Dear Families

What a first week back we have had! This week is fundamental to us in an XP School, it’s where we build and tend to Crew which is the foundation of our school and our pastoral structures…

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

G30

Our G30 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. They were compassionate, courageous, respectful and showed integrity in equal measure across the week. 

G29

Our G29 students returned to school strong and spent their first week considering the question ‘How can we support each other to lead the learning of our new Year 7 Crew?’. Y8 Crew Leaders have been blown away by the quality of student work and the depth of thinking. 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 in Gateshead and Newcastle which had been fully planned by each Crew. Their conduct on fieldwork was exceptional.

G28

Our Pioneering  G28 students led the way in school this week and returned stronger than ever. They worked as a Crew 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. It was a fantastic day out in Northumberland with over 8 km walked and smiles all round!

We could not have had a stronger start to our school year and can’t wait to welcome all students tomorrow. 

Our week ahead 

G30 students (Year 7) 

Students will be working in their Crews on Monday and Tuesday reflecting on their Outward Bound experience and thinking about what Crew looks like in the classroom and around our school.

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. 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.

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

G29 students (Year 8) 

Students will begin a week-long immersion for their new learning expedition this week. 

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

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

G28 students (Year 9) 

Students will begin immersion for their new learning expedition this week. As part of immersion, students will be taking part in local fieldwork on Tuesday when they will visit Gateshead High Street to conduct an environmental survey. Please see this post for more details.

G28 PE sessions take place on Thursday and Friday

• Class 1 will have their PE session on Thursday so will need their PE kit.
• Class 2 will have their PE session on Friday so 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. 

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. This includes all other  ‘powered transporters’ too such as hoverboards and electric unicycles.

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 and G29 from Monday, G30 from Tuesday) and headphones (ideally not expensive ones, for example here)
• A notebook
• A reading book

We also suggest that students 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 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.

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. 

Lunches

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.

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.

We now have our own XP Gateshead ParentPay account. All G28 and G29 students were given a letter last week detailing how to set up/link your ParentPay account so that you can continue paying for school lunches. All credit/debts will be carried across from the old account at the start of the new academic year.

G30 students will be sent home with a letter on Monday detailing how to set up your ParentPay account so that you can pay for school lunches. 

If you do have any issues or do not receive the letter from your child please email the [email protected] for support.

It is Week 2 this week.

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 to G28 and G29 parents who have been sharing their XPG knowledge and expertise with our new G30 parents. Together, we are definitely stronger.

#WeAreCrew

#WeAreXPGateshead

Julie Mosley

Principal

Later start on the first morning of term for G28 and G29

G28/G29 students will start at 10.45am on Tuesday 29th August.

They can arrive in school from 10.30am on Tuesday.

We are now using the entrance at the east side of the school. The car park is for staff only, so you should use the street to park but please be considerate of our neighbours when parking.

Staff will be at the student gate to greet students.

Regular Kit and dress code

Students will need regular kit on and regular dress code for Tuesday.

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

New ParentPay system

Due to our continued expansion, we have now set up our own XP Gateshead ParentPay account after sharing the account with our Doncaster schools for the last few years.

All students will be sent home with a letter on Tuesday detailing how to set up/link your ParentPay account so that you can continue paying for school lunches.

All credit/debts will be carried across from the old account at the start of the new academic year.

If you do have any issues or do not receive the letter from your child please email the [email protected] for support.

New building and first week back

Students will be given an orientation for the new parts of the building on their first day back in school on Tuesday morning.

The first week back in school for G28 and G29 focusses on the importance of Crew and each cohort has a different guiding question for the week with purposeful activities which help them to answer their guiding question for the week. As such there is no PE this coming week, but there is physical activity for both groups as you will see below.

Regular timetabled lessons will start for G28 and G29 in the week commencing Monday 4th September. As you know, we are reviewing our classes and changes will be made to the make up 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 whilst we get used to using the new building during regular hours.

Fieldwork next week

G28 – Fieldwork on Thursday 31st August

As part of their first week back in school, Year 9 students will be carrying out a hike in Northumberland around ‘The Sill’ area taking them past Sycamore Gap.

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’. You child will be able to give you more details on how they plan to contribute towards this picnic.

Students will leave by coach during the regular school day and will return back to school for around 4.00pm. We will keep you updated on the school website of our expected arrival time.

