Dear Families
Every week before I start a weekly update, I look back on the week before reflecting on our progress, student and staff achievements, our culture and our crew. Like every week, there is a feeling of pride about the work that happens at XPG and pleasure in the work we do daily alongside our students, who, like staff, are producing beautiful work, developing character and achieving academic success. We have had several visitors in school this week and they have all commented on the strength of our school culture and how it manifests in the way all students and staff behave and the work that is produced.
Students as ‘Leaders of their Own Learning’
It has been great to see so many of you in person this week attending G32 and G31 Student Led Conferences (SLC). Our students have shown real courage this week presenting their learning, especially G32 students where this has been their first time presenting a SLC. Feedback from parents and carers has been full of praise and this will feed into their SLC debrief where they will reflect on this experience against the rubric and set themselves targets for their next SLC.
Thank you to all G30 families who attended last week’s Information Evening which included details about Passage Presentations which will take place during the 16th and 17th March. Crew leaders have been really impressed with the maturity and commitment G30 are showing to their work and the process of passage which is a step up from SLC’s. In a Passage Presentation students present their learning journey from Year 7 to a panel which includes their Crew Leader, a Staff Panelist, a Guest Panelist and their Parents/Carers. We will soon send out the system to book a passage presentation slot. Details from the Information Evening are posted on our website here.
This half term, we will be running our first Teacher Student Learning Conferences (TSLCs) with G29. Our Y10 students have started working hard to bring together their work in each subject area so they can sit alongside their subject teacher to present their progress to parents. G29 TSLCs will take place on Tuesday 17th February and we will be sharing booking information with Y10 this week.
Magic Breakfast
At XPG we run a Breakfast Club every morning from 8:00–8:25am every day. One of the best things about Breakfast Club is that it’s run by our brilliant G30 students, with support from staff. They do a fantastic job welcoming students, helping things run smoothly, and creating a positive and friendly atmosphere.
On Friday our breakfast club was visited by Lyndsey Appleby from Magic Breakfast who shared her thoughts and feedback with us and G32 and G31 students
“It was lovely to see the breakfast provision and run the assemblies. The students were fantastic and, during my tour, I was blown away by the work and effort the students had put in. Amazing!”
We would like to see more students and families taking advantage of our free breakfast offer. Eating breakfast can really help with focus, energy, and concentration, but it’s also about more than food. It’s a chance to relax, feel settled, and start the day on a positive note! Students don’t have to come every day either — popping in once or twice a week is absolutely fine.
G32 Student leaders working with Edberts House
Last week student leaders from Year 7 visited Edberts House to take part in their community “Burns Breakfast”. They supported with preparation and cooking of the food for the event and spent time with users of the provision. We are so grateful for out continued partnership with Edberts House and are delighted to be able to continue to support their great work.
G31 Students leaders at the RVI Hospital
Student leaders from G31 visited the RVI Hospital in Newcastle to build knowledge around the impact and work that occurs in a hospital setting. Students have presented their findings back to their class around the importance of the NHS within the context of their guiding question “What does it meant to be human?”.
The week ahead
G28 mock exams
Our mock exams continue this week for Year 11 who, as always, are impressing us with their maturity, determination and efforts.
Working with Experts: Activism in Action
At XP, all learning expeditions include working with experts or fieldwork. This links directly to our Design Principle of ‘Activism’, providing students with authentic opportunities to engage with professionals. By working alongside experts, students gain “Powerful Knowledge” that brings integrity and accuracy to their work, helping them see how their learning connects to the wider world.
This week we welcome the following experts to our school:
- G29 (Year 10): On Monday, students will work with experts from Northumbria University.
- G32 (Year 7): Our Year 7 students have a busy week of expert input.
- On Monday, they will be starting their work with our partners Nourish to develop practical skills and understanding of a range of preparation techniques and recipes in our students kitchen. This connects to their guiding question “Is survival sufficient?”.
- On Wednesday, they will be joined by expert Rav Singh. This session will help students to further understand the importance of Sikhi soldiers during WWI who travelled half way across the globe to sacrifice for all of us.
PE sessions this week
Our PE sessions this week are as follows. Please ensure that your child has their full PE kit.
- Both G32 (Year 7) classes have PE sessions on Monday and Wednesday this week.
- G31 (Year 8) students have PE on Tuesday of this week
- G30 (Year 9) students have PE on Thursday of this week.
- G29 and G28 (Year 10 and 11) students have PE on Monday of this week
As always, if you have any questions, please contact your child’s crew leader in the first instance. Thank you for your ongoing support as we work together to help our students become the best versions of themselves.
Julie Mosley
Principal