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

Dear Families

We have continued to be impressed with our students this week and the HOWLs (habits of work and learning) they are exhibiting in sessions. It has been great to see the fantastic start G31 have made and hear the praise from the team who work with our new cohort. 

On Friday it was wonderful to hear students’ appreciations, apologies and stands during our online Key Stage 3 (G31, G30, G29) Community Meeting at the end of the day.  The language our students use around our character values and HOWLs shows a real depth of understanding and commitment to character development. These are not just words on a wall at XPG.

Great North Run Junior

Congratulations to all of our students that ran, or supported the Great North Run last week. A big well done to Mrs Diamond, Señorita Quested and Miss Tatters for completing the big run on Sunday last week too.

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Guiding Questions

At the start of this last week immersion came to the end for all  year groups. After lots of wondering and suggestions, students in G31 enjoyed the big reveal to find out their expedition guiding questions.

GQs (guiding questions) are a crucial part of the anatomy of an expedition.

GQs influence, shape and act as a reference point for student learning. GQs provoke thinking and deepen learning throughout the 12 week expedition and allow students to be engaged in authentic and purposeful work which makes connections between different subject areas and disciplines. During the course of a learning expedition, our children experience a range of case studies, with challenging texts which deepen their understanding and help them to develop an answer to the rich GQ for the expedition.

Presentations of Learning

At XP we make our work public. One of the most important ways we do this is through Presentations of Learning (PoLs). PoLs usually take place towards the end of expeditions and they are used as an opportunity for students to showcase their learning from their most current learning expedition. PoLs enable students to grow their character and further embed their learning through presenting their work in front of a range of authentic audiences and in a variety of contexts. In addition, students develop oracy skills by presenting to different audiences and in different contexts which builds confidence and further allows students to grow their character whilst developing key skills.

This terms’ Guiding Questions and Presentation of Learning dates are:

G31 – “How can stories influence and shape communities?” The presentation of learning for this event will be held on the evening of  Monday 16th December at St Mary’s Church in Heworth. Please keep this evening free in your diaries. We will confirm a start time as soon as we can, but typically Presentations of Learning begin around 4.30pm to 5.00pm and last for around 60-90 minutes.

G30 – “What does it mean to be Human?” G30’s presentation of learning will be held on Wednesday 18th December in school.

G29 – “How are structures important in helping us to explain our world?” G29 have an exciting presentation of learning on the Newcastle University campus at the Farrell Centre on Thursday 12th December.

G28 – Study two expeditions this term with GQ’s  “How did bonding help the Vikings forge a strong legacy?” and “Why could ‘A Christmas Carol’ be thought of as the ultimate Christmas story?” The combined presentation of learning for these expeditions will be held in school on Thursday 19th December in school.

Our week ahead 

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.

• G31 students (Year 7) – Class 1 PE sessions take place on Tuesday, Class 2 PE sessions take place on Wednesday.
• G30 students (Year 8) have PE on Monday.
• G29 students (Year 9) have PE on Thursday.
• G28 students (Year 10) have PE on Thursday.

Extended Study 

Teachers have started to set extended study and students have begun to build their extended study timetable. In a typical week, for Years 7-9 there is around 45-60 mins set  per night. Each subject area sets the extended study and it is due on the same day each week, so that students can organise their time and get into good habits around additional study outside of sessions.

There is a step up in expectations at GCSE in Year 10 and beyond. All GCSE-level courses now have examinations as their main form of assessment. There is a lot of content that students need to internalise and it is just not possible for students to do this in Year 11 in the run up to their examinations. As such, students are expected to spend more time on their extended study in comparison to Years 7-9. This means that there should be no need to rely on cramming in Year 11 and students should be in good habits around working outside of sessions in readiness for the revision needed to be successful.. We will publish the regular schedule for the setting of and the deadlines for extended study for Year 10 later this week.

After school extended study sessions will start this week.

We offer extended study sessions from 3:15pm – 4:30pm Monday – Thursday.  Students attending these sessions must stay for the full session until the end at 4.30pm. These sessions allow students to work with their peers and staff on extended study tasks in school where support is on hand. Extended study is optional for most students but for some who struggle to complete and miss deadlines, extended study may be directed.

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

Staff Development Days

We have staff days each term at XP so that our teachers can collaborate across the Trust to create and deliver the high quality curriculum that our students study. These are shown in blue on our calendar.

This week and next sees the first of our staff days where students are not expected to be in school.

