G31 students in the kitchen this week on Tuesday and Thursday

By Martin Said2nd March 2025

The guiding question for the STEAM expedition Staying Alive in Year 7 is ‘Is survival sufficient?‘

Students will put together food packages which will be donated to families in need through our partners Edberts House.

Connected to their studies of nutrition and digestion in science, some Year 7 students will work in the kitchen this week learning to prepare a tomato sauce recipe which can then become a base for many other dishes.

Half of Class 1 will be in the kitchen on Tuesday, half of Class 2 on Thursday. These are the children from Crews Curie and Windsor that did not cook in the last week before half-term.Your child can check on student notices if they will be working in the kitchen this week.

We will provide the ingredients for students.

Students that are working in the kitchen should wear clothes that can get dirty, and must have a bobble to tie back their hair if it is long. They can bring in a container to bring food home if they would like to do so.

Acknowledging Ramadan in Our School Community

By Michelle Ross28th February 2025

Ramadan, a significant month in the Islamic calendar, is being observed by Muslims around the world. This fast, known as Sawm is one of the Five Pillars of Islam and during this time, many Muslims fast (refraining from eating and drinking) from dawn until sunset, dedicating themselves to reflection, prayer, and acts of kindness.

We recognise that fasting is an important commitment during this time, and we want to extend our understanding and encouragement to those in our school community, and their families, who are observing Ramadan.

Ramadan will continue until 30th March, and we encourage everyone to be mindful and considerate of those who are fasting.

To all who are observing, we send our warmest wishes during this special time.

End of half-term update for Families – 22nd February 2025

By Julie Mosley22nd February 2025

Dear Families

We have come to the end of another half-term that has been packed with moments where our students have shone.

G31 have had their very first set of SLCs and have this last week started to consider how they will support families in need with food packages, building from their knowledge of nutrition and digestion. Miss Jamison has put out a separate post here with details on some recipes we’d love to see you try at home with your children too.

G30 have had a series of fieldwork as part of their art studies that has led them to the V&A in London, and this last week have worked with expert actress, writer and director Christina Berriman Dawson to support their preparations for their performance of Macbeth Don’t forget that they also have a theatre visit booked to see Christina in an excellent production: Champion, more details can be found here. This wonderful production was also featured on BBC Radio 4 this week too, you can listen here from 12 minutes 45 seconds onwards.

G29 have had a return to Newcastle University this week to delve into the archives of public health in our region, and also to carry out anatomical drawings under the guidance of experts  at the Hatton Gallery. This has been a really strong term for G29, who have been praised time and again for their conduct and how they have acted as ambassadors for the school at the production of our Sam, in how they are preparing for Passage and how they are motoring in lessons.

Following their TSLCs, G28 have this week been in G29 Crews supporting students in their preparations for passage. It’s great to see the leadership potential of all of our G28 students being harnessed. In addition student leaders have this term supported the G30 fieldwork to the V&A, leading ambassador tours and training younger students and running clubs. There are mock exams coming up in April which will become the focus in Crew following the break. We will post the revision guidance website in a separate post, which has guidance for how families can support revision – the work and expectations for which will step up when we return. Our pioneering Year 10 students really are incredible in terms of the way that they model our culture for our younger students, and it goes to show the impact that this has had on their peers when you look at what our younger students are achieving, in the case of G29 with direct support from Year 10s for passage.

Every visitor that comes to our school comments on how articulate, informed, knowledgeable and proud that our students are, and we could not be more proud of them.

Important dates for your diaries for next half-term

Fieldwork

G30 Theatre Fieldwork

This is taking place on Thursday 6th March in the afternoon with a slightly later finish back at school. More details can be found here. 

G30 Final Shipley Gallery Fieldwork

Students in G30 Class 2 will have their final work session at The Shipley on Tuesday 11th March, and G30 Class 1 will do likewise on Thursday 13th March. These will all be during the school day but students will need a packed lunch.

Passage Presentations

Most of these will take place on Monday 17th March and Tuesday 18th March during the day, and some limited slots after school on the following two days.

More information on slots and attendance on these days can be found here.

We will send out provisional time slots for families on Monday this week from the office@ email address so please keep an eye out for that.