G28 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

G29 – Fieldwork on Friday 1st September

As part of their first week back in school, Year 8 students will be planning and carrying out fieldwork in the NewcastleGateshead area on Friday 1st September. Students will be using this fieldwork to answer the question linked to theme of student leadership for the week:

“How can we find out what is on our doorstep to enrich future learning expeditions for all future students?”

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’. You child will be able to give you more details on how they plan to contribute towards this picnic.

G29 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

Crew Leaders

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

G29 Crew Attenborough: Miss Blain

G29 Crew King: Señorita Quested

G29 Crew Nightingale: Miss Marshall

G29 Crew Watson: Miss Power

G28 Crew Angelou: Mr Mead

G28 Crew Frank: Miss Jones

G28 Crew Parks: Mr Devitt

G28 Crew Stanton: Miss Tatters

Dear Families

Here we are at the end of another academic year and what a year it has been! Our students have continued to work hard producing beautiful work and developing their character. 

Here are a couple of quotes from our external school review which took place in June, which illustrate the quality of our work:

‘Staff are committed and relentless in their pursuit for culture to be right’

‘Crew is an effective system for ensuring that primarily students are known very well to adults, and that students exist in a safe place to talk with confidence about many issues’ 

‘The curriculum model, is being implemented successfully, thanks to experienced leaders, as well as collaboration with other experienced leaders across the trust, which is positive’

‘Interpersonal skills are being well developed – students are skilled at listening to others, being respectful and sensitive, as well as in offering advice, critiquing others, and in offering their own opinions and thinking’

We have enjoyed two fantastic Celebrations of Learning with you this week in which we have showcased the work of our students from across the year and it has been wonderful to see your smiles and hear your praise for this work.

It is the staff team at XP Gateshead who enable all of this greatness and I want to celebrate their hard work and efforts. We have an incredibly passionate, professional and skilful team of staff here who exemplify our character values on a daily basis. It is a privilege to work alongside them.

As you know, Mark Lovatt leaves us as Co Principal, taking a wider role across XP Trust. He will continue to support our work at XPG next year as we grow. 

XP Trust would like to extend our special thanks to Mark Lovatt who, having been the founding Principal at XP Gateshead, now moves into the Trust to work on developing XP instructional practice and developing leadership. Mark’s work has been highly significant showing that the XP model can be rolled out and work in other parts of the country and he should be proud of the work he has accomplished in the past three years.

Looking Ahead:

Tuesday 29th August – Term starts for all students. 

There will be a staggered start time for different year groups on Tuesday and we will communicate these details to you prior to the start of the new term. Our website, as always, will be our main channel of communication so please make sure that you have subscribed to this so are alerted when updates are posted.

All that remains is for me to thank you all for your ongoing support this year, thank you for being  ‘Crew’. When we work together, in service to each other and with integrity we achieve extraordinary things. 

I hope you and your families have a great summer.

Julie Mosley

Principal

Dear Families

Welcome to our final week of the Summer term. As always, it has been a week filled with hard work from students and staff here at XPG.

If it’s good enough for our students…

Our teachers’ Educator Led Conferences (ELC’s) have taken place this week. This is where adults present their learning to an audience of their peers,  sharing their work and success from the year. The high quality work and thinking shared, the integrity and honest reflection from staff and the level of professionalism displayed was simply stunning and a testament to the great staff crew we have at XPG. 

The leadership team also presented their work to colleagues from Trust this week in the Annual School Review (ASR). The review is an opportunity to understand and celebrate how well we have done this year and identify our development priorities for the coming year. 

Personalised research projects

On Thursday G28 students who have studied a personalised research project in their Common Mission time presented their work to the rest of their year. Archie presented on complex ideas in cosmology including: spinning black holes and time dilation, Dyson spheres with a focus on how increasing understanding of the universe may make future technological leaps that support the evolution of human intelligence. Holly and Katie presented on criminology and the motivations behind some of history’s most notorious criminals. Bella presented on the difficulties in diagnosing child mental health problems, with a focus on resources available and attitudes in today’s society. All three presentations dealt with complex issues and were presented professionally and sensitively. All four presenters also fielded questions from their audience with accuracy and integrity. A great piece of work – we look forward to more presentations this week from our Year 7s and Charlie in Year 8.

