Our school, along with several others in Gateshead, has agreed to participate in a very important Health Related Behaviour Questionnaire for our children and young people.

We have been asked to support the work of the Local Authority and Public Health and we will benefit from our participation in the survey by using the response to:

 Help us decide upon priority areas of development for the next 2 years.
 Be a starting point for discussion in staff, governor, and parent meetings, as well as in classroom activities.
 Help us look to strengthen existing programmes.
 Help to evaluate our PSHE and pastoral work.

The survey method that we are using has been developed by the Schools Health Education Unit, Exeter and has been in use now for over 40 years. Over 3000 schools have used the survey, many of them regularly repeating the survey.

The questions concern a wide range of health behaviours, for example:

Personal background Drugs (vaping, alcohol, other)
Leisure and money Food and diet
Exercise Safety in person and online
Relationships Sexual health (Year 10 only)

The data collected from the questionnaire is completely anonymous; no student will be able to be identified at any point in the process.

The information collated from the questionnaires will provide Gateshead Council with valuable data about the lives of children in Gateshead, which will be used to inform the development and delivery of Council provided and commissioned services. Both the Local Authority and the school find the content of the questionnaire acceptable and appropriate; it has been customised to suit our local setting.

Each questionnaire is anonymous and confidential, and no pupil will be identified when the data is returned to the school. The Local Authority will receive an overarching report covering all schools in Gateshead. Data Protection concerns are covered in the Privacy Notice for pupils, which can be found on the link.

I hope you will agree with us that this is an exercise in which we wish to co-operate fully.  There is currently no evidence-base that has data collected directly from our children and young people to help us use their voice in the work we do in Gateshead.

I will assume you do approve unless I hear otherwise. We hold a copy of the questionnaire in the school office, and if you would like to examine it, you are welcome to please email Miss Jones:  [email protected]

As part of the survey, it will be helpful if your child knows their partial postcode:
NE / DH _ _ _ (For example, NE3 4 or NE11 6)
The survey will be carried out between 10th to 31st March.

More information to be found here.docx

We are about to reach a really important moment in the growth of your child, as Year 9 will carry out their Passage Presentations to prove their readiness for GCSE studies.

Passage presentations with portfolios require and empower students to take the lead role in their own learning, building the dispositions and skills they will need to succeed in the next stages in education or training or in life.

Creating a portfolio and sharing it with a caring but critical audience is a powerful rite of passage for our students.

Passage Presentations last one hour. As family panellists you will listen to your child’s presentation, use rubrics to discuss the quality of the presentation with the other panellists, and then give feedback to the student.

Please use this form to indicate which slots would be your preference for booking a Passage Presentation time for your child.

As a follow up to our fieldwork to London, this week Year 8 students are working with our partners at the Shipley Art Gallery using Orbis in Gateshead as a venue.

• G30 Class 2 will be working at Orbis throughout the day on Tuesday 11th February
• G30 Class 1 will working at Orbis throughout the day on Thursday 13th February

We will be travelling to Heworth Metro on foot, and then onto Gateshead Interchange by Metro.

The fieldwork will take place entirely within the school day so students should arrive at school at the normal time and will be leaving school at the usual time too.

On the days that students are working at the art Gallery they will need:

• A packed lunch – we can provide packed lunches for students that have free school meals
• Full kit including charged iPad and water bottle
• Comfortable walking shoes or trainers and appropriate clothing for the weather.
• The forecast is currently rainy for Tuesday, and cold on both days.

On Friday 14th February, students will be conducting fieldwork to explore the question:
Why are there variations in life expectancy in Gateshead?

To prepare for this investigation, students have already analysed secondary data from the national census in school. Now, they will enhance their understanding by gathering primary data through firsthand observations and surveys.

Fieldwork

Students will spend the full day on foot, walking between XPGateshead, Felling Square, and Durham Road (Low Fell High Street) to examine inequalities in the local area. The data they collect will contribute directly to their final reports.

This fieldwork will also be a physical challenge, covering approximately 10km, providing excellent preparation for the Duke of Edinburgh Award (DofE)!

