Dear Families

I look back on last week with a real sense of pride for the work our students are doing and the people they are becoming. The words of Kurt Hahn ring truer and truer every day

“There is more to us than we know. If we can be made to see it, perhaps for the rest of our lives, we will be unwilling to settle for less” 

On Monday, we observed our two minute silence for Remembrance Day.  This was signalled by Devin with a solo bugle call and a huge amount of courage . Students were also given the opportunity to listen to our remembrance broadcast on Memory Lane Radiothe opportunity to listen to our remembrance broadcast on Memory Lane Radio. If you have not yet done so, please take some to listen to this wonderful piece of work from G30.

At XP we work to ensure that our students grow their character, create beautiful work and achieve academic success. We develop our curriculum so that learning is relevant, purposeful and authentic and we encourage our students to be compassionate citizens, expanding opportunity so that they can impact positively on others both in the school and in the wider community. We work hard to nurture and develop an understanding of how kindness, empathy and concern for others must define us, as both individuals and also as part of society, if we are to create a more just and compassionate world. 

Our G31 students had an expert session with Clare Price who told us about the extraordinary life and character of her husband David, about whom G31 will be writing a folk song. This is one of a series of songs about local figures of importance in our region’s story. As we have said before, David was a friend of XP and instrumental in the story of our school. A huge appreciation to Clare for bringing lots of David’s possessions and speaking so beautifully about a wonderful man.

At the end of the week our students took part in conversations with several organisations working regionally, nationally and internationally. These each exemplify how our approach to personal development means that students develop in confidence over time, are confident to speak to a range of audiences and can hold their own in discussion about important issues of our time.

Our G29 students had an expert session with Kate Osborne Member of Parliament (MP) for Jarrow and Gateshead East as part of their current expedition  ‘Another Brick in the Wall’ and working to answer a guiding question ‘How are structures important in helping us to explain our world?’. As part of their work students have been looking at political structures in Government and been investigating housing policy of the Labour Party and other major political parties in the U.K. Our Year 9 really took the opportunity to ask Kate questions in discussions that covered climate action, sustainability, housing policy, immigration along with more personal questions around Kate’s passion for politics and the North East.

On Friday, Koen Timmers visited XP Doncaster to share his work involving young people and schools across the world on Climate Action. Koen set up the Take Action Global project and The Climate Action Project – with 5.3 million kids from 127 countries taking part. He has been nominated for the Bill Gates for the top ten Global Teacher Prize twice. Students from XPG Climate Action Group joined an online meeting with staff from across the Trust to hear Koen talk about his work and how XP schools could get involved. Our students will be updating our wider staff team in the near future about the The Climate Action Project and considering how XPG can get involved.

Our final example of activism in our students came from a group of G28 students who were amazing young delegates at a Humanist Conference on Poverty. The event brought together key individuals and organisations to share best practice: politicians, funders, schools, charities – including recipients of North East Humanists’ own microgrants scheme, and ‘Support and Grow’ who provide invaluable support in their local community. Our students’ maturity and contributions were praised by other delegates from many of the organisations present. 

Our week ahead 

G31 Music

Students are working with experts on Tuesday on the materials that will become the lyrics, harmonies and melodies for their folk songs. G31 families can look forward to hearing these live at St Mary’s church in our presentation of learning. They will then be recorded professionally and published to all of the big streaming sites. By the end of the academic year, all of G31 will be published songwriters.

G29 Expert

G29 are hosting an expert Michelle Bell who is Assistant Director of BCT (Byker Community Trust). This connects to their studies around structure of government and habitations and how these interact as well as modernist and brutalist art and architecture.

Michelle’s career in social housing spans 26 years that started at Newcastle City Council in 1995, followed by roles in Your Homes Newcastle and Homes England. Michelle joined the BCT project team in September 2011 and in July 2012 when BCT was formed, she became responsible for heading up Property Services within BCT.

