Unlock your child’s musical potential at XP Gateshead!

9th July 2026Geoff

At XP Gateshead, we believe music has the power to inspire and shape young minds. Each year, we offer a unique opportunity for children with a natural flair for music to gain a place in Year 7 through our dedicated Musical Aptitude Admissions route. 

Whether your child already sings or plays an instrument, or simply has a keen ear for rhythm, melody, and pitch, this pathway recognises raw musical potential. 

With access to expert tuition, vibrant performance opportunities, and a culture that celebrates creativity, XP Gateshead is the perfect stage for your child to flourish musically and academically. Click here to see highlights from our recent annual XP Festival of Arts and Culture:

 

Apply now, and don’t miss this chance to join a learning community where talent is nurtured and passion takes centre stage!

Find out more here: https://xptrust.info/XPGMA

 

W/C Monday 24th August 2026 

By Julie Mosley23rd August 2026

Dear Families

Welcome back!

Next week we return to school for our first week back which is fundamental to us as an XP School. We will spend time introducing or reaffirming the importance of Crew which is the foundation of our culture at XPG, and take the time to build and tend to positive relationships in Crew through shared experiences and challenges. 

 ‘If we get Crew right, we get everything right’.

The activities in the first week back are carefully planned and bespoke to each year group. 

Arrival Times on Monday (Y11, Y10) and Tuesday (Y7, Y8, Y9)

We will be running a staggered start to the term for students across Monday and  Tuesday to ensure a smooth start back. 

Monday 24th August

On Monday we welcome our Key Stage 4 students back to school.

  • G29 (Year 11)
    • Year 11 students will start at 10:30am and can arrive from 10:15am on Monday.
    • Please note that our Y11 Crews  will be undertaking fieldwork across Tuesday to Friday – more details below.
  • G30 (Year 10)
    • Year 10 students will start at 11:30am and can arrive from 11:15am on Monday.

Tuesday 25th August

On Tuesday, our Key Stage 3 students return to school joining our older students.

  • G33 (Year 7)
    • Year 7 students will start at normal time, 8:25am and can arrive from 8am on Tuesday.
    • As always, our new Year 7 students will be heading off to Ullswater for their Outward Bound experience – more details below.
  • G31 (Year 9)
    • Year 9 students will start at 9:30am and can arrive from 9.15am on Tuesday.
    • Please note that our Y9 students will be undertaking fieldwork on Thursday – more details below.
  • G32 (Year 8)
    • Year 8 students will start at 10:30am and can arrive from 10.15am on Tuesday.
    • Please note that our Y8 students will be undertaking fieldwork on Friday – more details below.

First week back guiding questions and fieldwork next week 

Each cohort has a different guiding question for the week with purposeful activities which help them to answer this question. As such there is no PE this coming week, but there is physical activity for all year groups as you will see below.

G33 (Year 7) students – Outward Bound Expedition

G33 students head off to Howtown, Ullswater for their Outward Bound Expedition and their guiding question for the week which is:

“What does it mean to be crew?”

Importantly, students will need a packed lunch and a £10 deposit with them when they arrive at school on Tuesday. See the detailed website post which has full information on travel, kit, medical requirements, communication and return time back to school on Friday.

G32 (Year 8) students

“How can we support each other to lead the learning of our new Year 7 Crew?”

As part of their first week back in school, Year 8 students will be planning fieldwork in our local area which will involve them retrieving and consolidating their learning from last year’s expeditions as well as evaluating the effectiveness of new fieldwork activities in order to support the learning of our new Year 7 cohort. 

G32 Fieldwork on Friday 28th August

To answer their guiding question, students will plan and risk assess a piece of fieldwork.

Students will complete the fieldwork during the school day on Friday 28th August and will be back in school for around 3.30pm.

Each Crew will put together a ‘Crew picnic’. Your child will be able to give you more details on how they plan to contribute towards this picnic.

