We are incredibly proud to share the impact of our Year 7 Reverse Advent Challenge, which has now concluded with a phenomenal collection of festive food items for Gateshead Foodbank.

 

Throughout Advent, Year 7 students have taken on the challenge of giving rather than receiving. Working together in their Crews, students and their Crew leaders have collected a wide range of festive treats including selection packs, mince pies, Christmas puddings, shortbread and much more, all with the aim of supporting families in the Gateshead area who may be facing difficulties at this time of year.
The response from our students was exceptional. The sheer volume of food collected was a powerful demonstration of generosity, empathy and compassion. We are delighted to confirm that the donations have now been collected by Gateshead Foodbank and will be distributed in food parcels to families who need that support during the Christmas period.

Activism and compassion sit at the heart of life at XP Gateshead, and this Reverse Advent Challenge is a wonderful example of Crew in action. Our Year 7 students have shown maturity, kindness and a real understanding of the challenges others may be facing, particularly at this time of year.
We are incredibly proud of our students and grateful to Gateshead Foodbank for the vital work they do in supporting our local community.

 

We are incredibly proud to share that our shoeboxes have now been collected and will be delivered to the Children’s Heart Unit at the Freeman Hospital, supported by CHUF (Children’s Heart Unit Fund).

Students and staff from Years 8 to 11 at XP Gateshead stepped up to this challenge with care and generosity, creating a wonderful collection of shoeboxes filled with thoughtful gifts and festive treats. These will be shared with children and parents who will unfortunately be spending Christmas in hospital—many of whom have already been there for a very long time.

This initiative was inspired by Beatrix’s story and her family’s willingness to share their experiences of life on the Children’s Heart Unit. Their courage, kindness and determination helped both students and staff better understand the realities faced by families during long hospital stays, particularly at Christmas.

Activism is at the heart of much of what we do at XP Gateshead, and this reverse Advent challenge is a powerful example of Crew in action—bringing students and staff together to show compassion, responsibility and care for others. We are incredibly proud of the empathy and character shown by our community, and grateful to CHUF for the vital support they provide to families at the Children’s Heart Unit at such a challenging time of year.

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We would like to extend a huge thank you to all G32 parents and carers who attended the Presentation of Learning last night. Your continued support and engagement is so important, and it is essential that all students have a family member present at their Presentation of Learning, as these events are a vital part of our school model. They provide students with the opportunity to showcase their learning, reflect on their progress, and celebrate their achievements with the wider community.

As you saw on the evening, our youngest students stepped up confidently, reflecting on and sharing their learning in creative and engaging ways. Their clear speaking, impressive drama performances, and lovely singing were complemented by creative writing, including biographical narratives, diaries, and newspaper articles. Alongside some wonderful songwriting, this provided a clear showcase of their hard work and achievements.

We are also pleased to share the success of the raffle. Thanks to your generosity, £98 was raised for St Mary’s Church, which has kindly hosted our Year 7 Presentations of Learning for the past three years and has become a real friend of XP Gateshead. A special thank you goes to the winner of the Ringtons hamper, who very generously chose to donate the contents immediately to G32’s Foodbank drive.

Thank you once again for your continued support and for helping to make the evening such a success.

On Friday 14th November, G29 geographers headed out to investigate their fieldwork question: Has the regeneration of the Ouseburn been a success?

Students began their route on Shields Road in Byker before walking down the bank towards the Ouseburn Valley. Starting here allowed them to consider whether regeneration has truly been successful if the surrounding areas still scored low on an environmental quality survey.

We were also joined by Dr Mike Jefferies, who shared his extensive knowledge of the history of the Ouseburn and helped bring the area’s past to life.

Below is one of the fascinating images Mike showed us, featuring the old dead house. This building once stood at the mouth of the Ouseburn—close to where the Cycle Hub is today. Historically, the dead house was used to retrieve bodies from the River Tyne.

Students have now reflected on their fieldwork question. Overall, they feel that the regeneration of the Ouseburn has been successful, but agree that more should be done to improve the surrounding area.

This Sunday, 9th November, 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 after the Midday News on Sunday.

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 third consecutive year, this broadcast has become a valued tradition, proudly showcasing our students’ work on this station. A huge thanks must go to Mrs Downes for organising it, and to our dedicated Digital Leaders for carrying out the recordings.

Mr Macdonald called into the garage where Mason has a Saturday job last week.

Mr Macdonald was told Mason is the best young worker the garage manager has ever seen – far beyond his years in terms of maturity and professionalism. He will arrive in the morning and just start tidying up and getting on with things without having to be told to. He is determined that Mason work at a professional dealership level and is so proud of Mason, as are we.

To top that off, Mason finished in first place in his fishing competition last week and sits top of the leaderboard in his fishing league.

Great work Mason!

At 17:00, G29’s Presentation of Learning goes live!

Our students have been working hard to craft powerful poems inspired by the beauty of nature and their study of interdependence within ecosystems. Some poems celebrate the natural world, while others serve as a compelling call to action. Feel free to add any messages to the message board about our students work.

A huge thank you to our Digital Leaders — Drew, Seb, and Lyra — for their dedication and creativity in editing the final showcase.

Below the video, you’ll find photos of the students’ final product — planting wildflowers in our planters to help boost biodiversity on our school site. Students also began surveying our site to find out what species live on our school grounds this will support any work that is done on our school site.

We hope you enjoy this inspiring collection of student work.

 

 

This weekend, Mrs Dobson was thrilled to be part of the audience for a stunning performance of Mamma Mia by the ‘Acting Up’ theatre school, featuring the exceptional talents of G28’s Hannah Dobson, G30’s George Dobson, G31’s Yoshni and Yoshna Vimal, Ellie Brown, and one of our new incoming G32 students, Ashton Bain. Mrs Dobson said their energy, dedication, and stage presence shone through in every scene, delighting the audience from start to finish.

All of us at XPG are incredibly proud of the Courage and Craftsmanship and Quality shown by these students. Their hard work and commitment to excellence truly embodied our character values.

A huge well done to all involved!

Congratulations to our wonderful students that took part in the Great North Swim this weekend – half a mile around Lake Windermere.

What a fantastic achievement!

Great work.