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Tomorrow morning’s 8am breakfast revision session will be focused on the Unseen Poetry section of the Literature exam (which is tomorrow morning). This is worth 40 out of the 120 marks on the paper.
We have spent the least amount of time on this section in sessions so a very strong recommend for students to attend!
It has been another busy week at XP Gateshead with some great work from students and staff alike. We have had several visitors in school this week who have all commented on how confident and articulate our students are when talking about their learning, the strength of relationships at XPG which mean our students are safe, are known, feel seen and valued.
Whenever visitors come to XPG, it is our students who give ambassador tours. Like our open evenings, Presentations of Learning, Student led Conferences and Passage presentations it is the voice of our students which is the most important and we continue to use every platform for them to use their voice and be the leaders of their learning. Here is some feedback Brodie and Scarlett in Year 9 received this week from a visitor:
“I am writing to thank you for your time today. I am so grateful to you for explaining the way your school works and the special things about your experience as students there which make it such an excellent place to learn.
I have had the opportunity to visit many, many schools in my time but I have never been as impressed as I was today by the clarity and meaningfulness of what you shared with me. I agree with you that you are receiving a brilliant education which is going to help you to become the people you want to be. I have no doubt that you will put it to good use for the benefit of the wider community.
Thank you again. As I said, I will not forget you; you have made a profound impression on me and you did a fantastic job of representing your school community in a very positive light.”
G31 and G30 students have all had their Summer expeditions and guiding questions revealed and have made a great start to these new expeditions. This term’s expeditions and guiding questions are:
Students will investigate how river and coastal processes shape the land and the species that live in these ecosystems. They will also study a range of literature inspired by water including an anthology of poems and Shakespeare’s ‘The Tempest’. They will create art inspired by nature and as a final product will write articles connected to the water quality in our rivers and seas and will do service learning to clean up local wild spaces.
Students will look at push and pull factors that lead to migration, and will study some cases where conditions have led people to seek refuge such as war or climate change, as well as economic factors such as rural to urban migration in India. They will work with our partners at the Comfrey project to be able to hear the stories of migrants first-hand and will create artwork inspired by the geometric patterns found in Islamic art and architecture connecting this to data about migration.
Year 7 Class 1 students carried out fieldwork this week to our local nature reserve to investigate the area close to the pond and how the water in this area impacts on biodiversity. Class 2 will carry out the same fieldwork in a few weeks time.
G29 students have continued to impress us with their high quality script writing in readiness for their Public Health Conference which takes place on Friday 9th May at 2pm.
Last week saw the start of our G28 mock exams for year 10 students which will continue over the next two weeks. We are running these exams in the same way that final GCSEs run so that our students get a realistic experience to learn from and build upon. See the recent mock exam information post for parents and students here.
As you know our 3-Dimensional curriculum has a relentless focus on beautiful work, character growth and academic success. We have seen that when children are supported and challenged to go beyond their comfort zones, to produce beautiful work beyond which they thought possible, then in turn they grow and become stronger in character. This sets them on a pathway to achieve well and enjoy academic success.
Transition has started for our new G32 cohort. We are really looking forward to getting to know our new students and families this week as online family meetings take place for every child with their family. Families will receive invites to these meetings in the coming days.
There are some changes to PE sessions again this week due to staff absence. As you know, Mr Devitt is recovering from a broken ankle and we have been working hard to cover sessions with staff who are known to our students. We are grateful to Lauren Cadenas for supporting us further at XPG and allowing us to get another afternoon of sport expertise for students on top of her usual Thursday sessions with Year 9 and Year 10. Please make sure that your child has their full PE kit for sessions.
Extended study and after school clubs will be running Monday to Thursday as usual this week.
If you have any questions please contact your child’s crew leader in the first instance.
Julie Mosley
Duke of Edinburgh Award Update – G29 Summer Term
This term, G29 will be embarking on their Duke of Edinburgh expedition. Today in school, students received an update on what’s coming up as part of their DofE Award this summer, and we’d like to share the key information with parents and carers too.
Monday 12th May – Crew Day
During this Crew Day, G29 will be developing essential expedition skills. This includes learning how to pitch and dismantle a tent, cook on a camp stove, and pack a rucksack effectively. Students are encouraged to bring their kit so they can pack their bags exactly as they would for the final expedition (see below).
