Unfortunately, as I am sure you understand and appreciate, there have been some delays to our journey.
We have just left Scotch Corner Services, according to the estimate we will return to school at 6pm.
As mentioned in the blog update, we would appreciate it if you could park in Car Park 3 as normal, then meet your child with their bags where the coaches departed from at the opposite side of school. This ensures we can keep the students safe and there is enough room for the coaches to manoeuvre.
Your child will be released from their Crew Leader once they have seen you.
The children are due to arrive back to school from the Flamborough fieldwork at 4:30pm. Please do not park along the front of the school when collecting your child as the coaches will need to park there for drop off.
Day 2 began with a room inspection from the Outward Bound Team and we have to admit C31 set the bar high for future year groups! Though there may have been some difficulties initially making beds, scores of 9 and 9.5 filled the board! Craftmanship and Quality is often one of the more challenging of our Character Traits to master but these guys are smashing it!
As the day went on we were engaged in a variety of activities (mostly water based, which we have loved!) and slept in a number of different areas across the Lake District, including camping under the stars listening for the owls!
Though there are many stories to share, we know your children are enthusiastic to do this upon their return. Each and every one of them have stepped outside of their comfort zone, shown Courage, Respect and Compassion beyond description. We are unbelievably proud of them!
The plan tomorrow is to leave the centre at 1pm. We will be stopping at Scotch Corner for the drivers and our lunch and then making our way back to school. We will be parked at the front of school (where we left from).
You should park in Car Park 3 and walk to meet us there (this will avoid fines!). Your child will be released by their Crew Leader when they have seen you.
The journey is expected to take around 4 hours, therefore we will see you at school at 5pm all being well! We will continue to update tomorrow to be more precise.
Firstly, our sincerest apologies you’ve not heard from us sooner! Given we’ve been focusing on our character traits this week, we’ll use integrity and admit… we’ve just been way too busy having fun!
There have been so many learning opportunities so far upon our adventure, the first was how to put bed sheets on a bed! Since then we have:
– Met out Outward Bound instructors
– Jogged and dipped in the lake (a longstanding Outward Bound tradition)
– Jumped off the jetty
– Swam in open water
– Engaged in a variety of team building exercises
Day 1 was pretty exhausting, being back ‘at school’ was a shock to the system for us all; settling down for a bedtime story last night set us all up for a good night’s sleep!
Today we are all off site and will be for the entire evening! This means there will be no phone calls home tonight.
We look forward to sharing our adventures with you upon our return!
The School Age Immunisation Team will be administering FLU vaccinations at our school on the 19th of September 2024.
To ensure your child receives the appropriate care, we kindly ask that you check your email inbox for an important message regarding the vaccination. The email contains a link to detailed information and the consent form.
Please take a moment to review the information and complete the consent form by selecting either YES or NO as soon as possible. Your prompt response is crucial in helping RDASH prepare for the vaccination day.
If you have any questions or concerns, please don’t hesitate to email [email protected].
Highlights include over 87% of our students achieved 9-4 in English Language and English Literature, with 22% of our students achieving the EBACC at 9-4. We continue to see the impact of our expeditionary learning curriculum on combined higher outcomes with 24% of our students achiveing a 9-6 in English language, English literature, Maths, Combined Science and History across the disciplines. We also celebrate some very strong results in some of the chosen subjects with particular praise to those students who achieved strong grades in BTEC Sport, GCSE Geography, Psychology and Japanese.
We must remember that X26 was significantly affected by numerous year group closures during the pandemic, and it is within this context that their achievements should be particularly celebrated.
However, as we continuously say at XP, academic achievement is only one measure of success.
Through our cross-subject expeditionary curriculum, students have enjoyed an engaging, creative and rich learning experience. This has allowed our students to engage with the world and create beautiful work that really matters and that has made a difference.
Through our learning expeditions our students not only gain the knowledge to pass exams, not just the cultural capital of knowing the world around them, but also the powerful knowledge to positively change the world they will adopt when they leave school – those of you who attended the Climate Conference can testify to this!
Our work for students at XP is three dimensional – academic success, developing character, and allowing them all to respectfully express who they are through their beautiful work:
Academic success + character growth + beautiful work = The best version of you!