More migrant experts interviewed…

Our Year 8 students interviewed more experts to hear their stories about moving to the UK. This will form part of the celebration of learning for Year 8 later this week on Thursday.

Crew Day Sports

On Friday we enjoyed our final Crew Day of the year. Like always, this day was about building crew but this time, the theme was sport. Students were challenged to design crew mascots which represented their crew, compete in a Sports Quiz then represent their crew in a variety of physical activities: handball, dodgeball, rounders, athletics. 

The day finished with awards in a full school community meeting were much anticipated crew totals were announced. Crew Attenborough won the trophy for G29 and for G28, we had a tie with Crew Angelou and Crew Frank.

It was a fantastic day, enjoyed by students and staff alike and the chance to remind ourselves of the importance of crew. Like we say, ‘If we get Crew right, we get everything right’. Huge thanks and congratulations goes to Mr Devitt for coordinating our first Crew Sports Day and to Mr Currie, Miss O’Grady our XP Doncaster colleagues who supported us with the planning and delivery of the event.

This week

PE sessions

PE sessions will take place on Tuesday for Year 8 and Wednesday for Year 7 students this week. Please make sure that your child has a full PE kit.

Extended Study and clubs

Our usual extended study and clubs will not run this week due to our two Celebrations of learning. We will run an extended study session on Monday only.

G29 Celebration of learning at Seven Stories in Newcastle, Tuesday 18th July at 6pm

Please see the website post for full details on this event. We expect that families ensure that someone is there to support their child at this event and also ask that students dress formally. Our XP polo shirts are suitable for occasions like this.

Students will remain in school on Tuesday and we will transport students from school to Seven Stories. We would recommend that they bring a healthy packed tea or snack to eat after school. Students will return home with their families after the event.

G28’s Celebration of Learning at XP Gateshead, Thursday 20th July at 6pm

As above, please see the website post for full details on this event. We expect that families ensure that someone is there to support their child at this event and also ask that students dress formally. Students will remain in school on Thursday. We would recommend that they bring a healthy packed tea or snack to eat after school.

End of year reflections from students, Crew leaders and updated snapshots

Towards the end of this week, parents will receive a final progress update and review of the year from their child and Crew leader.

Friday 21st July – Last day of term

As always at the end of term, our students finish at 1:30pm. This allows for a full de-gunge of the school before the Summer break. This one is especially important as we will need to move some of our resources to new spaces in August with our expansion to larger parts of the building. 

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

Thank you for your ongoing support.

Julie Mosley

Co-Principal

Dear Families

We had a very successful week last week, managing two successful G30 transition days alongside G28 and G29 fieldwork days. We also enjoyed time with parents and carers  on our final twilight MHFA® course and on Thursday, our new Y7 Crew Leaders met with their new parent crew. 

G30 students worked with us on Monday and Tuesday to explore the guiding question ‘What will it take for me to be the best version of myself at XP Gateshead?’. They spent time in smaller Crews exploring our character values and making new friends then sampled sessions with us – Human, PE, Arts, Steam sessions in Science and Maths and Spanish. 

We were delighted with how well our new students settled into their new school and how well our G28 and G29 students supported their transition days. We are really looking forward to August when we welcome all three year groups together.

G28 undertook fieldwork on Monday  in Gateshead and Newcastle linked to their current expedition “Is migration worth the risk”. They spent time ‘looking at sustainable energy solutions in Gateshead, and also evidence of the migrations and conquests that have happened within our region since the times of the Romans. 

On Tuesday, our G29 students travelled to North Yorkshire to complete geography fieldwork connected to their current guiding question: “How does water shape our world?” . Students worked at a river site testing a hypothesis on the observable differences in the river as it runs its course. 

This week

Assessments

Our students continue to complete  assessments in sessions this week. This follows extended study revision tasks and preparation in sessions.

PE sessions

There are timetable changes this week which means some changes to PE sessions. Please note the following and make sure that your child has full PE kit:

• Monday PE sessions for Y8 Class 1
• Tuesday PE sessions for Y8 Class 2
• Wednesday PE sessions for both Y7 classes

Extended Study and clubs

Extended Study and clubs are running after school this week. 