G28 Preparation for PoL

G28 will this week start preparation for their PoL for their studies of A Christmas Carol. This is an afternoon tea for members of the community that typically experience loneliness, especially around Christmas, all of which connects to their GQ: “Is charity enough?”

Crew Stanton are baking tomorrow morning, and Angelou on Wednesday. Students do not need to bring ingredients, but it is worth wearing clothes that are older. Long hair needs to be tied back in a bobble please.

Crew Frank are baking on Monday 25th November, and Parks on Wednesday 27th next week.

Crew Day – Friday 22nd November

Every half term, we look to run a Crew Day which is an opportunity to ‘tend to and build’ 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. In this week’s Crew Day:

G31 students will start their work on researching suitable people after whom to name their crews – people who have achieved great things and who display our character traits of courage, integrity, respect, craftsmanship and quality, and above all compassion.

G30 will start their work on  looking at which charity they want to support. Students will be putting together their proposals and pitching to the rest of their crew their choice of charity.

G29 will continue their activism work, the awareness raising and charity work they are planning to carry out this academic year. 

G28 students will focus on wellbeing and looking after their ‘mind, body and soul’. 

On Friday, students will work with their crew and Crew Leader for the day developing their team work, crew identity and wellbeing.

PE sessions this week

Our PE sessions this week are as follows. Please ensure that your child has their  full PE kit.

• All G30 students (Year 8) have PE on Monday..
• All G31 students (Year 7) have PE on Wednesday.
• All G29 students (Year 9) have PE on Thursday.
• All G28 students (Year 10) have PE on Thursday.

G29 SLCs

Year 9 will be carrying out SLCs in the fortnight commencing Monday 25th November. We will be in touch in the next couple of days to give you the opportunity to book a slot.

Looking ahead – important dates

Staff Days – Friday 29th November and Monday 4th December

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. 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.

POLs (Presentations of Learning) this term – dates for your diary – all now confirmed

• G31’s PoL will be on the evening of Monday 16th December at St. Mary’s church in Heworth at 4.30pm.
• G30’s PoL will be on Wednesday 18th December in school at 4.30pm.
• G29’s PoL will be on the evening of Wednesday 11th December at the Farrell Centre and Great North Museum in Newcastle University Campus at 3.45pm.
• G28’s PoL will be on Thursday 19th December in school at 4.30pm.

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].

Julie Mosley

Dear Families

What a great first week back it has been! Our students have returned well and quickly got back into the swing of things, working hard and enjoying the great learning opportunities they have had this week. We’ve had some amazing expert sessions in and outside of school which continue to feed into current expedition work supporting our students in their response to their guiding questions.

G31 – How can stories influence and shape communities?

Work has started on our final product of folk songs – more below about an expert visitor this week. Students also have been continuing to learn about our region’s history including the reformation during the reign of Henry VIII and have also been continuing to learn about the particle model in science which was harnessed during the industrial revolution – another stop on our history of Gateshead and its place in Britain.

G30 – What does it mean to be human?

Our Year 8 students had a fantastic week, carrying out fieldwork at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Sheriff Hill and interviewed Humanist experts in school. The fieldwork connected to the work students have been studying in STEAM sessions on gas exchange and circulatory  systems. Students enjoyed hands-on sessions  in the Respiratory Simulation Room and met the clinical lead for organ donation. They also got the chance to see the area where their final art product “Reflecting Humanity” will be exhibited. 

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Our students enjoyed their session with a Humanist expert who spoke to them about the Humanist belief that we have one life and therefore should ensure we make the most of our time on Earth by living the best life possible for ourselves and others, including future generations. As is always the case, the experts praised the high quality questions and discussions they had with our students and the maturity they demonstrated.

G29 – How are structures important in helping us to explain our world?

This week our Year 9 students worked alongside experts from Newcastle University making audio recordings of the built environment which will be manipulated so that they can be used as part of the audio installation that students will produce as part of the ‘Concrete Dreams’ exhibition at the Farrell Centre. In addition to the audio for the soundscapes that have now been recorded, students will be interviewing members of the community to collect oral histories of the iconic original car park on the Trinity Square site.

