Dear Families

Another week of great work at XP Gateshead from staff and students alike.

Our G28 Pioneers are continuing to lead the way and set the standard for all students with their approach to GCSE exams. They have continued to show real maturity, determination and resilience and we could not be prouder of them. The spirit of crew has been strong across the whole school with the rest of our students showing respect and being mindful when moving around the school when the exams are taking place. 

This week we had a successful JCQ exam inspection. These inspections are unannounced and check a school’s compliance with exam regulations. This was a successful visit and we were praised for the quality of our work. A huge thank you and congratulations go to Mr Mead who is our Exams Officer, Mr MacDonald who provides exam admin support, our three new invigilators and our staff for their craftsmanship and quality. 

On Friday, our Year 11 students received their leavers hoodies and it was great to see them worn with pride during Friday’s History exam. Thank you to Mrs Dobson who coordinated the purchase of hoodies this year and Lily and Hannah for their work in distributing them.

G29 students return to us on Monday after a successful week on work experience and we are really looking forward to hearing all about their time in the workplace.

Students have experienced a range of placement in fields such as the charitable sector, engineering, architecture, retail, finance, education and more.

We have had positive feedback from employers and families. Thanks once again to all of the organisations and families that have supported this process.

As mentioned earlier this week, those students that did not manage to secure placements have been working in school this week on virtual work placements alongside training in  tech and media production. We will continue to work with families and organisations to organise placements for the next half-term, ideally in the week of 29th June.

This week

G28 GCSE exams

Exams continue for our Y11 students with another full week

• Monday 18th May
  • Science – Chemistry Combined Paper 1 (1hr 15, am)
• Tuesday 19th May
  • English Lit – Christmas Carol, An Inspector Calls, Unseen Poetry (2hr 30, am)
• Wednesday 20th May
  • Religious studies – Component 2 Christianity (1 hr, pm)
• Thursday 21st May
  • English Language – 20th Century Fiction Reading, Creative Writing (1hr 45, am)

We have continued to put timetable changes in place to allow focused revision sessions prior to exams and make sure that our Y11 students are fully prepared. 

Good luck again to all of G28 – keep on keeping on, you have definitely got this!

Like we did across the Easter holidays, we will be offering May Half Term Revision sessions for our Y11 students which will take place during morning and afternoon sessions.

Students who would like to attend revision sessions will need to arrive for the start of the advertised times in the morning and/or afternoon as the reception desk will not be staffed throughout the day. Students will also need to bring a packed lunch if necessary, they will be permitted to leave site between sessions if they are working across the day, however this is just a thirty minute break.

I am sure that G28 families will want to join me in thanks once again to the staff who have offered their holiday time to run revision sessions for our students. 

G29 return to school

This week students will return to sessions and start preparation for their upcoming SLCs in Crew. SLCs will take place in the fortnight commencing 1st June, and will include reflections from students on their work placements as well their mock grades.

Mock grades will be shared with students on Wednesday of this week.

Working with Northumbria University

On Monday experts from Northumbria University will be working with G29 students to look at study skills. We will be following up on sessions like these as we move towards GCSEs so our Y10 students are fully prepared for academic success next year.

A group of Year 9 students will also be working with our partners from Northumbria University in a session designed to promote thinking about university-life and study.

Our continued work with Newcastle University, Northumbria University and Durham University is indicative of our ambition for all students. A university pathway is something that all children should both consider and be prepared for.

G30 Ouseburn Fieldwork – Wednesday 20th May

On Wednesday 20th May, G30 students will be taking part in a fieldwork visit to the Ouseburn to explore interdependence within ecosystems.

The current forecast predicts sunny weather, with a chance of showers and temperatures of around 20°C. Please ensure your child comes fully prepared with:

• A full water bottle
• Rain jacket
• Suncream
• A sun hat
• Their full school kit
• Packet lunch

For more details please see Miss Jones’ website post.

G32 and G31 Student Led Conferences (SLCs) 

SLCs continue this week for our Year 7 and Year 8 students.

SLCs, like PoLs, are key moments in the development of our students and it is vital that parents, carers and families fully support SLCs. It has been wonderful to hear of the pride our families, staff and students have felt following SLCs last week and we look forward to hearing more this week.

Mr Said will be in contact with families of Crew Windsor with details for their SLCs which will take place in person in school following the half-term break.

G33 In-Person Information Evening, Wednesday 20th May at 6pm.

As part of our transition work, we have now met almost all our new students and their families online. This is a huge undertaking, as you can imagine but having 30 minute family meetings allows us to start getting to know our students well.

On Wednesday at 6pm, we will hold an Information Evening for all of our new families in Year 6. It is vital that all families attend as we will give important information about the Outward Bound course that takes place for all students at the start of Year 7 as well as our iPad scheme. In addition, we will address some of the misconceptions about our school so that families are completely clear on what we are: ‘A mainstream school with a relentless focus on beautiful work, character growth and academic success’, and also what we are not. There will be an opportunity for you to ask us questions too of course. Please see the website post for more details.

PE sessions this week

Our PE sessions this week are as follows. There are some changes due to exams so check the days carefully. Please ensure that your child has their full PE kit.

• G32 students (Y7) 
  • Class 1 have PE on Thursday this week
  • Class 2 have PE on Wednesday this week
• G31 students (Y8) have PE on Tuesday this week
• G30 students (Y9) have PE on Monday this week
• G29 students (Y10) have PE on Monday this week

Extended Study and Clubs

Extended study and after school clubs will not be running this week due to exams, G32 and G31 Student led Conferences and G33 In-Person Information Evening.

Half term break starts Friday 22nd May 

We come to the end of a six week half term on Friday 22nd May and as always, we will finish at 1:30pm for our usual de-gunge. 

We return to school on Monday 1st June 2026. 

As usual if you have any questions please contact your child’s crew leader in the first instance. Thank you as always for your ongoing support.

Julie Mosley

Dear Families

Another week of great work at XP Gateshead, even though we only had 4 days in school! 

Last week there was a lot of hard work from staff and students alike at XP Gateshead. Character growth alongside academic progress and beautiful work is at the core of our ‘Three Dimensional’ approach for students, staff and leadership, including governance. 

