It was an honour to spend time with Year 9 students at XP Gateshead as they held their second annual public health conference with a focus on the dangers of smoking and vaping on Friday. The conference was the culminating event to the learning expedition entitled, ‘You Give Me Fever’ where students had engaged in a thematic study of health, considering how approaches to, and learning about health has changed over time from the Medieval Period to the modern day. Students were challenged to answer the guiding question,

“How can we continue to make progress in public health?” 

In order to do this students focused on factors which can affect our health, such as wealth, poverty, science and technology and the role of the government. Combining what they studied in history and science this helped us to complete a human geography study of our local area. Students had investigated the difference in life expectancy in the local area by studying deprivation and its contribution to risk factors. Case studies blended English, History, Geography and Science to give the students a breadth of knowledge and understanding about key health issues, in particular smoking and vaping.

Student key note speakers eloquently outlined the causes and long term effects of smoking on health and related social issues. They articulated the desperate link between smoking and deprivation and presented some chilling and compelling research about the impact of smoking on reducing life expectancy and increasing the chances of life threatening diseases like cancer, respiratory illnesses and strokes.

XPG Year 9 students lead an expert question and answer session about the risks of smoking and what we need to do to address this public health issue.

After this thought provoking start, students conducted a question and answer session with local experts from local government and community health services. Questions ranged from:

Should smoking be banned?

Does social media contribute to participation and smoking? 

Have public health changes made a difference to health in our community of Gateshead?

What is the local council doing to address deprivation in our community?

Exchanges were frank, honest and solution driven. XP Gateshead students showing, yet again, that they are actively leading positive social change in their community.

The next phase of the Presentation of Learning involved all students hosting a stall where they articulated the report they had written that linked to their learning in the expedition. Reports were wide ranging, informative and extremely well written. Titles included:

• The Impact of Smoking on Respiratory Health
• The Tobacco Industry Playbook
• Is Smoking a Choice? The Link Between Poverty and Smoking As students presented their reports, invited guests were asked to consider a range of proposals such as, ‘Are smoking reforms having a positive impact on our communities?’ and to vote using a QR code. We were then invited back into the conference hall and students reflected on the answers given by the community.
  

  The wide range of expert reports produced by Year 9 students at XPG

  Students ended the conference with a call for the community, local authority and health professionals to collaborate more effectively to reduce the negative impact that smoking still has on the health and well being of the wider community in Gateshead. 

  After the conference I caught up with Georgia and Scarlet who spoke to about the importance of the work they had undertaken. I asked them why it was important to hold a Health Conference.

Georgia and Scarlet shared their thoughts with me about the importance of their work

Georgia commented:

“We showed the dangers and the impact of smoking and what it can do to yourself but also the people around you.”

And Scarlet built on this:

“Raising awareness and making sure people know the risks of smoking and if we are to continue to make progress as a society we need to address problems such as smoking.”

In conclusion, it was a privilege to be invited to an event that confirmed how our curriculum empowers and enables students to make a positive change in their communities. The level of understanding, confidence and quality of work was, quite simply, breathtaking. I made a pledge that the reports now need to be available for a wider audience to access and read. Our civic leaders and politicians must support and realise this important work and I know XPG students will not stop demanding this until they do!

G29 students have been working with determination this week as they put the finishing touches on their final product: a public health report exploring the impact of smoking and vaping on the local community. These reports represent weeks of research, collaboration, and thoughtful writing.

Next week, students will begin rehearsing for their Presentation of Learning (PoL) – XPGateshead’s second annual Public Health Conference. We are excited to welcome you to school at 13:30 Friday 9th May for an afternoon of youth-led activism, informed debate, and meaningful dialogue.

Please note: final product reports have not yet been printed, so students are encouraged to use this weekend to make any last-minute edits or improvements.

I would also like to take a moment to recognise G29 for the exceptional maturity they demonstrated during today’s ethics debate. As part of their Religious Studies and Ethics series, students tackled the complex question: “Should vaccinations be compulsory?” Our student team leaders – Arlo, Scarlett, Eleanor, and Seth – led their peers with confidence, and I was thoroughly impressed by the quality of the arguments presented across all teams. Their ability to approach sensitive topics with respect and insight is a credit to their growth and learning.

This week, G29 had the pleasure of attending two expert sessions as part of their current expedition ‘How can we continue to make progress in public health’

We were joined by Daisy, Rhiannon, and Kaat—three Doctors and Specialty Registrars in Public Health who work on reports that directly influence policy in Gateshead. Daisy and Rhiannon posed a thought-provoking question to the students: “Should women who smoke receive fertility treatment?” This sparked insightful discussions and encouraged students to think like decision-makers, weighing up the pros and cons of providing IVF on the NHS to people who smoke. The session inspired thoughtful, mature conversation and strengthened students’ ability to approach public health issues critically.

Kaat supported students in developing strategies to make their reports more engaging. She reminded them that it’s not just about accurate research and data—effective communication matters too. Students were encouraged to use linguistic devices to capture readers’ attention and make their reports as persuasive and accessible as possible.

All students have now begun writing their reports. I’ve recommended that each student spend at least one hour during the Easter holidays working on their section of the report. This will ensure we have ample time for critique and redrafting ahead of our Presentation of Learning (PoL) on 9th May.