   

G28 – How did bonding help the Vikings forge a strong legacy? / Is charity enough?

Students this week were able to make connections between both of their learning expeditions in Year 10.

In Science they have been carrying out a required practical which requires the preparation of a pure, dry sample of a soluble salt from an insoluble oxide or carbonate using a Bunsen burner to heat dilute  acid and a water bath to evaporate the solvent. Students also reinforced the importance of: using appropriate heating devices safely, using appropriate apparatus and techniques, including a suitable choice of reactants and the safe use of equipment to purify mixtures. All of this is leading to students being able to analyse viking artefacts, based on connecting their properties to their chemical structure and internal bonding.

In HUMAN students had an expert session with local members of the Dickens Society, who were able to help students to make connections between themes in the book of charity, community and bonds, and also root these in the context in which Dickens was writing A Christmas Carol. More information soon on how students will put their learning to use in an event in school for our community designed to tackle loneliness at Christmas and beyond!

G30’s stunning Memory Lane Radio broadcast 

I think that the  biggest highlight of our week though must be our G30 radio  broadcast of unheard voices from WWI. This was played on Memory Lane Radio on Sunday 11th November at 11am as part of their Armistice Day programme. Listening to the beautiful voices and words of all 50 of our students was simply stunning, their writing was powerful and really emotive. If you didn’t get the chance to tune in on Sunday, here is the link to the recording.

I highly recommend you get a cup of tea, sit back and enjoy the 55 min programme.

Our week ahead 

PE sessions this week

Our PE sessions this week are as follows. Please ensure that your child has their  full PE kit.

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

Extended Study and Clubs

Our clubs will all run this week (see schedule below) along with extended study sessions every day except Friday. Our before-school fitness and running clubs on Tuesday and Thursday will start at the earlier time of 7.45am this week.

For a small school, we offer a wide selection of enrichment opportunities to our students and this week we are adding Mandarin Club to the list. Please encourage your child to get involved in our clubs (lunchtime or after school) to explore their interests or find new ones. Being active or creative, learning new things and being part of a team helps connect us and boost our mental wellbeing.  

Working with experts, fieldwork and PoLs

G30

Our year 7 students are this week meeting with Clare Price, who is the wife of David Price OBE who sadly passed away in May this year. David was a friend and advocate of XP Gateshead and was a renowned figure in the world of education. As part of their final product, students in year 7 are writing folk songs about important local figures from our region’s history – and one of those songs will be about David. We look forward to being able to perform our songs to you in December at our PoL in St Mary’s church in Heworth

G28 – RS Conference: ‘Poverty – a Humanist Concern’  

A group of our year 10 students are attending a conference on Friday. The purpose of the event is to bring together key individuals and organisations to share best practice: politicians, funders, schools, charities – including recipients of North East Humanists’ own microgrants scheme, and ‘Support and Grow’ who provide invaluable support in their local community. 

Families of children that are attending have been contacted by Mrs Ross.

POLs (Presentations of Learning) this term – dates for your diary – all now confirmed

• G31’s PoL will be on the evening of Monday 16th December at St. Mary’s church in Heworth at 4.30pm.
• G30’s PoL will be on Wednesday 18th December in school at 4.30pm.
• G29’s PoL will be on the evening of Wednesday 11th December at the Farrell Centre and Great North Museum in Newcastle University Campus at 3.45pm.
• G28’s PoL will be on Thursday 19th December in school at 4.30pm.

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].

Julie Mosley

Dear Families

Welcome back after what I hope has been a restful and safe half term holiday.

We are looking forward to seeing all of our students back this week, raring to go and ready to continue their hard work on current expeditions.

As always, a return to school gives us all the opportunity to make a strong start in terms of getting into good habits and being organised. I would like to remind everyone of the importance of punctuality, attendance and being fully prepared for learning and ask for your support in this to make sure that all of our students are getting it right.

