Dear Parents/Carers

We have come to the end of another full and busy half term and, as always, our whole community have worked together demonstrating courage, respect, craftsmanship and quality, integrity and above all compassion.  We have continued to work hard across this first half term, welcoming new students and staff,  continuing to build our culture through crew. It is hard to believe what we have achieved in 8 weeks together!

Important dates for your diaries for next half-term

G28 mock exams: Monday 10th to Thursday 13th November

Our Y11 students will continue mock exams next half term in the week beginning Monday 10th November. Please see the provisional timetable on the website. 

Presentation of Learning (PoLs) – Term 1

PoLs 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.

Below are the dates for our PoLs (Presentations of Learning) next term. It is important to note that we expect for every child to have a family member there to support them.

• G32’s PoL will be on the evening of Tuesday 16th December 2025 at St. Mary’s church in Heworth from 4:30pm until 5:54pm. 
• G31’s PoL will be on Thursday 11th December in school at 4.30pm.
• G30’s PoL will be on the evening of Wednesday 10th December at the Farrell Centre in Newcastle University Campus. Start time is to be confirmed.
• G28’s PoL will be on Wednesday 17th December in school at 4.30pm.

Have a wonderful break with your children and families

I think that we can all agree that it’s time now for a well deserved rest!  Have a great half term break and we look forward to seeing all of our students on Monday 3rd November at the normal time.

Thank you, as always, for your ongoing support.

.Julie Mosley

Dear Families

Welcome to the final week of this half term. It is hard to believe that we have only been together for 7 weeks having achieved so much! 

This is the first year we have been a full secondary school of five year groups, 7-11, and this half term we have successfully transitioned our G32 cohort into school along with 10 new staff who have joined our team. Our students have continued to work hard to develop their beautiful work, character and academic success and they, like staff,  will be ready for a well deserved rest and our two week half term break when we finish this half term on Friday 17th October.

G28 working hard in their final year

G28 students have started their final year with us at XPG and have stepped up to the challenge! Last week we met G28 families for an Information Evening where we went through important dates and information on the year ahead, post 16 pathways and shared our plans for end of year celebrations including a final Passage presentation from students. We also shared the final exam timetable with families. Please see the website post for full details and the slides which were shared on the evening. Thank you to G28 parents and carers for their attendance on Monday 6th October and Mr Said and G28 staff team for their work on this event.

G29 and their start to GCSE and Key Stage 4 courses

G29 students have made a good start to their GCSE courses and staff working with this cohort have commented on their mature approach to learning, their resilience and willingness to take risks with their learning and appetite for challenge.

In particular it has been really impressive to see G29 and G28 students working alongside each other to support each others’ success in their LOOL (Leading our own learning) sessions after school on Wednesdays:

• Geography
• Religious Studies
• Health & Social Care
• Sport

Growing maturity of our G30 students 

This half term G30 have made a great start to their first expedition with GQ “How are structures important in helping us to explain our world?”. Students will present their learning on structures that impact our world such as the atom, governmental structures and structures of habitation at their PoL at the Farrell Centre in December.

All of our Y9 students complete the DofE bronze award as part of our curriculum. G28 have started working on the physical section through sessions including badminton, basketball, yoga and urban-walking. This term we will focus on the physical section of the award and then in the coming months we will work on the skills and volunteering section before their assessed outdoor expedition in the final term of the academic year.

G31 responding to their guiding question

G31’s expedition is a long-standing favourite of ours with the guiding question “What does it mean to be human?”. In support of the artwork that they will produce, this week students will hot some experts from the NHS to discuss the importance of raising awareness around the need for organ donors. G31 have been praised in particular for their writing so far this term, and also their musical responses to stimulus material associated with The Blues.

G32 learning what it means to be Crew whilst studying in learning expeditions 

G32 have had an incredibly successful start to life at XPG and studying through learning expeditions. We are so proud of the culture in lessons, and students are producing very high quality work. This term their final product will be a book on the local history of Gateshead and its place in the wider history of the UK. We will be able to share the students’ writing and artwork at the presentation of learning in December and their book will be published in time to launch at the end of the academic year. It is our intention to launch this at Seven Stories, the national centre for children’s literature. All of our children in Year 7 will be able to say by this time next year that they are published authors and artists. They fully deserve this accolade!

Our ongoing professional development for staff

As you know, we are a school invested in learning for staff and students alike. Like our students, our staff complete induction, present Educator-Led Conferences (ELC’s), and plan collaboratively to produce a high-quality curriculum.

Each week and across the whole year we offer professional development (CPD) opportunities for staff, which this term has included:

• A focus on the holistic nature of our teaching and learning model
• How to plan and deliver effective explanations
• Instructional rounds – an affirmative process where we learn from observing each others’ practice with an expert facilitator to help participants unpack their learning
• A training programme for Early Career Teachers in partnership with Three Rivers Teaching School Hub
• Leadership of learning expeditions
• Development opportunities for staff for e.g.
  • Participation in Networks within our wider school trust.
  • Working with industry partners such as Into University, Beamish Museum, Tyne & Wear Museums The NHS, North East Diversity Education and Solidarity, and The Farrell Centre to raise aspirations and develop authentic products for expeditions.
  • Participation in national programmes such as Maths Mastery, STEM centre training.

As you know, we are a very small team, which is part of a relatively small school trust. I just wanted to take this opportunity to commend our staff for their commitment to our students and our school, this is evident in the way that we support each others’ development, providing capacity for each other to attend trining or opportunities, which in turn provide great opportunities for students through carefully crafted learning expeditions and not least the wide offer of clubs and opportunities. Our staff really are exceptional in their commitment to your children and are relentless in their hard work, the care and compassion they show.

