Welcome to XP Trust!
On this page you will find examples from across Year Groups and Phases of our Expeditionary Curriculum. Our learning expeditions are cross subject, academically rigorous and connect with our community and the wider world through students creating purposeful products that have real agency. Through creating beautiful and meaningful work our students grow their character, as well as, improving as learners. Whilst we are proud of our work, we want to share it with the world for critique so that we can continue to improve. Feel free to use any of the expeditions, or adapt them for your own use. And if you improve them please let us know!
Best wishes
Andy Sprakes
- “If you go out and do things, you remember them…”
On a Tuesday afternoon in the third week of this term, I spent some time speaking to Year 8 students at XP East Cezar, Eifa, Jasmina, Karina, Noah and Tyrell who are in their third week of a new Learning Expedition entitled, Being Human. The Guiding Question for this current Learning Expedition is ‘What does it Mean to Be Human?’ and students are already well into Case Study One where they have linked studies across disciplines such as Science, Maths, Geography, RE and English. I’d heard that the students had already experienced fieldwork and working with experts and I wanted to get their views on the purpose and impact of this imperative aspect of Learning Expeditions.
Firstly I asked students to describe the fieldwork they had already engaged with as part of the Expedition. Noah eloquently described the visit to Danes Dyke on the North Yorkshire coast where they had searched for, found and examined fossils: “We went to a beach to crack open rocks and they had fossils in them. So we found, like, uh, shells, we found bones, which was quite interesting. We saw how things were preserved, and we were looking to see how they fossilised and how life kind of works which links to our Guiding Question.”
“We did go to Sandall Beat Wood on immersion and it was connected to our learning.”
Building on Noah’s comments, Eifa also talked about the more local fieldwork that they’d experienced as part of their ‘Immersion week’ at the start of the Expedition. “We did go to Sandall Beat Wood on immersion and it was connected to our learning. We worked in different groups throughout the day, and we had to go and search and find bugs and then classify them using. We did other activities too like map reading and service learning which were all about working together.”
Karina then spoke about how some of the group had been to a local care home to interview residents. It was really interesting how the students who had engaged in this fieldwork were clear how this strengthened and deepened their understanding of the Expedition. Karina explained: “We went there to meet elderly people, and to ask them questions, particularly what they thought it meant to be human? Obviously, we’re only eleven or twelve, so they know more about what the question means so we got really interesting answers. They are a lot older than us, so they’re a lot more experienced in life, so they had more stories, and they told us their experiences and their memories. So we got to learn quite a bit about their perspective on life.”
‘It connects you directly to the learning.”
After these initial responses I asked the students, “Why do you think fieldwork is such an important part of Learning Expeditions? Cezar started with this comment. “I think some students might like fieldwork more, because it suits how they learn, it is active. So instead of staring at a TV about how fossils were made, on fieldwork you go out and find them, investigate and experience them. It connects you directly to learning.”
Jasmina built on this by adding: “Fieldwork is fun, too.” Instead of passively learning about a subject, “we experience it and work together and properly feel the subject instead of just watching some guy on the internet do it.” It was interesting how students very quickly perceived how fieldwork lends itself to building community.
“We go out into the world and explore subjects and have real experiences. You bring the learning from fieldwork back into your Expedition at school.”
Tyrell added: “We go on fieldwork, because it also helps with the Expedition you’re doing and what you’re going to be learning about in the future back in school. We go out into the world and explore subjects and have real experiences. You bring the learning from fieldwork back into your Expedition at school.”
Noah developed the impact fieldwork has on engaging learners from a culturally engaging perspective, he said: “I feel like fieldwork gives you a great opportunity to work together, but also, sometimes students who aren’t as engaged during class, but when they’re doing something out and about, and experiencing it, they’re more engaged, and they have a grasp of the topic. They remember it more, have a better understanding then this helps them. If students have engaged with work during fieldwork they are more likely to be engaged in class and they’ll work harder to be a better version of themselves, I guess.”
“We’re about memory at XP. If you go out and do things, you remember them more, don’t you?”