Punctuality

All students need to be in school for an 8.30am start so they must arrive by 8.25am at the latest. A minority of students were frequently late for school last half term which impacted on the learning of others (staff and students). Please talk to your child about their punctuality and ensure that they are arriving on time every day. 

Attendance

At XPG we celebrate attendance and will support those students and families who need to improve their attendance. Snapshots will be shared with you this half term which include attendance information and Crew Leaders will be talking with students and their families  about how important attendance is to academic achievement and success in school.

As you may have seen in the news, school attendance continues to be a concern across the country. At XPG, we were proud of our attendance last year with attendance figures higher than local and national. There is no doubt that this was down to the hard work of all – students, parents/carers, Crew Leaders and our inclusion team. We all understand that school attendance is vital to the life chances of young people and that being in school improves health, wellbeing and socialisation throughout life. 

In the winter months we are all more susceptible to mild respiratory illnesses including general cold symptoms. It is usually appropriate for parents and carers to send their children to school at these times but it can be tricky making these decisions. The following NHS guidance includes information which may be useful – NHS ‘Is my child too ill for school?’ guidance.

Please share any worries you have around attendance or punctuality with your childs’ Crew Leader. We will be in contact with families where attendance or punctuality is a concern and put supportive improvement plans in place.

Being organised

As always, students need to bring a school bag every day with the following items

• A filled water bottle
• Pencil case including: pens, pencils, ruler, eraser and pencil sharpener
• A fully charged iPad
• Headphones – ideally not expensive ones
• A healthy snack for break (no confectionery (sweets), fizzy drinks or energy drinks, nut products)
• A notebook
• A reading book (e-reader book, school library book or book from home)

As you know, we ask for very few financial contributions from families but I would like to request that the following items are added to the kit list to support us in our spend on resources

• A gluestick
• A purple biro pen
• A highlighter pen

Please make sure your son/daughter is fully equipped for learning and contact us if there are any problems.

Our week ahead 

Working with experts and fieldwork

G30 – What does it mean to be human?

G30 Students are carrying out fieldwork at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital connected to their studies in Science around organ systems in the human body. They will also meet our contact at the hospital who has commissioned their final product: artwork which promotes organ donation.  More details on this fieldwork can be found here. 

G30 also have sessions with our longstanding humanist experts, who will help student to build on their learning about the golden rule of humanism, and uncover more about the Humanist belief that we have one life and therefore should ensure we make the most of our time on Earth by living the best life possible for ourselves and others, including future generations.

G29 – How are structures important in helping us to explain our world? 

G29 students are working alongside experts this week to make audio recordings of the built environment which can then be manipulated so that they can be used as part of the audio installation that students will produce as part of the ‘Concrete Dreams’ exhibition at the Farrell Centre.

G28 – Is charity enough

Connected to their studies of Dickens’  A Christmas Carol, G28 students will have a sessions with experts from the local Dickens society, giving students more contextual knowledge about Dickens’ life and how this informed the theme of charity in this novella and his other writing.

PE sessions this week

Our PE sessions this week are as follows. Please ensure that your child has their  full PE kit.

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

Extended Study and Clubs

Our clubs will all run this week (see schedule below) along with extended study sessions every day except Friday. Our before-school fitness and running clubs on Tuesday and Thursday will start at the earlier time of 7.45am this week.

Important dates for your diaries for next half-term

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. We expect for every child to have a family member there to support them.

Below are the dates for our PoLs (Presentations of Learning) next term. 

• G31’s PoL will be on the evening of Monday 16th December at St. Mary’s church in Heworth. Start time is to be confirmed but we expect at around 5.30pm.
• G30’s PoL will be on Wednesday 18th December in school at 4.30pm.
• G29’s PoL will be on the evening of Wednesday 11th December at the Farrell Centre in Newcastle University Campus. Start time is to be confirmed.
• G28’s PoL will be on Thursday 19th December in school at 4.30pm.