• Friday 20th September – Staff Development Day 
• Monday 23rd September – Staff Development Day 

On staff days our students do not attend school and there is no expectation that they complete work beyond their regularly set extended study (homework). Students will find this work on Google classroom.

Students are expected back to school on Tuesday 24th September by 8:25am at the latest.

As usual if you have any questions about your son or daughter please get in touch with your child’s Crew Leader in the first instance or email general enquiries to [email protected].

Thank you as always for your ongoing support.  Together we are stronger #WeAreCrew.

Julie Mosley

Principal

Dear Families

We welcomed all of our students and staff into school last week so, for the first time, four year groups were all together. We are delighted by how our new G31 students have all settled into school and how students in other year groups have welcomed our new cohort, settled into their new classes and sessions and daily life of school. A Kurt Hahn quote that has continued to resonate with us over these last weeks is

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

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

Students are settling into their new classes, working with new learning partners and getting used to new spaces. Unfortunately, we are still without a theatre space so are unable to have whole school community meetings in person at the moment. We’ve been pleased with how adaptable and mature our students have been especially during lunchtimes as we get used to another 50 students on site. Our older students in G28 and G29 enjoyed their first PE sessions last Thursday with Mr Devitt and Mrs Cadenas. Mrs Cadenas is an experienced PE teacher, personal coach and works with many schools and youth groups running sessions in dance, fitness, etc. She joins our staff crew on a part-time  basis and will work with our older students in PE.

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

G31

G31 started their week in Crews unpacking what they learned at Ullswater about ‘What it means to be Crew’ and considering how that is applied back at school with an additional question: “What will my learning be like at my new school?”

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

All G31 students have now set up their iPads and completed initial Google training as part of their induction to school.  Students have resigned our ICT acceptable use agreement, which helps to ensure that students use technology appropriately and most importantly safely.

A fully charged iPad is now expected as part of daily kit for G31 students, as well as headphones. We advise against buying expensive headphones. It is worth noting that the newer iPads that G31 have do not have a regular 5mm headphone socket, so it may require purchasing an adapter such as the one linked here, to allow use of any existing headphones that you have.

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

G30

G30 have completed their immersion which included study of the human body through the emotional true story of Peter the human cyborg and also Bill Bryson’s text “The Body: A guide for inhabitants”. In a bumper week, they have been introduced to the text “Noughts and Crosses” by Malorie Blackman, studied various creation stories and considered what makes effective speeches. All of this has come to a focal point with their guiding question, revealed next week.

G29

G29 have started their new expedition by learning about the geography and history of Russia around the turn of the 20th century. Connected to this, and to build further background knowledge they have also been studying the atomic bombs that were dropped at the end of WWII, and have seen further evidence of the power of the atom by learning about the impact of the Chernobyl meltdown in the former Soviet Union. They have also used Ken Loach’s film “I, Daniel Blake” to develop questions and curiosity about how societal and governmental structures can impact on the way that we live our lives. At the end of the week students had a session with an expert from our partners at the Farrell Centre in Newcastle, who introduced them to their brief for a final product which will be influenced by their learning about physical and societal structures. Connected to their new guiding question “How are structures important in helping us to explain our world?”students will work on a design brief to produce a maquette of a new sculpture for Gateshead.

G28

G28 have also found out their guiding question “How did bonding help the Vikings forge a strong legacy?” for an expedition which will encompass content from their GCSE studies in History, English and Science. Students spent the week testing materials for their strength and have also been recalling their prior learning about Vikings, and tackling misconceptions about the nature of Viking society.

This expedition will also make connections to their English Literature texts, where this week students have been deepening their knowledge of the context of Dickensian Britain, which will all support in working on the guiding question “Why could ‘A Christmas Carol’ be thought of as the ultimate Christmas story?”

Our week ahead 

G31 students (Year 7) 

Students will continue with their immersion this week, thinking about what their guiding question could be, having considered the influences of the Romans and the Vikings on Medieval England and also the importance of coal as part of the Industrial Revolution. 

This week students will carry out fieldwork focused on a historical enquiry into Anglo-Saxon and monastic life in the Northeast. The fieldwork will take place at St Bede’s Monastery, and Jarrow Hall Museum and Anglo Saxon farm and settlement in Jarrow. 

Year 7 Class 2 Students will carry out this fieldwork on Monday 9th September with Year 7 Class 1 completing it on Tuesday 10th. Please see the website post from Mrs Ross which details the kit needed, packed lunch requirements and timings for the day. 