The 2025 Thomas Hepburn Memorial Service

This weekend I attended the annual Thomas Hepburn memorial service at St Mary’s church in Heworth with Mr Said and two of our choir, Lyra and Molly . Each year the NUM and Reverend Lucy coordinate a service which pays tribute to Hepburn’s commitment to working people and the trade union movement. Aside from the connections to our character values, local history and students’ first learning expedition in year 7, we continue to keep the connection to our community. 

This year Lyra and Molly with accompaniment from Mr Said were included in the service, performing one of G31’s songs “Start a Union Boys” which was written about the life of Thomas “Tommy” Hepburn and invoked a wonderful reception from the attendees. 

Our students laid a wreath to honour Hepburn alongside wreaths from many other dignitaries. Local MPs and former MPs were in attendance alongside local councillors and members of the education community. All were full of praise for Lyra and Molly’s performance and the quality of the music that G31 had written last year. It’s important to note the courage these students demonstrated especially when their numbers were down.

All in all a wonderful way to spend a Saturday morning and I’d encourage everyone to look out for next year’s Thomas Hepburn memorial service which takes place in October.

In addition, G31’s songs from their first expedition are now on the final stage of editing before they will be released globally via streaming sites such as Spotify and Amazon Music. Very soon our G31 students will be published songwriters!

Our week ahead 

Tyne and Wear Fire and Rescue Service 

On Monday we have experts from the Fire Service joining students in G32, G31 and G30 to give important fire safety briefings as part of our safeguarding work at XPG.

Expert with G31

On Thursday, we welcome Specialist Organ Donation Nurse Dominic Manning into school. Dominic will field questions from the students about the importance of organ donation. Dominic works for NHS Blood and Transplant but is based at Newcastle’s hospitals and helps people throughout the North East through the decision to donate organs.

G28 mock exams in Spanish and Art

This week our Y11 students start their mock exams with a focus on Spanish speaking and Art. Students will build their ‘exam muscle’ by once again experiencing the conditions in which they will work when it comes to their final practical examinations in the Spring term. Spanish speaking trial exams take place over Monday and Tuesday and then on Wednesday and Friday all students in Art & Design, both fine art and photography pathways, will work on their portfolio of work in exam conditions.

Extended Study and Clubs

Over the last two weeks we have offered Club tasters to our students over lunchtime and after school. It has been great to see the appetite for enrichment opportunities and special thanks goes out to staff and our student leaders who have offered clubs to our students. All clubs will run this week (see schedule below) along with extended study sessions every day except Friday.

Our before-school G28 fitness and revision clubs on Tuesday and Thursday, with fitness from 7:15am and then revision sessions starting at 7:45am. Also please remember that a free breakfast is on offer to all students from 7:45am onwards every morning.

PE sessions this week

• G32 students (Year 7) 
  • Class 1 have PE on Monday
  • Class 2 have PE on Wednesday
• G31 students (Year 8) have PE on Tuesday
• G30 students (Year 9) have PE on Thursday
• G29 students (Year 10) have PE on Monday
• G28 students (Year 11)  have PE on Monday

Early closure this Friday 17th October

Don’t forget that school finishes at the earlier time of 1.30pm this Friday. This is to allow us time to “degunge” and set up for the next half term. Please make arrangements to pick up your children at the school gate for 1.30pm this Friday. As always, please be conscientious of our neighbours if parking as it is always very busy when students all leave school at the same time.

We return to school on Monday 3rd November 2025. 

Thank you for your continued support through this half term. We hope everyone has a safe and restful holiday. We are looking forward to next half term where we will be continuing to focus on our culture of beautiful work, character and academic success. Students will be adding work to our “beautiful” work portfolios and getting ready for student-led conferences and presentations of learning which will be an opportunity for you to see some of the work your children have been doing – more on this later.

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

Dear Families

I returned to school on Friday after a whistle-stop tour of Denmark where I had the honour and privilege of sharing the work of staff and students at XPG with education leaders from Denmark and beyond. I visited six intentionally designed schools and talked to colleagues who, like us, are working hard to design curriculum where students engage with real-world problems on local, national and global levels. The shared belief that by tackling authentic societal issues, students develop a deeper understanding and stronger connection to their education was held by all educators I met and their students too. XPG students took centre stage at the LEAPs conference where I shared photographs of their beautiful work and videos captured across the years where our young people talk about crew and character development, beautiful work and academic success. I returned to the UK full of inspiration, especially around school design but, after 4 days away, I was keen to be back home at XPG with our students and staff – they truly are magnificent!

Open Evening

On Tuesday we held our Open Evening and welcomed over 400 people to our school. As you know, on evenings like this our students take centre stage and as always, they shine.

Families attended 4 sessions – XPG The Facts (and the Myths), Beautiful work, Character and Academic Success. Every session, apart from the Mythbusting one, was a showcase ran by students who shared the work done at XPG and answered questions from their audience.

The positive feedback on exit tickets was stunning, our students definitely communicated our culture well with very few questions left unanswered. The confidence shown by our young people and their ability to articulate what we do and why we do it is stunning and we are extremely proud and grateful to all students who were involved. A thank you to families too who supported this event.

Mr Said will be posting an update for families of children in Year 6 that were not able to make it to the event.

