Welcome to the XP Trust Annual Stakeholder’s report for the 2023/2024 academic year.
Membership of the Trust
- Dr Richard Pountney (Chair)
- Steven Mundin
- Doncaster Rotary, represented by Adrian Hattrell
- Michael Wilkinson
- Sally Lockey
- Liam Scully
Strategy – Governance, Communications & Technology
“Are we doing the right things in the right way with the right tools…?”
Governance
Membership of the Board of Directors
- Steve Bielby (Chair)
- Richard Pountney (Vice Chair)
- Rachel Scott
- Andrew Buxton
- Andrea Mead
- Tom Blair
- Andrew Best
- Craig Jones
- Lee Daniells
Membership of the Executive Team
- Gwyn ap Harri – Chief Executive Officer
- Andy Sprakes – Chief Academic Officer
Headteachers / Principals
- XP & XP East – Claira Salter
- XP Gateshead – Julie Mosley
- Green Top – Kelly Overson
- Norton Infants & Norton Juniors – Andrea Tunney
- Plover – Jayne Ogle
- Carcroft Primary School – Kirsty Atherton
In 2023/24, our schools moved to the new leadership structure, empowering Heads and staff and reducing the reliance on idiosyncratic ‘experts’. At governance level, this looked like:
- Heads of school named Head Teachers or Principals (their choice)
- All Heads to be invited optionally to all governance meetings
- Terms of Reference (ToRs) were reiterated from referenced first principles to ensure all executive functions and legal compliance was covered.
- A ‘live’ document called the “Director’s School Performance Narrative” was iterated every term by Heads, bubbling up the information needed to ensure Directors can address the ToRs of each committee.
- Where more clarity of information was needed, Directors called ‘ARCS’ (Action Research Case Studies) to deep dive an executive function or ToR, creating a working group that reported back to Directors.
- Heads reviewed the Trust engagement calendar and rationalised the networks and crews to work on priorities driven by themselves.
- In particular, the SEND and DSL networks reviewed their purpose, proposing ‘workshop’ style network meetings alongside focused peer reviews, coordinated by a practising SENDCo and DSL, Louise Ponsenby who became our ‘Advanced’ ADSL and ASENDCo.
The Performance Narratives were archived each term as a record of progress. At the end of the year, we reviewed how the PNs worked and wrote up action points for them to be improved further in 2024/25 by:
- Further information being ‘bubbled up’ automatically through either SOS, our management information system, or bespoke dashboards, such as school ‘Quality of Leadership’.
- An expectation for Directors to interrogate each PN and room for them to add critique and for Heads to be able to respond.
- The calendar to be strategically structured to allow time for the PNs to be added to, critiqued and responded to before each Director Led Committee.
- Heads are expected to attend at least six hours of DLCs annually, equivalent to a Local Governing Body.
Our DLCs are:
- Finance, HR, Audit
- Facilities & Risk Management
- Curriculum
- Performance
- XP University
- Wellbeing
- Governance
All secondary schools continue to hold Local Governing Committees. Our Primary schools formed Local Community Groups.
A comprehensive internal review of Governance was carried out by Gwyn Ap Harri, Richard Pountney and Julie Morrell. This was then critiqued by all Directors and actions were taken to make improvements where required.
Our Clerk to the Board, Julie Morrell, coordinates all of these activities and ensures legal compliance.
The governance website can be accessed here: GOVERNANCE
Communications
The centralised Trust Communications team, based at XP East but frequently visiting all schools within the Trust, plays a vital role in coordinating both internal and external communications. This includes everything from creating banners and blogs to producing videos and handling media releases.
In collaboration with external partners such as Edge and the Wood Foundation, they help develop projects and document the CPD provided. The team is instrumental in producing films, books, and events that showcase Expedition outcomes and curate beautiful work from across all Trust schools. Additionally, they share the XP story globally.
This year, the team has significantly increased the number of delegate visits and visits to our educational partners to deliver CPD, while raising over £55,000 for the Trust through their activities. Their diverse professional skill sets span journalism, branding and design, photography and filmmaking, social media, curation, copywriting, crisis communications, and fundraising.
For a number of years now we have, on a fairly regular basis, received requests from the media for short news based interviews or longer documentary participation. Each request is considered against a number of criteria – including student safeguarding, wider context, editorial agenda and the impact on students and staff.
When we were approached by TERN TV in 2023 to be part of Darren Garvey’s three documentary odyssey ‘The State We’re In’ which looked at The NHS, the Justice system and Education across the UK and globally, it felt right.
After three days filming in summer 2023, the documentary aired on BBC Two in March this year. It is still available to watch on BBC iPlayer.
Technology
Working with the DfE and our partners at MSC who support our IT systems we have been able to source and install a fully funded state of the art Wifi Network across the entire trust. The process involved a rigorous bidding process, costing, heat mapping all schools to ensure even coverage, procurement, planning and installation. The total cost of delivery was £330,460 which was all covered by the DfE grant funding.
Our teaching staff across the trust have continued to develop their use of ‘SMAPS’ (realsmart learning maps). This technology allows for curriculum planning, delivery, assessment, portfolios and standards mapping, curating a digital and repurposable curriculum. This work remains a priority as part of the development of our Digital Curriculum.
Our School Operating System (SOS) continues to develop, ensuring we focus on our Narrative for Success when identifying issues with pupils. EYFS reporting has been added and additional methods to surface interventions for Crew Leaders.
A review of all school broadband connections has confirmed that all sites meet the new required standards set up by the DfE, Norton schools, Plover and Carcroft have had their connections upgraded to ensure this. Our internet filtering policies have been updated to match further new standards.
For the second year running we have ensured that all students have access to an iPad in our secondary schools. We have created a new equitable distribution model which is now managed internally without the support of external agencies which helps reduce the cost of the scheme to parents.