PE sessions take place on Wednesday for both Year 7 classes this week so students need a full PE kit to change into on this day.

G30 students (Year 8) 

G30 students will begin formal studies of the learning targets for their new expedition. This week they will begin reading “Noughts and crosses” in earnest, and move from creation stories to teaching and beliefs about the afterlife in Abrahamic faiths. Students will also start looking at ventilation and the lungs as part of wider learning about the respiratory system.

PE sessions take place on Monday for both Year 8 classes so students need a full PE kit on this day.

G29 students (Year 9) 

Students will consolidate their learning from the film “I, Daniel Blake” by carrying out virtual fieldwork to the Byker Wall, the setting of the film. They will also start reading their anchor text “Lord of the flies”, a classic text which gives an insight into what could happen when conventional structures for children are removed. Connected to Hiroshima, Nagasaki and Chernobyl, students will also peer inside the structure of the atom to begin to be able to answer questions about the chemical and nuclear stores of energy therein.

PE sessions take place on Thursday for both Year 9 classes so students need a full PE kit on this day.

G28 students (Year 10) 

G28 students will start to look at VIkings in Scandinavia and their trade relationships within their society and with other parts of the world. They will also build on their learning about the atom from Key Stage 3, and develop more refined mental models for chemical bonding of ionic and covalent molecules. 

PE sessions take place on Thursday for both Year 10 classes so students need a full PE kit on this day. Students have one timetabled PE session in Year 10 and we will be encouraging all students to join an after school sports club or fitness activity as part of their continued wellbeing.

Meeting our expectations

Dress code

As you know at XP, we believe that:

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

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

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

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

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

Punctuality

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

Extended Study 

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

After school extended study sessions will start next week and students attending these sessions must stay until the end of the session at 4.30pm. These sessions allow students to work with their peers and staff on extended study tasks in school where support is on hand.

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

As usual if you have any questions about your son or daughter please get in touch with your child’s Crew Leader in the first instance or email general enquiries to [email protected].

Thank you as always for your ongoing support.  Together we are stronger #WeAreCrew.

Julie Mosley

Principal

Dear Families

What a first week back we have had! As I said last week, our first week back is fundamental to us in terms of tending to and building crew as well as setting the scene for students of their year to come.  

We really believe that, ‘If we get Crew right, we get everything right’ and I think of the many photographs took last week, this one embodies the meaning of crew:

Year 7 (G31) first week back

Our G31 students have had a fantastic week at Ullswater finding out what crew means. I hope they returned to you full of tales of their outward bound adventures and new friendships. Across the week, students began to form strong bonds with their crew and crew leaders, supporting each other to rise to every challenge set. We could not have been more impressed by our new year 7 students. The level of challenge meant that all Crews had to support and challenge each other to do more than they thought possible. They were compassionate, courageous, respectful and showed integrity in equal measure across the week. 

We will post a further update with more images from the week.

Year 8 (G30) first week back

Our G30 students returned to school strong and spent their first week considering the question ‘How can we lead and support the learning of our new friends in G31?. Y8 Crew Leaders have been blown away by the quality of student work, depth of thinking, collaboration and leadership shown by G30 this week. There is no doubt that Y8 students will work with us to ensure that our new students are welcomed into XPGateshead and are quickly part of our school community. 

The week ended with a fantastic day of fieldwork planned by Year 8 ready for our new Year 7 expeditions to come. This work is a fantastic example of student leadership with students co-constructing learning with their peers and adults in school. The G31 teaching team are delighted with the fieldwork planning and the resources that have been made which are indistinguishable from that of adults. G30 conduct on fieldwork was exceptional too. Please see the website update for more details.

Year 9 (G29) first week back

Our  G29 students had a strong return to school, working in Crews to answer the guiding question ‘How do we form great habits to tackle initiatives as a Crew with increasing agency, independence and resilience?’ They displayed greater maturity and had a clear sense of purpose as they were challenged to rethink how they best work as crews and the norms they use, strategically planned crew charity events for this year and prepared for fieldwork reconnecting with the Outdoors. This fieldwork was also an introduction to the types of challenges that they will face as part of their Duke of Edinburgh Bronze award this academic year

Thursday’s hike in Northumberland around Wylam tested students’ new knowledge and map skills as they navigated together as a Crew. Students travelled by metro and train to get to Wylam (train travel a first for  XPG!) and carried out a 6km hike without a moan and smiles all round. Student conduct on fieldwork was exceptional.

