Important final details and reminders for Tuesday 29th August

Packed Lunch

Students will need a healthy packed lunch for the very first day. We will eat lunch at the centre as soon as we arrive. Following this, all meals are provided.

    • Please make sure there are no nut products in the packed lunch
    • Please put the packed lunch in a box or bag separate from your child’s main luggage so that they have easy access to it on arrival..

£10 Deposit

All students must bring a £10 cash deposit to school with them. We will collect this as soon as they arrive. Crews’ deposits are pooled as each Crew has joint responsibility for their specialist kit for the week. Deposits are returned at the end of the week once all specialist equipment has been checked back in.

Medication

Any medication for students must be in the original box, clearly labelled with your child’s name and details of regularity of administration and dose. This includes: Inhalers, Epipens, Travel sickness pills, Painkillers, Antihistamines.

You need to clearly state that you give permission for your child to self-administer if this is what they usually do.

Please let us know when you drop off your child if they have any medicine with them.

Mobile Phones

Students can bring mobile phones with them, but these will be handed to their Crew Leader on Tuesday morning. They will have an opportunity to call you on Tuesday – likely around teatime and then again on Thursday afternoon when they return to the centre from their expedition – however reception at the centre is patchy so we cannot guarantee a call. Students will not be able to call you on Wednesday as they will be away from the centre on an overnight expedition. Please be assured that no news is good news! We will do our best to keep our Twitter stream updated with photographs during the week.

Snacks are not required

Snacks, drinks and sweets for the coach or for throughout the week are not permitted and are not required. Please do not put any additional food in your child’s bag apart from their packed lunch for the first day.

Additional Money

Students can bring a small amount of money in addition to their deposit if they wish – no more than £10. There is a tuck shop on site where students can get treats or Outward Bound branded kit such as pencils or beanie hats if they choose. This is usually opened on the final Thursday evening.

Return to School

We expect to be back in school at around 3.30pm-4.00pm on Friday 1st September. We will keep you updated through out Twitter stream and through the school website.

Our new Year 7 students’ Outward Bound adventure begins on Tuesday 29th August. Students need to be arrive at school between 8.00am and 8.25am. The coach will depart later that morning.

Year 8 and Year 9 will start later than usual on Tuesday and at the normal time for the rest of the week, we will put out a separate post with information for parents later today.

Arriving at school

We are now using the entrance at the east side of the school. The car park is for staff only, so you should use the street to park but please be considerate of our neighbours when parking.

Staff will be at the student gate to greet students and to take their deposits. Please leave your children with us at the gate.

Returnable Deposit

Students must bring a £10 deposit with them on the morning which will be handed back to them at the end of their adventure if there is no loss or damage to equipment. This is an important part of the process for the week, and teaches the students about join responsibility as a Crew.

Medication

Any medication for students must be in the original box, clearly labelled with your child’s name and details of regularity of administration and dose. This includes:

  • Inhalers
  • Epipens
  • Travel sickness pills
  • Painkillers
  • Antihistamines

Please get in contact with [email protected] if your child will be bringing medication and we can provide you with a self-administration or permission to administer form.

Kit List

Specialist equipment such as walking boots, tents, sleeping bags, hiking rucksacks and waterproofs will be provided by the centre.

The kit list for students is listed below. Please ensure that your child has all of these items.

If you are having problems sourcing these please get in touch with our office via [email protected] . Older clothes are far better for the week as they will get wet and or muddy.

  • 1 large bag or suitcase to take kit on the coach
  • 2 bin bags –  to store wet and dirty clothes
  • 1 pair of trainers for getting wet – these trainers will definitely get wet so it is important that you have a second pair.
  • A second pair of trainers to stay dry for day to day wear – these are likely to get muddy so preferably not new.
  • 3 sweatshirts, jumpers, hoodies or fleeces – Fleeces are ideal as they dry quickly but any of the other items are a good substitute. You should include at least one warmer fleece for your expedition.
  • 3 pairs of trousers – Lightweight trousers (not denim) such as walking trousers, leggings or tracksuit bottoms.
  • 3 T-shirts – Aim for tops that cover shoulders from the sun.
  • 1 long-sleeved base layer/top 
  • 1 pair of shorts – Not denim
  • 1 pair of nightwear/pyjamas
  • 1 set of casual clothes for around the centre
  • 7 sets of underwear including socks – This is a minimum number. Trainer socks aren’t recommended as they may cause blisters.
  • At least 2 pairs of thick walking socks
  • Sunhat, sunglasses, suncream – don’t bring expensive sunglasses, suncream needs to be at least factor 30.
  • 1 set of warm hat and gloves
  • At least 1 towel – Quick drying microfibre towels are great. You will need a towel for showering and on activities, so bring at least one.
  • Watch with alarm if possible
  • 1 set of swimwear plus t-shirt and shorts for use in water
  • Toiletries – including soap, toothbrush and toothpaste, blister kit, plasters, insect repellent, lip salve, hand sanitiser, wet wipes, talcum powder (for your feet), etc.
  • 1 pair of flip slops or sandals – optional

G30 – New Year 7 – iPad scheme

Thanks so much to the families that have signed up to the iPad scheme.