G32 students should also be prepared for the weather conditions, so they must have their regular kit and in addition:

  • Waterproof jacket
  • Appropriate clothing for the weather
  • Suitable footwear for a day’s walking in urban area
  • Water bottle
  • Suncream
  • A cap or hat

G31 (Year 9) students

This week serves as an introduction to the types of challenges that year 9 students will face this academic year. Their guiding question for the week is:

“How do we form great habits to tackle initiatives as a Crew with increasing agency, independence and resilience?”

G31 Fieldwork on Thursday 27th August

See website post for full details

As part of their first week back in school, Year 9 students will be carrying out a hike in Northumberland around Wylam, learning how to navigate together on Thursday during the school day. As this is a hike, a consent form will go home to students on Tuesday.

Each Crew will put together a ‘Crew picnic’. Your child will be able to give you more details on how they plan to contribute towards this picnic.

Students will be travelling by metro and train during the regular school day and will return back to school for around 3:30pm. We will keep you updated on the school website of our expected arrival time.

G31 students will need the following kit for the day.

  • Waterproof jacket
  • Appropriate clothing for the weather
  • Hiking boots or footwear that is suitable for a rural hike.
  • Water bottle
  • Suncream
  • A cap or hap

G30 (Year 10) students

Students will be working together in Crews on their guiding question:

‘How can we ensure that our future selves will thank us for the next two years?’

There are two foci for the students for the week. The first of which is focussing on the step up to Key Stage 4 and how they need to adapt their Crew norms to ensure that they are supporting and challenging each other to be successful.

Secondly students will continue their thinking about careers and pathways, beyond Key Stage 4 to Post-16. As part of the week students will hear from experts and employers about what pathways are available to them and what employers and education providers are looking for in candidates.

During the week, students will also put together a CV based on their ambitions, strengths and skills to date, and on Friday they will have a mock interview with a professional who will give them feedback on how they present themselves, how they articulate their ambitions and reflect on themselves and how they respond to  questions. Year 10 students should wear more formal dress on Friday for their mock interviews.

G29 (Year 11) students – including fieldwork throughout the week

Year 11 students will have a week which focuses on

  • Facing the challenges of Year 11 head on, and thriving!
  • Developing resilience and being comfortable with challenge.
  • Self-regulation techniques, good learner behaviors and target setting.

As part of this week students will complete a series of outdoor challenges at Whickham Thornes Activity Centre with their Crew Leader. Students will be travelling to the will travel there by minibus. A consent form will go home with students on Monday 24th August.

  • Crew Nightingale will carry out the challenge on Tuesday 25th August.
  • Crew King will carry out the challenge on Wednesday 26th August.
  • Crew Watson will carry out the challenge on Thursday 27th August.
  • Crew Attenborough will carry out the challenge on Friday 28th August.

For the day of their outdoor challenges G29 students will need the following kit:

  • Footwear appropriate for sports as per PE:
    • Trainers, not baseball boots or plimsolls.
  • Comfortable clothing such as:
    • Leggings or tracksuit pants. Jeans are not appropriate.
    • Waterproof jacket and a warm top. Fleece or hoody.
  • A packed lunch for the day.

Regular Kit and dress code for this week

All students in Year 8-11 will need their regular kit for every day this week. They should also be in regular dress code for the start of school this week on Tuesday, just as in any other week. See our website post for a reminder on our dress code expectations.

A reminder that for day to day kit we expect students a school bag (backpack) with the following:

  • A water bottle
  • A fully charged iPad
  • Headphones – ideally not expensive ones, for example here
  • Pencil case including: pens, pencils, ruler, eraser, pencil sharpener, purple pen and glue stick
  • Notebook
  • Reading book

School Lunches 

Students can choose to bring in a healthy packed lunch (no confectionery, fizzy or energy drinks) or have a school meal with us. Please note there must be no nut products in snacks or packed lunches – this is especially important as we have students in this cohort who are highly allergic to nut products.

Our school dinners are very popular with our students, thanks to our wonderful kitchen crew. Students make a daily food choice in crew each morning and we have a three week menu. For more on school meals this year, please see this detailed website post.