The Importance of Crew at XP Trust

Our design principles at XP Trust are summarised in one sentence:

We build our community through activism, leadership and equity, sharing our stories as we go.

Crew is integral to our school’s approach and has been designed with the above in mind as is articulated in our core practices document:

“The cultural heart of XP is expressed through the concept of Crew. This concept is pervasive and runs through everything we do from dedicated Crew sessions, through our curriculum, to the way we enable student and staff voice. Crew is our culture and promotes and sustains the building of community. Crew empowers our students and staff to be activists; to develop their leadership skills; and to be champions of equity. The measure of success in our Trust is weighed through service and kindness as well as the academic success of our children. Crew allows everyone associated with our Trust to become part of something bigger than themselves and fosters a sense of community and belonging, reflected in the stories we share with each other every day.”

If we get crew right, we get everything right!

Our Crew Days each half term give us a chance to revisit character development. They allow us to take time to reaffirm the importance of Crew, building positive relationships through shared experiences and challenges. Students at XPG are ‘Crew not passengers’ and it is vital that we continue to build our crews and culture strong as this is the bedrock of our work at XPG.  

On Friday students across Y7, 8, 9 and 10 spent time together revisiting the importance of crew, taking time to tend to, challenge and build crew with a different focus for each year group. Our Y11 students will get a chance for their final crew day before the half term. 

G32 Crew Day – Walk for Water

G32 Crews carried out a day of fundraising on Friday completing the Walk for Water challenge linked to their studies from the last learning expedition “Staying Alive”. Across the day, many students walked the equivalent of approximately 10 miles, carrying 5-litre bottles of water around repeated 170-metre laps of the school yard. Each crew worked together to carry five 5-litre bottles for the entire course, taking turns and supporting one another every step of the way. For more details, see the website post. 

There is still time to donate – please click on this link if you would like to do so. Thank you to everyone who donated, encouraged and cheered our students on today. They should all feel immensely proud of what they have achieved.

G31 Crew Day 

As our Year 8 students develop and mature, we challenge them to get stronger together developing their leadership skills and charity work. Throughout the day they prepared for charity bake sales in school this week, and then in the afternoon worked together as crews to create natural art in Windy Nook Nature Reserve. If you take a walk through there, you will see our students’ work before nature reclaims it over the coming months.

G30 Crew Day 

On Friday our Year 9 students worked in Crews exploring the Windy Nook Green Corridor to answer the question: “What is our relationship with the species on our doorstep in the local green corridor?” The day combined an ecological survey, environmental stewardship, and navigational challenges.

Across this year G30 students have had additional crew sessions learning new skills, volunteering and getting physical. Our curriculum at XPG is set up to develop the skills and attitudes young people need to become more rounded, confident adults. Qualities that colleges, universities and employers are attracted to and will not only strengthen the character of our students, but will strengthen their CVs too. 

G29 Crew Day

Crew Day for our Year 10 was all about getting ready for their work experience placements taking place this week. 

Our students enjoyed a morning session with the great Alfie Joey (writer, comic, artist/cartoonist and BBC Radio Presenter) who talked about the power of public speaking and how best to present yourself in new situations. 

Following their morning keynote,  students spent the day preparing themselves for the world of work. In anticipation of work experience starting next week, students spent time discussing and researching workplace norms and participating in roleplay to familiarise themselves with employment situations. They took responsibility for contacting their new temporary employers to confirm and finalise details of their placements.  

A game of rounders at the end of the day gave students the chance to enjoy time together in their crews. 

We also saw a pancake party for Crew Attenborough to celebrate Sir David’s 100th birthday and a home-made pizza party in Crew Stanton (G28).

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This week

G28 GCSE exams

This week our Y11 students face a full week of GCSE exams:

• Monday 11th May English Literature component 1 (Romeo & Juliet, Poetry)(am)
• Tuesday 12th May Religious Studies Paper 1 (am), Science – Biology (pm)
• Wednesday 13th May Geography Paper 1 (am)
• Thursday 14th May Mathematics Paper 1 (am)
• Friday 15th May History Paper 1 (am)

A huge thank you to staff and students alike for their hard work and the support they have shown each other. I know that our students have really appreciated the staff support and the timetable changes in place to allow focused revision sessions prior to exams. 

Good luck to all of G28 – you have got this!

G29 Work Experience

This week the majority of our Y10 students are on work placements.

This is an important rite of passage for our students and we wish them every success. We would like to thank the families and organisations that are supporting our students this week too.

If there are any queries about your child’s placement please call the school office or email Mr Said [email protected]

Students that have not yet secured placements, or have placements in different weeks must attend school as normal for the week. Tomorrow students will be carrying out media production training with Mr Hewitt which will support their studies in the current Year 10 HUMAN expedition. Following this there are a range of activities across the rest of the week.

G32 and G31 Student Led Conferences (SLCs)

SLCs start for our Year 7 and 8 students and their families this week. Students have worked hard to prepare for their conference, preparing to share their recent work, evidence of work around the pledges they have shared and responses to the questions parents and carers have asked to be addressed in the conference. Please can I remind all families that SLCs, like PoLs, are key moments in the development of our students and it is vital that parents, carers and families fully support SLCs. 

You should already have received an email from your child with an updated snapshot and a link to ask questions of them in advance of the SLC. Here is that link if your child has not yet sent that on to you. You will also receive a link to sign up for a time slot from your child’s Crew Leader. Please contact [email protected] if you do not receive this.

PE sessions this week

Our PE sessions this week are as follows. There are some changes due to exams so check the days carefully. Please ensure that your child has their full PE kit.

• G32 students (Y7) 
  • Class 1 have PE on Thursday this week
  • Class 2 have PE on Wednesday this week
• G31 students (Y8) have PE on Tuesday this week
• G30 students (Y9) have PE on Monday this week
• G28 students (Y11) have PE on Monday this week

Extended Study and Clubs

Extended study and after school clubs will not be running this week due to exams and G32, G31 Student led Conferences.

As usual if you have any questions please contact your child’s crew leader in the first instance. Thank you as always for your ongoing support.