If you have already completed the form, there is nothing more that you need to do right now. We will order the iPads on your behalf and organise payment with you at the start of the academic year.

If you have not already done so, please complete the form here to order your child’s iPad.

Dear Families

Here we are at the end of another academic year and what a year it has been! Our students have continued to work hard producing beautiful work and developing their character. 

Here are a couple of quotes from our external school review which took place in June, which illustrate the quality of our work:

‘Staff are committed and relentless in their pursuit for culture to be right’

‘Crew is an effective system for ensuring that primarily students are known very well to adults, and that students exist in a safe place to talk with confidence about many issues’ 

‘The curriculum model, is being implemented successfully, thanks to experienced leaders, as well as collaboration with other experienced leaders across the trust, which is positive’

‘Interpersonal skills are being well developed – students are skilled at listening to others, being respectful and sensitive, as well as in offering advice, critiquing others, and in offering their own opinions and thinking’

We have enjoyed two fantastic Celebrations of Learning with you this week in which we have showcased the work of our students from across the year and it has been wonderful to see your smiles and hear your praise for this work.

It is the staff team at XP Gateshead who enable all of this greatness and I want to celebrate their hard work and efforts. We have an incredibly passionate, professional and skilful team of staff here who exemplify our character values on a daily basis. It is a privilege to work alongside them.

As you know, Mark Lovatt leaves us as Co Principal, taking a wider role across XP Trust. He will continue to support our work at XPG next year as we grow. 

XP Trust would like to extend our special thanks to Mark Lovatt who, having been the founding Principal at XP Gateshead, now moves into the Trust to work on developing XP instructional practice and developing leadership. Mark’s work has been highly significant showing that the XP model can be rolled out and work in other parts of the country and he should be proud of the work he has accomplished in the past three years.

Looking Ahead:

Tuesday 29th August – Term starts for all students. 

There will be a staggered start time for different year groups on Tuesday and we will communicate these details to you prior to the start of the new term. Our website, as always, will be our main channel of communication so please make sure that you have subscribed to this so are alerted when updates are posted.

All that remains is for me to thank you all for your ongoing support this year, thank you for being  ‘Crew’. When we work together, in service to each other and with integrity we achieve extraordinary things. 

I hope you and your families have a great summer.

Julie Mosley

Principal

Sharing our Stories: 21/07/2023

Beautiful Work This Week

G29: From The Ground Up – launch at Seven Stories!

G29 Students at XP Gateshead launched their book ‘From The Ground Up’ which answered the guiding question ‘What do the communities of North East England owe to the miners?’ at Seven Stories in Newcastle!

They also celebrated all of their beautiful work from their first year at XPG – you can view a collection of it here!

Plover’s Mining Gala

Year 5 and 6 Students at Plover School launched their awesome new Poetry Anthology ‘At the Coalface’ at a Mining Gala they hosted for their local community – beautiful work!

Beautiful Curation at XP Gateshead

Plover Early Years: Transport Day

Celebrating Success at Green Top

Over 5 years ago Miss Stewart and Miss O’Neill started their journey with us at Green Top as apprentices.  They then progressed and secured Learning Coach positions whilst studying towards a degree in Education.  Over the last two years they have both completed their degree and qualified as teachers!  We are so unbelievably proud of them both and grateful that we were a part of their special journey.  Sadly we didn’t have any teaching positions for them at Green Top so they have secured teaching positions in other schools.  Again, we are so, so proud of them!  We wish them both lots of luck in their new schools and know that they will be wonderful teachers inspiring many children in the future!

School Cook retires after 30 years at Green Top

This year we say goodbye to Sue, one of our school cooks.  She has been looking after us all for 30 years and we will be sad to see her leave!

We presented Sue with flowers and gifts today and celebrated her time at Green Top!

Good Luck Sue!

XP Students gift their gorgeous terrariums to care homes in Doncaster

Year 9 students from XP and XP East gifted 30 terrariums they created for the residents of the Oaklands Care home this week. The home on Bawtry Road was delighted to accept the miniature indoor gardens, which the residents will look after and keep.

Darren the Oaklands manager is pictured here accepting the terrariums – all of which are low maintenance and were happily handed over to residents.

Ed Miliband praises XPCC23

Ed Miliband shared an update from his Facebook page about XPCC23, praising students for their awesome work and involvement in the conference.

Top of the Blogs

Pizza Party! @ Carcroft School

Weekly update for families @ XP Gateshead

Red Carpet Celebrations @ Plover

Final Word @ Norton Infants

Products at the Picnic @ Green Top

Ahoy there, Shakespeare? @ Norton Juniors

Year 10’s Final Year Group Community Meeting @ XP

Jeff’s Law – exciting Expeditions on the horizon! @ XP Comms

Thank you for joining us for another great year of beautiful work and stories from across the XP Trust – we hope you have a wonderful summer!

