Category : Sharing Our Stories

Beautiful Work This Week

How do we show we care? @ Green Top

EYFS pupils from Green Top embarked on a cross-curricular expedition to explore the guiding question, “How do we show we care?” Through engaging activities and three case studies, they learned about kindness, empathy, and their place in the world. Immersion began with The Everywhere Bear, inspiring children to care for a crew teddy bear and fostering classroom environments of love and kindness. Hook week focused on settling children into school while emphasising kindness as a superpower.

Case studies included visits from the school nursing team, exploration of stories like Dogger and The Smartest Giant in Town to examine feelings and actions, and activities like kindness pledges, litter picking, and porridge-making tied to Goldilocks and the Three Bears. Celebrations like Bonfire Night and remembrance activities deepened understanding of history and empathy. In the final case study, children compared global settings through books like Elmer and participated in charitable actions, including creating a board for the DRI children’s ward with the message “You are special. You are loved. We care,” alongside donations from their sponsored walk.

Gifts from our Visitors!

Since our first XP school opened we have been welcoming visitors from all over the world. In the last three years the number of global delegates across our Trust has run into the thousands. 

Whether sole visitors or part of a group;  for example twice in the last year over 60 students from Hong Kong joined us in one day; what these guests bring to our schools is invaluable.

Our students love to take them on Ambassador tours and our staff deliver CPD that allows us to share what we do and how and why we do it.

Sometimes we are presented with thoughtful gifts, which form part of a display in our Comms area shop at XPE. 

A boomerang from Australia, a lucky panda drawing from a school in Hong Kong, biscuits from the Netherlands, Chocolates from Switzerland, pens from Australia and beautiful textiles from India are just some of the special thank you’s we have received. 

Thursday Night Live!

We’re looking for a Leading Learning Coach at Plover

Find out more and apply here to #JoinOurCrew

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What makes a good friend? @ Norton Infants

KS1 Community Crew @ Green Top

Superwriters! @ Plover

Snow @ Carcroft School

Post 16 Evening Success @ XP School

Cutting Edge Stuff @ Norton Juniors

More beautiful work from Brooke @ XP Gateshead

Year 9 @ XP East

Share your stories with us!

We now have a new dedicated news email so that you can send your stories, updates or ideas about potential news articles directly to us in Comms.

It might be something you or your students have achieved, a charity you’re supporting or anything at all that deserves a wider audience.

Write to us at [email protected] –  we want to hear about it, write about it and celebrate it!

Beautiful Work This Week

Children in Need @ Plover

The lovely Year 5 & 6 children have been learning all about Children in Need this week and why the cause is so important. They wanted to raise more awareness, so even more children could be supported. We hope you like their version of ‘I’ll Stand by You’ as we stand with everyone who needs the support!

Beautiful Curation at Green Top

Check out these recent beautiful curations at Green Top School from our Comms Crew!

Crew @ Plover

We asked our students at Plover what Crew looks like and what it means to be Crew – this was their response.

XP Trust – Protecting our Planet

On Friday 15 November Koen Timmers, the world renowned climate educator, visited XP Doncaster to present our students with a plaque entitled, ‘Climate Action Heroes’ in recognition of the work done by students across our Trust in pursuit of our curriculum seam of ‘Protecting Our Planet.’ 

The recognition is also for being part of the Climate Action Project which allows us to connect with students and learners from across the globe to find practical and impactful solutions to the climate emergency.

Meeting Professional Athletes

Last term, students met a few of the Doncaster Rovers first team players and were able to have photos and get autographs from the players. Students asked questions about the life of a professional athlete and the journey that the players have been on playing for different clubs. It was great to hear the players speak about our character traits and how these character traits link to sport. 

In the same week, students visited Hill House school to listen to Olympic gold medal GB hockey player Sam Quek. Her experience as an athlete and the ups and downs she has faced really helped our students to understand that if you want something in life you have to work hard for it! Students were able to have a photo and ask questions to Sam at the end – they even held her gold medal. 

We’re looking for a Cleaner at Norton Infants!