Each student is taking the lead on a section of their group’s report, meaning they can make progress independently during the break without needing to meet with their group.

Below is an extract from the first draft of Brodie, Dakota, Hallie, and Leo’s report, entitled:

Lights, camera , smoke: How media fuels smoking? 

‘Eight of the ten films nominated for Best Picture at the 2025 Oscars contained tobacco imagery’ (Truth Initiative, 2025). Timothee Chalamet, who was a fan favourite to win the oscars earlier this year, smokes in his movie “A complete Unknown”. Chalamet plays a 1960’s Bob Dylan from New York City, where The Daily Mail states, ‘Timothee Chalamet wears a suede jacket and smokes a cigarette’ ( Kayhart, 2024).

Similarly to Chalamet, Cillian Murphy has smoked ‘3,000 herbal cigarettes per season as Tommy Shelby, despite not being a smoker himself’ ( Barker, 2024). This is important as it shows the effects that films can have on the public, and how despite Murphy not smoking himself,  his character is stated to be ‘rarely seen without a cigarette dangling from his lips’ ( Barker, 2024). Thomas Shelby is an important character in many people’s lives, his smoking habits could lead people to joining him.

Lily has also written a strong introduction for her group: Accessing the impact of public health reform

It’s no secret that smoking has been a common problem across the world for decades, centuries even. King James I of England was the first to publish his concern about smoking. James’s Counterblaste to Tobacco published in 1604 described smoking as ‘a custom loathsome to the eye, hateful to the nose, harmful to the brain, dangerous to the lungs’ (James I 1604). 

Students also have their guiding question to complete if they find themselves at a loss for activities this early Easter break.

On Tuesday, G31 students presented their learning for their “Staying Alive” STEAM Expedition which had the guiding question “Is Survival Sufficient?”.

Students worked extremely hard throughout the expedition, considering the importance of food, water and warmth, and the challenges many face in accessing these resources. Students combined their knowledge from across their STEAM subjects to put together recipes that are both healthy and delicious, donating ingredients and designing recipe cards for each meal to display nutritional information and instructions on how to prepare the meals.

The students presented their work to staff from Edberts House which will be shared with members of our community. Absolutely stunning work, G31!

Thank you so much to all families who have supported this expedition by supporting students to try out recipes, and for making such kind donations that will make a difference to our community.

Huge congratulations to Crew Shakespeare (G31) sport stars Evie and Abbie on their beautiful work over recent weeks.

Abbie starred in her first competitive ice hockey match with the Whitley Warriors after lots of hard work to make the team and train – we’re mega proud of you Abbie!

Abbie geared up for her Whitley Warriors match

Evie took home a medal for her shot put event at her regional indoor athletics event and has been invited to start shot put training, as well as smashing her personal bests in her 60m sprints!

Evie taking her place on the podium

Mohammed’s dedication and determination shone through in his recent karate grading, earning him ‘A’s across the board and a well-deserved yellow belt. His drive to push even further and aim for two grades next time is truly inspiring. We couldn’t be prouder—well done, Mohammed!

Brooke recently competed in the Bristol International Acro Cup. At Grade 2 level Brooke and her partner achieved 3rd place out of 22 pairs in their category! They were amazing, and this is such a credit to their hard work as it was a very hard competition with a really strong field.

Winnie and her relay team won silver and bronze medals in the Northumberland and Durham County Team swim championships today. She swam 50 metres of freestyle in 29 seconds and 100 metres free in 104. Both PBs. Both very fast!

Winnie swam up an age group and was competing against 15 and 16 year old swimmers this is an awesome achievement.

We take great pride in having craftsmanship and quality as one of our school’s 5 character traits, encouraging our students to produce work that reflects the highest standards. Last year, Lizzie Moody, exemplified these traits through her outstanding personal research in her ‘Leaders of Their Own Learning’  sessions where she studied the Holocaust.

Lizzie dedicated her time and effort to study this significant historical event, culminating in producing a presentation that was well-researched, structured, and engaging. Her work was so well-prepared that it was ‘indistinguishable from that of professionals’ which is one of the criteria we aim for when striving for craftsmanship and quality. Recognising the depth and quality of her presentation, both Mrs Ross and Miss Simpson chose to use it as a teaching resource for our Year 8 students in commemoration of Holocaust Memorial Day this year.

The Holocaust is an important and sensitive topic, and Lizzie’s presentation demonstrated not only academic excellence but also a deep understanding and respect for the subject. Her guiding question ‘Could the horrors of the Holocaust bring about any positives?’ demonstrated her maturity with the aim of studying this complex and dark historical event whilst looking to celebrate the achievements of those involved who were striving for a better future.

Lizzie’s presentation did address the horrors and devastation, that one of the darkest chapters in history brought about, with 6 million Jewish people, of many nationalities, being murdered at the hands of the Nazis, alongside a further 5 – 6 million people from minority groups, but she was careful to include the heroes of this time, in her presentation, so that the light was shone on them.

This educational experience for our students was further enriched by a guest speaker from the Jewish community, who shared personal insights and reflections on the Holocaust. The combination of this and Lizzie’s exceptional work  provided our students with a profound and meaningful opportunity to learn and reflect on a period that should never be forgotten.

Lizzie’s dedication and skill have not only enhanced her own learning but have also contributed significantly to the education of her peers. Well done, Lizzie!