We’ll see you in September!

XP Comms Crew

Sharing our Stories: 21/07/2023

Beautiful Work This Week

G29: From The Ground Up – launch at Seven Stories!

G29 Students at XP Gateshead launched their book ‘From The Ground Up’ which answered the guiding question ‘What do the communities of North East England owe to the miners?’ at Seven Stories in Newcastle!

They also celebrated all of their beautiful work from their first year at XPG – you can view a collection of it here!

Plover’s Mining Gala

Year 5 and 6 Students at Plover School launched their awesome new Poetry Anthology ‘At the Coalface’ at a Mining Gala they hosted for their local community – beautiful work!

Beautiful Curation at XP Gateshead

Plover Early Years: Transport Day

Celebrating Success at Green Top

Over 5 years ago Miss Stewart and Miss O’Neill started their journey with us at Green Top as apprentices.  They then progressed and secured Learning Coach positions whilst studying towards a degree in Education.  Over the last two years they have both completed their degree and qualified as teachers!  We are so unbelievably proud of them both and grateful that we were a part of their special journey.  Sadly we didn’t have any teaching positions for them at Green Top so they have secured teaching positions in other schools.  Again, we are so, so proud of them!  We wish them both lots of luck in their new schools and know that they will be wonderful teachers inspiring many children in the future!

School Cook retires after 30 years at Green Top

This year we say goodbye to Sue, one of our school cooks.  She has been looking after us all for 30 years and we will be sad to see her leave!

We presented Sue with flowers and gifts today and celebrated her time at Green Top!

Good Luck Sue!

XP Students gift their gorgeous terrariums to care homes in Doncaster

Year 9 students from XP and XP East gifted 30 terrariums they created for the residents of the Oaklands Care home this week. The home on Bawtry Road was delighted to accept the miniature indoor gardens, which the residents will look after and keep.

Darren the Oaklands manager is pictured here accepting the terrariums – all of which are low maintenance and were happily handed over to residents.

Ed Miliband praises XPCC23

Ed Miliband shared an update from his Facebook page about XPCC23, praising students for their awesome work and involvement in the conference.

Top of the Blogs

Pizza Party! @ Carcroft School

Weekly update for families @ XP Gateshead

Red Carpet Celebrations @ Plover

Final Word @ Norton Infants

Products at the Picnic @ Green Top

Ahoy there, Shakespeare? @ Norton Juniors

Year 10’s Final Year Group Community Meeting @ XP

Jeff’s Law – exciting Expeditions on the horizon! @ XP Comms

Thank you for joining us for another great year of beautiful work and stories from across the XP Trust – we hope you have a wonderful summer!

We’ll see you in September!

XP Comms Crew

G29: Purchasing a book this evening

We are very excited for our Celebration of Learning at Seven Stories this evening – which includes the launch of your children’s first book – From the Ground Up.

The book will eventually be on sale in the store at Seven Stories for members of the public to buy. For tonight, it will be £10 cash if you would like to purchase a book as we will be selling these directly from the school’s stock.

We look forward to seeing you this evening!

G28 Celebration of Learning

As you know, we are hosting a big event for Year 8 on Thursday evening in school from 6pm. This event will celebrate work from throughout the year, and will also include a preview of the trailer for our film ‘Should I Stay or Should I Go?’.

Part of the evening will involve a hosted gallery walk from your child.

Please could all Year 8 families complete this Google Form to confirm how many people will be attending the event for your child, and to let us know of any accessibility issues.

As you know, we are hosting a big event for Year 7 tomorrow evening at Seven Stories in Newcastle. This will celebrate their work from throughout the year, including the book launch for From the Ground Up.

Part of the evening will involve a hosted gallery walk from your child.

Please could all Year 7 families complete this Google Form to confirm how many people will be attending the event for your child, and to let us know of any accessibility issues.

At XP Gateshead we have a partnership with Gateshead Music Hub to provide our instrumental music lessons. There are 36 lessons over the course of a financial year from April 2023 until March 2024. Each term is divided into 12 lessons. Each lesson is 30 minutes long. These will be delivered during the school day by staff from Gateshead Music Hub.

We work to make the timetable for instrumental lessons have the least impact on students in terms of missing time from expedition lessons. We ask for a minimum contribution from parents towards the cost of the lessons, this is charged to your ParentPay account on a termly basis.

There are two options for your child’s lessons.

  • Option 1: Individual lessons are 1:1 tuition and we ask for at least £100 per set of 12. (£300 per year)
  • Option 2: Small group lessons are with one or more other students and we ask for at least £75 per set. (£225 per year)

If you would be interested in signing up for instrumental music lessons, please complete this form.

To be clear, this is not a commitment from you at this stage. This is an expression of interest.

Gateshead Music Service operate on a financial year basis from April to April. Once we have your responses to this form, we would then work with the service to check capacity in the service and get back to you when we can finalise the provision for your child.