XP Gateshead

Dear Families

Last week we launched our new learning expeditions across all year groups and this week, students will have the big reveal with guiding questions and case studies unveiled.

More details of the types of activities that students have been carrying out in immersion can be found below.

Students have settled back into school and routines really well.

We also had lots of visitors to the school last week, including Trish Wright who is building on the work Mrs Tatters has done with us to get our food technology space kitted out and ready for Year 7 to start using this term. Other visitors included Chris Harte, who featured in Year 9’s film on migration. With Chris Harte were Martin and Val Westwell, who took time from a visit to the UK from Australia to come and see our school. Val is Deputy Principal of a ‘through’ school in Adelaide from nursery to sixth form, and Martin is CEO of the Department of Education for the whole of South Australia. Here is some of Martin’s wonderful feedback to our students and staff:

“One of the things that makes the school so remarkable is that, in many ways, it’s not out of reach of any school.

When ambassadors Ruby and Harris took us on the tour their pride in the school and their engagement in learning shone from them…

There was clear trust between students and educators, and an authenticity in every interaction. The fact that they led the tour without any teacher involvement really shows the students’ story is the school’s story.

The intentional connection to community and the enormous effort put into building and maintaining relationships with parents and the broader community were inspiring and it was clear the students gain a great from these authentic interactions and relationships, including a strong sense of purpose.

The general feeling of the school was of calmness and clear purpose, with a culture of high (self) expectation, improvement and mastery. The fact that on the first day of a new term, visitors could be dropped into a class discussion and the group respond so openly and thoughtfully was very impressive.

The power of ”crew” was really clear. Students referred to it frequently in a very positive way and I think see it as their anchor. It’s clearly authentic and intentional and its place in the timetable really reflects the importance it’s given.

Not only was the compassion so very apparent in every interaction and story, so was the generosity of students and staff. We are so very appreciative of this.”

Immersion

As you know the immersion is the part of the expedition where we generate curiosity about the topics that will be studied, and build background knowledge so that all students are able to contribute when we get into the formal study of learning targets through Case Studies.

This week in STEAM, G30 have been reading a range of texts including a focus on Station 11 by Emily St. John Mandel, set in a post-pandemic dystopia where life is both dangerous and tough. And yet… a band of people calling themselves The Travelling Symphony still tour in trucks converted into horse carts performing Shakespeare. They have also been considering how they might fare on a desert island with limited resources.

In their separate HUMAN expedition, G30 have studied the extent of the former British Empire, as well as reading a play called ‘White Poppies’ set during the earlier years of The Great War. When Tom Headley enlists underage in the Great War, he and his childhood friends head straight to the front line as tunnellers. Eighty years later, a young schoolgirl sets out to research her great grandparents as part of a Poppy Day project. She uncovers shocking truths.

G29 have been reading a Short History of Nearly Everything by Bill Bryson in STEAM, and making connections to practicals which emphasise changes in substances and systems. In HUMAN, students have been learning about tectonic hazards such as earthquakes and used a simulation to try to mitigate the impact of their devastating effects, for example by preparing a coastal village with protections against tsunamis. They have also carried out a gallery walk which contained many images of protestors in scenarios at home and abroad from today and from history. Finally, students have also started to read an abridged version of Shakespeare’s Macbeth in modern English. All will be revealed this week on how these pieces of the expedition puzzle fit together.

In their STEAM session, G28 have been In HUMAN G28 have been carrying out an investigation into health inequalities across the world and in our own Town. Students read a report by Alice Wiseman – Director of Public Health for Gateshead – which outlines the differences in average life expectancy and healthy life expectancy for people born in Gateshead contrasted with those born in areas that are typically more affluent. Students were shocked by the stark differences in outcomes and were able to put questions to Alice on Friday afternoon following their investigation.

With all of the above, students have been working hard at making connections between topics in anticipation of how our guiding questions will pull all of the ideas together for each learning expedition.

The week ahead

Theatre visit on Wednesday for some G28 students

We apologise for the short notice around this, however there is an exciting opportunity for which we received confirmation on Friday afternoon last week.

On Wednesday this week there is a performance of the Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde which includes a director’s commentary / Q&A session about interpreting and re-imaging the original gothic novella Robert Louis Stevenson for the stage.

Students will be asked if they would like to attend based on their HoWLs in drama sessions, and families will be informed tomorrow if you child will be attending.

The performance takes place on Wednesday 17th Jan in the afternoon. We will be travelling by minibus to and from the venue at Sunderland College and should be back in school for around 4.30pm. We will update the website with an arrival time on Wednesday afternoon.