Year 10 (G28) first week back

Our G28 students worked together in Crews last week on their guiding question: ‘How can we ensure that our future selves will thank us for the next two years?’ They really stepped up to the challenge, considering how they will support and challenge each other to be successful over the next two years of GCSE. The week also provided lots of opportunities to continue their thinking about careers and pathways, beyond Key Stage 4 to Post-16. 

Our students had a great morning with the Learning and Skills team at Gateshead Local Authority who put together a carousel of careers sessions led by experts and employers on pathways available and what employers and education providers are looking for in candidates.

Our students also worked on a first CV based on their ambitions, strengths and skills to date, and on Friday they had a mock interview with an external professional who gave  them feedback on how they presented themselves, articulated their ambitions and responded to questions asked during the interview. Again, we raised the bar on our expectations and our students stepped up!

Our week ahead 

Change of Classes

Unlike many other secondary schools, we do not group our children based on their ability into sets or streams. However like most schools, we do change the make-up of our classes and move students between classes at the start of an academic year. In Year 10, this has been done to accommodate the pathways that students have chosen for Key Stage 4. 

For Years 8 and 9, we have done a wholesale adjustment of classes, as we did at the start of last academic year. There are many factors that we consider when making changes to the classes, and of course we get to know our students better and better each year. The aim is still, and will always be to make classes as heterogeneous as possible with a representative mix of genders, attainment,  backgrounds etc. We appreciate that change can cause some level of anxiety or even upset for some students, and we will work to ensure that this is minimised with an orderly and purposeful start to the year in our new academic classes with new learning expeditions.

G31 students (Year 7) 

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

They will get tours of the school on Monday and our new spaces as well as an introduction to PE (students do not need their PE kits this week). 

We will hand out iPads to G30 students on Monday at the end of the day. These will come  with instructions on how to set these up on the school management system which is a fairly straightforward process. Students will need to set these up at home on Monday evening ready for a first training session on Tuesday. It is really important that the screen protector is applied as soon as you take the iPad out of the box, without this any insurance claims will not be valid.

We will post a separate update for families explaining how to set up the iPads on our website on Monday.

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

G30 students (Year 8) 

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

They will have their first PE session on Monday and the second on Tuesday so will need PE kit on both days please.

On Monday, students will find out their new classes and their seating plans.

G29 students (Year 9) 

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

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

On Monday, students will find out their new classes and their seating plans.

G28 students (Year 10) 

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

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

On Monday, students will find out their new classes and their seating plans.

Making the right start

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

We will finish formal sessions at 3.15pm and there will be no extended study or activities after school this week. 

Kit List

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

• A filled water bottle
• Pencil case including: pens, pencils, ruler, eraser and pencil sharpener
• A fully charged iPad (G28, G29, G30 from Monday, G30 from Tuesday) and headphones (ideally not expensive ones, for example here)
• A notebook
• A reading book

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

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

Safe arrivals and exit from site

Cars and parking outside of school

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

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

Cycling to school

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

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

Lunches

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

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

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

If your child receives a free school meal, we will provide lunch. Please contact the school office at [email protected] if you have any questions around school meals or paying for meals via ParentPay.

We are really looking forward to welcoming all of our students back tomorrow. As usual if you have any questions about your son or daughter please get in touch with your child’s Crew Leader in the first instance or email general enquiries to [email protected].

Thank you for your ongoing support and a special thanks again to those parents who have been supporting our new G31 parents with their XPG knowledge and expertise. 

Julie Mosley

Principal

Dear Families

Welcome back!

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

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

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

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

• G31 (Year 7) students will start at normal time, 8:25am and can arrive from 8am on Tuesday.
• G30 (Year 8) students will start at 10:45am on Tuesday.
• G29 (Year 9) students will start at 11:15am on Tuesday.
• G28 (Year 10) students will start at 11:45am on Tuesday.

IMPORTANT: Due to the staggered start school lunches for G30/G29/G28 students need to be pre ordered for Tuesday, please complete your choice on the google form here. 

First week back guiding questions and fieldwork next week 

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

G31 (Year 7) students – Outward Bound Expedition

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

“What does it mean to be crew?”

