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Here’s a selection of beautiful work from across the XP Trust!
To read about other stories from across the XP Trust, visit xptrust.org.
Outstanding Craftsmanship and Quality in X29! @ XP
Crew Hoy – Not Passengers @ XP East
Continuing Our Marvellous ME Expedition @ Norton Infants
Weekly Update for Families @ XP Gateshead
Next week there is a virtual work experience opportunities with HSBC. There are two experiences for students in year groups 7-9 (First Step) and 10-11 (Next Step). These events are taking place outside of school hours, so you students would sign up and then access them from home individually.
“Pitch for a Purpose: Plan the Ultimate Charity Event with HSBC”
“HSBC the National Trust – Nature Projects That Make a Difference”
Good morning,
Please see a message below from the school Immunisation team regarding the flu vaccination.
Dear parent / guardian,
As you will know, all school children in the UK are offered their flu vaccination in school in the autumn or early winter before the flu season typically starts in December or January. This ensures your children have the best protection when flu starts to spread. The flu season usually starts in October, but it is usually worse from December to March. The School Aged Immunisation Team offer the flu vaccination to over 130,000 children in 487 schools. Some schools will be given a date in November or December. The children will still get protection even if they are vaccinated late in the school term.
We change our planner every year, so the same schools are not visited at the end of the flu season.
Please see the link below if you require any further information.
Kind regards,
School Immunisation Team
If you have not already signed the consent form, please see details for XP School below.
The following date has been planned XP Gateshead: 04/11/2025
Can parents please complete the following consent form, for siblings, you will need to complete separate forms for each child.
https://www.northumbriaimmunisations.co.uk/Forms/Flu
The school code is: NB148617
Kind Regards
School Office
On Thursday 25th September, G28 Geographers will be taking part in their second compulsory fieldwork visit of the course, to Seaham.
The focus of the day will be the enquiry question: “How is erosion changing the coastline at Seaham?”
To be properly prepared in addition to normal kit, students will need:
A packed lunch
A waterproof jacket
Suitable footwear (sports trainers or walking boots)
The weather is currently sunny with clouds and 16°C but it may be windy at the coast so please ensure students are wearing warm clothes.
We aim to return to school by 3:30pm. However, as trains from Seaham to Heworth only run once per hour, it is possible that we may not arrive back until around 4:30pm. If there are any delays to our expected 3:30pm return, an update will be posted on the school blog.
At the start of last week we spoke to all students about the need to uphold our character traits in light of the multiple challenging situations that our society faces, where young people – often through social media – are more likely to be exposed to views which promote violence or discrimination.
Teaching through expeditions and having Crew at the centre of our work affords us the opportunity to go beyond the National Curriculum with our students and in addition pay close attention to making a stand for social justice, cultivating diversity and belonging and protecting our planet – key issues of our time and ones that we need the next generation of young people to continue to address.
Whilst the solutions to these issues are difficult, we know that as individuals, as families and as a community the way to face them is with respect, courage, integrity, craftsmanship & quality and above all…. Compassion.
As we have said many times before, our character traits are not just words on a wall. We expect each other to model them and support and challenge each other to do so – that goes for all members of our community: students, staff and families alike.
Every week our students demonstrate our character traits in spades, and every week we celebrate these and honour them through our community meetings and share updates here.
We also take great joy in receiving messages from families about development of character and successes outside of school. Below are some recent achievements of our students, going above and beyond in beautiful work and developing their chacrater!
Will in Year 11 and his brother smashed their target to raise £500 for Crew Franks Charity Sir Bobby Robson thanks to some amazing support!
Harry in Year 10 gained a sliver in Teams Kumite and a bronze in Pairs Kata when competing in the Northern Open Classic International Karate Championship.
Brooke in Year 8 has achieved her maiden first place, and after stepping up to grade 3. This is a brilliant achievement.
Sylvia in Year 8 recently competed in a relay meet representing Gateshead Harriers, running in the 4 x 100m U13 relay team placing 3rd and then 2nd. Gateshead Harriers won the overall competition and secured the ‘cup’!
Hector and Josh in Year 7 also completed the Junior Great North Run, and Hector was awarded club member of the year for his trampolining club as well as receiving an award to recognise his success at national competitions throughout the season with his syncro partner.
Mia in Year 7 has been volunteering with Richmond Exotics, a local reptile rescue and education centre, for over a year. She’s raised almost £300 so far by making and selling homemade bracelets, crochet animals, keyrings, and sweets at stalls and events.
On Friday this week we will celebrate the European Day of Languages, focussing on the importance of valuing other cultures as well as where the study of language can take you in life, and the doors that a language opens.
Students are invited to come to school in Spanish themed dress on Friday, which could be as simple as a red or yellow item of clothing. We think Miss Fielding might well come dressed in full flamenco!
We will also mark the occasion with a range of events in school, many of which also have a Spanish focus, that being our taught language at KS3 and KS4:
Students in G30 Class 2 will be travelling to the Farrell Centre on Newcastle University Campus tomorrow morning – Tuesday 23rd September – to learn more about their brief for their final project and to see the exhibits at the national centre for architecture. More details here. Class 1 will be doing the same fieldwork next week.