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].

Julie Mosley

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. 

As you know, an Ofsted team visited us this week for our first inspection. It has been a very positive experience for us at XPG. It is a challenge for an Inspection team to get a real understanding of our school and expeditionary curriculum since we do some things differently at XPG! Our lead inspector Hannah Millett, really took the time to do this and led the inspection with integrity, care and compassion.

The verbal feedback given at the end of the inspection was stunning. The commitment, passion and care that staff, students and governors have for the work we do here at XPG has shone through. Ambition was commented on several times across the inspection – the ambition we all have (adults and children) to change lives and our communities.

A special thanks to all of those families who took the time to respond to the Ofsted parental survey. We get to see the final statistics on each question but don’t see the written comments you make so thank you to those who took the time to share their lovely comments with us too.

We should receive our draft report after the half term break and hope to get our final report published before the end of November. I really look forward to seeing this and sharing it with you all.

Important dates for your diaries for next half-term

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.

• G31’s PoL will be on the evening of Monday 16th December at St. Mary’s church in Heworth. Start time is to be confirmed but we expect at around 5.30pm.
• G30’s PoL will be on Wednesday 18th December in school at 4.30pm.
• G29’s PoL will be on the evening of Thursday 12th December at the Farrell Centre in Newcastle University Campus. Start time is to be confirmed.
• G28’s PoL will be on Thursday 19th December in school at 4.30pm.

Have a wonderful break with your children

So, it’s been an exhausting one,  and 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 4th November at the normal time. It will be week 3 on the lunch menu when we return.

Thank you, as always, for your ongoing support.

.Julie Mosley

Good afternoon

Today we received notice that XP Gateshead will be inspected by Ofsted tomorrow and on Wednesday.

Below is a letter which includes a link that you can follow to give feedback to Ofsted on our school.

We are delighted to have the opportunity to demonstrate the great work that your children do with us, and strongly encourage as many families as possible to take the time to complete the parentview survey.

We look forward to the next two days, and thank you all for your continued support.

#wearecrew

Kind regards

Julie Mosley

A families’ guide to inspections can also be found by clicking here.

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! 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 two week half term break when we finish this half term on Friday 18th October.

G28 and their start to GCSE 

G28 students have made a great start to their GCSE courses and all 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 Religious Studies, students have been using their collective knowledge to develop really strong answers to an exam style essay question about the story of the virgin birth in The New Testament.

   

GCSE Geographers have planned and carried out their first fieldwork with the enquiry question “Has regeneration had a positive impact on the Ouseburn?”

     

in GCSE photography students have been setting up miniature studios to start to get to grips with the powerful cameras that most of them carry with them every day, in advance of learning skills on DSLRs.

   

And

This week also, as a consequence of the weather, students from Level 2 Sports were able to put together a fitness warm-up for Miss Jones given that they would be indoors for the session.

DofE for G29 students

All of our Y9 students complete the DofE bronze award as part of our curriculum. G29 have started working on the physical and skill sections through sessions including badminton, urban-walking and mindful arts and crafts.

   

G30 work with expert Sister Josepha

G30 have had an expert session with Sister Josepha from St Anthony’s convent, who discussing how her beliefs and the teachings of her catholic faith about the afterlife have informed the way that she has lived her life and in turn her perspective on what it means to be human. 

Our students were full of admiration for Sister Josepha and the great work that she has done in service to her community and to those in need around the world.

G30 work with expert Andrew Lowes

This week G30 also met Dr Andrew Lowes from the QE hospital. He was able to talk to students about the impact of G29’s work last year and the importance of organ donation. Again this year, we are delighted that our students’ artwork will be curated in our local hospital promoting such a worthy cause of organ donation.