Friday 16th May – Practice Expedition (location TBC)
Students will travel by Metro with their packed rucksacks and complete a 10km walk while carrying their gear. Upon returning to school, they will use their skills from Crew Day to cook a meal, pitch a tent, and repack their bags independently.
It is essential that all students complete this successfully before leaving the site to ensure they are fully prepared for the final expedition.
G29 will finish at the later time of 4:30pm on this day to allow time for these tasks. However, students are expected to stay beyond 4:30pm if necessary to complete all activities. The spirit of Crew will be vital—students will be encouraged to support one another to ensure everyone finishes on time.
Friday 13th June – Kit Deadline
While we recommend students have their kit ready for the 12th May bag-packing activity, we understand this may be short notice. All students must have their full kit—or a clear plan for acquiring it (e.g. borrowing from school)—by Friday 13th June. This allows time to resolve any outstanding issues.
Friday 4th & Saturday 5th July – Final Expedition (near Hexham)
Students should arrive at school as normal on Friday 4th July. They will travel by coach to the expedition starting point and complete a 10km walk, before camping overnight at Greencarts Campsite.
On Saturday, they will complete another 10km walk and return to school by coach. Parents should expect an arrival time of approximately 4:00pm, though this may vary depending on how quickly groups complete the route.
Friday 11th July – eDofE Evidence Deadline
All evidence for Volunteering, Physical, and Skills sections must be uploaded to eDofE by this date. Crew leaders will support students, but they already have access and are encouraged to upload evidence as they go.
Evidence can be flexible—photos are helpful, but written reflections are also valid. If your child is using an external activity (e.g. football training), a brief note from a coach (typed or handwritten and photographed) is sufficient. Students have full control over their eDofE accounts and can access them at any time.
Students should now begin preparing their expedition kit. Ideally, this should be complete by 12th May for the bag-packing activity. Where possible, we ask for your support in helping students gather their kit.
While items can be purchased new, borrowing from friends or family is a great way to reduce costs. The school also has a small selection of kit available to borrow for families facing financial difficulty.
Please see the Bronze DofE Kit List and guidance on Choosing Kit and Suppliers. It’s important to read this carefully before buying anything to avoid spending money on inappropriate gear.
Footwear is the most important piece of kit. Students must have waterproof walking boots with good ankle support.
It is highly recommended that these boots are worn during the practice expedition on 16th May to ensure they are comfortable and suitable for the final two-day expedition.
Trainers are not appropriate—the route includes soft, rocky, and muddy terrain. Proper boots help keep feet dry, prevent injuries, and make the experience far more manageable. Walking and camping for two days is challenging enough without soggy socks, blisters or twisted ankles!
Further updates will follow as we approach key dates. In the meantime, if you have any questions, please contact Ms R Marshall via email.
Here’s a selection of beautiful work from across the XP Trust from this week. To read about other stories from across the XP Trust, visit xptrust.org.
G31 Year 7 POL – Tonight! @ XP Gateshead
A Fairytale Tea Party @ Norton Infants
On Monday, G28 students will begin their mock exams. These assessments are designed to closely mirror the formal GCSE exams they will sit in Year 11, giving students valuable experience and helping them feel confident and prepared for next year.
Attached to this post is a copy of the Instructions for Candidates. This guidance will also be shared with all students tomorrow and is available on their Google Classroom.
Please take a moment to review these instructions with your child and remind them of the importance of following official exam conditions. Failure to comply with exam regulations could lead to disqualification from their GCSEs.
Today, we wish a happy St George’s Day to all who acknowledge and celebrate it.
St George, remembered as the patron saint of England and many other countries, is celebrated not only for his links to Christianity but also for the values he represents. Though his legendary tale of slaying a dragon is widely regarded as a myth, St George is honoured for his courage and steadfastness in standing up for his beliefs, even in the face of persecution.
The legendary figure of St George links well to the character traits we work hard to develop at XP: Respect, Courage, Integrity, Craftsmanship and Quality, and above all, Compassion.
Today is a good day to take a moment to honour those who show bravery, kindness and integrity in their daily lives.
All G31 students will undertake fieldwork tomorrow during school hours at Windy Nook nature reserve.
Please can parents be advised that all students will need to be prepared for all weathers including suitable footwear for walking (potentially a spare pair of shoes) that can get muddy, and layers for warmth. If your child suffers from allergies outdoors and would typically take medication for this then please ensure they do so.
Students will return in time for school lunch so a packed lunch is not necessary.
Regular kit is needed including a fully charged iPad and a water bottle.