Club Tasters

This week our students have had the chance to try some of the clubs on offer before school, at lunchtime or after school. Club tasters continue next week too. This week students have trialled book clubs, culture and language, Warhammer and games, photography and rock bands, school newspaper and drama . More to come this week!

As a small school, it can be challenging to offer a wide variety of extra-curricular opportunities but staff at XPG always go that extra mile and it is wonderful to see such a choice of clubs offered as well as daily extended study clubs. It is great to see real leadership in our students with some G28 student leaders running cheerleading and multi-spots sessions again this year.

Please encourage your son/daughter to get involved in clubs and try out some next week when club tasters continue.

National Poetry Day

On Thursday, we celebrated National Poetry Day and all took the chance to share in the pleasure of poetry. With over 1.5 million people participating on the day, XPG students stepped forward and got involved in the ‘I have a Dream’ national poetry competition for 11-18 year olds. 

 

And as always, we are working hard, getting smart and being kind

We continue to challenge our students in every session around our habits of work and learning (HOWLs). Our students reflect on their HOWLs each week during Thoughtful Thursday Crew session, setting pledges for the week ahead and challenging each other to be better and offering support to each other to get there. Over the next two weeks our staff will be entering their assessment of students’ current HOWLs and academic performance in each subject. This will be shared with students and their families after the half-term in preparation for our first Student-Led Conferences this year.

Our week ahead 

G28 Information Evening for All Year 11 Families

We are hosting an important information evening in school for all G28 families. This will detail:

• The year ahead and supporting your child
• Post-16 pathways
• Arrangements for the end of the academic year

Club Tasters continue

We will trial lunchtime and after clubs Monday to Wednesday this week. Clubs will then start fully in the w/c 13th October.

Extended study sessions run every day except Friday. If a student attends a club or an extended study session they must attend the full sessions until 4:30pm.

Breakfast Club supported by Magic Breakfast

Breakfast club continues each morning from 7.45am.

PE sessions this week

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)
  • Class 1 have PE on Monday
  • Class 2 have PE on Wednesday 
• G31 students (Year 8) have PE on Tuesday.
• G30 students (Year 9) have PE on Thursday.
• G29 and G28 students (Year 10 and Year 11) have PE on Monday

As usual if you have any questions, 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

Dear Families

What makes a great education?

You may remember that last term students in G29 were challenged to give a keynote at the MTEM conference on what makes a great education. Over a week they drafted and put together an incredible speech which we have now recorded back in school.

The words of our students are truly beautiful, and this week I have the honour and privilege of sharing their words at international conference in Denmark. As well as meeting colleagues across education with equally innovative learning models, I will also have the opportunity to visit LEAPS schools to see how they are making their buildings work for their models of learning.

On Friday I was able to share my (limited) progress in Danish with the students as we celebrated the European Day of Languages. The day was marked with readings from students, live linkup with The British Council, a themed lunch and El Classico football match and lots of students in red and yellow celebrating other cultures and languages. Thanks to all families that supported this event and a special thanks to Mohammed, Desiree and Chanel and to Miss Fielding for her work coordinating the day.

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We also had important fieldwork for LOOL groups, and for G30’s expedition and a student-led piece of fieldwork for Crew Darling, heart dissection in STEAM and our very first Axiom Maths club for Year 7.

We have another important week coming up with our Open Evening on Tuesday after school. Again, thanks to all families that are lending us your children for the evening. The students really do run the show from beginning to end and it is this that families remark upon year after year, the warmth, leadership and pride that students show in their school.

The importance of reading 

In recent weeks we have shared details of the Extended Study that is set for each year group. Reading is in many ways the most important part of the week’s extended study.

As you know, reading is a key focus at XPG. It is not only the first building block to allow students to access all areas of the curriculum but reading also plays a significant role in their life chances and their wellbeing. We know that to be good learners, students need to first be good readers. Studies have shown that ‘those who read for pleasure have higher levels of self-esteem and a greater ability to cope with difficult situations. Reading for pleasure is also associated with better sleeping patterns’. 

At XPG our students are exposed to many texts – reading in sessions, studying an anchor text in each expedition, a weekly Crew Read during Tranquil Tuesday and the daily 20-30 minutes reading expectation of their accelerated reader book. Over the last few weeks, students who are not currently reading at an age appropriate level have started attending intervention sessions. 

Please support us by monitoring your child’s reading, ensuring they are reading their accelerated reader book (which may be on ePlatform or a physical book they have borrowed from our in-school library) and reminding them to complete their daily 20-30 reading minutes.

Clubs

We will trial lunchtime and after clubs for a week, starting on Thursday and Friday of this week and then Monday to Wednesday in the following week. Clubs will then start fully in the week commencing October 13th.

The draft set of clubs can be found below. This may be adapted in light of the trial that starts later this week on Thursday.

Our week ahead 

G30 Class 1 – Fieldwork to the Farrell Centre

Students in G30 Class 2 will be travelling to the Farrell Centre on Newcastle University Campus tomorrow morning – Tuesday 30th 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.

Breakfast Club supported by Magic Breakfast

Breakfast club continues each morning from 7.45am.

Extended Study 

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.

PE sessions this week

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)
  • Class 1 have PE on Monday
  • Class 2 have PE on Wednesday 
• G31 students (Year 8) have PE on Tuesday.
• G30 students (Year 9) have PE on Thursday.
• G29 and G28 students (Year 10 and Year 11) have PE on Monday

As usual if you have any questions, 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

Dear Families

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. 

Celebrating the development of character through beautiful work in the community

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.