Staffing Update and Crew Leaders

Sevvandi Rajapakse (Mrs RJ) accepted a new job during the school holidays so, due to notice periods, will not return to XPG in the new term. She goes on to a Lecturer role at Newcastle College and I know that her work will have the same positive impact on staff, students and families as it has with us. I’m sure that you will join me in thanking Sevvandi for the high quality work she has done in supporting young people to access all areas of the curriculum and the care she has given.

Lauren Cadenas joins our teaching team on a permanent basis as a G33 (Y7) Crew Leader and teacher of PE.

Crew Leaders this academic year

A reminder that our Crew Leaders for this academic year are:

Year 7 – Gayle Crowder, Y7 Phase Leader

Our Year 7 Crew leaders – Leanne Diamond, Emily Bennet, Lauren Cadenas, Gayle Crowder

Year 8/9 – Tom Devitt, Y8/9 Phase leader

G32 (Year 8) Crews

  • Crew Robson – Mel Girling
  • Crew Booth – Amy Rawcliffe
  • Crew Swan – Tom Devitt
  • Crew Hepburn – Joe Allan

G31 (Year 9) Crews

  • Crew Shakespeare – Stephanie Jamison
  • Crew Windsor – Rebecca Jones
  • Crew Pankhurst – Mr Azam
  • Crew Curie – Mrs Carter

Year 10/11 – Emmy Tatters, Y10/11 Phase Leader 

G30 (Year 10) Crews

  • Crew Einstein – Hannah Young
  • Crew Kahlo – Tilda Macphail
  • Crew Earhart – Emmy Tatters
  • Crew darling – Rebecca Denny-Holmes

G29 (Year 11) Crews

  • Crew King – Tim Macdonald
  • Crew Watson – Katy Horne
  • Crew Nightingale – Darren Mead
  • Crew Attenborough – Hannah Simpson

Regular timetabled sessions

Regular timetabled lessons and new learning expeditions will start for Years 8-11 on Monday 31st August.

When they return to school from Ullswater, Year 7 will have two days in Crew on Monday 31st August and Tuesday 1st September. This will give them time to further debrief their adventure, consider what it means to be Crew in academic sessions and further orient themselves in their new school and new building. They will start their new learning expeditions and timetabled sessions on Wednesday 2nd September.

There will be no clubs or extended study for the first two weeks of term.

We are really looking forward to welcoming all of our students back to school next week. 

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 for your ongoing support and a special thanks to our existing parents who have been sharing their XPG knowledge and expertise with our new G33 parents. Together we are definitely stronger #WeAreCrew.

Julie Mosley

Principal

G28 A Momentous Milestone: XP Gateshead’s First-Ever GCSE Results!

By Julie Mosley20th August 2026

Today is a historic day for XP Gateshead and we couldn’t be prouder of our pioneering G28 cohort, who have received their GCSE results.

Five years ago, G28 students walked through our doors, joining us as pioneers and they have helped us build XP Gateshead from the ground up. From day one, they have worked alongside us building a strong culture, showing us all exactly what it means to be Crew. 

We have repeated the words of Kurt Hahn many times over the past 5 years and the actions and behaviours of G28 have embodied them.

“There is more in 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.” 

Year on year they have been the role models for new crews joining us, showing everyone what it means to be a student at XPG. 

Indications are that students have been awarded grades well above national expectations of attainment in almost all areas. Today’s GCSE results are a testament to the phenomenal hard work and effort of our pioneering students and staff who have shown a determined and unwavering work ethic and commitment to doing beautiful work across the last five years. We also want to pay tribute to the outstanding support and trust we have received from all of our G28 families.

Compared to national and local averages, our students’ results place us in the top third of school consistently across subjects, with phenomenal attainment in particular in English Language, Geography, Religious Studies, Photography, Sports and Interactive Media.

We also have a very high proportion of students achieving grades 4s and 5s in Maths and English, with strong performance overall in students achieving 5 or more GCSEs at grade 7 too.