Ongoing professional development for staff

As you know, we are a school invested in learning for staff and students alike. Like our students, we 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 the Queen Elizabeth Hospital, Shipley and Victoria & Albert museums, and the Farrell Centre to develop authentic products for expeditions.
  • Participation in national programmes such as Maths Mastery.
  • Working with Newcastle University researchers to further develop connections between our KS3 and KS4 curriculum and the wider world.

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 school, evident in the way that we support each others’ development, providing capacity for each other to attend training or opportunities, providing 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 our children: their development and success.

The 2024 Thomas Hepburn Memorial Service

This weekend students from across all years 8-10 attended the Thomas Hepburn memorial service at St Mary’s church in Heworth. 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 local history and students’ first learning expedition in year 7, we are of course keen to keep the connection to our community. As you know the school that was once on our site was named for Thomas Hepburn, and our school sits right on top of the roadways that extended from Felling Pit.

There was a particularly beautiful addition to our attendance this year, in that members of our choir were included in the service, performing one of G29’s songs “Justice Forever” which invoked a wonderful reception from the attendees – the biggest round of applause of the day!

   

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 our students’ performance and the quality of the music that G29 had written. I think we already have at least a couple of additional gigs on the back of this!

We were also very lucky to be able to accompany Bill Elliott, a local folk singer and part of the Elliott family of miners from Birtley who we hope to be able to work with further in putting together folk songs for G31 as part of their final product. All in all a wonderful way to spend a morning with wonderful young people.

Our week ahead 

G29 fieldwork

On Monday Year 9 students will participate in local fieldwork visiting the site of the Owen Luder car park, using the space as inspiration for designing their own structure and collecting sounds to accompany their personal oral histories. Students will also be collecting primary data to answer the enquiry question: “Are there inequalities on Gateshead High Street?”. Students will have lunch in school and should dress appropriately for fieldwork and possible changes in weather.

Extended Study and Clubs

Our usual offer of extended study and clubs will all run this week (see schedule here) every day except Friday. Our before-school fitness and running clubs on Tuesday and Thursday will start at the earlier time of 7.45am this week.

Insert schedule here – can it be amended to show extended study too please

PE sessions this week

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

Pumpkin Decorating Competition – Friday 18th October

Crew Stanton are hosting a pumpkin decorating competition to raise money for our crew charity Tiny Lives. Students will need to bring in their decorated pumpkins on the morning of 18th October 2024. Please see the website post for full details of competition categories, entry fee and prizes. 

Early closure this Friday 18th 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 4th November 2023. 

Thank you for your continued support through this half term and we hope everyone has a good holiday. We are looking forward to the 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].

Julie Mosley

Dear Families

Club Tasters

As well as tasty tacos on Friday (see above), this week our students had the chance to try some of the clubs on offer this year before school, at lunchtime or after school. 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 has been wonderful to see such a choice of clubs offered as well as daily extended study clubs. We have extended our offer this year with more sports clubs, a school newspaper, psychology, languages clubs including Mandarin, music and arts opportunities and targeted study support. It is great to see real leadership in our students with some G28 student leaders running clubs this year in girls football and cheerleading.

Please encourage your son/daughter to get involved in clubs and make use of an extended study slot or two to keep on top of their work load with help on hand from their peers and staff.

G29 Fieldwork

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Once again G29 students worked on a university campus at Newcastle University, beginning preparation for their final product, which will be sound installations as part of the ‘Concrete Dreams’ exhibition at the Farrell Centre for architecture. They also were able to spend time at the beautiful Edwardian Hatton Gallery, considering how abstract art can use visual structures to illicit meaning. In both settings students had input from our expert partners and were able to make further connections between the arts and design and their wider expedition and guiding question “How can structures help to explain our world?’  

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 Mythbusting, 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. Here is just one of the many comments we received:

“I just wanted to say what a brilliantly executed evening it was last night and what absolute stars the students were. They were so articulate, passionate and professional. They gave thoughtful answers and were fantastic ambassadors for their school. I have seen a couple of them present previously and the difference in their confidence and presentation skills was remarkable.”