Julie Mosley

Dear Families

Here we are at the end of our first May Bank Holiday weekend. I hope you have enjoyed the additional family time this weekend.

Last week saw a lot of hard work from students across all year groups and a highlight for me was the way all of our students have supported the G28 Art and Photography exams as well as G29 mock exams which took place last week. 

Our Year 11 students continue to show real determination as final exams approach. Last week we saw all G28 students complete 10 hours of assessment in art exams. These exams represented the culmination of months of preparatory work (worth 40% of their final GCSE grade) and students produced a final, focused outcome based on their chosen theme. 

Last week, Year 10 students sat their first GCSE mock exams which they approached with maturity and commitment. Their courage was admirable as they had their first real experience of GCSE exam papers and conditions and they deserve full congratulations. We will be working with them to make sure they understand that this is the start of their journey and we will be supporting them all the way. In the coming weeks after marking and moderation takes place, we will share the mock results with students along with our predictions at this stage for their final outcomes next year. 

I also want to congratulate our year 7, 8 and 9 students for the respect, compassion and support they have shown our older students. As a community we all support each other to get to the top of the mountain at XP Gateshead.

Ellen McGonical, a visitor in school last week, shared her reflections after spending time with our students, which included the following:

“I was completely blown away by XP yesterday.  From the moment I walked through the doors, I felt the strength and spirit of the school, it radiates from every corner of the building and every student I met.”

“What stood out so powerfully at XP is how much everybody cares – about their learning, about each other, and about the world around them.”

“XP is far from ordinary. This is education at its most thoughtful and impactful – an environment where young people are empowered not just to succeed, but to care deeply, think critically, and truly thrive”

 

G33 Transition – Online family meetings

We have enjoyed meeting many  of our new students and their families this week online. Family meetings will continue this week. This is all part of us getting to know our new students and their families as much as possible before they start with us on Tuesday 25th August 2026. Please see our recent website post for full details on our transition timeline for 2026 (shown below).

G32 and G31 Getting ready for Student Led Conferences (SLCs)

Our Year 7 and 8 students have started their preparation work for SLCs which take place over the fortnight beginning Monday 11th May.

Please note that we expect all families to attend SLCs. These, like PoLs, are key moments in the deliberate development of character for our young people and it is vital that parents, carers and families are present to support these events. 

You should have already received an email with an updated snapshot from your child and a link to ask questions of them in advance of the SLC. Click here for that link if your child has not yet sent that on to you.

We will be in touch with families of Crew Windsor in G31 soon with plans for their next SLCs.

You will also receive a link to sign up for a time slot from your child’s Crew Leader this week. Please contact [email protected] if you do not receive this.

Saying Goodbye to Suzanne Purdy

On Monday we found out that Suzanne Purdy, our school chef, was leaving us. Suzanne worked for Gateshead Council catering services and has been part of the team supporting us since we started XP Gateshead back in September 2021. 

Suzanne has cared for us all, looking after students and staff alike every day. She has led her teams across the last 5 years producing meals for our whole school community, keeping us all nourished. Suzanne has really cared about every young person at XPG, showing kindness and compassion for all. 

Like staff, our students were sad to hear the news that Suzanne was leaving XPG and we will look to celebrate her time with us in the coming weeks. We wish Suzanne every success in her new role and thank her for commitment to XPG and the care she has shown our students.

This week

G28 Exams – Health and Social Care / Sport

This week Health and Social Care, Sports and Entry Level English exams take place. A huge thank you to Mrs Diamond, Mr Devitt and Ms Young for all of their hard work and support they have given our Y11 students. Our students have really appreciated their support.

PE sessions this week

There are some changes to PE sessions this week due to the bank holiday and Crew Day on Friday.

• G32 students (Y7) 
  • Class 1 have PE on Thursday this week
  • Class 2 have PE on Wednesday this week
• G31 students (Y8) have PE on Tuesday this week

Crew Day – Friday 8th May 

Every half term, we run a Crew Day which is an opportunity to ‘tend’ to crew and culture. Crew is our support network at XPG and key to the continued success of everyone at our school. We will revisit what it means to be crew, and our responsibilities in getting everyone to the top of the mountain. The investment in crew is the most important one we make – if we get crew right, we get everything right!

We will put out separate posts this week for each year group to give further details of each Crew Day and the kit needed for each year group.

Extended Study and Clubs

Extended study and after school clubs will be running Tuesday to Thursday this week.

If you have any questions please contact your child’s crew leader in the first instance. 

Thank you as always for your ongoing support.

Julie Mosley

Dear Families

Last week saw a lot of hard work from students across all year groups. Our culture at XPG is underpinned, fortified and sustained by our Character Traits and our Habits of Work and Learning

The character traits are a manifestation of the values and attributes we want everyone involved with XP (students, staff, families and wider partners) to develop and share, and our HOWLs are the habits, attitudes and behaviours we want our students to acquire and hone during their time at XPG so that they are ready for the world beyond school. 

In Community Meetings this week it has been great to hear students celebrating and reflecting on Character Traits and HOWLs when making their appreciations, apologies and stands. 

 

The Day

We have recently taken up a subscription with ‘The Day’  is a leading digital literacy resource providing schools with daily, unbiased current affairs to boost literacy, critical thinking, and debate.

This resource will be incredibly helpful to us in school in support of our text-rich curriculum, depp guiding questions and curricular seams and to provide reading and discussion points in Crew around current affairs and aspects of our Crew curriculum such as PSHE and RSHE.

This resource is available to all students from the homepage on the XP Gateshead website by clicking on the “TD” icon. You can also access from home using the link that will be sent out in a separate email from our Office. Please do try this wonderful resource, it would be great to hear from families that have been reading together at home.

Summer term expeditions 

G32 and G31 students have all had their Summer expeditions and guiding questions revealed and have made a great start to these new expeditions. This term’s expeditions and guiding questions are:

Year 7: How does water shape our world?

Students will investigate how river and coastal processes shape the land and the species that live in these ecosystems. They will also study a range of literature inspired by water 

Year 8: Is Migration worth the risk?

Students will look at push and pull factors that lead to migration, and will study some cases where conditions have led people to seek refuge such as war or climate change, as well as economic factors such as rural to urban migration in India. 