Students in G28 Geography will be carrying out fieldwork on Thursday 25th September to look at the impact of coastal erosion on Seaham’s beach. They will be travelling on foot and by rail. Students will need to be prepared for the weather and will need a packed lunch. We will return to school by 3.30pm. More details to follow.
Provisionally we are also close to finalising fieldwork on Thursday 25th September for GCSE RS students to visit a mosque, connected to their study of Islam for their final examination. This will be confirmed as soon as possible.
Last year Crew Darling carried out sponsored work on a Crew day to be able to fund a visit to the Farne Islands and the coast where their Crew’s namesake Grace Darling carried out her incredible rescue. Crew Darling will be travelling to Northumberland via minibus and then weather permitting using Billy Shiels boats to tour the Farne Islands on Friday 26th September during the school day. More details have been shared with families in an email from Mrs Ross.
Breakfast club continues each morning from 7.45am.
Our supervised extended study will run again this week after school from 3.30pm until 4.30pm. We will be starting tasters for clubs soon. More info to come in a separate post.
Please can parents make sure that their child has a PE kit for PE sessions. We expect students to change into their appropriate PE kit, and not wear the same clothes they wear in school. Similarly, students must change out of PE kit afterwards, into their normal school clothes. For safety, jewellery must be removed and hair must be tied back.
G32 students (Year 7) have PE on Wednesday.
G31 students (Year 8) have PE on Tuesday.
G30 students (Year 9) have PE on Thursday.
Due to our staff day on Monday, there is no PE for Year 10 or 11 this week.
As usual if you have any questions about your son or daughter please get in touch with your child’s Crew Leader in the first instance or email general enquiries to [email protected].
Thank you as always for your ongoing support. Together we are stronger #WeAreCrew.
Julie Mosley
Here’s a selection of beautiful work from across the XP Trust!
To read about other stories from across the XP Trust, visit xptrust.org.
First week back – CREW CHIPS @ XP
Rain or shine: Learning outside every time @ Norton Infants
G28 morning fitness, breakfast, revision! @ XP Gateshead
An important part of this year will be considering Post-16 options for the next stages in your child’s education and training. Throughout this year, we will continue to work with students to help them to make good decisions about what they want to do and where they want to go after their time at XP.
We will be hosting an information evening for all G28 families on Monday 6th October at 6pm. This will include information on supporting your child through Year 11 examinations, as well as guidance around helping them to make choices for Post-16 pathways.
Our local colleges and sixth forms also host a range of Open Evenings for students and their families to find out more about the courses that they offer. We are sharing these links and dates (where published) now so you can plan if you would like to attend.
Gateshead College offer a range of A-Levels, Level 2 & Level-3 vocational courses and T-Levels.
https://www.gateshead.ac.uk/support/16-18-how-to-apply/
Gateshead College will publish their Open Evenings here.
Newcastle College offer a range of A-Levels, Level 2 & Level-3 vocational courses and T-Levels.
https://www.ncl-coll.ac.uk/study-areas/16-18-college/
Newcastle Sixth Form College offer a range of A-Levels and a Year 12 access course. The college is adjacent to the Rye Hill Newcastle College campus.
https://www.newcastlesixthformcollege.ac.uk/subjects
The following schools in Gateshead have sixth forms as part of their provision, see their websites for more details:
On Tuesday 23rd September, G30 Class 2 will be heading out on fieldwork to the Farrell Centre, an architecture museum in Newcastle upon Tyne. During the visit, students will take part in a workshop on regeneration in Gateshead, which will help them explore and answer their guiding question:
“Why are structures important in helping to explain our world?”
Students will return to school in the afternoon. Please ensure your child:
Brings a packed lunch
Wears their full kit
Has a jacket – the forecast is currently cool, cloudy and dry, but with the weather being so changeable, it’s best to be prepared!
Class 1 will complete the same fieldwork on Tuesday 30th September and will also need to bring a packed lunch.
Big shout out to Holly, Maddie, Ethan, Archie, Evan, Daniel and Oliver for attending fitness this morning; great work! The session will be the same Thursday, so anyone who slept in today is welcome to join Thursday, please let Miss Tatters or Mr Devitt know. Can you also aim to arrive by 7:10am so that we can make a prompt 7:15am start please.
There were an additional 13 students joined for English Literature revision this morning at 8:05am – well done to; Sonny, Rafa, Bella, Louis, Anya, Katie, Jess, Macie, Daria, Sabrina, Daniel, Charlie, Lily. This morning focused on Death of a Naturalist by Seamus Heaney and the slides are on classroom if you missed it.
Thursday morning will be a history session focused on the Victoria Tunnels during the Industrial Period. The session will start promptly at 8:05am so if you want breakfast, you must arrive earlier to get this. Thanks to Katie, Anya and Lily for offering some helpful critique of the session too. We welcome any critique from students and are committed to ensuring these sessions are as helpful as possible.
We hope to see everyone again (plus some extras) on Thursday.