Presentations of Learning

Below are the dates for our PoLs (Presentations of Learning) next term. It is important to note that we expect for every child to have a family member there to support them.

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

PoL on Tuesday 25th March in school at 4.30pm

Year 7 STEAM – Is survival sufficient?

PoL on Monday 24th March with experts from Edberts House (this is not an event that families attend, students will present their food packages to the workers at Edberts House)

Year 8 – What is Power?

PoL on Thursday 27th March at Caedmon Hall, above Gateshead Central Library at 5pm.

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

PoL on Friday 9th May in school from 2pm. This Presentation of Learning is in the form of a Public Health Conference, hosted by our students. Please note the earlier time for this.

Year 10 – Are we really free to choose?

PoL on Tuesday 18th March, venue and time to be confirmed.

Easter Holidays

Please note that it is a shorter half-term coming up at 4 weeks. We break up for our Easter Holiday on Friday 28th March and return to school on Monday 14th April at the normal time. Our Easter holidays do not always align with other Gateshead school. The date of the religious holiday changes each year, however we need to be able to plan a consistent length for our expeditions in term 2 and 3. You can see more on our calendars on the trust website. These holidays do align much better in the following academic year.

Have a wonderful break with your children

So, it’s been another exciting and fruitful half-term.  Have a great half-term break and we look forward to seeing all of our students on Monday 3rd March at the normal time. 

Thank you, as always, for your ongoing support.

 

.Julie Mosley

Principal

Passage Presentation Slots for G29

By Martin Said22nd February 2025

We will send out provisional time slots for families on Monday 24th Feb from the office@ email address so please keep an eye out for that.

If you have not yet indicated your preference, please do so as a matter of urgency as we are doing our best to try to accommodate the highest preference for all families. You can let us know your preference by clicking on this link.

Attendance at school on these days

On Monday and Tuesday, students must arrive at school at least one hour before their passage so that they can gather their portfolio and any other resources that they need. Families should arrive around 15 minutes before the start time so that we can get you signed in as there will be lots of guests arriving to be panellists around the same time..

Monday 17th March is a staff day. Your child in G29 does not need to come in on this day unless they have a passage presentation. If they do have a presentation on Monday they can come in any time from 8am if they want some additional time to do final preparations.

Tuesday 18th March is a school day. In recognition of the preparation time that students have put in and your commitment as families, your child in G29 does not need to come in on Tuesday 18th unless they have a passage presentation – instead they can work from home on extended study. If they do have a presentation on Tuesday your child can come in any time from 8am if they want some additional time to do final preparations. If you would prefer for your child to be in school for we will have staff working with G29 throughout the day on Tuesday 18th March, so students can attend as normal if that works better for you as a family.

We will put out a Google Form next week to ask whether your child will attend school on Tuesday 18th March for part of the day, all of the day or if they will work from home that day.

Staying Alive: G31 – Half Term Cooking

By Stephanie Jamison20th February 2025

G31 students have been busy prepping for our final product for the expedition: Staying Alive with the guiding question: ‘Is survival sufficient?’. The final product will be a food box with recipes and ingredients to support families in need.

As part of this, we’re asking students to try out some of the cost-friendly recipes from Cooking on a Bootstrap by Jack Monroe at home, and have a go at cooking them with you. We’re asking students to amend and customise the recipes, so we can ensure what we’re providing in our food donations is delicious, cost effective and suitable for families to enjoy.

We’d love to hear any taste reviews and see any action shots from your kitchens! Students have selected and saved their chosen recipe during their STEAM lessons, but can check this (and access the full recipe book) via Google Classroom.

After seeing some G31 students working hard cooking a delicious pasta and sauce this morning, we’re looking forward to seeing more beautiful cooking work produced.

Reminder for Year 9 Families

By Martin Said20th February 2025

Last week we posted about Passage Presentation Bookings.

If you have not already done so, please use this form to indicate which slots would be your preference for booking a Passage Presentation time for your child.

Passage Presentations last one hour. As family panellists you will listen to your child’s presentation, use rubrics to discuss the quality of the presentation with the other panellists, and then give feedback to the student.