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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.

European Day of Languages – Friday 26th September

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:

• Spanish dancing before school
• A community meeting to discuss the importance of experiencing and valuing other cultures and languages
• An online workshop with the British Council for Year 9 and GCSE Spanish students.
  • This workshop will feature young adults speaking about their own study of languages and the opportunities this has given them in life.
• A Spanish themed menu at lunchtime.
• A game of ‘El Classico’ football at lunchtime.
• Competitions in school.

Our week ahead 

G30 Class 2 – Fieldwork to the Farrell Centre

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.

G28 LOOL – Geography Fieldwork to Seaham

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.

G28 LOOL – Religious Studies Fieldwork to a local Mosque

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.

Crew Darling – Fieldwork to Northumberland and the Farne Islands.

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 supported by Magic Breakfast

Breakfast club continues each morning from 7.45am.

Extended Study 

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.

PE sessions this week

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

Dear Families

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

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Guiding Questions

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.

Presentations of Learning

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.

This terms’ Guiding Questions and Presentations of Learning:

G32 -“What’s the story of our community?”

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 – “What does it mean to be Human?”

G31’s presentation of learning will be held on the evening Thursday 11th December in school.

G30 – “How are structures important in helping us to explain our world?”

G30’s presentation of learning will take place on the evening of Wednesday 10th December at Newcastle University Campus including the Farrell Centre.

G29 –  “To what extent does transformation benefit society?”

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.

G28 – What’s love got to do with it?

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.

Our week ahead 

Breakfast Club supported by Magic Breakfast

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.

PE sessions this week

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) – Class 1 PE sessions take place on Monday, Class 2 PE sessions take place on Wednesday.
• G31 students (Year 8) have PE on Tuesday.
• G30 students (Year 9) have PE on Thursday.
• G29 students (Year 10) have PE on Monday.
• G28 students (Year 11) have PE on Monday.

Extended Study 

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.

After school extended study sessions will start this week.

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.

Staff Development Days

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.

• Friday 19th September – Staff Development Day 
• Monday 22nd September – Staff Development Day 

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

Dear Families

We welcomed all of our students and staff into school last week so for the first time, five year groups were all together. We are delighted by how our new G32 students have all settled into school and how students in other year groups have welcomed our new cohort, settled into their new classes and sessions and daily life of school. A Kurt Hahn quote that has continued to resonate with us over these last weeks is

“We are crew not passengers, strengthened by acts of consequential service to others”

We build our culture of crew at XP Gateshead so that all members of our school community are impelled to work together as a team, to pitch in, to help others. This happens in crew, in classrooms, during social times and at the start and end of the day.

Students are settling into their new classes, working with new teachers, new learning partners and getting used to new spaces. Unfortunately, we are still without a theatre space so are unable to have whole school community meetings in person at the moment. We’ve been pleased with how adaptable and mature our students have been especially during lunchtimes as we get used to another 50 students on site. 

Last week saw the start of  immersion for all new learning expeditions. Immersion is an opportunity for students to dip their toe into the content of the learning expeditions, to build background knowledge and generate curiosity about the guiding question for the expedition. Guiding questions are revealed to students at the end of each immersion. 

G32 – Year 7

G32 started their week in Crews unpacking what they learned at Ullswater about ‘What it means to be Crew’ and considering how that is applied back at school with an additional question: “What will my learning be like at my new school?”

All Crews took time to curate their Outward Bound fieldwork and the individual journeys they had all taken along with the character traits they had demonstrated. They then spent time agreeing their crew norms and what they would look like, sound like and feel like in classrooms. 

All G32 students have now set up their iPads and completed initial Google training as part of their induction to school.  Students have resigned our ICT acceptable use agreement, which helps to ensure that students use technology appropriately and most importantly safely.

A fully charged iPad is now expected as part of daily kit for G32 students, as well as headphones. We advise against buying expensive headphones. 

There is additional guidance for families here on setting up apple accounts to download additional apps, and also on how to set sensible boundaries at home using screen time functions and parental controls on your home Wifi router.

G31

G31 have completed their immersion which included study of the human body through the emotional true story of Peter the human cyborg and also Bill Bryson’s texts “The Body: A guide for inhabitants” and “A short history of nearly everything”. In a bumper week, they have been introduced to the text “Noughts and Crosses” by Malorie Blackman, studied various creation stories and considered what makes effective speeches. All of this has come to a focal point with their guiding question revealed to be “What does it mean to be Human?”

Students also carried out fieldwork at The Baltic gallery where they were toured the exhibits  and took part in workshops which provoked thoughts connected to their guiding question around human creativity, conflict and how art can be used as an important form of expression.

On Friday they met with excerpts from the RVI in Newcastle which will be the home for their final product: artwork which promotes organ donation in children – a much-overlooked area in the national conversation around public health.

G30

G30 started their new expedition by learning about the geography and history of Russia around the turn of the 20th century. Connected to this, and to build further background knowledge they have also been studying the atomic bombs that were dropped at the end of WWII, and have seen further evidence of the power of the atom by learning about the impact of the Chernobyl meltdown in the former Soviet Union. They have also used Ken Loach’s film “I, Daniel Blake” to develop questions and curiosity about how societal and governmental structures can impact on the way that we live our lives. 

On Thursday our G30 students participated in local fieldwork, collecting primary data to answer an enquiry question : “Are there inequalities on Gateshead High Street?”

 

G29

G29 have also found out their guiding question “To what extent does transformation benefit society??” 