G28 working with experts

On Monday, as part of their expedition Should I Stay Or Should I Go, with the guiding question: ‘Is migration worth the risk?’ our G28 students will be interviewing people who have made the choice to migrate to and from our country this week. The Interviews will be part of their final product for this expedition which will be a feature length film to honour their stories which will be screened in the new academic year.

Mental Health First Aid Training for our new staff 

Once again, our new staff are completing a two day MHFA course. When completed, this will mean that all of our team will be fully qualified as MHFA. The MHFA courses we have run for both staff and parents enable us to recognise mental ill health and help find the support required for our young people. We are grateful to the expertise of Jane Nyberg for making this possible along with the support of Sophie Pegg.

Crew Day, Friday 14th July

On Friday our students will spend the whole day working with their Crew and Crew Leader. The focus for their final crew day is getting active as well as developing their team work, crew identity and wellbeing. For both Year 7 and Year 8 the school day will start and finish at the usual time. Students will need to be in their sports kit for the full day.

Looking Ahead:

Tuesday 18th July at 6pm

G29’s Celebration of Learning at Seven Stories in Newcastle. .

Thursday 20th July at 6pm

G28’s Celebration of Learning at XP Gateshead. 

See website post for more details of both of these events.

Friday 21st July – Last day of term

This is a 1:30pm finish for students to allow for degunge of the school before the Summer break.

 

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

Thank you for your ongoing support.

Julie Mosley

Co-Principal

Dear Families

Again, it has been wonderful to see families in school this week for Student-led Conferences. We have another important week ahead as we welcome the newest members of our community into school for the first time. We have important fieldwork this week too so a very exciting week in store. More details on all of this can be found below.

A particular highlight of this week has been the culmination of our anchor text for G28 students. Connected to their guiding question “Is migration worth the risk?” students have been reading Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck as their anchor text. This week students created a courtroom in order to determine “Was Curly’s wife responsible for her own death?”. Students each put their case forward and then voted as a jury. Impressively some students were given the role to argue for a position against which they themselves were personally opposed. It was wonderful to see how invested students were in this process and how important the ideas of social justice and also how women have been presented in literature are to our students. Great job G28!

This week

It is such a bumper week that we have organised this week’s update around each day in the week ahead:

Monday 3rd July

TRANSITION DAY 1:

We welcome our Year 6 – G30 students to school together for the first time. G28 and G29 should arrive at the usual time. G30 students will arrive from 8.40am. It is likely to be busy in terms of traffic in front of our school at the start and end of the day, so please be conscientious when parking and ask your children to be especially careful when crossing the road.

G28 Fieldwork:

On Monday G28 students have fieldwork in Gateshead and Newcastle. Connected to their expedition on migration they are looking at sustainable energy solutions in Gateshead, and also evidence of the migrations and conquests that have happened within our region since the times of the Romans. More details including the kit needed for this fieldwork can be found here.

Extended Study:

There is an extended study after school on Monday to support students in preparing for assessments, however due to the transition days we are unable to offer clubs on Monday.

MHFA®:

Monday is the last of our MHFA® course for parents in this round. Again this is being delivered by Jane Nyberg with Miss Pegg in G3 after school.

Tuesday 4th July

TRANSITION DAY 2:

We welcome our Year 6 – G30 students to school again. G30 students will arrive from 8.40am. Again it will be busy in terms of traffic so safety is the number one consideration.

G29 Fieldwork:

On Tuesday G28 students have fieldwork in north Yorkshire. G29 students must be in school by 8am. Connected to their expedition with the GQ: “How does water shape our world?” they are testing a hypothesis on the observable differences in a river as it runs its course. More details including the kit needed for this fieldwork can be found here.

PE for G28:

PE sessions will take place on Tuesday this week for G28 as normal. Please make sure that Year 8 have full PE kit for Tuesday.

Extended Study:

There is an extended study after school on Tuesday to support students in preparing for assessments, however due to the transition days we are unable to offer clubs on Monday.

Wednesday 5th July

School is closed to students on Wednesday 5th July due to the strike action. Students should work on the revision tasks that will be set by teachers through Google Classroom in preparation for end of year assessments. There is no PE for G29 this week due to the strike action.

Thursday 6th July

On Thursday we will run a regular school day, including clubs and extended study after school.

Friday 7th July

School is closed to students on Friday 7th July due to the strike action. Students should work on the revision tasks that will be set by teachers through Google Classroom in preparation for end of year assessments. 