G30 and G31 Human Extended Study

By Michelle Ross20th February 2025

In our school we want to make sure students are not just learning information but remembering it long-term. That’s why we have an Extended Study Policy, in Human, where students complete a multiple-choice quiz 3 times each week. These quick quizzes, which often include a piece of reading, take around 15 minutes to complete and focus on key concepts and vocabulary to help reinforce learning or as a tool for some pre-learning.

Research shows that regularly recalling information (a technique called retrieval practice) helps strengthen memory and makes it easier for students to apply what they’ve learned. Spacing these quizzes out over the week—rather than cramming them all into one day—further boosts long-term retention.

We’ve noticed that some students in G30 and G31 are completing all three quizzes in one go. While this might seem like an efficient approach, it doesn’t help with long-term memory as much as spacing them out does. To get the most out of these quizzes, we encourage students to spread them across different days throughout the week and the students have an Extended Study Timetable to support them with doing this.

This approach is designed to make learning ‘stick’ in a simple, low-stress way and helps identify any gaps in knowledge early on, allowing for timely intervention.

In short, this policy is grounded in evidence-based practices aimed at supporting your child’s learning and academic success. We appreciate your support in encouraging your child to complete their Human Extended Study quizzes at spaced intervals for better learning retention.

G30 Theatre Performance: Thursday 6th March 2025

By Martin Said18th February 2025

We are delighted to announce that we have been able to secure an incredible opportunity for all of our G30 students.

This week students have been working with professional writer, actress and director Christina Berriman Dawson to support their preparations to perform Macbeth as part of their PoL on Thursday 27th March at Caedmon Hall.

Christina is currently appearing in a production called Champion at the Live Theatre in Newcastle.

The play is set in the summer of 1977 in South Shields, during Muhammed Ali’s now legendary visit to The North East. The drama shows the effect that such a major event has on a mixed race family in South Shields. It is written by one of contemporary theatre’s most regarded writers: Ishy Din. We will take G30 students to see the production, following which they will also have the incredible opportunity to carry out a Q&A with the cast and wider production team.

The matinee performance is at 2pm on Thursday 6th March.  Including the interval and the Q&A, we expect to be back in school between 5.00pm and 5.30pm after returning by metro. We will update the school website with our arrival time.

The play has a 14+ recommended age; given our connection to the cast, the challenging themes that students are already familiar with through our curriculum seam of social justice and the levels of maturity that students have shown on recent fieldwork to London, we are confident that our students will manage this. There is some racist and foul language that is indicatively authentic of the treatment of the community in South Shields at that time. We will, of course, prepare students for this and discuss with them how the arts are an important form through which we can represent and challenge issues of social justice.

At XP, we use equity maps to ensure that all students have a breadth of experiences that help to build cultural capital and develop character. Theatre performances are an entitlement for all of our students, so we are delighted that not only will students experience the performance, but as part of their ongoing work with Christina and time with the cast, that it will also help them to further understand and experience the professionalism needed for their own performance of Macbeth.

Weekly update for families – W/C Monday 17th February 2025

By Julie Mosley16th February 2025

Dear Families

I say it every week, but last week was definitely a record in terms of many moving parts in a school week. A week full of purposeful learning experiences for our students which only happens on the back of the hard work, craftsmanship and quality of the staff who work here. Starting a school, building as we go demands a staff crew who are fully committed to our school and every week go to great lengths to plan purposeful experiences for our children. The breadth of activities that we post in these weekly updates is testament to the hard work of our Staff Crew and their commitment to our approach. Children and staff alike, we are lucky to be part of something so special, but also must recognise what makes our school so special are the people. A school is not a building, a school is a community of children, families and staff. Every week we are thankful for the trust places in us by you, our families, and for the beautiful work that happens week in – week out:

“To start a school is to proclaim what it means to be human”

Tom James – EL Education

G31

On Tuesday 11th February, our Year 7 students visited the  Gurdwara Siri Guru Singh Sabha in Newcastle to find out more about Sikhi and how temples operate as part of their expedition ‘Do your bit’. Our students had a fantastic experience which included an Indian classical music lesson, learning about Langar and working in the kitchen to prepare Langar for lunch and a meditation session. We are extremely grateful to our friends at the Gurdwara for giving their time and allowing our students the opportunity to learn more about Sikhi. Our Year 7 students were described as phenomenal, and showed great respect throughout the day.