As part of their immersion, students first discovered what the Vikings were not, where they looked at some of the misconceptions that people have of them. They also investigated a ‘Viking Horde’ to discover what artefacts they had, what materials they were made from and what it tells us about Viking lives. This also led to students considering how objects can tell a story which connects to their GCSE Art projects. We also did some close reading of travel writing to provide pupils with a background knowledge of Scandinavia, whilst deepening their understanding of literary devices. 

In Science immersion we began to explore the properties of metals and what makes them useful, and performed a simple extraction reaction that helped them revisit the reactivity series of metals.

In English, students have been considering conditions in workhouses such as that at Southwell to better understand the social and historical context of the novel ‘A Christmas Carol’.

G28

G28’s new expedition kicked off with a focus on History and explored Elizabeth’s famous quote ‘I have already joined myself in marriage to a husband, namely the kingdom of England. Better beggar woman and single than Queen and married’. Students also watched a mystery piece of Elizabeth’s famous speech at Tilbury to demonstrate what a passionate queen of England she was. 

Students have also begun to read an abridged version of Romeo and Juliet in order to create a storyboard and character map to support their reading and analysis of the original text.

Our week ahead 

G32 students (Year 7) have their first academic fieldwork this week

Year 7 students will continue with their immersion this week, continuing to develop curiosity around what their new guiding question could be.

This week students will carry out fieldwork focused on a geological and historical enquiry around the former Whitburn Colliery Pit.

Year 7 Class 1 Students will carry out this fieldwork on Wednesday 10th September with Year 7 Class 2 completing it on Thursday 11th. Please see the website post from Mr Said which details the kit needed, packed lunch requirements and timings for the day. 

Year 7 PE sessions take place on Monday for Class 1 and Wednesday for class 2 this week so students need a full PE kit to change into on these days.

G28 Into University Sessions

On Tuesday this week, a cohort of our G28 students have their next session with Into University – who provide learning experiences designed to inspire young people to consider university, especially when they are from backgrounds that are underrepresented in the wider university population.

G31 Safety in the community

In light of the tragic events that struck our community last academic year, our younger students have an important session with the Tyne & Wear Fire Service on Wednesday this week. This session will highlight some of the risks that come from anti-social behaviour. Our Year 7 students will have a similar session later in this half-term.

PE Sessions this week

• G32 Year 7
  • Class 1 have PE on Monday this week
  • Class 2 have PE on Wednesday this week
• G31 have PE on Tuesday this week
• G30 have PE on Thursday this week
• Both G29 and G28  have PE on Monday this week

Meeting our expectations

Dress code

As you know at XP, we believe that:

• Children need to learn to express themselves responsibly.
• Children are not all the same, so they should not be forced to look the same.
• Families would rather spend their money on clothes that their children can wear inside and outside school.

We do not have a school uniform however we do have a dress code and we ask our students and staff to dress appropriately and modestly.

For a normal day within school, we do not think it appropriate that students wear:

• Hats, hoods & coats inside school
• Revealing clothing, i.e. revealing the midriff, chest or upper thigh
• Noticeable make-up, including false eyelashes
• Valuable, sentimental or impractical accessories / jewellery (eg. heavy chains, thick sovereign rings, or false nails)
• Impractical footwear (eg. sliders, flip-flops or high heels)

Please see our website post on dress code so you are aware of our expectations and can fully support these.

Punctuality

Can I remind all families that students need to be in school for an 8.30am start to sessions. They must arrive by 8.25am at the latest. There will be staff in school supervising so students can arrive from 8.00 am. The vast majority of our students had perfect punctuality last week but not all of them. Please support us with our high expectation around punctuality to school.

Extended Study 

Teachers will start to set extended study this week and students will begin to build their extended study timetable.

After school extended study sessions will start next week and students attending these sessions must stay until the end of the session 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.

We will be launching our new lunchtime and after school clubs programme by the end of September.

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

Dear Families

Apologies that this update is a little later than normal on a Sunday. We wanted to share some more images from last week with you, however there are some problems with uploading new images to our website at the moment that we have been unable to resolve. We will share more photos as soon as we can.

What a first week back we have had! As I said last week, our first week back is fundamental to us in terms of introducing or reaffirming the importance of Crew, the foundation of our culture at XPG. Staff and students took time to build and tend to positive relationships through many great experiences and challenges reminding each other that 

Year 7 (G32) first week back – What does it mean to be Crew?

Our G32 students have had a fantastic week at Ullswater finding out what crew means. I hope they returned to you full of tales of their Outward Bound adventures and new friendships. Across the week, students began to form strong bonds with their crew and new crew leaders, supporting each other to rise to every challenge set. We could not have been more impressed by our new year 7 students. The level of challenge meant that all Crews had to support and challenge each other to do more than they thought possible. They were compassionate, courageous, respectful and showed integrity in equal measure across the week. 

Year 8 (G31) first week back – How can we support each other to lead the learning of our new Year 7 Crew?

Our G31 students returned to school strong and Y8 Crew Leaders were blown away by the quality of student work, depth of thinking, collaboration and leadership shown by students across the week. There is no doubt that Y8 students will continue to work with us across the G32 transition to ensure that our new students are welcomed into XPGateshead and are quickly part of our school community. 

The week ended with a fantastic day of fieldwork planned by Year 8 ready for our new Year 7 expeditions to come. This work is a fantastic example of student leadership with students co-constructing learning with their peers and adults in school. The G32 teaching team are delighted with the fieldwork planning and the resources that have been made which are indistinguishable from that of adults. Student conduct on fieldwork was exceptional too. 

