Dear Families
It was great to celebrate Languages in our whole school community meeting on Friday. Some of our courageous G33 students presented a poem of languages and it was beautiful to hear students speak in their first language – English, Spanish, Greek, Yoruba, Japanese and Romanian. Miss Denny-Holmes reminded us all of the importance of learning languages and the benefits in terms of cognitive growth, cultural and social connection as well as educational and career growth. A social time scavenger hunt got students out and about looking for idioms in different languages across break and lunch time which built on the crew language crew competition that had been growing across the week. Year 9 students got the chance to sample an introduction to Bulgarian from Mr MacDonald and our Year 11 Spanish students cooked up a Spanish storm in the kitchen preparing patatas bravas.
Our fortnightly community meetings give a chance for us all to celebrate the work of each other and it is always wonderful to hear the appreciations students give to each other. Here are this week’s community meeting slides which celebrate languages, beautiful work, great attendance and punctuality. We will look for ways to share our students’ appreciations in coming weeks so you can get a sense of how students see and celebrate the great work of each other.
Open Evening
On Monday we held our Open Evening and welcomed over 300 people to our school. As you know, on evenings like this our students take centre stage and as always, they shine.
Families attended 4 sessions – XPG The Facts (and the Myths), Beautiful work, Character and Academic Success. Every session, apart from the Mythbusting one, was a showcase which was run by students who shared the work done at XPG and answered questions from their audience.
The positive feedback on exit tickets was stunning, our students definitely communicated our culture well with very few questions left unanswered. The confidence shown by our young people and their ability to articulate what we do and why we do it is stunning and we are extremely proud and grateful to all students who were involved. A thank you to families too who supported this event.
And as always, we are working hard, getting smart and being kind
We continue to challenge our students in every session around our habits of work and learning (HOWLs). Our students reflect on their HOWLs each week during Thoughtful Thursday Crew session, setting pledges for the week ahead and challenging each other to be better and offering support to each other to get there. Over the next two weeks our staff will be entering their assessment of students’ current HOWLs and academic performance in each subject. This will be shared with students and their families after the half-term in preparation for our first Student-Led Conferences this year.
Our week ahead
Fieldwork and experiences of the workplace this week
Fieldwork offers students the opportunity to work purposefully alongside professionals or in professional contexts which provides deep authenticity to the learning that takes place, as well as, providing integrity, accuracy and expertise to the work they engage with. In addition, through fieldwork experiences students understand and consolidate how the learning they do in school connects to and is enhanced by work outside of school. This provides real purpose and clarity to the learning students participate in.
G29 RS students – Mosque Visit – Wednesday 7th October
The afternoon visit to Al Azhar Mosque provides students with a meaningful opportunity to experience first-hand the practices and environment of a place of worship studied in their GCSE course. This authentic encounter will deepen their understanding of Islam beyond classroom learning, supporting knowledge of beliefs, worship, and community life. Direct engagement with the Mosque setting reinforces theoretical learning, helps develop respect and cultural awareness, and strengthens exam preparation through applied knowledge.
Students will be travelling to and from the mosque in our school minibus. They will need their regular kit and will eat lunch earlier than normal and be back to school for around 3pm.
G29 Geographers – Seaham Fieldwork – Thursday 8th October
G29 GCSE geographers are carrying out a required fieldwork to investigate how physical coastal processes shape the beach environment.
As part of the course, students must complete two contrasting fieldwork enquiries. The beach profile fieldwork satisfies the “Physical Geography” requirement, focusing on Coastal Landscapes.
A beach profile is essentially a cross-sectional “side view” of the beach, measuring the slope from the edge of the sea up to the cliffs or sea wall.
Students will see real-world examples of how constructive and destructive waves build up or erode a coastline. They will examine how coastal management schemes (like groynes or sea walls) change the shape and height of the beach. Using specialised equipment they will gather their own primary data. This fieldwork is then examined in Paper 3 (Geographical Applications). By physically taking these measurements, students gain the firsthand knowledge needed to confidently answer exam questions worth up to 9 marks on data collection methods, analysis, and safety risk assessments.
Students are travelling on foot and by rail.
To be properly prepared in addition to normal kit, G29 geographers students will need:
- A packed lunch
- A waterproof jacket
- Suitable footwear (sports trainers or walking boots)
We expect to be back at school for 3.30pm, however as trains run from Seaham hourly, it may be that this becomes 4.30pm. We will update the website in the case of any delays.
G29 Construction work placement
5 students in G29 are taking part in a work placement with ‘Working at Height Safety Solutions’. Whilst they will not be working at height, they will learn how to plan and construct safe structures. More details are being shared directly with families of the students involved.
PE sessions this week
Please can parents make sure that their child has a PE kit for PE sessions. We expect students to change into their appropriate PE kit, and not wear the same clothes they wear in school. Similarly, students must change out of PE kit afterwards, into their normal school clothes. For safety, jewellery must be removed and hair must be tied back.
- G33 students (Year 7) on Thursday.
- G32 students (Year 8) have PE on Thursday.
- G31 students (Year 9) have PE on Wednesday.
- G30 students (Year 10) have PE on Wednesday.
- G29 students ( Year 11) have PE on Wednesday.
Upcoming Community Events
Thomas Hepburn Memorial at St Mary’s Church – Saturday 10th October at 11am
Organised by the Durham Miners’ Association (DMA), the memorial service is held every October at St Mary’s Church and lasts around one hour followed by laying of wreaths as ‘Tommy’s’ grave in the church grounds. It serves as a major gathering for community members to honor Hepburn’s legacy in making a stand for social justice and workers’ rights. All are welcome. Some students have volunteered to be involved in a musical performance. Mr Said will be in contact with those families directly.
G31 families in particular might be interested in an event at Gateshead Central Library – Twentieth Century Architecture in Gateshead
More details can be found here
Join Dr Michael Johnson, Assistant Professor in Design History at Northumbria University, for an illustrated talk exploring the 20th century buildings of Gateshead, from the art deco gems of the inter-war period to iconic brutalist structures that transformed the urban landscape. This connects to the work G31 students are carrying out in support of their guiding question ‘How are structures important in helping us to explain our world?’