This is all the more remarkable to say that students work in mixed ability classes, and have studied an expeditionary curriculum right the way through to their final exams.

At XP, we absolutely do get our kids to pass exams, but we know that academic achievement is only one measure of success.

Through our cross-subject expeditionary curriculum, students have enjoyed an engaging, creative and rich learning experience. This has allowed our students to engage with the world and create beautiful work that really matters and that has made a difference to them and to their community.

For example, our students in G28:

  • Are published authors, having published a local history book on our mining heritage which was launched at Seven Stories, the national centre for children’s literature.
  • Have fed families for a week with recipes designed to be nutritious and easy to make with budget ingredients.
  • Are published podcasters, having written and recorded about unheard voices of WWI such as women on the home front and soldiers from Commonwealth countries such as India. This was broadcast on a national radio station – Memory Lane Radio – as part of their remembrance services.
  • Produced a geocaching route, encouraging families to enjoy our local green spaces together whilst learning about species that are protected in the local green plan.
  • Have written and delivered public speeches about what it means to be human.
  • Performed Macbeth at Caedmon Hall to an audience of over a-hundred people, with supporting presentations around science and chemical changes.
  • Produced a film that honours and shares the stories of migrants to and from our country which was showcased at Newcastle University.
  • Produced a sculpture which was exhibited at The Farrell Centre, the national centre for Architecture at Newcastle University  and later exhibited at Gateshead Library.
  • Hosted a public health conference challenging local leaders such as politicians and health professionals to do more on the challenges of healthy eating and health inequalities in our region.
  • Written poetry which reflects our relationship with the natural world.
  • Taught lessons to invited guests as part of a presentation of learning.
  • Engaged in debates about challenging topics such as eugenics and the role of the public in Germany in the rise of Nazism at Newcastle Sixth Form College.
  • Hosted and catered for an afternoon tea, tackling loneliness in elderly members of our community.
  • Developed a sustainable energy plan for the future, drawing upon their learning from Science.
  • Supported charities associated with their Crews through events in school. Crews Stanton, Frank and Aneglou have raised £1000s for the Tiny Live, Bobby Robson Foundation and Young Minds respectively. Crew Parks are responsible for the fields of saplings in the grounds outside of our school as part of their work with Trees for Cities.
  • Exhibited their artwork as part of our first XPG Live – all students in G28 have studied either fine art or photography.
  • Directed and performed in a production of Romeo and Juliet using our school building to create a piece of immersive theatre
  • Carried out high quality fieldwork and cultural experiences including professional performances of plays such as I Daniel Blake, worked at our local universities and Post-16 providers, carried out ecological studies and conservational work in local green spaces such as Windy Nook Nature Reserve. There is so much more that we could list!

As adults, we are judged by who we are and the quality of our work. The work we do is three-dimensional. This is why we focus relentlessly on character growth and beautiful work as well as academic success. Qualifications will get you through the door. Who you are and the quality of your work will get you the job, the place at university, the start up business loan.

Our founding G28 students leave us today with the qualifications they need for their next steps, but more importantly, with the character and values to succeed in the wider world. They understand that they are important, because they have done work that matters, and improves their community. We are so incredibly excited to see where their stories take them next, knowing they are empowered to become agents for positive social change, ready to protect the planet, stand for social justice and cultivate diversity and belonging wherever they go.

A massive thank you to our phenomenal staff, our trusting families, and our community for walking this pioneering path with us.

And to G28, our first-ever graduating Crew: you have set the foundations at XP Gateshead and we could not have asked for a better Crew of young people to start this journey with. 

Congratulations, and thanks to you all G28.

G28 GCSE Results Day 20th August

19th August 2026Darren Mead

Dear StudentsParents and carers,

We  are excited to welcome Students and their families into school from 9am tomorrw to collect their results. We are looking forward to seeing you all! Results will also be available on the Education Records App, but only from 11am, so the quickest way to get your results is to come into school. 

School will be open from 9am until 11:30am and Crew leaders will be there to celebrate with you and provide guidance if needed. 

While you are here please make sure that you complete the destination survey. 