Year 9 (G30) first week back – How do we form great habits to tackle initiatives as a Crew with increasing agency, independence and resilience?

Our G30 students showed real strength and character last week returning to school displaying greater maturity and a clear sense of purpose. They were challenged to rethink how they best work as crews and the norms they use, starting to strategically plan crew charity events they’d like to run this year and prepared for fieldwork reconnecting with the Outdoors. The fieldwork to Wylam on Thursday gave them an introduction to the types of challenges that they will face as part of their Duke of Edinburgh Bronze award this academic year.  It was great to see students support each other during the hike which tested students’ new knowledge and map skills as they navigated together as a Crew. Students travelled by train to get to Wylam and carried out a 6km hike without a moan and smiles all round. Student conduct on fieldwork was exceptional as usual.

Year 10 (G29) first week back – How can we ensure that our future selves will thank us for the next two years?

Our G29 students really stepped up to the challenge last week, working in Crews to consider how they will support and challenge each other to be successful over the next two years of GCSE. The week also provided lots of opportunities to continue their thinking about careers and pathways, beyond Key Stage 4 to Post-16. 

Our students had a great morning at Gateshead College and spent time visiting three campuses – The Baltic Campus, the Academy for Sport and the Skills Academy for Automotive, Engineering, Manufacturing & Logistics. Students got a taste of the post 16 courses available at Gateshead College along with the industry standard kit, equipment, resources and facilities available there..

Y10 students also worked on a first CV based on their ambitions, strengths and skills to date, and on Friday they had a mock interview with an external professional who gave  them feedback on how they presented themselves, articulated their ambitions and responded to questions asked during the interview. Again, we raised the bar on our expectations and our students stepped up! The feedback we received from all interviewers was exceptional, commenting on our students’ maturity, confidence and the focus they had on their future success.

Year 11 (G28) first week back – How can we nurture the best version of our future selves?

Our G28 students enjoyed a week-long journey developing their resilience and exploring what it means to be an independent learner,  taking ownership of their own education by consciously thinking about how they learn and actively seeking ways to improve. They learned that resilience isn’t a solitary trait but a collective strength. As crews they faced challenges together, building trust and discovered that a strong crew provides a vital support system for overcoming adversity. It was great to see confidence and belief growing across the week, especially with academic challenges. A great start to their final year as they move closer to final GCSE exams.

Our week ahead 

G32 students (Year 7) 

Students will be working in their Crews on Monday and Tuesday reflecting on their Outward Bound experience and thinking about what Crew looks like in the classroom and around our school, and how learning will work at their new school – especially learning through expeditions.

They will get tours of the school on Monday and our new spaces as well as an introduction to PE. 

We will hand out iPads to G32 students this week. We are aiming to do this on Tuesday.  These will come with instructions on how to set these up on the school management system which is a fairly straightforward process. Students will need to set these up at home on the evening.

We also will post a separate update for families explaining how to set up the iPads on our website on the day that they are sent home, including important information on how to make sure they are protected in their cases too.

On Wednesday, students will find out their new classes and Immersion for their new learning expedition will start.

G31 students (Year 8) 

After a Crew session on Monday, students will begin a week-long immersion for their new learning expedition this week. 

They will have their first PE session on Tuesday so will need PE kit please.

G30 students (Year 9) 

After a morning Crew session, students will begin immersion for their new learning expedition this week. 

G30 Class 2 PE sessions take place on Thursday, Class 1 PE will take place on Friday this week so students will need their PE kit.

G29 students (Year 10) 

After morning Crew sessions, students will begin immersion for their new learning expeditions this week. 

G29 PE sessions take place on Monday so students will need their PE kit. 

G28 students (Year 11) 

After morning Crew sessions, students will begin immersion for their new learning expeditions this week. 

G28 PE sessions take place on Monday so students will need their PE kit. 

Making the right start

All students need to be in school for an 8.30am start to sessions so they must arrive by 8.25am at the latest. There will be staff in school supervising so students can arrive from 8.00 am.

We will finish formal sessions at 3.15pm and there will be no extended study or activities after school for the next two weeks.. 

Kit List

As always, students need to bring a school bag with the following kit :

• A filled water bottle
• Pencil case including: pens, pencils, ruler, eraser and pencil sharpener
• A fully charged iPad (G28, G29, G30, G31 from Monday, G32 on the day following their distribution to students) and headphones (ideally not expensive ones, for example here)
• A notebook
• A reading book

Students also need to bring a healthy snack for break time – no confectionery (sweets), fizzy drinks or energy drinks please as we do not allow these in school. Please note there are to be no nut products in snacks or packed lunches – this is especially important as we have students in this cohort who are highly allergic to nut products. 

Mobile phones should be switched off and in school bags each morning. Students should not be using mobile phones during the day without permission from a member of staff. If you need to contact your son or daughter please do so via the school office at [email protected] or on 0191 4814360. 

Safe arrivals and exit from site

Cars and parking outside of school

The start of a new academic year is always busier at pick up and drop off, with new Year 7 students getting used to making their way to and from a new school, and all students finishing at 3.15pm until extended study and clubs are up and running.

Please can you ensure that you consider our neighbours when parking and do not block any pathways or drives onto their properties. Of even more importance is the safety of our students when crossing the road outside of school. Please leave space by the barriers outside of the main gates, as we have staff here who can ensure that children are crossing the road safely. With a clear road here we will more easily be able to see any approaching traffic.