Year 8 students also had a further session with Into University where they looked at self-discipline and what is needed to succeed at university-level study.

New expeditions

Year 9 and Year 10 are both currently in the immersion of their new learning expeditions, more details to follow next week, including exciting news about the Year 8 final product and presentation of learning.

As part of their immersion, Year 9 this week carried out a Conference of the Parties, with each student taking the role of representatives from nations with different and sometimes opposing interests with regards to the changing climate and decarbonisation.

Year 10 used grid references and the features of our school site to create a Geographical fieldwork enquiry, all in the space of two hours!

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Year 11 Final Exams

G28 students have continued to work hard preparing for their final GCSEs. This term already our Media students have completed their non-exam assessment and last week our Spanish students completed the speaking section of their final GCSE. Our G28 pioneers continue to be role models for the rest of the school in the way they are approaching their final exams and the focus they display in every session and revision class. 

The exam timetable is here:

You can get further advice on supporting your children on our Revision Website. Navigate to Parents, GCSE Revision.

 

You can get further advice on the local offer for Post-16 on our Careers Website. Navigate to Students, Careers, Personal Guidance.

This week

G28 Art and Photography GCSE Exams

On Wednesday and Friday our Year 11 students will complete 10 hours of assessment. The art exam represents the culmination of months of preparatory work (worth 40% of their final GCSE grade). During these supervised hours, students will produce a final, focused outcome based on their chosen theme.

A huge thank you to Mrs Carter and Ms MacPhail for all of their hard work and support they have given our Y11 students. Our students have really appreciated their support.

G29 Mock Exams

This week our G29 students will get their first real experience of GCSE exam papers in exam conditions. This is the start of their journey to final exams and we will be supporting them all the way. In the coming weeks after marking and moderation takes place, we will share the mock results with students along with our predictions at this stage for their final outcomes next year. G29 mock exam week schedule is linked here.

G33 Transition – Family meetings

Transition has started for our new G33 cohort. We are really looking forward to getting to know our new students and families this week as online family meetings take place for every child with their family. Families will receive invites to these meetings in the coming days.

PE sessions this week

There are some changes to PE sessions this week due to exams and staff interviews. Please make sure that your child has their full PE kit for sessions.

• G32 students (Y7) have PE on Wednesday this week
• G31 students (Y8) have PE on Tuesday this week 
• G30 students (Y9) have PE on Monday this week with an additional session for Class 1 on Wednesday
• G29 students (Y10) have PE on Monday this week.
• G28 students (Y11) have PE on Monday this week

Extended Study and Clubs

Extended study and after school clubs will be running Monday to Thursday as usual this week.

If you have any questions please contact your child’s crew leader in the first instance. 

Thank you as always for your ongoing support.

Dear Families

It has been a strong first week back at XP Gateshead with some great work from students and staff alike. We have had several visitors in school this week who have all commented on how confident and articulate our students are when talking about their learning, the strength of relationships at XPG which mean our students are safe, are known, feel seen and valued.

G32 and G31 students have all both started their Summer expeditions and have made a great start  – guiding questions will be revealed this week.

G30 and G29 saw the culmination of their Spring expeditions:

Year 9: How can we continue to make progress on public health?

G30’s expedition ‘You Give Me Fever’’ culminated on Wednesday last week in a Public Health Conference  where students shared their knowledge and expertise on public health health inequalities in Gateshead today, looking at the correlation between disease and deprivation. Experts invited to the conference included local politicians, NHS experts and health charities and they were blown away by the quality of work produced by our Year 9 students and the confidence they showed when sharing their knowledge. The leaflets on the dangers of alcohol our students have produced were on display and are heading to printers now so local health centres and hospitals can stock these and share them across our community. 

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Year 10: Are we really free to choose?

G29 travelled to Newcastle Sixth Form College on Friday for their presentation of learning for their expedition ‘Act Naturally’. Families and guests enjoyed watching and voting on a debate between classes, dealing with some of the issues that have arisen during term two studies. During the afternoon our students got the opportunity to tour College facilities and find out more about the courses on offer at Sixth Form and student life.

It was a great afternoon for our Year 10 students and they conducted themselves with real maturity. A special mention goes out to those groups who picked up the load for absent students on the day. G29 are really starting to step up, facing challenges head on and showing real resilience. These skills are crucial now as we move towards mock exams in readiness for final GCSEs. 

XPG get their voices heard and demand change on a regional stage 

On Thursday, 12 of our Y9 and Y10 students presented a keynote at a North East Conference at the Baltic, Brighter Future, Young People in the North East. Yet again, our young people were amazing and we have had feedback from many organisations and experts who attended the conference praising students’ confidence, quality and the beautiful work they shared from the last three years of our Public Health Conferences. To get young people’s voices heard and listened to around issues of social justice is key if we want our students to affect positive social and cultural change.

This week

New Expeditions for G30, G29

This week sees the start of new expeditions for our Y9 and Y10. Immersion will take across the week and students will be working hard to find out what their new guiding questions are and the challenges and new learning their expeditions will bring.

PE sessions this week

There are some changes to PE sessions again this week due to staff training and G28 exams.Sessions will be caught up in the coming weeks. Please make sure that your child has their full PE kit for sessions.

• Year 7 
  • Class 1 have PE on Thursday this week.
  • Class 2 have PE on Wednesday this week
• Year 8 
  • Class 1 have PE on Thursday this week.
  • Class 2 have PE on Tuesday this week.
• Year 9 
  • Class 1 have PE on Thursday this week.
  • Class 2 have PE on Tuesday this week.
• Year 10 and 11 will not have PE this week as Mr Devitt is not in school on Monday.

Extended Study and Clubs

After school sessions will all start again this week.

If you have any questions please contact your child’s crew leader in the first instance. 

Thank you as always for your ongoing support.

Julie Mosley

Dear Families

Welcome back, we hope you have enjoyed your Easter break.  We are really looking forward to welcoming our students back tomorrow for the start of our Summer term at XP Gateshead.

Passage feedback from G30 families 

We would also like to gather feedback from G30 families following last term’s Passage Presentations so would appreciate your time in completing the following form.