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.

G31 Fieldwork

Our history and our story forms the backdrop for G31’s first learning expedition with a timeline that starts in the events surrounding the Norman invasion of England in HUMAN sessions and brings in the development of our society, our language, church and industry. In STEAM students have already studied the industrial revolution and how we exploited our mineral wealth in the coal-powered Industrial Revolution. In the last few lessons, students have taken that same timeline and looked at our geological story, in the deep past. The fieldwork this week helped students to see how, by working alongside our expert, they could make inferences about 250 million years ago just by looking at the rocks in Marsden Bay. It also helps that we picked a perfect day in terms of the weather, although conditions were not quite the tropical temperatures from the Permian Period when those rocks were first laid down. 

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

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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 

Extended Study and Clubs

Our clubs will all run this week (see schedule below) along with extended study sessions every day except Friday. If a student attends an after school club or extended study session they must attend the full sessions until 4:30pm.

Our before-school fitness and running clubs on Tuesday and Thursday will start at the earlier time of 7.45am this week.

PE sessions this week

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

Looking ahead to next week

Half term break starts Friday 18th October 

On Friday 18th October, we will finish at 1:30pm as is our usual for our end of half-term de-gunge. This allows classrooms packs to be replenished and checks carried out to ensure that spaces are ready for learning when we come back from the break.

We return to school on Monday 4th November at the normal start time.

 

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

It was another very busy and productive week, even with four days due to our second staff day on Monday. We really do work hard here to produce beautiful work with staff and students always striving to be the best versions of themselves.

The importance of reading 

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.

Extended Study

Our students are working hard on their weekly extended study tasks and, this week in Crews, discussed how to manage their time effectively to ensure deadlines are met and support each other with this. We do recommend that students commit to at least one after school extended study slot each week where support is on hand from staff and peers.

 

You can find more on our rationale for Extended Study by clicking here. 

 

Our week ahead 

Taster sessions for lunchtime and after school clubs

This week students will have the opportunity to sign up for taster sessions for lunchtime and after school clubs. Please discuss these with your child and encourage them to get involved in as many clubs as possible. Remember we also run extended study sessions Monday – Thursday.

PE sessions this week

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

G29 Fieldwork – Tuesday 1st October

   

G29 are carrying out fieldwork in Newcastle on Tuesday next week. They will be travelling from school by foot and metro, so will need to be prepared with their regular kit and be ready for the weather. At the moment the forecast is cool and mostly dry.

Students will need a packed lunch for the day. They should arrive to school at the normal time.

They will be visiting the Hatton Gallery and Farrell Centre to do preparatory work with University colleagues and experts from the arts sector in readiness for their final product which will be shared in their presentation of learning at Newcastle University on Wednesday 11th December.

We will leave for the metro from Newcastle at 2.30pm, so students may be back to school a little later, around 3.30pm.

Open Evening – Tuesday 1st October

On Tuesday we will be hosting Year 6 families and their children. This means that on Tuesday we will not have Extended Study provision or clubs after school as spaces will be being set up for the evening.

Our students as always will be centre stage and we have enlisted student volunteers to host and run the evening. This is a great opportunity for our students to demonstrate leadership and communicate what makes our school so wonderful. Thank you to the parents of our volunteers for their support of the evening with later pick ups.

G31 Fieldwork – Thursday 3rd October

G31 have their first STEAM fieldwork next week. Each class will spend half a day in Marsden Bay analysing the rock formations in there, connected to their studies of the rock cycle and deep geological time. As an integral part of the curriculum, this fieldwork and working alongside our expert Karl Egeland-Eriksen will bring to life the standards that students have been learning about Earth’s structure and rocks. 

Students will need a packed lunch for the day. They should arrive at school for the normal time.

We will be travelling by coach, but will be outdoors for the entire fieldwork. Students will need their regular kit including their iPad, and will need to be prepared for the weather. The current forecast is cool with a chance of showers so waterproof coats will be needed.