Find out more and apply here to #JoinOurCrew

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Recently in Class One @ Norton Infants

Investigation Friction @ Green Top

Proud to be Plover @ Plover

KS1 Family Learning @ Carcroft School

PE Updatew @ XP School

Year 6 Music @ Norton Juniors

More beautiful work from Brooke @ XP Gateshead

Year 11s Hard at Work Annotating Poetry Anthologies @ XP East

Share your stories with us!

We now have a new dedicated news email so that you can send your stories, updates or ideas about potential news articles directly to us in Comms.

It might be something you or your students have achieved, a charity you’re supporting or anything at all that deserves a wider audience.

Write to us at [email protected] –  we want to hear about it, write about it and celebrate it!

Beautiful Work This Week

Jeff Tech High

This October half term, 9 members of staff from across XP Trust travelled to San Diego to work with the best project based learning teacher in the world – Jeff Robin. Each teacher brought with them a personally crafted exemplar – a tangible product of their passion and planning – to refine and inspire transformative future Expeditions.

Inspired by Jeff’s groundbreaking work at High Tech High, the school that inspired XP, they sought to elevate their teaching through creativity, activism, and lasting legacy. Away from the familiar, they embraced new ideas in a setting that ignited their imagination…

Stay tuned for the full length documentary and story of Jeff Tech High…

Green Top’s new Sensory Room!

Stay & Play at Carcroft!

Open Day @ Norton Infants

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Fun in the autumn leaves @ Norton Infants

Investigation Friction @ Green Top

Fieldwork Explorers @ Plover

Air Resistance – Parachutes @ Carcroft School

Celebrating 70 Years of Lord of the Flies @ XP School

Norton Remembers @ Norton Juniors

Beautiful Work from Danny in G28 @ XP Gateshead

Crew White Supports the Eve Merton Trust @ XP East

Share your stories with us!

We now have a new dedicated news email so that you can send your stories, updates or ideas about potential news articles directly to us in Comms.

It might be something you or your students have achieved, a charity you’re supporting or anything at all that deserves a wider audience.

Write to us at [email protected] –  we want to hear about it, write about it and celebrate it!

Beautiful Work This Week

Visitors from Hong Kong!

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.

We’ve got vacancies!

Find out more and apply now to #JoinOurCrew

Top of the Blogs

Kindness in our community @ Norton Infants

Family Learning @ Green Top

We are historians! @ Plover

May the forces be with you @ Carcroft School

LOOL Fieldwork to Danum Gallery @ XP School

Happy Halloween @ Norton Juniors

Pumpkin Decorating Competition @ XP Gateshead

Crew Spencer’s sit up challenge @ XP East

Share your stories with us!

We now have a new dedicated news email so that you can send your stories, updates or ideas about potential news articles directly to us in Comms.

It might be something you or your students have achieved, a charity you’re supporting or anything at all that deserves a wider audience.

Write to us at [email protected] –  we want to hear about it, write about it and celebrate it!

Beautiful Work This Week

Beautiful Curation at Green Top!

Have you seen these beautiful newly curated areas at Green Top – awesome spaces for students to learn and play in!

A great sporting week at XP Doncaster!

On Monday, students met a few of the Doncaster Rovers first team players and were able to have photos and get autographs from the players. Students asked questions about the life of a professional athlete and the journey that the players have been on playing for different clubs. It was great to hear the players speak about our character traits and how these character traits link to sport. 

Then on Tuesday students visited Hill House school to listen to Olympic gold medal GB hockey player Sam Queck. Her experience as an athlete and the ups and downs she has faced really helped our students to understand that if you want something in life you have to work hard for it! Students were able to have a photo and ask questions to Sam at the end – they even held her gold medal. 

We’re looking for an Art Teacher at XP Doncaster!

Find out more and apply now to #JoinOurCrew

Top of the Blogs

Creating Beautiful Work @ Norton Infants

American Themed Day @ Green Top

We Care Wednesday – Crew Chain @ Plover

XP Outdoors @ Carcroft School

Crew KBA – what makes up our identity? @ XP School

Working on a different planet! @ Norton Juniors

Beautiful work from Brooke @ XP Gateshead

Crew Rashford getting smart-er @ XP East

Share your stories with us!