You can give us your feedback by clicking here.

Important reminders for a good start back to school…

Punctuality

School opens at 8:00am every morning. Students should arrive between 8:00am and 8:25 am and there are spaces available for socialising, reading or completing extended study. Students must be on site for 8.25am for the call to Crew. A calm start to the day is really important for students to settle into learning so we ask that parents support their child with this. 

Dress code

Please refer to our website post for full details on our dress code. Can I remind parents of the following expectations around daily dress within school and ask for your full support around this as we move in to a new term 

For a normal day within school, it is not 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
  • For example heavy chains, thick sovereign rings, or false nails
• Impractical footwear:

• For example sliders, flip-flops or high heels.

Daily kit list

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

• A filled water bottle
• Pencil case including: pens, pencils, ruler, eraser, pencil sharpener, glue stick and purple biro pen. 
• A fully charged iPad.
• Their AR reading book (please remember that as part of our reading strategy, we expect all students to read between 20-30 mins. each day)
• Headphones 
• A healthy snack for break (no confectionery (sweets), fizzy drinks or energy drinks, nut products)
• A notebook

Last term we continued to have issues with individuals arriving at school without a charged iPad. Please ensure your child has a charger at home so that charging issues can be avoided this term. We do not provide replacement chargers. 

Attendance

At XP Gateshead, we believe that every day at school matters. If students are not at school, they are not forming positive habits and are not performing academically. There is a direct correlation between regular attendance and academic achievement. Regular attendance builds strong routines, boosts self-confidence, and fosters essential life skills like reliability and friendship building.  It is vitally important that all our pupils attend our school as much as physically possible, and that all stakeholders (students, parents/carers, Crew Leaders) recognise that every day at school matters and the part we all play in this.

We will continue to work hard to improve attendance this term and the ways we support those students and families who need to improve their attendance.  As you know, we expect every student to be in school and want every young person to hit our 97%+ attendance target. Attendance is discussed with students on a weekly basis and crew attendance is celebrated each week along with improved attendance and 100% attendance.

If, for any reason, your child is unable to attend school you must contact the school office before 8:25 am by telephone. This is a safeguarding procedure which has to happen on every day of absence.

We do not authorise pupils to take holidays during school term times. Please note our this year’s and next year’s term dates: 2025/26 Calendar and 2026/27 Calendar. 

The term ahead

This summer term is always a lovely time of year, as the weather improves and expeditions tend to focus on our curriculum seam: protecting our planet.

We also see our pioneering students in G28 move into the final chapter of their time with us. A huge appreciation goes out to the students and staff that worked over the Easter Break in preparation for the summer exams. This is the last push now for G28 students, and we look forward to sharing in their success later in the summer.

This week

New Term – New Expeditions for G32, G31

A new term means new and exciting expeditions for our Y7 and Y8. Immersion will take place this week and our students will be working hard to find out what their new guiding questions are and the challenges and new learning their expeditions will bring.

G30 and G29 Presentations of Learning

Year 9 HUMAN – How can we continue to make progress on public health?

G30’s expedition ‘You Give Me Fever’’ culminates this week. Our students studied public health over time and investigated health inequalities in Gateshead today, looking at the correlation between disease and deprivation.  

G30’s Presentation of Learning will be a Public Health Conference, hosted by our students in school on Wednesday 15th April at 2pm.

G29 – Are we really free to choose?

G29’s PoL will take the form of a debate on Friday 17th April at Newcastle Sixth Form College at 4:30pm. 

Alongside the Presentation of Learning which is in the form of a debate. See Miss Simpson’s post for more details.

PE sessions this week

• Year 7 have PE on Wednesday this week.
• Year 8 have PE on Tuesday this week.
• Year 9 have PE Monday this week.
• Year 10 and 11 each have PE on Thursday this week.

Extended Study and Clubs

As is usually the case at the start of a new term there will be no extended study or after school clubs running this week. After school sessions will all start again next week.

If you have any questions please contact your child’s crew leader in the first instance. 

Thank you as always for your ongoing support.

Julie Mosley

Dear Families

Here we are at the end of another fantastic term at XP Gateshead and what a term it has been! 

G32 and G31 Presentations of Learning

Year 8 students presented their ‘What is Power?’ expedition at Caedmon Hall, Gateshead Central Library on Thursday. We were all blown away by the quality and depth of their understanding – performances of Macbeth intertwined with insights into the meaning of the word power in society, science, history, geography, music and art. 

Year 7 students delivered an outstanding PoL, which marked the culmination of a full term’s work across the Humanities and Arts subjects.

Year 7 have also culminated their expedition with the guiding question ‘Is Survival Sufficient?’ this week. Today they have delivered their food boxes to Edberts House to support families in need. A true act of compassion.

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Lego League Tournament

Congratulations to all of our Digital Leaders that competed in the Lego tournament today at Gateshead College Academy for Sport! Students were great ambassadors for the school and successfully navigated some very tricky robotics challenges.

G30 and G29 Presentations of Learning to come

I’m really looking forward to seeing G30 and G29 families at our upcoming PoLs at the start of the Summer Term. See below for details:

Year 9 – How can we continue to make progress on public health?

PoL on Wednesday 15th April in school from 2pm. This Presentation of Learning is in the form of a Public Health Conference, hosted by our students. Please note the earlier time for this.

Year 10 – Are we really free to choose?

PoL on Friday 17th April at Newcastle Sixth Form College after school. 

Students will be using the campus earlier as part of the preparation for the PoL and also as part of their continued preparation for Post-16. We will post a confirmation of the start time in a separate blog post.

I am sure that you will all agree that our students have continued to rise to the challenge – they continue to work hard, get smart and be kind on a daily basis producing beautiful work, developing their character to achieve academic success.

Thank you so much for your continued support. 

We look forward to seeing you after the holiday on Monday 13th April at the usual time where we will be starting on our next exciting expeditionary adventures.

Happy Easter from all the staff crew at XP Gateshead.

Julie Mosley

Dear Parents/Carers

Welcome to the final week of our Spring Term.