We remind our students throughout their journey with us that, as adults, we are judged by who we are and the quality of our work. This is why we focus relentlessly on character growth and beautiful work as well as qualifications at XP Trust schools. Qualifications will get you through the door. Who you are and the quality of your work will get you the job, the place at university, the start up business loan.
Therefore, we continue to be proud of our staff, students, parents and the wider community that has supported our students to be the best version of themselves. We have achieved all this because of our differences.
We welcome all of our former students to join our XP Alumni to keep in touch with our schools and each other, sharing your experiences beyond our school.
The wait is almost over: GCSE results will be available for collection from XP School on Thursday 22nd August between the hours of 9.00am-11.30am.
Please read the following information about the collection process:
Entry and Exit will be by the usual student entrance at car park 3.
Each Crew will have a designated area within the heart of XP school (all students of XP and XPE will collect their results at XP School).
Crew leaders will have the results for their crew.
Students will have the opportunity to wait on the bstairsb whilst waiting for a space with their crew leader.
Students can open their results envelope with their crew leader or leave school to open them.
If students want to speak to Crew Leaders after they have received their results they will need to wait on the stairs until a space is available.
Students will need to complete a destinations form with Mrs Burns before leaving school. Mrs Burns will also be available to discuss next steps, if required.
If students are not able to come to collect their results they must email Miss Cocliff if XP ([email protected]) or Mrs Parker if XPE ([email protected]) from their school email account and request their results be sent to them. Results will be emailed to their school account.
If students have any concerns about their exam results they must email Miss Cocliff or Mrs Parker in the first instance outlining their concerns.
Official GCSE certificates arrive in School late October and students will be invited to a presentation evening in November to receive their certificates.
We are really looking forward to seeing you all on the 22nd, sand can’t wait to see the results of your hard work, through the most challenging of times. Please remember that – as important as your exam results are – they are just a small part of your XP/XPE journey. We are all super proud of the young people you’ve grown up to be, regardless of what’s in the envelope.
Welcome to our final selection of beautiful work from the 2023/2024 academic year!
XP Festival of Arts and Culture – Highlights
In our 10th anniversary year at XP, last week we celebrated with our first ever Arts Festival. Across our Trust, all of our 8 schools brought some of their creativity, community and beautiful work to share at the XP Doncaster campus. Students from our Primary Schools sang their fundraising original song ‘Dear World’, always an emotional and uplifting moment. From Samba to saxophone, spoken word to sensational dance routines – the XP Arts Festival, over nine hours of parades and participation, celebrated our schools, students and partners.
The dynamic Doncaster Youth Jazz Association’ who are now based at XP, delivered a brilliant set – complementing at one stage our parade of birds. Add ice cream and an audience not deterred by the occasional rainfall and you have the perfect day. We would like to appreciate everyone who contributed to this festival – whether artists on stage, backstage or as part of the dedicated crew who helped to make it happen.
See you next year!
All of the photos and videos above were captured by our Student Digital Leaders – beautiful work!
XPCC24
This week, we hosted our annual climate conference at XP. Students delivered a powerful keynote speech and then set up stalls, talking about different solutions and the research they have done on efforts we can all make to protect our planet.
How can a healthy lifestyle impact my body and mind?
During this learning Expedition, students in UKS2 explored how a healthy lifestyle impacts both body and mind through three case studies: history, science (biology), and design technology (DT). In history, they learned to use evidence to deduce information about the past, focusing on the achievements and societal structures of ancient civilisations. In science, they studied human development and the circulatory system, emphasising the importance of diet, exercise, and lifestyle on bodily functions. In DT, students applied principles of a healthy and varied diet, learned to measure ingredients accurately, and demonstrated various cooking techniques while creating and refining recipes.
Every school produced different final products that encapsulated their learning. Plover school’s Expedition culminated in the creation of colour tiles to decorate the school’s exterior, each carrying messages of mental well-being. These tiles serve as a lasting legacy of the students’ work, promoted during a colour run event involving parents and activities aimed at mental health awareness, with funds raised going to a mental health charity. Norton Junior School focused on producing healthy recipes, where students practised calculating ingredient ratios and perfecting cooking techniques – they then celebrated their work with parents with an event at Campsall Park, where participants ran 5k and enjoyed a healthy picnic together!