We now have a new dedicated news email so that you can send your stories, updates or ideas about potential news articles directly to us in Comms.

It might be something you or your students have achieved, a charity you’re supporting or anything at all that deserves a wider audience.

Write to us at [email protected] –  we want to hear about it, write about it and celebrate it!

Beautiful Work This Week

Celebrating XP Doncaster’s Duke of Edinburgh 2024 Expedition

Check out these beautiful highlights from C28s DofE Expedition last academic year! They had an awesome POL to celebrate their success this week.

Working with the National Gallery

On Monday, our dedicated Art Staff at XP Doncaster had the incredible opportunity to attend an enriching workshop organised in collaboration with The National Gallery, made possible through the support of Right Up Our Street. This was part of a larger initiative, as The National Gallery prepares for their upcoming visit to Doncaster on 19th October, which is an exciting stop on their nationwide Art Road Trip. In the lead-up to this highly anticipated visit, the Gallery has been offering a series of free CPD sessions aimed specifically at art teachers. These sessions are designed to enhance teaching practices, and we were fortunate enough that our staff could participate in one of these invaluable opportunities.

“It was really amazing to work with the National Gallery on the Staff Day at XP. They will be coming in to launch the Articulation prize for XP C28 students. Staff had the opportunity to take part in the workshop as a sneak peek before the kids get a chance!”

Kat Taylor – Art @ XP Doncaster

The focus of the workshop was particularly inspiring, centring on the importance of art commentary and how educators can empower students to express their own unique interpretations of artworks. It delved deeply into the ways students can be encouraged to find and use their own voices, providing them with the tools to articulate personal responses to visual art. The session explored various strategies for prompting thoughtful engagement with art, ensuring that students feel confident in offering their perspectives, regardless of the artwork’s complexity or the student’s prior experience. By fostering a more inclusive and supportive environment, the workshop aimed to inspire both teachers and students to approach art not just as observers but as active commentators, enriching their understanding and appreciation of visual culture. This experience was invaluable for our staff, equipping them with fresh insights and methods that will undoubtedly benefit our students in the classroom.

Building Crew at Green Top

On our most recent Staff Day, Green Top School staff completed an awesome scavenger hunt around Snaith! Crews had to complete various challenges throughout the day and they built Crew and formed stronger relationships as a result! Go #CrewGreenTop!

Wood Foundation Visitors!

We love welcoming visitors from all over the world to our Trust and this week it was a delight to work with our friends from the Wood Foundation with teachers from more than a dozen schools in Aberdeenshire. Our work with the Wood Foundation and the many schools they support, began in 2019 and has enabled us to share our story and how we work. We also travelled to Aberdeen this year to deliver CPD – including how we crew!

This week the focus was on creating and delivering expeditions and our visitors created some amazing food from our Plover Pantry recipe leaflets; originally created by the students. Part of this expedition was designed to bring the leaflets to life with a step by step video and photography guide. 

Really purposeful and beautiful work.

Top of the Blogs

Creating Beautiful Work @ Norton Infants

KS1 Community Crew @ Green Top

We are kind in Crew Lewis @ Plover

Road Safety in Crew MI @ Carcroft School

Crew Peak continue to fly! @ XP School

Making music @ Norton Juniors

Weekly update for families @ XP Gateshead

Crew HWA/KBU @ XP East

Share your stories with us!

We now have a new dedicated news email so that you can send your stories, updates or ideas about potential news articles directly to us in Comms.

It might be something you or your students have achieved, a charity you’re supporting or anything at all that deserves a wider audience.

Write to us at [email protected] –  we want to hear about it, write about it and celebrate it!

Beautiful Work This Week

Outward Bound 2024: XP Doncaster and XP Gateshead

This year, we were lucky enough to have new Year 7s from both XPD and XPG working closely together at the Ullswater and Howtown Outward Bound centres. As a result, we were able to capture these wonderful highlights of both sets of students building Crew and expressing what it means to be Crew at the end of their week in their first ever presentation of learning.