What Students Need to Bring:

✔ Full School kit
✔ Comfortable trainers or walking shoes
✔ At least one full water bottle (no refill points available during the day)
✔ A rain jacket (weather conditions may change)
✔ Packed lunch (provided for students on Free School Meals)

Important Notes:

This is an essential part of the students’ studies. If you have any concerns or questions, please contact your child’s Crew Leader or Miss Jones as soon as possible.

Below are two extracts from students’ report introductions—showcasing the fantastic work they have already begun! Stay tuned for updates on their findings! ‍♂️

‘The study had been created to highlight the vast differences in life expectancy within Gateshead. The two areas of the study are Gateshead and Felling. These areas have been chosen because they are in our local area and areas in contrast. We looked at the indices of multiple deprivation and found that Felling  is in the 10% most deprived LSOA ( Lower layer Super Output Areas) compared to Low Fell which is within the 50% least deprived. On this study we expect to see Low Fell will have a higher life expectancy due to lower level deprivation. This study will have a focus on the impact of smoking and vaping on health’ – Hallie

‘This study is to underline the vast variations of life expectancy in gateshead. Our 2 areas we have chosen to study are Felling and Low Fell, because of the amount of contrast they have, almost a 10 year life expectancy gap, which is also shown in the map below. We have also chosen these 2 locations as they are in a close proximity to our school, which allows us to be able to complete both locations in 1 day. This study highlights how more deprived areas have a lower life expectancy, and how smoking and vaping connects to this. To do this we are going to be using both primary and secondary data, such as a field sketch and a litter count, which can tell us how much smoking and vaping connect to areas of deprivation. More deprived areas might have more litter than less deprived areas, therefore impacting the life expectancy as there would be more pollution. We are also going to be looking at how levels of deprivation can impact the services available to the people living there, such as health services and access to healthy food.’ Scarlett 

 

 

 

 

This week, we proudly launched our Student Leadership Programme at XPGateshead! A huge congratulations to all our successful applicants who stepped up to take on leadership roles within our school.

Our newly appointed student leaders have already held their first meeting, where they explored what it means to be a leader at XPGateshead. This is the beginning of an exciting journey where they will play a key role in shaping our school community.

Meet Our G28 Student Leaders:

Sports Committee: Danny, Elyse, Leon, Lily D, Corbyn, and Will Q

Librarians & Student Readers: Bella, Freya, and Ruby

Art Leaders & Mentors: Mason, Leighla, Charlie B, Katie N, and Tyler M

Lead Ambassadors: Devin, Laisey, Anya and Bella

Lead Steward: Ethan B

Science & Maths Leaders & Mentors: Harris and Archie

This is in addition to our Digital Leaders and Climate Action Team, who continue to work hard in making a positive impact on our school community.

I can’t wait to see what our student mentors and leaders achieve in the coming months! Watch this space—G29 and G30 leadership opportunities will be launching soon!

Beautiful Work This Week

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.

Top of the Blogs

Know Yourself, Grow Yourself @ Norton Infants

Year 3 Singing with Geoff @ Green Top

Yummy Veggie Fajitas @ Plover

Do you want to make a pizza? @ Carcroft School

March against Segregation @ Norton Juniors

Weekly update for families @ XP Gateshead

X31 Skipper – Bringing a ‘Storm in a teashop’ to life! @ XP

E30’s Powerful Work on Macbeth @ XP East

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!

As you know, next week all students in G28 will be carrying out their first Teacher/Student-Led Conferences alongside their subject teachers and you.

Each conference will be strictly five minutes, with a few minutes of input from your child which our staff will support, and then there will be an opportunity for you to ask any questions of your child or their teacher.

• For G28 Class 1 this event will take place on Monday 10th February between 4pm and 7pm.
• For G28 Class 2 this event will take place on Tuesday 11th February between 4pm and 7pm.

Students have a booking sheet like this shared with them in their Crew Google Classroom. Tomorrow they will start to make appointments with their teachers for each conference, similar to more conventional parents’ evenings.

Please talk with your child about the time of evening that works best for you, so that your child can make appointments around those times.

Following these events next week, we will post some further guidance about revision and Year 10 study habits in the run up to mock examinations which will take place in the week commencing 28th April.

Don’t miss out on this fantastic opportunity to hear Jeff, a key influence behind the creation of XP, talk about his life, work and Jeff Tech High!

Book your place here!