As you are aware, the NEU teachers union have balloted and agreed further strike action on Wednesday 5th and Friday 7th July.

We have continued to do our best to minimise disruption to your child’s  education during strike action. As a leadership team, we have covered sessions to allow the school to remain open. However, there is not the capacity to do this in these two instances. This means that we are not able to offer full provision to a single year group as we have in the past.

After discussions with relevant stakeholders and leaders at XP Trust, I am able to inform you that we will be closed to both Year 7 and Year 8 on Wednesday 5th and Friday 7th July. 

When students are not in school they can work independently on extended study tasks and ongoing revision for end of year assessments.

Dear Families

It’s been great to see families in school this week for Student-led Conferences. Our students continue to step up to the challenge of being ‘Leaders of their Own Learning’, sharing their work with their family, discussing their progress in terms of academic learning targets and HOWLs. Students are in charge of the SLC, they take the driving seat, learning to advocate for themselves and share the information that they feel best reflects their learning journey and the question ‘Am I moving to where I need to be?’. This is an important aspect of students leading their own learning.

It has been wonderful to see and hear the pride from families following SLCs, and to read feedback from parents:

“I just wanted to say thank you. My son has had a great year and is so much happier. You’ve given him confidence and I have watched him grow. It is an absolute pleasure to watch.

Please pass on my thanks to everyone, especially Mr Mead. My son’s love of all things Science is just shining through.”

“I really like the SLC process, empowering the students to take ownership of their own learning and being accountable for the positives and negatives within this.”

SLCs are graded against two aspects – quality of work and quality of presentation. Here is the rubric to assess our students, give feedback and areas for development for future SLCs.

As part of XP Trust monitoring and evaluation, we had an external school review last Thursday. This gave us the opportunity to see how we are doing and inform us of areas for development against the current Ofsted framework . It was a really positive experience for us, and the outcome was totally consistent with our school self-assessment which is a great baseline for our work moving forward. When we get the full written report, I will share further feedback with you.

During these staff days on Friday and tomorrow our staff team are continuing to work together, looking forward and planning new Autumn term expeditions for Y7, 8 and 9. As you can imagine, there are lots of elements to consider when planning expeditions – learning targets, assessment opportunities, case studies, experts, fieldwork, guiding texts, etc. All of this ensures that your children continue to get a great deal from our curriculum.

It wasn’t just our staff learning together on Friday, we had our first Youth Mental Health First Aid (MHFA®) course for parents. It was great to see parents working with Jane Nyberg – who has worked as a Mental Health Social Worker for over 30 years – to gain their Youth Mental Aware certificate. The training raises awareness of young people’s mental health and covers:

• Some of the common mental health issues affecting young people, including depression, anxiety, eating disorders and psychosis
• Understand some of the issues young people living with mental health issues may experience
• Ways to support young people with a mental health issue and relate to their experiences

We are offering two further face-to-face sessions – Monday 26th June pm and a twilight session on Monday 3rd July. Please contact [email protected] if you have any questions about this course.

This week

Staff Development Day – Monday 26th June

This is our final staff day of the year. As always, students are not expected to attend school.

Extended Study and after school clubs 

There are no Extended Study or after school clubs running this week and next week due to SLCs. 

PE sessions

PE sessions will take place on Tuesday for Year 7 and Wednesday for Year 8 students this week. Please make sure that your child has a full PE kit.

 

Looking Ahead:

G30 Transition

Our Transition Days for Year 6 children will now be on Monday 3rd and Tuesday 4th July. Our current G28 and G29 students will be involved in transition and will help us work to settle our new students into our school and our culture. Like last year, they will be key to the success of our transition.

G28 Fieldwork – Monday 3rd July

As part of answering their guiding question “Is migration worth the risk?” students have been studying climate change as a push factor for migrants, something that will become a greater issue in the decades to come. Students are learning about energy production, including renewables and fossil fuels. Students will visit Gateshead Energy Centre, a world-leading energy project which is an example of how innovations in technology and science can be part of the solution to reducing our carbon footprint. During this fieldwork students will also look at evidence along the quayside of the influence of other cultures in the architecture of buildings.