Remember the results are provisional and the official GCSE certificates arrive in School late October, students will be invited to a presentation evening in November to receive their certificates. .

Any queries please contact Mr Mead ([email protected])

Novum Festival in Newcastle this weekend

8th August 2026XP Gateshead Office

As you know, the arts form an integral part of our curriculum at both KS3 and KS4.

If you’re looking for something exciting to do over this weekend there are a range of family-friendly events, outdoor performances, artist workshops, and music performances across Newcastle over today and tomorrow.

For more information see the festival website here:

https://novumnewcastle.com

 

End of term update for families – Sunday 19th July 2026

19th July 2026Julie Mosley

Dear Families

We’ve made it to the end of another great term at XPG and the end of the academic year. Another week of greatness from staff and students alike, here are some of the highlights:

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Breaking Barriers Rochdale

On Monday we hosted Breaking Barriers XP Gateshead. Breaking Barriers is  a media production company whose work is rooted in amplifying unheard voices and bringing ambitious work to local streets and people.

They work with communities, young people and artists from a diverse range of backgrounds and lived experiences. For example in ‘Stories We Tell’ they turned the town of Rochdale into a canvas for a media production which served as a ‘love-letter’ to the town. We are looking forward to future partnerships with the organisation to further enrich our curriculum and learning expeditions.

G30 Expert – Dr Gordon Port

On Monday Dr Gordon Port from Newcastle University worked with G30 students to help them to address learning targets associated with biodiversity drawing upon his expertise in in vertebrates.

G29 Online presentation of Learning

Alongside Year 10 interactive media students, G29 have produced a documentary pulling together their learning from History and The Elizabethan Period. If you missed that you can watch the first part here.

G32 Presentation of Learning

G32 hosted a fantastic presentation of learning to close their year, which included a hosted gallery walk, and extracts from their book ‘What’s the Story of Our Community?’ which is now published and was launched at the event . This is a beautiful piece of work and now all of our Year 7 can say that they are published authors!

Community Meetings to close the academic year

At the end of the week we had a community meeting to celebrate our Sports Day winners which were:

  • Year 7: Crew Booth
  • Year 8: Crew Pankhurst
  • Year 9: Crew Kahlo
  • Year 10: Crew Attenborough

Each Crew also nominated an individual who had shown particular character during Sports Day and the nominees were awarded Gateshead Active vouchers for the summer holidays.

We also had what is becoming an annual event in the staff inflat-a-race. Staff and students bore witness to the pocket rocket that is Mrs RJ!

Finally we also celebrated reading, with students that have excelled in Accelerated Reader receiving awards and being entered into a lottery for a gift vouchers. Crews with the most words  read were also celebrated. The winners of our reading challenges were:

  • Year 7: Crew Swan
  • Year 8: Crew Curie
  • Year 9: Crew Kahlo
  • Year 10: Crew Attenborough

Wishing you all a safe and happy summer holidays

All crews were given reminders of safety over the break, especially in relation to water. Sadly again last week there were fatalities in our region where adults got into the water to assist children in distress. Please do talk to your children about staying safe this break.

It has been another momentous and magnificent year at XP Gateshead. We now look forward to a great summer break and sharing the successes of Year 11 on results day on Thursday 20th August.

A reminder that we have a staggered start on the first week back:

Monday 24th August staggered start for G29 and G30 students (Y10 and Y11)

  • G29 (new Year 11) must arrive in school between 10.15am and 10.30am
  • G30 (new Year 10) must arrive in school between 11.15am and 11.30am
    • G33, G32, G31 (new years 7-9) are not in school on this day.

Tuesday 25th August

  • G31 (new Year 9) must arrive in school between 9.15am and 9.30am
  • G32 (new Year 8) must arrive in school between 10.15am and 10.30am
  • G33 (new year 7) must arrive in school between 8.00am and 8.25am
    • G29 and G30 must arrive at the normal time between 8.00am and 8.25am.

We will post more updates closer to the start of the term with reminders about kit, learning as well as any fieldwork for the first week.