Diverse Doncaster: where do I belong?
Year 1 and 2 pupils from Norton Infants embarked on a cross-curricular expedition to answer the question, “Where do we belong?” through art, geography, and history. They explored ideas through drawing, painting, and sculpture, learned to use geographical vocabulary and mapping skills, and investigated historical events and significant local figures. The expedition included expert visits, including talks from local leaders, to deepen their understanding of Doncaster’s uniqueness and diversity. Students also visited local landmarks, created related artwork, and produced an interactive travel guide. This project culminated in a family-oriented orienteering activity, showcasing the students’ findings and creative works.
Children engaged in a presentation of learning. Alongside their families, they visited our Diverse Doncaster art gallery and were able to see their art work of significant landmarks from across Doncaster. The artwork was accompanied by writing explaining important facts and information they have discovered throughout the expedition. Children were also invited to take part in our Doncaster orienteering challenge. Each family was given a list of clues about significant places in Doncaster – the children had to demonstrate their knowledge by working out what the location was, find the image of it in our school grounds and use the orienteering peg to mark their answer.
From Bean to Bar – what is the cost of a bar of chocolate?
In the summer term of 2024, Year 3 and 4 students at Carcroft embarked on a learning expedition titled “From Bean to Bar,” exploring the question, “What is the real cost of a bar of chocolate?” The curriculum spanned history, science, and design technology, integrating studies of the Mayan civilization and fair trade practices. Students applied their learning by baking brownies, creating Mayan-inspired packaging, and developing an understanding of states of matter. For the presentation of learning, students sold their baking in boxes and invited parents to try different healthy dishes inspired by Mayan cuisine!
Beautiful Presentations of Learning at XP Gateshead
There have been a series of wonderful celebrations of beautiful work at XP Gateshead this week! G29 celebrated their learning from the Expedition ‘Should I Stay or Should I Go?’ – students truly excelled in all areas, from catering for 150 people, creating wooden birds decorated in their own Islamic art, folding over 150 paper cranes, creating menus, seating plans, not to mention the artwork inspired by the poem that they then performed beautifully. You can read more about it here.
G30 celebrated their work from across their first work at XPG – you can read the full blog and see more photos here. They also launched their CD of folk songs from their ‘From The Ground Up’ Expedition – which is available to stream online from next week! Stay tuned for more information!
And finally, last night G28 celebrated their learning from their ‘Hold Back The River’ Expedition with a Live Stream full of creative writing, read and recorded by the students – you can watch the stream below!
Farewell, Class of 2024!
As we say goodbye to our Class of 2024 cohort across our XP Trust primaries, we wish them all well with their futures! We will miss you and remember – you will always be Crew.
Here are some highlights from Green Top’s Leavers celebrations yesterday!
GCSE Geography students will be undertaking their required GCSE geography fieldwork on Tuesday 10th September 2024. Students need to arrive at school at 7:45 for a prompt departure and will return to school, traffic depending, by 3:30.
We will be collecting data on the downstream changes of a river at Edale in the Peak District, this will be assessed in the Paper 3 exam at the end of year 11.
Students will need the required kit list . Students will need to be prepared for weather changes and being outdoors all day.
Please complete this consent/medical form to help us to support your child on this fieldwork. The deadline for this is 2nd September 2024.
If you have any questions about the fieldwork, please email [email protected]
GCSE Geography students will be undertaking their required GCSE geography fieldwork on Tuesday 10th September 2024. Students need to arrive at school at 7:45 for a prompt departure and will return to school, traffic depending, by 3:30.
We will be collecting data on the downstream changes of a river at Edale in the Peak District, this will be assessed in the Paper 3 exam at the end of year 11.
Students will need the required kit list – if there are any issues with this then please get in touch. Students will need to be prepared for weather changes and being outdoors all day.
Please complete this consent/medical form to help us to support your child on this fieldwork. The deadline for this is 2nd September 2024.
If you have any questions about the fieldwork, please email me at [email protected]