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G30

Year 8 students continued their work with Design Lab Nation this week, working at Orbis Studios and looking at Gateshead High Street to consider their current brief – to create art using waste materials in response to the shift in power between larger companies and independent companies as exemplified in the growth of out of town shopping and continued decline of the high street. Students enjoyed another day of creativity and construction.

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G29

On Friday 14th February, our Year 9 students conducted local Geography fieldwork to explore the question: Why are there variations in life expectancy in Gateshead? This fieldwork enhanced their understanding of Census data, giving them the opportunity to gather primary data through firsthand observations and surveys. This is a fieldwork that takes place outside for the whole day and students walk over 7 miles. This, as you can imagine, is a real challenge on a cold day, but our Year 9 were amazing and staff shared praise for their maturity, resilience and positive approach to learning. 

G28

It was another first for XPG this week with Teacher Student Led Conferences (TSLCs) after school on Monday and Tuesday. As always, our Year 10 students stepped up to the challenge and sat alongside their subject teachers presenting their learning and plans for improvement in each subject area. 

The week ahead

G31 working in the kitchen

Connected to their studies of nutrition and digestion in science, some Year 7 students will work in the kitchen this week learning to prepare a tomato sauce recipe which can then become a base for many other dishes. This is in preparation for the final product where students will put together food packages to be donated to families in need through our partners Edberts House.

More details on which children are in the kitchen this week can be found here.

G30 expert in school 

On Monday as part of their current expedition with the guiding question: ‘What is power?’, our Year 8 students will continue their work to create an abridged performance of Macbeth in drama sessions. They will be developing their physical, vocal, characterisation and directorial skills alongside an expert, Actress and Writer Christina Berriman Dawson.

   

LEGO League Digital Leaders

Our LEGO league team will be travelling to RGS school for training in Newcastle on Tuesday this week.They will walk to Heworth at 8.30am and then travel onwards by metro. The forecast is very cold with a chance of snow, so please make sure that as well as a packed lunch and full kit, that students are well wrapped up with plenty of layers and a waterproof coat. Students taking part are: G28 Ethan B. Charlie DJ, Evan R and G30 James T.

G29 vaccinations

The next immunisation programme for school aged children is the Diphtheria, Tetanus and Polio (Td/IPV) and Meningitis ACWY (MenACWY) campaign. This is for YEAR 9. This session will happen in school on Wednesday 19th February.

G29 Fieldwork – Library Archive Newcastle University, Thursday 20th February

G29 will travel by foot to Heworth and then by Metro to Newcastle University to carry out fieldwork connected to their guiding question “How can we continue to make progress on public heath?’

They will spend part of the day in the University Library looking at the special collection in the archives with extremely high quality historical sources in cluding contemporary data and first editions of texts referring to previous epidemics from the past going back centuries.

They will also return to the Hatton Gallery to carry out a workshop on anatomical drawings, building on their work in Year 8 as part of their Being Human expedition. Students will be back at school for around the regular time of 15.15 – 15.30. If there are any delays on the metro we will let you know via our website.

The forecast is for the weather to turn more mild (around 12 – 13ÂșC) on Thursday however there is still a chance of rain. Students need to bring a packed lunch, as well as regular full kit and be dressed appropriately for the weather.

PE sessions this week

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

Our PE sessions this week are as follows:

  • G30 students (Y8) have PE on Monday this week
  • G31 students (Y7)
    • G31 Class 1 students have PE on Tuesday
    • G31 Class 2 students have PE on Wednesday
  • G28 students (Y10) have PE on Thursday.

Clubs and Extended Study

We will be running all after school clubs and extended study this week. 

Early closure this Friday 21st February

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 3rd March 2025. 

Dates to note

Passage Presentations – Mon 17th and Tue 18th March

A reminder that Passage Presentations for G29 are taking place on Monday 17th and Tuesday 18th March. More info on how to indicate a preferred slot can be found here. 

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

Julie Mosley

Principal