Last week was definitely a week full to the brim with high quality work and learning with staff crew on Monday, G29 Passage Presentations across the week, Fieldwork for G32 and G31 and Experts in and outside of school working with our students. It is a testament to staff and students alike that we are able, as a small school, to continue to thrive during weeks like this with every visitor to school. This is a product of  the strength of our school culture, the character values shown by students and staff and high quality work seen across our school. Our expectations are high at XPG and I know, we set the bar high but time and time again our students step up to this challenge. 

Every visitor to school this week has commented on the warm welcome they have received from staff and students alike, the openness and integrity shown in all discussions and the strong culture that runs through all of our work. Our students and staff are important and together we are building a school where academic success, beautiful work and character are equally valued and celebrated.

In the words of Finn from G30:

“It is great to come to a school where being a good person is highly valued.”

G30 Passage Presentations

Without a doubt, Passage Presentations are one of the highlights of the year at XP Gateshead and last week we saw our G30 students stepping up to, and indeed surpassing, the high expectations and demand of Passage. 

Over the past three weeks we have seen our Year 9 students work hard to produce beautiful scripts to tell their XP journey to date with integrity and how they have developed as a learner. Students have supported and challenged each other to show real craftsmanship and quality in their writing, lifting each other to produce work better than they thought possible. The spirit of Y9 crew and compassion has underpinned all of this work and the success students have achieved.

We would love to get your feedback as families on the process. You can let us know your thoughts using this Google Form.

To stand and present to an audience takes real courage and maturity, as reflected by our panellists (families and experts alike). Many of our panellists who support the process year on year and have paid special tribute to the quality of this year’s in comparison to what were already really strong precedents. This is testament to the hard work of Year 9, their Crew Leaders and other teachers that have supported them through this process.

Andy Sprakes, Chief Academic Officer at XP Trust, posted a blog last week about ‘The Power of Passage Presentations at XPG’. It’s well worth a read if you haven’t already done so.

The words of Kurt Hahn couldn’t be more true

“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” 

Preparing for the culmination of expeditions

As always, the hard work continues in sessions at XP Gateshead. Students have been working hard on termly assessments, completing their final products for expedition and getting ready for presentations of learning (PoLs). 

Year 7 have been preparing for their presentation of learning which will be streamed via Youtube on Wednesday 25th March at 4.30pm . They have worked hard on their drama performances of the play White Poppies and drafting their creative writing, uplifting lesser heard voices of WWI.

Our Year 8 students have been working hard on their Macbeth performances as part of the ‘What is Power?’ expedition. Our students are showing real courage and stepping up to the challenge of performing in front of an audience.  On Friday they worked with actress, playwright and director Christina Berriman Dawson who was full of praise for our students commitment to their roles, especially our leads who are playing the royal couple – Lady Macbeth and Macbeth.

This is another important moment in developing character, especially courage and we can’t wait for families to see the students’ work on Tuesday evening this week.

Not content with knocking it out of the park for Passage, Year 9 are also now preparing for their Public Health conference which will take place in the next half term. As well as an expert panel, every student will host a marketplace on an issue related to the impact of alcohol on public health. This week will see students working with more public health experts to help them to be ready for this event.

Year 10 are working on preparing for their debate which takes place in the first week of next half-term and stepping up their revision in readiness for their mocks.

As a reminder, please note the Presentation of Learning (PoL) dates. There have been some changes this term due to venue changes so please check these carefully.

Year 7 HUMAN – Why is it important to honour all those who sacrificed in WWI?

This will take place via a stream on our Youtube channel on Wednesday 25th March at 4.30pm – with students presenting live from school. We will post a link to the stream in a separate post later this week. 

Year 8 – What is Power?

PoL on Tuesday 25th March at Caedmon Hall, above Gateshead Central Library at 5pm. 

ALL YEAR 8 FAMILIES: Please use this Google Form to let us know how many family members will be attending. See Ms Tatters post for full details of the event and how G31 need to be equipped on Wednesday.

Year 9 – How can we continue to make progress on public health?

PoL on Wednesday 15th April in school from 2pm. This Presentation of Learning is in the form of a Public Health Conference, hosted by our students. Please note the earlier time for this.

Year 10 – Are we really free to choose?

PoL on Friday 17th April at Newcastle Sixth Form College after school. 

Students will be using the campus earlier as part of the preparation for the PoL and also as part of their continued preparation for Post-16. We will post a confirmation of the start time in a separate blog post.

The week ahead

G31 PoL – What is Power?

Students have additional rehearsals this week, and will be travelling to Caedmon Hall on foot on Tuesday. Students will have an earlier lunch so will not need a packed lunch unless usually provided. The forecast for Thursday is mild and dry. See this post for more details.

On Thursday G31 students will need:

• Black (or dark) clothing for the performance, ideally as plain as possible e.g. black jeans/trousers/skirt and black t-shirt. (XPG polo shirts are fine for this performance)
• Usual full kit including fully charged iPad and water bottle
• Comfortable walking shoes or trainers (not crocs)
• A coat
• Optional: A packed tea or healthy snacks if they want to eat before the presentation starts at 5.00pm.

G28 Final TSLC (Teacher Student Led Conference) – Wednesday 25th and Thursday 26th March

These final TSLCs for G28 students and their families will be an opportunity to discuss strengths and areas for improvement arising from the latest round of mocks. Staff will give guidance on where students need to focus their revision over the Easter Break and the programme for students once they enter the flow of daily exams.

Whilst it is important for students to come back energised from the Easter Break, we will also advise on striking the right balance between productive revision and well-earned rest. This is now the final push in advance of GCSE examinations after which students can rightly enjoy a long summer knowing that they have given their best.

G28 Interactive Media Mock

Students in G28 iMedia will have a mock non-exam assessment this Wednesday during the school day. Over the last term G28 iMedia students have worked on manipulating assets, responding to client briefs and preparing proposals. In this block of time students will have the opportunity to practise the 5 hour production section of what will be a 17-hour assessment scheduled to take place across their first week back after Easter.

LEGO Tournament – Friday 27th March

Our Digital Leaders that are part of our LEGO league team will be competing against other schools this Friday. Mr Said has emailed families with information for this.

