will be a 17-hour assessment scheduled to take place across their first week back after Easter.
LEGO Tournament – Friday 27th March
Our Digital Leaders that are part of our LEGO league team will be competing against other schools this Friday. Mr Said has emailed families with information for this.
PE this week
- G32 (Year 7) students will have PE on Thursday this week.
- G31 (Year 8) students will not have PE this week due to the PoL on Tuesday.
- G20 (Year 9) students will have PE on Monday this week.
- G29 (Year 10) and G28 (Year 11) both have PE on Wednesday this week.
Extended Study and Clubs
Due to preparations for the end of term and presentations of learning, our after school clubs (including extended study) are not running this week. Please ask your child to check student notices and our timetable for more details.
Easter Holidays
We break up for our Easter Holiday on Friday 27th March and return to school on Monday 13th April at the normal time.
As is always the case at the end of a term, our students leave school earlier on Friday at 1:30pm to allow for a full school de-gunge and set up of areas for next term’s new expeditions and immersion.
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
A reminder that G31’s POL for the expedition ‘What is Power?’ is on Tuesday at 5pm at Gateshead Central Library. Students will be performing the play Macbeth and explaining how different parts of their learning have taught them to think differently about the nature of power.
The event will begin at 5pm and end at 6:30pm.
Students are eating lunch in school at an earlier time than their regular daily lunch. We will be travelling to the venue for 1pm to rehearse in the space. We are travelling by foot. The forecast is cool with a chance of light showers.
On Tuesday G31 students will need:
- Black (or dark) clothing for the performance, ideally as plain as possible e.g. black jeans/trousers/skirt and black t-shirt. (XPG polo shirts are fine for this performance)
- Usual full kit including fully charged iPad and water bottle
- Comfortable walking shoes or trainers (not crocs)
- A coat
- Optional: A packed tea or healthy snacks if they want to eat before the presentation starts at 5.00pm.
Students have been working very hard preparing scenes from Macbeth, artwork inspired by issues of social justice, power structures in society, the power of the earth, forces and motion. We are so excited for you to see the way that students connect these ideas together in this PoL.
Due to the limited capacity of the venue, we ask that each student has a maximum of three family members at the performance on the evening please.
As per our home-school agreement, it is our expectation that every student has someone there to support as they step up to this challenge and grow their character. Students will then leave with their adults at the end of the PoL.
Please can you use this Google Form to let us know how many family members will be attending.
This POL is always fantastic and is a key moment in the student’s journey at XP. I can’t wait for you all to see it.