Dear Families

We hope you have enjoyed the long and sunny weekend.  Last week we enjoyed some great work from students in and outside of school:

G29 Fieldwork

Students in G29 met with expert volunteers  from the Time to Help UK charity, who are supporting the Humanity Cartoon competition – a global competition using art to give voice to the stories of refugees. Students were able to talk to the experts about their own experiences of migration and analysed the many pieces of artwork to make inferences about the messages being conveyed. All of this in the wonderful surrounds of St Mary’s heritage centre.

Will, Arlo, Penny and Dakota then returned on Thursday to read the poem that is part of their final product, Home by Warsan Shire, as part of a day of performances connected to National Refugee Week.

G30 Art Workshop

We had the first of our workshops with the sculptor Bruce Tuckey for our Year 7 art leaders, who are creating sculptures in response to the riverside park of sculptures on the south bank of the Tyne. This week Bruce will be working with the remaining students in the leadership group from Year 7.

Art delivery to the Royal Academy of Arts Summer Exhibition

On Saturday, Miss Macphail travelled to London to deliver a very special piece of art to be exhibited in this year’s Summer Exhibition. 

Freya’s “Mr Pigeon” was delivered safely and will be shown in one of the most prestigious art galleries in the world. The Royal Academy is famous for showcasing new and established artists, bringing their work to a whole new audience. 

Saturday workshop ran by XPG students

Our student leaders from G29: Eliza, Nelly, Penny, Braydon, Reuben, and Harry met with migrant children at a Saturday school organised by our partners at the Comfrey Project and taught the children there how to make stop motion animation, using their learning from the creation of the final product for their current expedition.

Staff Days

On Friday and Monday, our staff have worked hard in school and with colleagues across the Trust planning next term’s expeditions.

‘At XP we build our community through activism, leadership and equity sharing our stories as we go.’

To fully realise these principles, at XP, we deliver our curriculum predominantly through cross disciplinary learning expeditions. These are standards based projects that are specifically designed to make connections between, and across, subjects to encourage deep, purposeful and memorable learning experiences for our young people. The careful planning of expeditions takes time and real craftsmanship and quality. Our staff have been considering each part of the expedition – immersions, guiding questions, case studies, work with experts, fieldwork and final products.

A special thanks goes out to Molly, Freya and Elina who gave up their time on Friday to update our toilet signs with an XP design by Ruby. Their work really does show that our students are crew not passengers.

At the start of the week we had a group of 15 teachers and leaders from XP Trust schools for a  day of learning at XPG. They were immersed in learning at XPG via Ambassador Tours, lesson visits and teaching and learning sessions with Mr Mead. 

Stand out moments revolved around ambassador tours which our students facilitated. The feedback about our students was simply stunning and worth sharing with you all

“The work you have done around culture is fabulous. The way the pupils articulated their educational offer was stunning”

“What an incredible day, your students blew us away. They are learning to be the most wonderful individuals who take pride in their learning and their school. The work you and your team have done at XPG is making a difference… they showed us… with their conduct and their integrity”

This week

Like was said on Friday, it’s a busy one!

G28 Fieldwork tomorrow

Year 9 students will be carrying out fieldwork to investigate the river Seaton Burn. Students will work together to collect data regarding the width, depth and velocity of the river. Students will also complete an activity connected to their poetry studies and will study species in the dunes at Seaton Sluice which are particular to that ecosystem. We will be travelling by coach to the venue for the day. The weather forecast is currently very warm, dry and sunny. The heat warning does not affect our region however students should be prepared for the hot and dry weather. All year 9 students will need:

• Their regular kit for the day
• Suncream and cap/hat
• A second pair of trainers, wellies or shoes that can get wet
• A large bottle of drinking water
• Ideally shorts rather than longer bottoms or leggings
  • bottoms or leggings that can be rolled up are OK
• Bug spray if required

We expect to be back to school at the normal time, traffic dependent so will post on the website if there are any delays.

Climate Action Plan and G29 workshops

Also on Tuesday, our Climate Action Plan leadership group will be working with our expert Gemma Sarigu to finalise their proposals for how the school could be more sustainable.

On Tuesday Year 8 students will also carry out a workshop with Gemma on climate adaptability, which will both feed into the action plan, and also connects to students’ learning about migration – with changes in climate becoming an increasingly prevalent push factor which causes people to migrate.

G30 Fieldwork – Wednesday 26th June

All Year 7 students will be carrying out fieldwork including data collection techniques and observational skills, through practical activities and investigations in our local river environment.

This will involve travel by Metro and walking between Newcastle and Gateshead. The weather forecast is currently warm with potential showers. As such students will need:

• Comfortable walking shoes or trainers
• appropriately dress for our current changeable weather including
  • hat and suncream
  • waterproof coat
• A packed lunch. (This will be provided for students who are entitled to free school meals if they request one.)
  A backpack with a pen, pencil, rubber, and iPad. Most bags are not waterproof, so we suggest putting kit inside a plastic bag inside the rucksack.