Beautiful Curation across the XP Trust

More beautiful work has been made public this week – in both Plover and Carcroft School. Look at these awesome selections from final products, now curated for all to see!

XP Trust Crew Away Day @ YWP

Our Heads, Admin, Facilities and Comms Crews came together to further develop positive relationships and build Crew at Yorkshire Wildlife Park. They spent the day exploring Case Studies to improve communication and conceptual understanding around day-to-day crucial aspects of what we do at XP Trust.

The day was extremely positive and productive – thank you to YWP for your hospitality!

Early Years Open Evenings @ Plover

We’ve got vacancies across XP Trust!

Find out more and apply here to #JoinOurCrew

LKS2 Teacher at Plover School

Temporary SEND Learning Coach (TA) at Green Top

Top of the Blogs

Class Six Invade Conisborough Castle @ Norton Infants

Space Oddity @ Green Top

To be or not to be? @ Plover

WW2 Wartime Food in Crew @ Carcroft School

What’s on the horizon? @ XP School

Supporting our local charity @ Norton Juniors

A Published Author @ XP Gateshead

Crew Spencer Mindfulness @ XP East

Share your stories with us!

We now have a new dedicated news email so that you can send your stories, updates or ideas about potential news articles directly to us in Comms.

It might be something you or your students have achieved, a charity you’re supporting or anything at all that deserves a wider audience.

Write to us at [email protected] –  we want to hear about it, write about it and celebrate it!

Beautiful Work This Week

Yorkshire Sport Foundation – Opening School Facilities at Plover

Check out this actively awesome video courtesy of Yorkshire Sport Foundation. The children and staff at Plover were superstars in explaining their positive experiences regarding the OSF funding they secured last year, to provide after school and community clubs! Plover have been lucky enough to secure some OSF funding this year too, so watch this space for Community Clubs starting in October! #LovePlover

Beautiful Curation!

We don’t just ensure our work is made public – it needs to live inside our school communities, too! More beautiful work has been curated at Plover School, celebrating their ‘Pride of Plover’ award winners and recent Expedition products!

‘If we get staff Crew right, we get everything right…’

One of our great friends and mentors, Ron Berger, once said to us that ‘staff culture can never outpace student culture.’ With this firmly at the forefront of our minds we set out last week on our bi-annual outdoor staff induction process with a group of educators from across our Trust. 

We headed out into the wilderness to answer the guiding question, ‘What does it mean to be Crew?’ through a number of shared experiences and activities our Crew formed very quickly. We explored the purpose of Crew deeply and considered how we could make Crew even stronger on our return to our respective schools so that we continue to create the culture in which our students grow their character and make our community and the world a better place for everyone.

Below is an immediate reflection from one of our XP educators:

‘This experience has helped me to understand the building of community. The support that other members of our Crew showed this week has been immense. There have been some activities that have been challenging but everybody has been supportive whilst giving positive challenge so that everybody has been able to push themselves in a safe environment where everybody trusts each other and it’s lifted me and made me feel that I can achieve anything I put my mind to with the support of other people.’  – Louise

It was an honour and privilege to support and challenge our adults to reflect on the imperative we all have at XP to become and create great learners and even better human beings!

We are Crew!

Andy Sprakes and Kate ap Harri

Student Showcase for Year 6 at XP Doncaster

We’re got vacancies across XP Trust!

Find out more and apply here to #JoinOurCrew

LKS2 Teacher at Plover School

Year 5 Teacher/Leader at Carcroft School

F2 Teacher/Leader at Carcroft School

Top of the Blogs

EYFS Community Meeting @ Norton Infants

Class 7 eBook day! @ Green Top

Fun Family Learning @ Plover

Hooking in to Expedition @ Carcroft School

Crew Pasteur Check In! @ XP School

Fieldwork @ Norton Juniors

Weekly Update for Families @ XP Gateshead

Share your stories with us!

We now have a new dedicated news email so that you can send your stories, updates or ideas about potential news articles directly to us in Comms.

It might be something you or your students have achieved, a charity you’re supporting or anything at all that deserves a wider audience.

Write to us at [email protected] –  we want to hear about it, write about it and celebrate it!