SLC Preparation

G30 and G29 students will continue with their preparations for their Student-Led Conferences. Please can all G29 families ensure that they have completed this Google Form to help your child to prepare for the conference.

We invest a lot of time in giving students opportunities to reflect upon their learning and growth. A significant amount of Crew time is devoted to this in the run-up to SLCs. Please do ask your child about how their preparation is going.

We look forward to seeing you in the fortnight commencing January 29th. All families should now have received details of how to sign up for an SLC slot with the exception of Miss Diamond’s Crew – Miss Diamond is not in school during the weeks of SLC so more details for those families will follow this week.

Clubs and Extended Study

Clubs and supervised Extended Study sessions after school return this week. Here is our offer:

This week also sees the return of the regular setting of Extended Study work for students to complete using their iPads.

It is important that students get into good habits around extended study. Studies have shown that this has a positive impact on student progress, on average (+ 5 months), particularly with pupils in secondary schools. We recognise that it is not always possible for students (or staff) to have a quiet working space at home which is why we offer a space to work in school from 3.30-4.30pm Monday-Thursday. 

Our full rationale for Extended Study can be found here.

The two tables above are worth sticking to the fridge or saving as a screenshot on a device for quick reference!

PE this week

• G30 have PE on Monday.
• G29 have PE on Wednesday.
• G28 Class 1 have PE on Thursday. Due to the staff day, G28 Class 2 do not have PE this week. We will look to rebalance this in a later week.

Staff Days on Friday 19th and Monday 22nd January

This half-term’s staff days fall this week and next on Friday and Monday. Friday sees all staff heading to Doncaster for a focus on our teaching and learning model, and on Monday we will be working on school priorities as part of our ongoing school improvement plan.

Dear Families

Happy 2024! We hope you have had a great Christmas and a safe and restful New Year. 

We are looking forward to welcoming students back tomorrow to the start of our new term at XP Gateshead.

Here’s some reminders to get a good start to term…

Punctuality

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

Dress code

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

For a normal day within school, 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

• • • For example heavy chains, thick sovereign rings, or false nails

• Impractical footwear:

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

Daily kit list

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

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

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) have PE on Wednesday this week.
• For G28 students (Y9) 
  • G28 Class 1 have PE on Thursday this week
  • G28 Class 2 have PE on Friday this week.

Extended Study and Clubs

There will be no extended study or after school clubs running this week. After school sessions will all start again next week.

New Term – New Expeditions

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

Curriculum Updates 

There are some curriculum changes which continue to give our students a breadth and depth of experience at key stage 3. 

G30 are studying two new expeditions. As part of their studies for their new HUMAN and ARTS expedition, they will also be continuing with drama with a new text and also studying computer science to help them to organise and analyse data from an expert and learn to code.

G30 will also have a new STEAM expedition which will include some food technology and a really great final product that will have an impact on our local community.

G29 are studying one new expedition that combines HUMAN, STEAM and ARTS. This will include some really challenging drama and music, both of which will be instrumental to their final product and presentation of learning.

G28’s new expedition is a combined HUMAN, STEAM and ARTS expedition which will last into the Summer term as a 16-week expedition. This will include a challenging Presentation of Learning in school, and will pull together and build on learning from across Year 7 and 8.

G28 students will also be getting a greater insight into careers and guidance to start considering future decisions. We will also launch our KS4 curriculum offer with year 9 students and their families this term.

Student-Led Conferences G29 and G30

SLCs (Student-Led Conferences) replace the conventional parents’ evenings at XP Gateshead. During an SLC, your son or daughter will share their learning with you and their crew leader. You will have an opportunity to look at work from their portfolio and ask questions about their HoWLs (Habits of Work and Learning) and AP grades (Academic Progress). They will also share their progress around pledges set last term with you during the SLC and you will be able to ask questions around these. 

SLCs for G29 and G30 will take place this term in the two weeks commencing 29th January. In the coming weeks you will receive an SLC invite from your son or daughter’s crew leader.  

Passage Presentations G28 

Our Y9 students will give passage presentations in March.  Passage presentations are an opportunity for students to reflect on their learning and their readiness to move on to the next phase of their education. G28 students will provide evidence to an audience of family, Crew Leader and an XPG invited guest to demonstrate that they are ready to start their GCSE journey. 

In the coming weeks you will hear more about passage presentations from your son or daughter as they start preparing for this key passage at XPG.

Staff Days

A reminder that we have two staff development days this half term; Friday 19th and Monday 22nd January. As normal, students are not expected to be in school on these days.

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

XP Gateshead