G29 Fieldwork – Tuesday 4th July

Students in Year 7 have the guiding question “How does water shape our world?”. Next week they will be carrying out an enquiry to address some important standards from Geography. Students will make predictions about what they would expect to happen to physical features of a river as it moves through its course. They will then take measurements of these features to test their hypothesis. 

More details on both pieces of fieldwork will come in separate posts this week. It is worth noting that for both, students will be out of school for the full day. So Year 8  will need a packed lunch on Monday 3rd July and Year 7 will need a packed lunch on Tuesday 4th July – students that normally have free school meals will be provided with a lunch.

Strike Action – Wednesday 5th and Friday 7th July

We will be posting important information regarding strike action on these days later today.

 

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

Thank you for your ongoing support.

Julie Mosley

Co-Principal

Dear Families

We’ve all been working hard this past week and our students have been focussed on their SLC preparation ready for upcoming conferences. You should now have booked an SLC slot. Please contact [email protected] if you have not had information on booking an SLC slot or are having any difficulties. 

Fieldwork and Year 7 Expedition – Hold back the river

Year 7 showed great character in their fieldwork this week. On Tuesday Bailey felt unwell on the coach and then pushed through for the rest of the day. On Wednesday all staff that accompanied the fieldwork came back full of praise for the way that Class 2 dealt with the problems with the coach. Most importantly, many of our students saw water voles which are an indicator of the health of the ecosystem, and all students have collected important data which will help the scientists at Durham Wildlife Trust to protect these wonderful creatures.

Year 7 have also started work on their 3D artwork which will be layered seascapes inspired by photographs of our local coastline, which students visited in previous fieldwork to Roker and Seaburn. Connected to their work on rivers, students are about to look at cases of flooding and will write informative articles which will be great practice for their final articles on conservation of oysters and water voles – all part of answering their guiding question: “How does water shape our world?”

Year 8 Expedition – Should I stay or should I go

Connected to their studies of migration and the guiding question “Is Migration Worth the Risk?”, this week a group of our student leaders for this expedition visited the Comfrey Project in Gateshead. Students learned about the work that the project does with people seeking asylum and refugees living in the north east. The organisation uses horticulture-based activities to help people to feel connected to and feel part of the local community – and will be an important partner in the remainder of this expedition.

Dress Code

Student voice is very important to us at XP Gateshead. Students have asked questions of our dress code in a community meeting, and have communicated that they would like more clarity and a voice in ensuring our dress code is as fair as is possible. Crews have each named a person that will join a working group on our dress code. Conversations will start this week. Of course we will keep you updated as parents before any changes are made to the guidance in our dress code.

This week

G29 Knife Crime Awareness Session

After a successful session with our Y8 students. John Ord from Northumbria Police Violence Reduction Unit will run a session for our Y7 students on the dangers of knife crime on Tuesday.

PE sessions

PE sessions will take place on Tuesday for Year 7 and Wednesday for Year 8 students this week. Please make sure that your child has full PE kit.

Extended Study and after school clubs 

There are no Extended Study or after school clubs running this week and next week due to SLCs. 

Staff Development Day – Friday 23rd June

We have a staff day this week where we will spend time on expedition planning. We will be looking at our first Autumn expeditions for G28, G29 and G30 and working together to plan assessments, case studies and fieldwork. As always, students are not expected to attend school.

Youth Mental Health First Aid (MHFA®) courses

On staff day, we welcome a group of parent learners on site for the first of our 3 MHFA courses. We have been delighted at the level of interest in this course, with 28 parents signed up. We are offering 3 separate face to face sessions – Friday 23rd June am, Monday 26th June pm and a twilight session on Monday 3rd July twilight. 

Moving forward, we would like to offer a learning opportunity each half term for parents and carers around pertinent concerns linked to teenagers. We are looking to bring in expertise from wider support agencies in Gateshead to make sure we are accessing all of the support on offer in our community.

Looking Ahead:

Staff Development Day – Monday 26th June

This will be our final staff development day of this academic year. Students are not expected to be in school on this day.

Strike Action

As you may be aware from news announcements this weekend, the NEU teachers union have balloted and agreed strike action on Wednesday 5th and Friday 7th July 2023. We will do our best to minimise disruption and will update you in due course.

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

Thank you for your ongoing support.