Cycling to school

We are really pleased to see so many of our students cycling or scooting to school. Can I remind parents that if  students are to bring bikes or scooters to school then they must have a bike lock. In terms of safety, students should also have a bike helmet. Please check that your child’s bike is in good condition frequently.

Please note that electric scooters (e–scooters) are not allowed in school or as a means of getting to school. This includes all other  ‘powered transporters’ too such as hoverboards and electric unicycles.

Lunches

We are a no nut school. This is very important as we do have children with severe allergies.

Students can choose to bring in a healthy packed lunch (no nut products, confectionery, fizzy or energy drinks) or have a school meal with us. 

Our school dinners are very popular with our students, thanks to our wonderful kitchen crew. Students make a daily food choice in crew each morning and we have a three week menu. Here’s this year’s menu – this week we start on week 1.

If your child receives a free school meal, we will provide lunch. Please contact the school office at [email protected] if you have any questions around school meals or paying for meals via ParentPay. New families and parents of Year 7 will receive a letter which gives details of how to add your child’s XPG lunches to a parentpay account. This will be sent home with your child.

We are really looking forward to welcoming all of our students back tomorrow. 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 for your ongoing support and a special thanks again to those parents who have been supporting our new G32 parents with their XPG knowledge and expertise. 

Julie Mosley

Principal

Dear Families

Welcome back!

Next week we return to school for our first week back which is fundamental to us as an XP School. We will spend time introducing or reaffirming the importance of Crew which is the foundation of our culture at XPG, and take the time to build and tend to positive relationships in Crew through shared experiences and challenges. 

 ‘If we get Crew right, we get everything right’.

The activities in the first week back are carefully planned and bespoke to each year group. 

Arrival Times on Tuesday

We will be running a staggered start to school for students on Tuesday to ensure a smooth start back. Our theatre space continues to be out of use whilst ongoing repair work is underway so we are unable to collectively meet more than one year at a time.

• G32 (Year 7)
  • Year 7 students will start at normal time, 8:25am and can arrive from 8am on Tuesday.

• G28 (Year 11)

• • Year 11 students will start at 9:00am and can arrive from 8:45am on Tuesday.
  • Please note that Crew Stanton will be undertaking fieldwork on Tuesday and will have a later finish on Tuesday – more details below.
• G31 (Year 8)
  • Year 8 students will start at 10:30am and can arrive from 10.15am on Tuesday.
• G29 (Year 10)
  • Year 10 students will start at 11:00am and can arrive from 10.45am on Tuesday.
• G30 (Year 9)
  • Year 9 students will start at 11:30am and can arrive from 11.15am on Tuesday.

First week back guiding questions and fieldwork next week 

Each cohort has a different guiding question for the week with purposeful activities which help them to answer this question. As such there is no PE this coming week, but there is physical activity for all year groups as you will see below.

G32 (Year 7) students – Outward Bound Expedition

G31 students head off to Howtown, Ullswater for their Outward Bound Expedition and their guiding question for the week which is:

“What does it mean to be crew?”

Importantly, students will need a packed lunch and a £10 deposit with them when they arrive at school on Tuesday. See the detailed website post which has full information on travel, kit, medical requirements, communication and return time back to school.

G31 (Year 8) students

“How can we support each other to lead the learning of our new Year 7 Crew?”

As part of their first week back in school, Year 8 students will be planning fieldwork in our local area which will involve them retrieving and consolidating their learning from last year’s expeditions as well as evaluating the effectiveness of new fieldwork activities in order to support the learning of our new Year 7 cohort.

G31 Fieldwork on Friday 29th August

To answer their guiding question, students will plan  and risk assess fieldwork.

Students will complete the fieldwork during the school day on Friday 29th August and will be back in school for around 3.30pm.

Each Crew will put together a ‘Crew picnic’. Your child will be able to give you more details on how they plan to contribute towards this picnic.

G31 students should also be prepared for the weather conditions, so they must have their regular kit and in addition:

• Waterproof jacket
• Appropriate clothing for the weather
• Suitable footwear for a day’s walking in urban area
• Water bottle
• Suncream
• A cap or hat

G30 (Year 9) students

This week serves as an introduction to the types of challenges that year 9 students will face as part of their Duke of Edinburgh Bronze award this academic year. Their guiding question for the week is:

“How do we form great habits to tackle initiatives as a Crew with increasing agency, independence and resilience?”

G30 Fieldwork on Thursday 28th August

As part of their first week back in school, Year 9 students will be carrying out a hike in Northumberland around Wylam, learning how to navigate together on Thursday during the school day. As this is a hike, a consent form will go home to students on Tuesday.

Each Crew will put together a ‘Crew picnic’. Your child will be able to give you more details on how they plan to contribute towards this picnic.

Students will be travelling by metro and train during the regular school day and will return back to school for around 3:30pm. We will keep you updated on the school website of our expected arrival time.

G30 students will need the following kit for the day.

• Waterproof jacket
• Appropriate clothing for the weather
• Hiking boots or footwear that is suitable for a rural hike.
• Water bottle
• Suncream
• A cap or hat

G29 (Year 10) students

Students will be working together in Crews on their guiding question:

‘How can we ensure that our future selves will thank us for the next two years?’

There are two foci for the students for the week. The first of which is focussing on the step up to Key Stage 4 and how they need to adapt their Crew norms to ensure that they are supporting and challenging each other to be successful.