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

G30 (Year 8) students – Fieldwork on Friday 30th August

As part of their first week back in school, Year 8 students will be planning fieldwork in our local area which will involve them retrieving and consolidating their learning from Year 7 expeditions as well as evaluating the effectiveness of new fieldwork activities for supporting the learning of our new cohort. To do this the students will carry out their planned fieldwork on Friday 30th August. Students will be using this fieldwork to answer the question linked to theme of student leadership for the week:

“How can we lead and support the learning of our new friends in G31?”

Students will complete the fieldwork during the school day and will be back in school for around 3.30pm.

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

G30 students should also be prepared for the weather conditions, so they must have their regular kit and in addition:

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

G29 (Year 9) students – Fieldwork on Thursday 29th August

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

Students will be learning how to navigate together as a Crew and will be planning a Crew picnic. This serves as an introduction to the types of challenges that they will face as part of their Duke of Edinburgh Bronze award this academic year, and also connects the guiding question for the week which is:

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

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

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

G29 students will need the following kit for the day. The current forecast is showers and sunny intervals.

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

G28 (Year 10) students – Fieldwork on Wednesday 28th and Expert sessions on Friday 30th August

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

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

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

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

For the fieldwork on Wednesday we will be travelling to Gateshead Careers Centre by foot and metro, so students will need:

• Their regular school kit including a water bottle and fully charged iPad
• Comfortable walking shoes or trainers
• Clothing that is suitable for the weather – the forecast is currently sunny with showery spells.

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

Regular Kit and dress code for this week

Students will need their regular kit  and be in regular dress code for the start of school this week on Tuesday, just as in any other week. See our website post for a reminder on our dress code expectations.

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

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

School Lunches 

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

Our school dinners are very popular with our students, thanks to our wonderful kitchen crew. Students make a daily food choice in crew each morning and we have a three week menu. Here’s this year’s menu – we start on week 3 this wek.

If your child receives a free school meal, we will provide lunch. Please contact the school office if you have any questions around school meals.

As mentioned above, please pre-order lunch for Tuesday 27th August here.  

Staffing Update and Crew Leaders

Kati Donlan accepted a new job at the start of the school holidays so, due to notice periods, will not return to XPG in the new term. I’m sure that you will join me in thanking Kati for all of her high quality work at XP Gateshead as a Learning Coach and a Crew Leader. She has had a huge impact on staff, students and families with the work she has done supporting young people to access all areas of our curriculum. 

We have three new Learning Coaches/Crew Leaders joining our team this term – Nicky Evans, Nelly Mosley, and Charlie Parry. As you know we also have Mohammed Azam and Hannah Simpson joining our teaching team too this year, both of whom have been working with us since June.

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

G31 (Year 7) – Mr Azam, Mrs Diamond, Miss Jamison, Mr Parry / Mr Said

 

G30 Crew Earhart: Mrs Evans / Miss Mosley

G30 Crew Kahlo: Ms Macphail

G30 Crew Darling: Mrs Ross

G30 Crew Einstein: Miss Simpson

 

G29 Crew Attenborough: Miss Blain

G29 Crew Watson: Mrs Horne / Mrs Downes

G29 Crew King: Señorita Quested

G29 Crew Nightingale: Miss Marshall

 

G28 Crew Parks: Mr Devitt

G28 Crew Frank: Miss Jones

G28 Crew Angelou: Mr Mead

G28 Crew Stanton: Miss Tatters

Regular timetabled sessions

Regular timetabled lessons will start for G28, G29 and G30 in the week commencing Monday 2nd September. As you know, we are reviewing our classes and changes will be made to the makeup of both class 1 and class 2 in both cohorts.

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

We are really looking forward to welcoming all of our students back on Tuesday. As usual if you have any questions about your son or daughter please get in touch with your child’s Crew Leader in the first instance or email general enquiries to [email protected].

Thank you for your ongoing support and a special thanks to G28, G29 and G30 parents who have been sharing their XPG knowledge and expertise with our new G31 parents. Together we are definitely stronger #WeAreCrew.

Julie Mosley

Principal

Dear Families

Welcome to our final weekly update of this academic year. It is another exciting week for us at XPG with our final presentations of learning for each expedition and we will share updates from these events with you over the next week.

There was great work achieved as always last week and our students continued to work hard, get smart and be kind even as end of term tiredness kicked in. Seeing students work together supporting each other to be their best versions, leaning in on crew and culture was a real strength. Here are a some of the highlights from our week:

Crew Day – XPG Sports Day

We enjoyed our final Crew Day of the year last week with a sport and physical challenge to the day. Our Sports Day involved a range of activities with healthy competition within each cohort between Crews and the quality of work across all crews and rounds was stunning – designing crew mascots for a given country, recreating famous sporting images, crew rounders, dodgeball and athletics.