PE this week

• G32 (Year 7) students will have PE on Thursday this week.
• G31 (Year 8) students will not have PE this week due to the PoL on Tuesday.
• G20 (Year 9) students will have PE on Monday this week.
• G29 (Year 10) and G28 (Year 11) both have PE on Wednesday this week.

Extended Study and Clubs

Due to preparations for the end of term and presentations of learning, our after school clubs (including extended study) are not running this week. Please ask your child to check student notices and our timetable for more details.

Easter Holidays

We break up for our Easter Holiday on Friday 27th March and return to school on Monday 13th April at the normal time.

As is always the case at the end of a term, our students leave school earlier on Friday at 1:30pm to allow for a full school de-gunge and set up of areas for next term’s new expeditions and immersion.

As usual if you have any questions please contact your child’s crew leader in the first instance. 

Thank you as always for your ongoing support.

Julie Mosley

Dear Parents/Carers

Without a doubt, last week has seen our G30 students step up to the challenge as they get ready for their Passage Presentations taking place this coming week. Students have been working hard writing with deep reflection about their progress since joining us and their readiness for GCSEs. 

The presentations we saw today were strong and our students spoke with such integrity and authenticity. We are delighted today that all students have either passed their passage presentations, or passed with conditions that need to be met over the coming weeks. Multiple expert panelists today talked about the high quality passages and the quality of reflection our students show about their learning.

In preparing for passage, Year 9 really are demonstrating their readiness for the next stage in their education and their potential for greatness in the years to come. What a joy and honour it is to sit alongside families watching their children shine and talk so beautifully about themselves with such honesty.

The week ahead

G30 Passage Presentations

Presentations continue on Tuesday during the school day and on Wednesday and Thursday afternoon. A huge appreciation to our panellists for helping to make this a rigorous process and for their kind, specific and helpful feedback to our students. And of course thanks to you, our families for supporting your children in this important work.

Year 9 Families: If you have not already done so, please make sure that you have let us know about arrangements for tomorrow and whether your child will be attending school or working from home using the form linked here.

G31 fieldwork – “What is Power?”

On Thursday this week, year 8 students will be carrying out fieldwork at The Discover Museum in the morning – this will involve looking at sources associated with suffrage in Newcastle. This will take place during the regular school day – we expect to be back in school at around 3.30pm.

They will then step back one hundred years to explore the stories of the decades-long campaign for the women’s vote as they walk through the heart of the city centre and learn more about the remarkable local women who contributed to the movement. 

The forecast at the moment is cool and dry.

Students will need:

• Their regular school kit
• A packed lunch
• A coat
• Comfortable walking shoes or trainers (not crocs)

G32 Commonwealth War Graves Commission Fieldwork – “‘Why do we need to honour all those who made sacrifices during WWI?”

Year 7 students will be carrying out fieldwork this Friday at St Mary’s Church in Heworth with an expert from the Commonwealth War Graves Commission. This fieldwork will help students to uncover some of the stories of local people who served for our country during The Great War, ultimately leading to their burial in our local church.

This fieldwork will take place in the morning before lunchtime so there is no impact on lunch.

The forecast at the moment is cool and dry.

Students will need:

• Their regular school kit
• A coat
• Comfortable walking shoes or trainers (not crocs), the church graveyard is likely to be muddy.

PE this week

• G32 (Year 7)
  • Class 1 have PE on Thursday this week
  • Class 2 have PE on Wednesday this week
• G31 (Year 8) have PE on Tuesday this week
• G30 (Year 9)
  • Class 1 have PE on Wednesday.
  • Class 2 have PE on Friday
• G29 (Year 10) have PE on Thursday.
• Core PE returns next Monday for Year 11.

Extended Study and Clubs

Due to passage presentations some clubs are not running this week. Please ask your child to check student notices and our timetable for more details.

As usual if you have any questions please contact your child’s crew leader in the first instance. 

Thank you as always for your ongoing support.

Julie Mosley

Dear Parents/Carers

It was great to see our students make a strong start back to school last week after their half term break. Students were back to working hard, getting smart and being kind, stepping up to our high expectations in and outside of sessions. 

On Friday, we said farewell to Mr Watson. I want to take the opportunity to thank Mr Watson for his work with our students as a Crew Leader, Human teacher and in the clubs that he ran too. We wish Mr Watson every success in the future. 

Secondary School National Offers

Parents of Year 6 students received notification of secondary school places last week. As in previous years, we received more applications than we can offer places and our admissions were determined by a random lottery overseen by the Local Authority.

I’d like to thank all families who expressed an interest in our school and the work we do here. An appreciation too for our existing families and students for showing our school for the really special place that it is. Again we are massively oversubscribed with around six applicants for every place at the school.

For our new families, welcome to XP Gateshead and congratulations! We are delighted to have you and your children join our school. See our welcome post for more details. 

Experts in school last week

Suffragette expert working with Year 8

Pat Stevens is a Newcastle City Guide, retired teacher, and author who has specialized in researching and sharing the history of the suffragette movement in the North East of England. Pat’s work with our students helped them to consider their guiding question “What is power?” as a historian.

Siemens Careers session with our engineers 

Students in Year 9 and those in Year 10 with an interest in engineering had a session with a representative from Siemens. The focus of the session was careers in engineering, but also keeping an open mind about pathways and ensuring the development of skills, knowledge character is something that is a consistent aim.

Lego team work with the talented Dr Steve Bunce 

Our Digital Leaders’ LEGO robotics team had the opportunity to work at Royal Grammar School on Monday and then again with Dr Bunce on Tuesday afternoon. This is in preparation for a regional inter-school tournament on Friday 27th March.

 

Keeping children safe is our number one priority and this permeates all of the work we do at XP Gateshead. It is the responsibility of us all to work in a way that will safeguard and promote the welfare of all of the students at our school and provide a safe environment in which all can learn and where all students and staff are respected and valued. Our students are taught how to identify risks and stay safe, including online, through various teaching and learning opportunities and we are committed to this throughout the delivery of our curriculum.

We have the highest expectations of our students for their character growth, beautiful work and academic performance at school. When pupils do display poor behaviours, there are clear restorative practices and sanctions that are shared and owned by the community at XPG. 