Secondly students will continue their thinking about careers and pathways, beyond Key Stage 4 to Post-16. As part of the week students will travel to Gateshead College to hear from experts and employers about what pathways are available to them and what employers and education providers are looking for in candidates.

G29 Fieldwork on Thursday 28th and Expert sessions on Friday 29th August

For the fieldwork on Thursday we will be travelling to Gateshead College campuses by coaches, so Year 10 students will need:

• Their regular school kit including a water bottle and fully charged iPad
• Comfortable walking shoes or trainers
• Clothing that is suitable for the weather 

During the week, students will also put together a CV based on their ambitions, strengths and skills to date, and on Friday they will have a mock interview with a professional who will give them feedback on how they present themselves, how they articulate their ambitions and reflect on themselves and how they respond to  questions. Year 10 students should wear more formal dress on Friday for their mock interviews.

G28 (Year 11) students – (including fieldwork throughout the week)

Year 11 students will have a week which focuses on

• Facing the challenges of Year 11 head on, and thriving!
• Developing resilience and being comfortable with challenge.
• Self-regulation techniques, good learner behaviours and target setting.

As part of this week students will complete a high ropes challenge with their Crew Leader. This activity will be led by Mr Wayne Dobson, who has previously been a Crew Leader at the school and runs a professional outdoor adventure company High Tide Adventure. Students will be travelling to the high ropes course at Carlton Adventure in Stokesley and will travel there by minibus.

On the day that students complete this challenge they will finish at a later time arriving back at school at 4.30pm – this is of particular note for Crew Stanton who will do this fieldwork first on Tuesday.

• Crew Stanton will carry out the challenge on Tuesday 26th August and finish at 4.30pm.
• Crew Parks will carry out the challenge on Wednesday 27th August and finish at 4.30pm.
• Crew Frank will carry out the challenge on Thursday 28th August and finish at 4.30pm.
• Crew Angelou will carry out the challenge on Friday 29th August and finish at 4.30pm.

For the day of their challenge G28 students will need the following kit:

• Footwear appropriate for sports as per PE:
  • Trainers, not baseball boots or plimsolls.
• Comfortable clothing such as:
  • Leggings or tracksuit pants. Jeans are not appropriate.
  • Waterproof jacket and a warm top. Fleece or hoody.
• A packed lunch for the day.

Regular Kit and dress code for this week

All students in Year 8-11 will need their regular kit for every day this week. They should also be in regular dress code for the start of school this week on Tuesday, just as in any other week. See our website post for a reminder on our dress code expectations.

A reminder that for day to day kit we expect students a school bag with the following:

• A water bottle
• A fully charged iPad
• Headphones – ideally not expensive ones, for example here
• Pencil case including: pens, pencils, ruler, eraser and pencil sharpener
• Notebook

School Lunches 

Students can choose to bring in a healthy packed lunch (no confectionery, fizzy or energy drinks) or have a school meal with us. Please note there must be no nut products in snacks or packed lunches – this is especially important as we have students in this cohort who are highly allergic to nut products.

Our school dinners are very popular with our students, thanks to our wonderful kitchen crew. Students make a daily food choice in crew each morning and we have a three week menu. Here’s this year’s menu – we start on week 3 this week. There is one difference in that Tuesday’s lunch will be the all day breakfast option which is usually the Monday option.

For more on school meals this year, please see this detailed website post.

Staffing Update and Crew Leaders

We have four new Learning Coaches joining our team this term – Joe Allan, Emily Bennett, Tim Macdonald & Hannah Young.

We also have Lauren Cadenas (PE), Caroline Carter (Arts), Charlotte Fielding (Spanish), Jonny Foster (STEAM), Amy Rawcliffe (Human), Gary Watson (Human) joining our teaching team too this year.

A reminder that our Crew Leaders for this academic year are:

G32 Crew Leaders: Mr Allan, Miss Bennett, Mrs Diamond and Mrs Ross

 

G31 Crew Curie: Mrs Carter

G31 Crew Pankhurst: Mr Azam & Mr Foster

G31 Crew Shakespeare: Miss Jamison

G31 Crew Windsor: Miss Blain

 

G30 Crew Earhart: Miss Fielding

G30 Crew Kahlo: Ms Macphail

G30 Crew Darling: Mr Devitt

G30 Crew Einstein: Mr Watson

 

G29 Crew Attenborough: Miss Simpson

G29 Crew Watson: Mrs Horne / Mr Macdonald

G29 Crew King: Miss Rawcliffe

G29 Crew Nightingale: Ms Marshall

 

G28 Crew Parks: Miss Young

G28 Crew Frank: Miss Jones

G28 Crew Angelou: Mr Mead

G28 Crew Stanton: Miss Tatters

 

Regular timetabled sessions

Regular timetabled lessons and new learning expeditions will start for Years 8-10 on Monday 1st September.

When they return to school from Ullswater Year 7 will have two days in Crew on Monday 1st September and Tuesday 2nd September. This will give them time to further debrief their adventure, consider what it means to be Crew in academic sessions and further orient themselves in their new school and new building. They will start their new learning expeditions and timetabled sessions on Wednesday 3rd September.

There will be no clubs or extended study for the first two weeks of term.

We are really looking forward to welcoming all of our students back on Tuesday. 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 for your ongoing support and a special thanks to our existing parents who have been sharing their XPG knowledge and expertise with our new G32 parents. Together we are definitely stronger #WeAreCrew.

Julie Mosley

Principal

 

More footage will be coming from the comms team who had a range of cameras capturing performances on the day.

In the meantime, here are excerpts of the footage taken by our students on the day.