As usual, students need to be in school for 8.25am ready for their final briefing. We expect to return to school slightly later than the normal school at around 3:45 pm. We will update the school website in the event of any delays.

G30 Art Workshops – Thursday 27th June

The final workshop for art student leaders with Bruce Tuckey will be taking place on Thursday in school this week. This week it will be: Freya, Caleb, Lexi J, Lizzie, Olivia W, Amelia, Kayden, Josh, Lexi S, Evie, George, Danny, Holly, Lily-Mae S, Isaac and James. Students will be creating sculptures so should wear clothes which you do not mind getting dirty.

PE sessions this week

Some PE sessions will not run this week due to the staff day. PE time will be paid back in coming weeks with additional sessions and Crew Day

• G29 students (Y8) have PE on Wednesday this week
• G28 students (Y9)
  • G28 Class 1 have PE on Thursday this week.
  • G29 Class 2 have PE on Friday this week 
• G30 students (Y7) do not have PE this week due to the staff day today.

As you know we have another staff day on Monday next week, where we will be continuing to plan for learning expeditions in our next academic year.

It is a particularly packed week next week with fieldwork and expert sessions. We will post our usual weekly update, however for next week it is important to note:

Tuesday 25th June

Year 9 students will be carrying out fieldwork to investigate the river Seaton Burn. Students will work together to collect data regarding the width, depth and velocity of the river. Students will also complete an activity connected to their poetry studies and will study species in the dunes at Seaton Sluice which are particular to that ecosystem. We will be travelling by coach to the venue for the day. The weather forecast is currently warm, dry and sunny spells.

All year 9 students will need:

• Their regular kit for the day
• Suncream and cap/hat
• A second pair of trainers, wellies or shoes that can get wet
• A large bottle of drinking water
• Ideally shorts rather than longer bottoms or leggings
  • bottoms or leggings that can be rolled up are OK
• Bug spray if required

We expect to be back to school at the normal time, traffic dependent so will post on the website if there are any delays.

Also on Tuesday, our Climate Action Plan leadership group will be working with our expert Gemma Sarigu to finalise their proposals for the how the school could be more sustainable.

On Tuesday Year 8 students will also carry out a workshop with Gemma on climate adaptability, which will both feed into the action plan, and also connects to students’ learning about migration – with changes in climate becoming an increasingly prevalent push factor which causes people to migrate.

Wednesday 26th June

All Year 7 students will be carrying out fieldwork including data collection techniques and observational skills, through practical activities and investigations in our local river environment.

This will involve travel by Metro and walking between Newcastle and Gateshead. The weather forecast is currently warm with potential showers. As such students will need:

• Comfortable walking shoes or trainers
• appropriately dress for our current changeable weather including
  • hat and suncream
  • waterproof coat
• A packed lunch. (This will be provided for students who are entitled to free school meals if they request one.)
  A backpack with a pen, pencil, rubber, and iPad. Most bags are not waterproof, so we suggest putting kit inside a plastic bag inside the rucksack.

As usual, students need to be in school for 8.25am ready for their final briefing. We expect to return to school slightly later than the normal school at around 3:45 pm. We will update the school website in the event of any delays.

Thursday 27th June

The final workshop for art student leaders with Bruce Tuckey will be taking place on Thursday in school this week. This week it will be: Freya, Caleb, Lexi J, Lizzie, Olivia W, Amelia, Kayden, Josh, Lexi S, Evie, George, Danny, Holly, Lily-Mae S, Isaac and James. Students will be creating sculptures so should wear clothes which you do not mind getting dirty.

Looking Ahead

Our Transition Days for Year 6 children are on Tuesday 2nd and Wednesday 3rd July.

Each day will start at 8.25am with students able to arrive from 8.00am.

Each day will end at 3.15pm.

We look forward to welcoming our 50 new G31 students into school.

Dear Families

We enjoyed another great week last week and as always, it is great to see students pushing themselves and each other to be successful.

End of year assessments started last week for some subjects and I have been really pleased to see our students step up to the challenge showing real maturity and focus. Assessments continue (see last week’s post for details) and extended study continues to focus on revision this week.

On Thursday, we held an online whole school community meeting for all students and looked at the learning journey students have been on this year. It’s really important to stand back and reflect on journey and it is impressive to see just how much our students have achieved this year. Our students are working on a written reflection of the year which will be shared with you alongside their Crew Leader reflections and a final snapshot at the end of term.

Student Leadership 

“At XP, we build our community through activism, leadership and equity, sharing our stories as we go…”

This week we have seen multiple examples of great student leadership at work.

Year 7 Art student leaders carried out fieldwork with artist Bruce Tuckey in preparation for creating sculptures inspired by the Riverside Sculpture Park between Gateshead and Dunston along the Tyne.

A team from our Digital Leaders have been working alongside the XP Trust Comms Crew, taking on the role of professional sound technicians to carry out the important work of recording and editing the final folk songs written and performed by G30 students as well as recording final products for all cohorts including the G30 Do Your Bit radio performance, and poetry recitals from G28 and G29.

