To celebrate the 70th anniversary of Lord of the Flies, students in X29 have been working hard on their own creative interpretations of this classic novel. They’ve completed excerpts of graphic novels, each illustrating some of the novel’s most powerful and key events. Through these graphic depictions, they’ve been able to express both the intensity and deeper themes of the story, combining visual creativity with literary analysis.
It’s been fantastic to see their work come together as they bring Lord of the Flies to life in a fresh, new way!
Thank you to all who attended last night’s Post 16 event, it was lovely to see Year 10 & 11 parents and students there and the feedback from our local schools and colleges was really positive and they are looking forward to welcoming XP and XP East students as year 12s in September. They were really positive about the conversations they had with our young people last night and both our alumni students’ character and dedication to learning that students have and are showing as they progress through their next steps.
I’ve attached a copy of the presentation from last night which has links to all the post 16 providers. The expectation for year 11 students is that they apply for more than one college/6th form/apprenticeship with a recommendation of at least 3 different places. Students don’t need to commit to chosing one specific place and do not need to make any final decisions until results day in August.
Here is also the different minimum expected grades that are needed for each level of course, the school/colleges website will have their own guidance. Some schools and colleges also use grade averages so all GCSEs count towards their entry requirements.
This week in our wise Wednesday time we looked at online safety. students were asked to write down ‘helpful’ and ‘unhelpful’ online behaviours and display them on the board. Here are just a few of the examples that were added. The discussions around this were great and all of crew were active members in this task.
XPD hosted eight visitors from the Hong Kong Jockey Club Charities Trust – an organisation established in 1884 – that is one of the top ten charities in the world . The visitors are looking at models of education, visiting XPD to see how and why we do what we do. The feedback they left about our team and students was wholly positive. They were ‘touched, impressed and inspired’. We hope to be able to welcome them again soon.
Bikeability at Plover!
Plover Primary had an exciting and active day, thanks to the South Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority, who awarded the school a cycling workshop with triple Olympic Gold Champion and Active Travel Commissioner, Ed Clancy. This recognition was given for Plover’s dedication to promoting active travel and the high participation of their students in the Mayor’s Walk and Wheel Challenge. The Bikeability Trust, led by CEO Emily Cherry, generously donated balance bikes to the children, further supporting the school’s commitment to encouraging cycling from an early age.
Cycle North also played a key role, delivering ‘learn to ride’ workshops that taught 26 KS2 pupils how to ride a bike for the very first time. Additionally, Judith Shaw from Doncaster Council Road Safety Education kindly donated bike lights to the school. The day concluded with an inspirational whole school assembly led by Ed Clancy, where children were celebrated with Bikeability badges and snap bands for their achievements.
A small group of pupils from year ten enjoyed a guided tour of the new Doncaster Library and Museum building. These pupils are engaging with XP’s rigorous and academically challenging curriculum. Initial ideas for personal research projects include investigations into the social care system, the history of mental health treatment in the UK and the use of music therapy for Alzheimer’s patients. The purpose of this fieldwork was to introduce pupils to the free resources available to help them with their personal research projects. Quiet work spaces, a supportive education team and free wifi make the library building the ideal place for pupils to base themselves to complete their independent study outside of school hours. These pupils are now equipped with library membership, knowledge of how to borrow books and the ability to access online academic journals. These will all be invaluable in helping pupils to Lead Our Own Learning for this ambitious and challenging Project Qualification.
Throughout October, our students have taken on an exciting Gothic Reading Challenge, immersing themselves in an abridged version of Bram Stoker’s Dracula. This iconic novel tells the chilling story of Jonathan Harker, who travels to the foreboding castle of Count Dracula in Transylvania, only to uncover the terrifying truth about the Count’s supernatural powers and the sinister events that unfold around him.
Using the knowledge gained from their reading, students embarked on an immersive murder mystery this morning, working together to solve the murder of none other than Jonathan Harker himself. Equipped with investigative skills and clues drawn from the text, they examined witness statements and physical evidence to piece together what happened.
I was incredibly impressed by the thoughtful theories they shared, many of which were based on keen observations of the physical evidence left behind. The students’ thorough understanding of the novel shone through in their discussions, proving just how deeply they engaged with the material.