Our behaviour policy and protocols detail how we collectively support and challenge each other to put things right when we do things wrong to maintain the high expectations of XP school culture.

G28 Final GCSE Exam date

Parents of G28 please note the final GCSE date is officially the 24th June 2026 which is the contingency day. The JCQ state “Students must remain available until this date, as it would be used for exams rescheduled due to national or local disruption.” Please bear in mind that when booking holidays. https://www.jcq.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/09/JCQ-Preparing-to-sit-your-exams_-2025_2026.pdf 

At XPG, G28 students will be presenting their Final Words across the week beginning Monday 22nd June and we will hold our final community meeting on Friday 26th June 2026.

Last week our G28 crews worked on a revision planner for their final months leading to the exam period. Please talk to your son or daughter about this and what support they might need from you. Here is the final Summer exam timetable.

 

The week ahead

G31 Fieldwork – Music Studio Recording – Tuesday 10th March

On Tuesday this week members of our Year 8 Rock Bands will visit Blank Studios in Newcastle. For our students this will be an experience of working in an industry-standard environment to record Patti Smith’s Power to The People. Students in Year 8 have already recorded backing vocals in school and now our rock bands will add lead vocals, guitars, drums and keyboards.

We can’t wait to share this with you at their Presentation of Learning.

This fieldwork is entirely during the school day, however students will need a packed lunch. See Mr Allan’s post for more details.

Iftar Dinner at XP Gateshead – Wednesday 11th March

We are delighted to invite our whole school community to a special Family Iftar Dinner in celebration of Ramadan. This event is an opportunity for families, staff and friends of the school to come together, share a complementary meal and learn more about the spirit of Ramadan — a month centred on reflection, gratitude, charity and community. 

We warmly welcome families of all faiths and backgrounds to attend from across our school community. We would like to particularly encourage families of G31 students (year 8) to attend, as celebrating diversity, building compassion and learning more about Islam links directly to the expedition they will embark on in term 3. 

If you would like to attend and haven’t already done so, please complete the google form. 

G29 Medical Ethics workshop

As part of their expedition with the Guiding Question: “How can we continue to make progress on public health?”, students in G29 will this week carry out workshops with experts from Newcastle University who. Students will gain an insight into cutting-edge research which considers important questions of ethics around developments in medicine such as testing of drugs, autonomy in clinical care, genomics, end-of-life decisions, and the ethics of technological advances such as AI.

G30 Fieldwork – Thursday 12th March

On Thursday 12th March, students will be conducting fieldwork to explore the question: Why are there variations in life expectancy in Gateshead? 

To prepare for this investigation, students will analyse secondary data from the national census in school and now they need to enhance their understanding by gathering primary data through firsthand observations. Students will spend the full day on foot, walking between XPGateshead, Felling Square, and Durham Road (Low Fell High Street) to examine inequalities in the local area. The data they collect will contribute directly to their Presentation of Learning.

Please see the website post for more details.

SPLIT DECISIONS Theatre Performance – Thursday 12th March

“Split Decisions” is an emotive 60-minute performance and workshop taking place with our Year 7 and 8 students. The performance promotes key messages surrounding pedestrian safety, including on public transport, whilst raising awareness of pedestrian dangers such as distractions (phones, music and friends) and risk-taking behaviour. It will also help our students to identify, challenge and cope with peer pressure and influence by highlighting the severe and far reaching consequences of unsafe behaviour.  

PE this week

From this week there is a change to the regular days for PE. Mrs Cadenas continues to work with our Year 7 students on Wednesdays and Thursdays. Mr Devitt and Miss Tatters lead the sessions with Year 8 on Tuesdays.

• For G32 students (Y7)
  • G32 Class 1 students have PE on Thursday
  • G32 Class 2 students have PE on Wednesday
• G31 students (Y8) have PE on Tuesday

 

In line with our dress code, we expect students to arrive at PE lessons with a change of kit which is appropriate for the activity and all accessories removed. This includes sports trainers with non slip soles e.g. running shoes/astro turf (not plimsolls). 

• Year 9 will now typically have PE on Mondays, as will Year 10 and Year 11.

For Years 9-11 this week, they will meet our new member of staff Kelsey Cairns – this provision is the start of what we know will be a great working relationship with Gateshead College Sports. This week Mr Devitt will introduce our students to Miss Cairns and remind students of norms and expectations – as such PE kit is not needed for Years 9-11 this week.

Extended Study and Clubs

Clubs will all run this week along with extended study sessions every day except Friday. 

Staff Days – Friday 13th and Monday 16th March

Friday is the first of our staff days this half term, the second is on Monday 16th March. Our staff team will be planning for next term’s expeditions. Students will not be expected to be in school on Friday or Monday unless they are G30 students who have a Passage presentation on Monday. If G30 students want to come to school on Friday to prepare for their passage, they must organise this through their Crew Leader.

Looking Ahead:

IMPORTANT – Passage Presentations next week

G30 are working hard on preparing for their passage presentation next week. They will be using Crew time and additional time in sessions to get ready for this important moment in their time at XP Gateshead.

 

Passage presentations are hugely important benchmark demonstrations of learning over multiple years that mark this pivotal transition from Key Stage 3 into Key Stage 4 and GCSEs. During the presentations, students will use their portfolios as a guide to articulate their progress and growth. These presentations are another means by which we help students to develop their character and hone their public speaking. The rubrics that will be used during the presentations can be found here.

Monday 16th March is a staff day.

Students will be welcome to arrive at school earlier than their passage presentation slot to do final preparations, and then should return home after their presentation. If students do not have a passage presentation, there is not a need for them to be in school on Monday 16th March.

Tuesday 17th March

This is not a staff day, however Year 9 teachers will be involved in passage presentations throughout the day so we will not be running a regular timetable for this day for Year 9 students. There are three options for Year 9 students and this day:

• Come into school for the full school day (including staying in school after a Passage Presentation).
• Come into school for a Passage Presentation and then leave with their family.
• Work on extended study from home.

Please can all G30 families use this Google Form to let us know what your child will be doing, and whether they will need a school lunch

 

As usual if you have any questions please contact your child’s crew leader in the first instance. 

Thank you as always for your ongoing support.

Julie Mosley