Julie Mosley

Co-Principal

Dear Families

It has been a busy first week back as usual and we have all quickly got back into working hard after the half term break. Our focus this term is ‘culture, culture, culture’ – making sure that we continue to build strong foundations which will support us as we grow and welcome new staff, students and families into our crew. The culture to ensure we build our character values, beautiful work and academic success.

Student-Led Conferences

Our students are working hard now preparing for their Student-Led Conferences which start next week.

You should now have booked an SLC slot. Please contact [email protected] if you have not had information on booking an SLC slot or are having any difficulties. 

To help your child prepare for their SLC, in their email to you they asked that you complete this short Google Form. This gives you the opportunity to ask any questions about your child’s progress which they will then address as part of their conference. This form should have been completed last week. If you have not already done so, please complete the form now so your child can be well prepared for their SLC.

G30 Transition

Last week we met our new G30 families for an In-Person Information Evening. It was great to meet parents and carers and welcome them to our school and go through key messages for a great start in August. Thank you already to our G28/29 crew who have been supporting our new parents with any questions they have on the facebook page ‘Parents of XP Gateshead’. You know exactly how it feels at this stage and the many things to consider around the transition from primary to secondary. We really appreciate your support and the reassurance you can give, especially around the importance and positive impact of the Outward Bound experience.

I’d like to give a shout out to  Jess B, Leon, Macie, Betsy, Will, Holly S and Lily for their stewardship on Wednesday. They stayed behind after extended study to help us set up for the evening, moving chairs and tables. Their compassion was much appreciated by myself, Ms Donlan, Miss Diamond and Mr Said.

G28 Expedition – “Is migration worth the risk?”

Students have this last week started to explore migration during the Tudor period and have learned from the work of Dr Miranda Kaufmann about people that came to England from Africa, including a musician – John Blanke –  in the court of Henry VIII. As well as reading more on their anchor text ‘Of Mice and Men’, they have also been learning more about climate change. This will connect to their studies on migration as students learn more about how climate and the need for more sustainable energy generation can be a push or pull factor which impacts on migration. We have some fieldwork connected to this planned – more information on this soon.

G29 Expedition – “How does water shape our world?”

Students have been learning about river processes in preparation for upcoming fieldwork where they will test a hypothesis about the differences that they would expect to see in a river at various points in its course. This fieldwork will be on July 4th – more information on this soon. They have also been continuing to learn about humans’ relationship with, and impact on ecosystems. This last week we were visited by experts from Durham Wildlife Trust who helped students prepare for their upcoming fieldwork this week. Students are learning about water voles as a river species that is an indicator of the health of the ecosystem. They will be out in the field this week alongside experts, collecting scientific data which will be used to determine next steps in protecting this important species. More details below.

Youth Mental Health First Aid (MHFA®) courses

Thank you to all parents/carers who have signed up to  attend a half day Youth Mental Health Aware training course (MHFA®). 28 parents have signed up for this course and we are able to offer 3 separate face to face sessions – Friday 23rd June am, Monday 26th June pm and Monday 3rd July twilight. Each course will run for 3.5 hours (including breaks) and has a maximum of 12 spaces. This week, we will email the parents who have signed up for the course with full details.

This week

G29 Fieldwork 13th and 14th June

On Tuesday 13th June (G29 class 1) and Wednesday 14th June (G29 class 2) students will undertake a day of Fieldwork at Killhope Lead Mine museum collecting scientific data to support Durham Wildlife Trust water vole project . This will help students to study the distribution of an important, yet declining species and see the impact of habitat quality has on their population. Please see Mr Mead’s post for full details on timings and required kit for the day.

Please discuss this fieldwork with your children and remind them of our expectations to show our character traits and habits of work and learning both inside and out of school. We are developing a good working relationship with the wildlife trust and want this to continue.

PE sessions

PE sessions will take place on Tuesday and Wednesday this week – however there are some changes due to the fieldwork. Please note the following and make sure that your child has full PE kit:

Tuesday PE sessions for Y7 Class 2 and Y8 Class 2

Wednesday PE sessions for Y7 Class 1 and Y8 Class 1

Extended Study and clubs

Extended Study and clubs are running after school this week. 

Looking Ahead:

There are no Extended Study or after school clubs running next week due to SLCs.

Staff Development Days – Friday 23rd June and Monday 26th June 2023.  Students are not expected to be in school on this day.

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

Thank you for your ongoing support.

Julie Mosley

Co-Principal