We have continued to be impressed with the vast majority of our students this week and the HOWLs (habits of work and learning) they are exhibiting in sessions. It has been great to see the fantastic start G32 have made and hear praise from the team who work with our new cohort.
On Friday it was wonderful to hear G32 students’ appreciations, apologies and stands during their Community Meeting and I look forward to this week’s Community Meetings with our other year groups. The language our students use around our character values and HoWLs shows a real depth of understanding and commitment to character development. These are not just words on a wall at XPG
At the start of last week immersion came to the end for all year groups and guiding questions (GQs) have been set with all students.
GQs influence, shape and act as a reference point for student learning. GQs provoke thinking and deepen learning throughout the 12 week expedition and allow students to be engaged in authentic and purposeful work which makes connections between different subject areas and disciplines. During the course of a learning expedition, our children experience a range of case studies, with challenging texts which deepen their understanding and help them to develop an answer to the rich GQ for the expedition.
At XP we make our work public. One of the most important ways we do this is through Presentations of Learning (PoLs). PoLs usually take place towards the end of expeditions and they are used as an opportunity for students to showcase their learning from their most current learning expedition. PoLs enable students to grow their character and further embed their learning through presenting their work in front of a range of authentic audiences and in a variety of contexts. In addition, students develop oracy skills by presenting to different audiences and in different contexts which builds confidence and further allows students to grow their character whilst developing key skills.
It is essential that each student has at least one family member in attendance at PoLs. Presentations of Learning are designed to help students develop character, showcase their beautiful work, and reinforce the vital partnership between family, school, and students in their academic and personal growth.
The presentation of learning for this event will be held on Tuesday 16th December 2025 at St Mary’s Church in Heworth from 4.30pm until 5.45pm. Please keep this evening free in your diaries.
G31’s presentation of learning will be held on the evening Thursday 11th December in school.
G30’s presentation of learning will take place on the evening of Wednesday 10th December at Newcastle University Campus including the Farrell Centre.
The final product for this expedition is service learning, and the presentation of learning for this expedition will take place at Edberts House in our community. More details to follow.
Students will be producing revision resources to Romeo and Juliet as their final product and will also perform excerpts from the play with directorial narration and analysis of each scene.
This Presentation of Learning will take place on the evening of Wednesday 17th December in school.
Last week we launched our brand-new Breakfast Club, giving every student the chance to start their day in the best possible way. My thanks go to Miss Jones who has worked with Magic Breakfast and the team from Crew Frank and Crew Parks who set up every day this week offering delicious toast, bagels and crumpets to our students. The club runs every school morning from 7.45am to 8:10am and all students are welcome to attend. We have talked to our students this week about the importance of looking after themselves and making sure they start each day in the right way. Can I remind parents that energy drinks and sweets are not allowed in school and ask for your support around this.
Please can parents make sure that their child has a PE kit for PE sessions. We expect students to change into their appropriate PE kit, and not wear the same clothes they wear in school. Similarly, students must change out of PE kit afterwards, into their normal school clothes. For safety, jewellery must be removed and hair must be tied back.
Last week teachers set extended study and students have begun to build their extended study timetable. In a typical week, for Years 7-9 there is around 45-60 mins set per night. Each subject area sets the extended study and it is due on the same day each week, so that students can organise their time and get into good habits around additional study outside of sessions. Here is our KS3 (Years 7-9) extended study timetable:
There is a step up in expectations at GCSE in Year 10 and Year 11. All GCSE-level courses now have examinations as their main form of assessment. There is a lot of content that students need to internalise and it is just not possible for students to do this in Year 11 in the run up to their examinations. As such, students are expected to spend more time on their extended study in comparison to Years 7-9. This means that there should be no need to rely on cramming in Year 11 and students should be in good habits around working outside of sessions in readiness for the revision needed to be successful. Here is our KS4 (Years 10-11) extended study timetable:
Please see our earlier post on Extended Study at XP Gateshead which includes more details on our rationale.
We offer extended study sessions from 3:15pm – 4:30pm Monday – Thursday. Students attending these sessions must stay for the full session until the end at 4.30pm. These sessions allow students to work with their peers and staff on extended study tasks in school where support is on hand. Extended study is optional for most students but for some who struggle to complete and miss deadlines, extended study may be directed.
If you have any questions about extended study or how you could best support your child, please contact their Crew Leader for support.
We will be launching our new lunchtime and after school clubs programme by the end of September.
We have staff days each term at XP so that our teachers can collaborate across the Trust to create and deliver the high quality curriculum that our students study. These are shown in blue on our calendar.
This week and next see the first of our staff days where students are not expected to be in school.
On staff days our students do not attend school and there is no expectation that they complete work beyond their regularly set extended study (homework). Students will find this work on Google classroom.
Students are expected back to school on Tuesday 23rd September by 8:25am at the latest.
As usual if you have any questions about your son or daughter please get in touch with your child’s Crew Leader in the first instance or email general enquiries to [email protected].
Thank you as always for your ongoing support. Together we are stronger #WeAreCrew.
Julie Mosley