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G28 students completed one last major physical exertion carrying out a walk for water. Students were supported throughout the day by ambassadors of the Charity Time to Help. They even brought their mascot the water drop! They also gave students the opportunity to visit Kenya by the power of VR to see a village where their well’s had an impact.

Excitement was high as winners were announced in our whole school community meeting in the afternoon. The winners were:

G30 – Crew Einstein

G29 – Crew Watson

G28 – Crew Parks walked the greatest distance in the walk for water

Thanks so much to all families that have donated to the appeal.

Freya is now a published artist!

As you may have seen, our Year 7 student, Freya and her family travelled down to the Royal Academy of Arts to see her artwork curated in the gallery. Well done Freya!

Working with the Comfrey Project

A group of Year 8 students carried out some volunteering work with our partners at the Comfrey Project in Bensham last week, volunteering in their garden. 

“The Comfrey Project provides a safe, welcoming place for people who have fled conflict and persecution to improve their physical and mental wellbeing, develop new skills and put down roots in their new community.

Their approach is based on the use of horticulture-based activities including gardening, bee-keeping, cooking, crafts and construction, to improve people’s lives.”

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XPT Festival of Arts 

On Friday Mr Said travelled to Doncaster with Miss Wall our visiting dance teacher and our choir, rock band and dancers. The groups have been working on performances over the last term and put on a fantastic show, performing twice. The afternoon performance was to our primary school students and staff, and then the evening performance was to families from across the schools in Doncaster. Just as we finished our first set the heavens began to open, and as our rock band took to the stage for their second performance the area in front of the stage was quite quiet given the rain. However by the time our rock band had finished they had pulled the crowd back in, and they stayed for our choir and dancers. So many colleagues came to find us to say how impressed they were with our children, and how thankful they were that we had been able to be part of the festival. Well done to all of our performers who have put in a massive amount of effort, not least their long shift on Friday! Beautiful work. A special thanks to Lauren for her support with our Dancers across the whole year too.

This week

G30 Celebration of Learning, Tuesday 16th July 4:30-6:00pm

This event will take place in school and will include a hosted gallery walk where students will discuss their learning from across this last term around the guiding question “How does water shape our world?”. Students will also present important updates on their final products from across the year, including their radio broadcast with excerpts of their Creative Writing from term 2 and their folk songs from term 1. More details in Mrs Ross’ post here.

We are delighted to announce that we have copies of the CD with Year 7 students’ music available for families to purchase. We have a limited initial print of 50 copies available, although more will be printed soon. If you wish to purchase your child’s music on CD, then please bring £5 to the event on Tuesday evening.

Due to the limited initial print, it will be limited to one copy per family. When the second print run is done, you will be able to purchase more copies in the new academic year for other family members. This really is a fantastic product, and every penny raised will go back into funding your child’s exciting learning expeditions next year.

G29 Presentation of Learning, Wednesday 17th July 4:30-6:00pm

This event will also take place in school. Students have been working in the kitchen to prepare food so that we can eat an afternoon tea influenced by dishes from across the world, together with our migrant guests. Students will also perform a poem set to their artwork. Following the interval, we will screen the film made by our G28 students which includes the stories of some of our migrant experts. We are really looking forward to hosting you in school – more details in Miss tatters’ post here.

G28 Presentation of Learning, Thursday 18th July 6.00pm

The final presentation of learning for G28 will be a live stream on Youtube, which includes excerpts of poetry and captures their learning from across this term on their expedition: Hold back the river. We will post details of the link to follow to join the stream later in the week.

PE sessions this week

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

• G30 students (Y7) have PE on Monday this week
• G29 students (Y8) 
  • 8-1 have PE on Tuesday this week
  • 8-2 have PE on Thursday this week
• G28 students (Y9) have PE on Thursday this week 

No Extended Study and Clubs

Due to the Presentations of Learning this week we are not running clubs or extended study this week.

Summer Holidays

We break up for Summer holidays this Friday 19th July and return to school on Tuesday 27th August. Please remember that, as always, our students finish at 1:30pm on Friday to allow staff to de-gunge and replenish rooms and teaching spaces ready for the new academic year.

As usual if you have any questions about your son or daughter please get in touch with your child’s Crew Leader in the first instance or email general enquiries to [email protected].

Thank you for your ongoing support.

Julie Mosley