Students clearly began to make the link between our dimension of character growth and the impact this has on learning and culture. They spoke eloquently about the purpose of fieldwork, deconstructing how its impact is heightened when brought back into the classroom to spark engagement. Noah also landed on a crucial and fundamental point when he articulated the definitive link between fieldwork and deepening learning when he concluded,
“We’re about memory at XP. If you go out and do things, you remember them more, don’t you?”
I think that says it all.
Andy Sprakes. October 2026.
- Being Human
GQ: What does it mean to be human?
XP Gateshead
KS3 | 2024
This Learning Expedition was cross-curricular, focusing on HUMAN, Arts, and STEAM subjects. Students explored the Guiding question, “What does it mean to be human?” and considered diverse topics such as human anatomy, diversity and beliefs. This was underpinned by historical Case Studies on the Trans- Atlantic slave trade, the civil rights movement and the Windrush generation.The final product was an art installation promoting organ donation in a local hospital.
- Diverse Doncaster
Guiding Question: Where do we belong?
Expedition lead: Josh Meade, Anna Wojcik, Claire Dutton, Laura Godley
Curriculum: HUMAN/Arts
Phase/Year group: KS1
Delivery date: Summer 2022In the Summer of 2022, Year 1 and 2 pupils from primary schools across the XP Trust studied a cross-curricular expedition looking to answer the guiding question, ‘Where do we belong?’
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Power to the PeopleGQ: Why do we need to develop a sustainable energy plan for the planet?
Expedition lead: Marc Voltaire
Curriculum: STEAM
Phase/Year group: Year 10
Delivery date: Spring 2022This STEAM expedition asked fundamental questions about the importance of energy in our daily lives, Where we get it from, how we produce and distribute it, the impact on the planet and the use of Earth’s resources and how we can begin to build a secure and sustainable energy future for us all.
View more- What a Wonderful World
GQ: Why should we protect our beautiful planet?
Expedition Leads: Lauren Marsh, Angela Graves, Gavin Chadwick, Sophie Myers
Curriculum: HUMAN/STEAM
Phase/Year group: LKS2
Delivery date: Spring 2022In the Spring of 2022, Year 3 and 4 pupils from Primary Schools across XP Trust studied a cross-curricular expedition looking to answer the guiding question, ‘Why should we protect our beautiful planet?’
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From The Ground UpGQ: What do the communities of the North East owe to the miners?
Expedition lead: Martin Said
Curriculum: HUMAN/STEAM
Phase/Year group: Year 7
Delivery date: Autumn 2021In the Autumn term of 2021 students at XP Gateshead studied an expedition called ‘From the ground up’ exploring all three curriculum strands of diversity and belonging, social justice and the climate emergency.
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Do Your BitGQ: Why do we need to honour all those who sacrificed in WWI?
Expedition lead: Emmy Tatters
Curriculum: HUMAN
Phase/Year group: Year 7
Delivery date: Spring 2022In Spring 2022, students in Year 7 studied a HUMAN expedition called Do your bit!
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You Give Me FeverGQ: How can the eyes of the past help us to respond to public health issues in the future?
Expedition lead: Jamie Portman
Curriculum: HUMAN/Arts
Phase/Year group: Year 9
Delivery date: Spring 2022In January 2022, students in Year 9 studied a joint HUMAN and STEAM expedition called ‘You give me fever’. This expedition followed a thematic study of health, considering how it has changed over time from the Medieval Period to the modern day. In order to do this we focused on factors which can affect our health, such as wealth, poverty, science and technology and the role of the government.
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When a Nazi CallsGQ: Are we really free to choose?
Expedition lead: Marc Voltaire
Curriculum: HUMAN/STEAM
Phase/Year group: Year 10
Delivery date: Autumn 2021In September 2021 X25 and E25 studied a joint Human and STEAM expedition which answered the guiding question “Are we really free to choose?”. In order to do this we studied ‘An Inspector Calls’ by J.B. Priestley, Nazi Germany, the science of genetics and evolution alongside political arts.
View more- Not all Superheroes Wear Capes
GQ: What will I do to be a Superhero in my community?
Expedition lead: Sam Goode
Curriculum: HUMAN/STEAM
Phase/Year group: KS1
Delivery date: Autumn 2021In September 2021 Key Stage 1 began their Autumn expedition. This was a high energy expedition around the guiding question; what will I do to be a superhero in my community?
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