Class 2 will carry out work in the bay in the morning and will eat lunch in the bay before returning to school for their regular afternoon sessions.

Class 1 will carry out work in the bay in the afternoon and will eat lunch in the bay on arrival. Class 1 will set off by coach from the bay at 3.15pm, so may be a little later back to school – around 3.45pm.

 

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

It is a particularly packed week next week with our open evening and fieldwork. We will post our usual weekly update, however for next week it is important to note:

Tuesday 1st October – Open Evening

We have our open evening for Year 6 families on Tuesday evening from 5.45pm. There will be no extended study provision after school on Tuesday next week. Extended study will run as normal next week on Monday, Wednesday and Thursday.

The Open Evening is led by our students. Tomorrow student leaders will bring home permission slips given that the event will finish at around 7.45pm. Student leaders will be preparing for their roles in presenting and being ambassadors throughout tomorrow, on Monday and Tuesday next week.

This event is now nearly fully booked! To book a place – please click here.

 

Tuesday 1st October – G29 Fieldwork in Newcastle

G29 are carrying out fieldwork in Newcastle on Tuesday next week. They will be travelling from school by foot and metro, so will need to be prepared with their regular kit and be ready for the weather. At the moment the forecast is cool and mostly dry.

Students will need a packed lunch for the day. They should arrive to school at the normal time.

They will be visiting the Hatton Gallery and Farrell Centre to do preparatory work in readiness for their final product which will be shared in their presentation of learning in Newcastle on Wednesday 11th December.

We will leave for the metro from Newcastle at 2.30pm, so students may be a little later back to school, around 3.30pm.

 

Thursday 3rd October – G31 Year 7 Fieldwork in Marsden Bay

G31have their first STEAM fieldwork next week. Each class will spend half a day in Marsden Bay analysing the rock formations in there, connected to their studies of the rock cycle and deep geological time.

Students will need a packed lunch for the day. They should arrive at school for the normal time.

We will be travelling by coach, but will be outdoors for the entire fieldwork. Students will need their regular kit including their iPad, and will need to be prepared for the weather. The current forecast is cool with a chance of showers so waterproof coats will be needed.

Class 2 will carry out work in the bay in the morning and will eat lunch in the bay before returning to school for their regular afternoon sessions.

Class 1 will carry out work in the bay in the afternoon and will eat lunch in the bay on arrival. Class 1 will set off by coach from the bay at 3.15pm, so may be a little later back to school – around 3.45pm.

Taster sessions for lunchtime and after school clubs

Tomorrow we will publish our initial list of proposed clubs to the students. They will have the opportunity to sign up for taster sessions next week. Please discuss this with your child and encourage them to get involved in as many clubs as possible.

Dear Families

It is a shorter update this week due to our staff days.

Today staff have been working on learning expedition and curriculum plans to ensure that our children continue to receive a great deal in terms of beautiful work, character growth and academic success.

Extended Study

Extended Study will continue to be on offer for all students after school each day except Friday. Regular setting of extended study has now commenced. You can find more on our rationale for Extended Study by clicking here. This now includes the schedule of extended study for Year 10.

Staff will finalise our rich offer of clubs this week and taster sessions for lunchtime and after school clubs will start next week.

PE sessions this week

• G31 students (Year 7) have PE on Wednesday
• G30 students (Year 8) have PE on Tuesday
• G29 students (Year 9) have PE on Thursday
• G28 students (Year 10) have PE on Thursday

Open Evening Next Week

On Tuesday next week we will be hosting Year 6 families and their children. This means that on Tuesday 1st October we will not have Extended Study provision or clubs after school as spaces will be being set up for the evening.

We will be drawing upon the brilliant start that Year 7 have made and asking for student volunteers to host and run the evening – as we do each year. This represents a great opportunity for Year 7 to demonstrate leadership and communicate what makes our school so wonderful, with support from their peers in Years 8-10.

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

Principal