Mr Hewitt’s feedback on the day was extremely positive and complimentary:

“Could you pass on to all the students that I worked with yesterday that they were amazing and true professionals. I have many great days at work and this was one of the best days at work I’ve had.”

Crew Stanton’s Charity work this week organising and running a Football Tournament for the whole school was a huge success and enjoyed by students, staff and families alike. The work put in by this crew was stunning – advertising, organising teams and fixtures, ticket sales, refreshments including BBQ goods. The rain didn’t dampen the spirits of our teams or the spectators! A great example of activism from our students, making the world a better place.

Our Climate Action Plan student leadership group continued their work on developing a set of proposals for how we can make our school more sustainable including actions connected to: green spaces and trees, paper waste, rewilding, energy efficiency, food and food waste and raising awareness. Leaders will present to their peers our DfE project manager at the end of the academic year. They will also run a ‘teach the teacher’ session on what they have learned about sustainability. Again huge thanks to our experts at Students Owning Sustainability, in particular Gemma Sarigu.

Our student leaders in performance have been continuing to work hard to prepare for their show in Doncaster as part of the XP Trust Festival of Arts on Friday 12th July. XP Gateshead will have representation from our dancers, choir and rock band.

This week

Assessment Fortnight for all students continues

G28 Assessment timetable

• Monday 17th June AM History / RE 1 hour
• Tuesday 18th June PM English Language 1 hour
• Wednesday 19th June AM Spanish 1 hour (Reading / Listening)
• Thursday 20th June AM Science 75 mins

G29 Assessment timetable

• Tuesday 18th June AM English Language 1 hour
• Wednesday 19th June PM History / RE 1 hour
• Thursday 20th June PM Science 75 mins

G30 Assessment timetable

• CLASS 1 & 2: Monday 17th June AM English 45 mins
• CLASS 1: Tuesday 18th June AM History 30 mins
• CLASS 2: Tuesday 18th June AM Spanish 1 hour
• CLASS 1: Wednesday 19th June AM Spanish 1 hour
• CLASS 2: Wednesday 19th June AM History 30 mins
• CLASS 1 & 2: Thursday 20th June AM Geography 1 hour
• CLASS 1 & 2: Thursday 20th June PM Science 1 hour

Maths end of year assessment will take place in the fortnight commencing 2nd July.

PE sessions this week

Some PE sessions will not run this week due to assessments. PE time will be paid back in coming weeks with additional sessions and Crew Day

• G30 students (Y7) have PE on Monday this week
• G29 students (Y8):
  • G29 Class 1 have PE on Tuesday this week.
  • G29 Class 2 do not have PE this week 
• G28 students (Y9) do not have PE this week 

G28 Pathways

Information on the pathways and courses in our offer can be found here. As was posted earlier last week, we are offering a drop-in session for families who would like more support and advice from teachers and Crew Leaders on Tuesday 18th June between 5pm and 6pm.

G29 Fieldwork – Wednesday 19th June

On Wednesday of this week all G29 students will be carrying out fieldwork at the Glasshouse in Gateshead connected to their guiding question “Is migration worth the risk?” As part of national refugee week, students will visit a hosted art exhibition led by volunteer refugees. They will explore art inspired by refugee journeys to gain greater understanding of what these people faced and the factors that caused them to migrate to the UK.

Students will leave school at 9.15am and return to school for a slightly later lunch than is usual at 12.45pm. This means that you do not need to provide a packed lunch unless your child usually has a packed lunch.

Students will travel by Metro and on foot so comfortable walking shoes or trainers will be needed, as well as being prepared for the weather. The current forecast is mild and cloudy with sunny spells.  There is little chance of rain at the moment.  Suncream is needed as students will be walking during the middle of the day.

G30 Art workshop 1 – Thursday 20th June

The first workshop for art students leaders with Bruce Tuckey will be taking place this Thursday in school this week. All 24 of the student leaders will take part over the coming weeks. This week it will be: Ethan, Adam, Elina, Molly, Parisa, Joe, Lily-Ann B. Layla E. Students will be creating sculptures so should wear clothes which you do not mind getting dirty.

Staff Day – Friday 21st June

Friday is the first of our staff days this half term, the second is on Monday 24th June. Our staff team will be planning for next year’s expeditions. Students will not be expected to be in school on Friday or Monday.

Looking Ahead 

Staff day

Monday 24th June is the second of our staff days this half term (and the last this academic year).

We are also expecting an Ofsted visit this final half-term and are really looking forward to the opportunity for our students to shine and showcase their brilliant learning, beautiful work, development of their character and academic success. We will let you know as soon as we are given the indication that we will be inspected and post an update on this website.

As part of the inspection process, Ofsted will ask for your views. It has been a privilege to listen to the things that you have told families in Year 6 about our school which has been fed back to us through our transition process. 

We are very aware of the trust that you place in us as families as a new school that is yet to be inspected. There are many stakeholders of our school including Ofsted, our governors and staff. As families you are equal partners in developing and sustaining our community so that it benefits the most important stakeholders of all: our children.

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