Dear Families
Here we are at the end of our first May Bank Holiday weekend. I hope you have enjoyed the additional family time this weekend.
Last week saw a lot of hard work from students across all year groups and a highlight for me was the way all of our students have supported G28 mock exams which started last week. Our Year 10 students have approached their mocks with real maturity and commitment and we couldn’t be prouder of them. Their courage is admirable as they had their first real experience of GCSE exam papers and conditions and they deserve full congratulations. We will be working with them to make sure they understand that this is the start of their journey and we will be supporting them all the way. In the coming weeks after marking and moderation takes place, we will share the mock results with students along with our predictions at this stage for their final outcomes next year.
I also want to congratulate our year 7, 8 and 9 students for their support of year 10 this week. On Thursday an exam paper was set to finish after 3:15pm and the whole school exited the site in silence to make sure students in exam spaces were not disturbed. This really showed the respect and compassion students at XPG have for each other, knowing that as a community we all support each other to get to the top of the mountain!
G32 Transition – Online family meetings
We have enjoyed meeting many of our new students and their families this week online. Family meetings will continue this week. This is all part of us getting to know our new students and their families as much as possible before they start with us on Tuesday 26th August 2025. Our transition timeline is shown below and, as you can see, after our family meetings, we will start our visits to feeder primary schools to meet our new students in person and their current teachers.
G30 and G31 Getting ready for Student Led Conferences (SLCs)
Our Year 7 and 8 students have started their preparation work for SLCs which take place over the fortnight beginning Monday 12th May. G31 and G30 parents will be receiving emails from their child which includes the pledges they have made to improve their work and a request for questions which students will prepare responses to as part of their SLC. Please note that we expect all families to attend SLCs. These, like PoLs, are key moments in the deliberate development of character for our young people and it is vital that parents, carers and families are present to support these events.
You should have already received an email with an updated snapshot from your child and a link to ask questions of them in advance of the SLC. Here is that link if your child has not yet sent that on to you.
You will also receive a link to sign up for a time slot from your child’s Crew Leader this week. Please contact [email protected] if you do not receive this.
G29 and our Key stage 4 (KS4) pathways
This week we have held a Year 9 community meeting to talk through our finalised KS4 offer.
Slides with more information on the nature of the courses in our offer can be found here.
As you can see from the timeline below, over the coming weeks, students will get more details around courses from subject experts to support their choices and families will be involved in discussions ready for finalising choices with Crew Leaders after Summer half term.
On Tuesday 3rd June we are inviting all G29 families into school in the evening to meet with subject teachers of GCSE courses. This is so that families can talk to our staff about their child’s suitability for courses based on their motivation, capability and capacity.
This week
G29 XPG Public Health Conference 2025, Friday 9th May; Is Public Health Going Up In Smoke?
Our Year 9 students will be hosting an inaugural Public Health Conference on Friday 9th May. We will be opening our doors to families and delegates from 1.30pm. Please use the pedestrian gate if arriving on foot, or push the bell on the vehicle gate if using our car park. Car parking spaces on site are limited, so if parking on the street please be considerate of our neighbours.
The event starts at 2pm and we expect to be finished at around 4.15pm.
PE sessions this week
There are some changes to PE sessions this week due to the bank holiday and mock exams. G28 (Y10) students will not have their usual PE sessions. G31, G30 and G29 students PE sessions are shown below, please ensure that your child has their full PE kit for sessions.
- G31 students (Y7) have PE on Wednesday this week
- G30 students (Y8)
- Class 1 have PE on Tuesday this week
- Class 2 have PE on Friday this week
- G29 students (Y9) have PE on Thursday this week
Extended Study and Clubs
Extended study and after school clubs will be running Tuesday to Thursday this week.
Looking ahead
Crew Day – Monday 12th May
Every half term, we look to run a Crew Day which is an opportunity to ‘tend’ to crew and culture. Crew is our support network at XPG and key to the continued success of everyone at our school. We will revisit what it means to be crew, and our responsibilities in getting everyone to the top of the mountain.
We will put out separate posts this week for each year group to give further details of each Crew Day and the kit needed for each year group.
G29 DofE Practice Expedition – Friday 16th May
Our Y9 students will be carrying out their DofE bronze practice expedition on Friday 16th May. This will take place offsite for most of the day with the final part taking place on our school site until 4:30pm. This is part of getting them ready for the final assessed expedition which will take place on Friday 4th July – Saturday 5th July. Please see the recent post for more details on the practice and final expeditions along with the kit needed. G29 Crew Leaders will be checking their crews to ensure students have all the required kit and are fully prepared.
Students should arrive at school for the normal time on the morning of Friday 16th May. They will travel by Metro with their packed rucksacks and complete a 10km walk whilst carrying their gear. They will return to school by Metro in the afternoon and students will practise setting up camp, cooking a meal, pitching a tent and re packing their bags independently. We expect the day to conclude at around 4:30pm to allow time for these tasks. Students will be expected to stay beyond 4:30pm if necessary to complete all activities and the spirit of crew and stewardship will be vital – it is essential that all students complete the practice expedition successfully to ensure they are fully prepared for the final expedition.
Supporting families with DofE kit – XPG Voluntary School Donation
As a school, we fully fund DofE and last year allocated a significant budget for start-up costs (tents, sleeping bags, backpacks, etc). We would also like to add to this kit over time and be able to loan hiking boats, waterproof coats and trousers to support families who are not in the position to be able to buy these items for their children.
We have been approached by several parents over time who have wanted to make voluntary financial contributions to the school to support XP Gateshead and the work we do in learning expeditions and other activities. We have decided to open up an option on Parent Pay ‘XPG Voluntary School Donation’ to allow for any parent/carer to be able to make a contribution if they would like to. At the moment, we will use contributions to build our DofE loan kit so that all students have access to the required kit and this will be in place for Year 9 students. We also welcome kit donations from Year 10 families who want to add to our loan kit for this year’s expedition.
Thank you to those families who have offered to support our work and for their generosity.
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
Principal