On Thursday 24th April 3:30-4:30, Miss Tatters and Miss Simpson will be hosting a revision session for G28 students in advance of mocks.
The session will be split into 2 30 minute sessions, 30 minutes on Vikings and 30 minutes on A Christmas Carol.
Snacks will be provided!
Attending a revision class with a specialist in the subject who knows the exam is 100% a better way to spend an hour revising than doing your own thing at home.
If you would like support with directing your child to attend this session, please get in touch with your child’s crew leader who can support with ensuring their attendance.
Welcome back, we hope you have enjoyed the Easter Bank Holiday break.
We had a good start back to school last week and the vast majority of students have settled back with us quickly and, as always, have impressed us with their HoWLs, character values and their engagement in learning during last week’s immersion.
It was wonderful to see so many families last week for G28’s public debate at Newcastle Sixth Form College. Our students had a fantastic day on campus, getting a chance to use the great facilities on site and find out what’s available to them for post 16 study at the college.
It was great to see debating teams challenge each other around some key topics on democracy, feminism, genetics, social media, the right to protest and the persecution of minorities in Nazi Germany. The confidence shown by our students and their speaking skills conveying the deep understanding of content covered in this expedition was stunning.
The slides that Mr Said spoke to during the PoL evening can be found by clicking here. Students will be introduced to the Placementt app in upcoming Crew sessions.
Like many of you I thoroughly enjoyed watching the pre-recorded G31 PoL last Thursday which was broadcast on Youtube. For those who haven’t seen it, watch the presentation online by clicking on this link.
A huge congratulations goes to all of our Year 7 students for their craftsmanship and quality in this work and special mention to our Digital Leaders who recorded this work.
Our Year 7 and Year 8 students were working hard in immersion last week, making connections between their studies in lessons, building background knowledge and developing curiosity.
Year 7 were studying freshwater species and their adaptations in STEAM, and in HUMAN were investigating how the power of water has been represented in literature and its symbolism in religion. In ARTS students were carrying out observational drawing of water settings using the grid method.
In HUMAN Year 8 have been looking at how migrants and refugees stories have been represented, and have looked at first-hand accounts of both refuge and migration. In STEAM, students have also been studying the island nation of Tuvalu and their pleas for richer nations to take more urgent action to tackle climate change. In ARTS students have looked at objects with sentimental value and building skills in using oil pastels to represent these objects.
This week their new guiding questions will be revealed along with the challenges and new learning this term’s expeditions will bring.
G29 continued to work hard on their current expedition ‘You Give Me Fever’’. Our students continued to look at public health over time and investigate health inequalities in Gateshead today, looking at the correlation between disease and deprivation. Preparations have now started in earnest for the Public Health Conference which this year is on the theme of tobacco and smoking.
We appreciate this is an earlier than normal start, however this has been carefully considered and will allow us to make use of professionals as part of the process.
There are a minority of students who took longer to settle last week and we have invested a significant amount of staff time picking up issues around friendships which have played out online outside of school. This is definitely not what we expect or want to spend time on and we ask for your support, as parents and carers, to monitor your child’s online communications outside of school hours.
As you know, character growth is a key component of our 3-Dimensional curriculum at XP Gateshead and we all (students, staff and families) have a responsibility to support the development of our character values of courage, craftsmanship and quality, respect, integrity and compassion.
I understand the challenges that being a parent or carer of a teenager brings and how difficult this can be, especially around social media and finding the right balance between privacy, monitoring and trust. Here are some useful links to support conversations with your teenager:
This week marks the start of our mock exams with Fine Art students completing a practical mock exam in Art during the whole day on Tuesday. The mock exam for Photography students will take place in the final half-term.
The main mock exam session takes place between Monday 28th April and Thursday 8th May:
Students should continue the revision for their upcoming mocks. Staff have put together this revision website as a guide for families which has a wealth of information to help you to support your child right the way through to the final assessments in Year 11 next year.
You can access this any time by going to the XP Gateshead website and clicking on Parents – GCSE Revision on the menus.
This fieldwork will take place in the Windy Nook Nature reserve on Wednesday morning – students will be back in school for the normal lunch time. The forecast is set to be dry and cool. Students will need to be prepared with:
Due to the shortened four day week, our PE sessions this week are shown below. Please ensure that your child has their full PE kit.
Extended study and after school clubs will be running this week.
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
Happy Easter Sunday to all our students, families and friends who celebrate today.