Please do have a wonderful and restful break and enjoy spending time together as a family. We wish you all a lovely summer and look forward to seeing all our students in August.

A huge thanks to our Staff Crew for their dedication, and in particular we wish Mrs Downe , Miss Fielding and Ms Marshall the very best. 

Thanks to our students for their beautiful work and continued development of character in pursuit of excellence and academic success.

And, of course thanks to you for your ongoing support.

#wearecrew

Julie Mosley

Principal

XP Gateshead

Summer Break – Essential Water Safety Advice for Our Families

By Michelle Ross17th July 2026

It’s the summer break and it’s our hope that the weather keeps being kind so that our students can get outdoors. However, while we want all of our students and families to have a wonderful, relaxing time enjoying the sunshine, we also want to ensure everyone stays safe.

Historically, hot school holidays see a significant increase in accidental drownings in inland waters and along the coast. It is a tragic reality that around 402 people lose their lives to drowning across the UK and Ireland every single year—and these tragedies are preventable. Alarmingly, around 44% of these accidental drownings happen between May and August, often when people are trying to cool off in the heat. Furthermore, more than 46% of those who drowned never even intended to enter the water in the first place.

To help keep our young people safe, we ask that parents and carers take a few moments to read through this factual safety guide. Our students will have gone through this information with their Crew leaders but should also take the time to look again.

The Hidden Dangers of Open Water Swimming

When the weather is hot, local rivers, lakes, canals, and quarries look incredibly inviting. However, open water holds major hidden hazards that even strong swimmers cannot anticipate:

  • Unexpected Depth: Open water is often far deeper than it appears from the surface, making it easy to drop out of your depth instantly.

  • Undercurrents: Strong, invisible undercurrents can quickly drag a swimmer under the water and keep them trapped beneath the surface.

  • Hidden Debris: Below the surface lie hidden objects such as sharp rocks, fallen trees, broken glass, and abandoned rubbish (like shopping trolleys). Jumping or diving into these can cause severe head and spinal injuries, or trap your limbs.

  • Weeds and Undertows: Swimmers can easily become tangled and trapped in underwater weeds. Swimming near structures like weirs is incredibly dangerous, as the powerful undertow offers little chance of escape.

  • Pollution: Natural open waters can contain harmful bacteria and pollution that can cause serious illness if swallowed or if it gets into open cuts.

Understanding the #1 Danger: Cold Water Shock

The single biggest safety issue with jumping into open water in the UK is Cold Water Shock.

Even on a scorching hot day, water temperatures in UK rivers, lakes, and reservoirs remain very cold—often hovering around 12°C or lower. Cold water removes heat from the human body 32 times faster than cold air.

When a person jumps into cold water, the body experiences an automatic, uncontrollable physical reaction known as cold water shock. This includes:

  • An immediate gasp for air, followed by rapid breathing (up to 1000% greater than normal), which often leads to accidentally inhaling water directly into the lungs.

  • Sudden muscle cramps and a dramatic reduction in physical coordination, making it impossible to swim.

  • A sudden spike in blood pressure and heart rate, which can trigger cardiac distress.

Cold water shock peaks within the first 1 minute. If a person panics and thrashes around during this critical minute, they are at an incredibly high risk of drowning rapidly.

How to Survive: Float to Live

If your child or family member gets into difficulty or falls into cold water, they must fight their natural instinct to swim or thrash about. Instead, remember the life-saving advice: Float to Live.

  1. Fight your instinct: Do not try to swim or struggle.

  2. Lean back: Tilt your head back and extend your arms and legs like a starfish.

  3. Gently move: If needed, gently scull your hands or move your feet to help stay afloat.

  4. Concentrate on breathing: Focus entirely on staying calm and controlling your breathing through the initial 1-minute shock phase.

  5. Call for help: Only once the breathing is controlled should you attempt to swim to safety, call out for help, or continue floating until rescue arrives.

What to Do If You See Someone Else in Trouble

If you see someone struggling in the water, never jump in to save them. Many secondary drownings occur when well-meaning family members or friends enter the water and become victims themselves.

Instead, follow these steps immediately:

  • Shout for help and Call 999: Ask for the Fire and Rescue Service if you are inland, or the Coastguard if you are at the beach.

  • Reach: If it is safe to do so, try to reach the person from the bank using a long stick, pole, clothing, or a scarf. Always crouch or lie down flat on the ground so you aren’t accidentally pulled into the water yourself.

  • Throw: Look for designated rescue equipment (like a lifebuoy or throw line). If none is available, throw anything that floats (an inflated football, a plastic container, etc.) to help the person stay above water until emergency services arrive.

A Collective Responsibility

Water safety education is vital: statistics show that around two-thirds of UK adults surveyed have never had formal water safety education, and only 30% of parents feel very confident that their child knows how to stay safe around water.

Please talk to your children openly and factually about these risks. If they want to swim, please guide them toward safe, supervised environments like public swimming pools or lifeguarded beaches where they can stay within their depth and enjoy the hot weather safely.

Have a wonderful, restful, and safe summer!

G31 FIRST WEEK BACK

17th July 2026Rebecca Jones

G31 will complete a hike on Thursday 27th August as part of their first week back. Although closely supervised by staff, this will be the students’ first experience navigating with a map in the great outdoors.

To travel further into the countryside, we will be taking the train to Wylam. Because trains on this route run hourly, we may return to school slightly later than usual. We aim to be back by 15:45, but please be aware that any train delays or cancellations could delay our return by up to an hour.

Students will receive a consent form on Tuesday 25th August when they return. This form allows you to provide consent for the late return and to update us on any medical conditions we should be aware of.

This hike requires students to wear suitable walking boots or shoes. If this is not possible, please let your child’s Crew Leader know, as we have spare boots and shoes available for students to borrow.

Retailers like Trespass and Go Outdoors offer quality walking boots and shoes at reasonable prices. A Go Outdoors membership costs £5 and provides discounted pricing on all of their stock.

Students will have the chance to wear these boots again as they develop their navigation skills in year 9.

Below is an excerpt from our core principles regarding the importance of our students spending time in nature:

‘XP Outdoors is an integral part of our learning in our Trust. It is important now, more than ever, for students to actively engage in looking after our natural environment and take responsibility for its future especially in light of the concerns over climate change. Being outdoors in nature has a hugely positive impact on our students’ wellbeing both physically and mentally so getting students outdoors within expeditions and Crew is highly important. 

The XP Outdoor curriculum can enhance expeditions and Crew by allowing students to develop additional skills and grow their character. It is also an opportunity to teach students through alternative methods which can benefit students that often struggle in the usual classroom environment. Therefore, in light of the above, we are determined to extend our classrooms outside of our school building, into nature and the wider community.

Watching our children standing on their own two feet is the most magical feeling for parents. Watching them fall can often be the worst, but sometimes we must. There is a saying that goes, “The safest place for a ship is in the harbour, but that is not what ships are built for”.

At XP, we create safe opportunities that support and challenge our students to do more than they thought possible, for them to never accept any less of themselves. These opportunities go beyond just preparing for tests in a classroom. Even beyond our learning expeditions, all our students go on outdoor expeditions.’

More information about year 9 will follow in blog posts in our first week back!

Have a wonderful summer 

The year 9 team!

Sharing our Stories: 17/07/2026

17th July 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 6 leavers party 2026 @ Green Top

Our class of 2026 @ Plover

KS1 Celebration of Learning @ Carcroft School

Powering the Future @ XP Doncaster

Colour run fun! @ Norton Infants

Year 6 raises money for local donkey sanctuary @ Norton Juniors

G29 Final product @ 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!

G29 Final product

17th July 2026Hannah Simpson

Dear Parents and Carers of G29

Here is the link to Youtube for G29’s first episode of ‘An Elizabethan Street through Time’. The second episode, both exiting and informative, will follow in the new term!

Happy watching

Thanks for your support as always

Team G29