XP School have launched a new school website which will become the template for new sites across the Trust on a rolling programme. The XP East website is in a good stage of development and nearly ready to launch. XP Trust will be the next site to move to the development stage.
Activism
“How are we actively contributing to building a better world?”
All of our schools continue to develop and deliver cross-subject, academically-rigorous Learning Expeditions as the cornerstone of our curriculum. In addition, all of our schools develop culture through Crew, our pastoral system.
Our Curriculum Seams dominate the design and influence the delivery of our compelling curriculum inspiring activism in our students.
Our engagement with local communities continues to evolve and grow, as does our connection and collaborative work with the wider world.
Our charitable work is usually connected to Learning Expeditions and/or Crew and this year was no exception, with considerable monies raised for various local organisations. For example, Jake, a pupil at Green Top, organised a range of fundraising events for Motor Neurone Disease raising over £2600 to help combat this terrible condition.
We have welcomed hundreds of delegates from around the globe, sharing our design principles, how we XP and delivering CPD. Visitors from India, Hong Kong, America, Australia, Spain, England, Scotland, Wales, Ireland, Denmark, Japan and many other places have joined our schools across the Trust.
The partnerships and collaborative work developed through this have been hugely positive and palpable.
To develop the research and activism of our expeditions we are also working more closely than ever before with partners, including Doncaster City Council, The Edge Foundation, The Frenchgate Centre, The Wood Foundation and various other local, regional and international cultural organisations.
For example, our CEO, Gwyn ap Harri is developing a partnership with the Government of Southern Australia to implement Crew and Expeditions across schools in their state.
Internationally renowned, Doncaster Youth Jazz Association (DYJA) have now made XP their permanent home, meeting and practising here every week. We are looking forward to working with their orchestras and ensembles in the future.
We held our inaugural Arts Festival in July 2024 hosting artists from all of our schools in the Trust as well as community partners including Higher Rhythm, New College and DYJA.
We were delighted to welcome back to XPE for a second year the Royal Ballet in residence, with their ‘Chance to Dance’ programme. This not only raised revenue for the Trust of nearly £3,000, but also involved the participation of students from six junior schools in the area – including our own Norton Junior School. A wonderful showcase for the school and Trust.
We were also invited by Doncaster City Council’s Cultural Services Team to be part of delivering a prestigious new exhibition at the Danum Gallery Library and Museum, about Sir Nigel Gresley in the centenary Year of the Flying Scotsman. We created the official brochure and our students were invited to the launch. (Our book ‘Rail City’ was also timed to complement these celebrations and is now sold in both the gallery shop and Waterstones).
Expedition Highlights
Power to the People – Climate Conference 24
XPD students organised and led our third climate conference focussing on how we need to protect our planet involving local businesses, community partners and politicians in finding solutions to this existential crisis.
Should I Stay or Should I Go
XPD students created beautiful bird sculptures as part of an Expedition on migration that featured in a parade at our inaugural Arts Festival. Year 9 also wrote poems with expert Andy Craven Griffiths about the climate emergency, which they also performed on stage at the festival. The sculptures are now displayed in XP and XP East.
From the Ground Up
XPG students in Year 7 crafted and performed folk songs that linked to their study of the history of coal mining in County Durham, sharing and celebrating these important community stories. The songs are available to enjoy on CD, digital download and streaming services.
Being Human
XPG students in Year 8 created a high quality artwork display as part of this learning expedition promoting organ donation that is installed in the Queen Elizabeth hospital in Gateshead.
Public Health Conference: You Give Me Fever
XPG students in Year 9 organised and led a Public Health Conference as part of their expedition, ‘You Give Me Fever’ where they explored the impact of the cost of living crisis on public health and lobbied local MPs to act to make a difference. Alongside this students in XP Doncaster produced a stunning book showcasing science influenced artwork.
Pride of Thorne Awards
KS1 students at Green Top asked ‘What can I do to be a superhero in my community?’ and learned of the impact of local care workers, emergency services and more. They then invited them to an award ceremony to appreciate and reward the work they do for the community of Thorne and Moorends. It was an emotionally charged evening!
Once Upon a Time
Across EYFS, our students raised money for book boxes to be donated around the community as part of their ‘Once Upon A Time’ Expedition. Over £700 was raised and books made it to Children’s Wards, local nurseries and more!
March for Askern Foodbank
Norton Infants KS1 raised awareness for Askern Cry Foodbank with a food drive march to support the valuable and important work carried out by this organisation as part of their ‘How can I be a superhero in my community?’ Expedition.
What Happens Where the Sea Meets the Shore? – EYFS students across the Trust designed recycling stickers for wheelie bins to encourage local residents to recycle more with compelling messages about protecting the sea from plastic pollution as part of the design.
There is no Planet B
In the Spring of 2024, Year 3 and 4 pupils from across the XP Trust studied a cross-curricular Learning Expedition looking to answer the guiding question, ‘Why should we protect our wonderful world?’ At Norton Juniors, during the Celebration of Learning, students unveiled the litter-themed artwork inspired by Mandy Barker. Here, children explained how they created this artwork as well as how they hoped it would raise awareness of the damage to the environment happening within our own community. This culminated in beautiful signs located on the schools’ perimeter fence and in the Frenchgate Centre.
Lungs of the World
Year 5 and 6 across the Trust embarked on an expedition with the guiding question: Why should we help our planet survive? As part of the Expedition at Norton Juniors, students created their own soft toys based on a chosen animal from the Amazon rainforest – learning about why it is endangered and what we can do to protect the species. The students used ‘The Great Kapok Tree’ as a model text. The pupils wrote their own version of the story through rainforest animals’ eyes for younger children in the form of a book and shared them with Year 2 pupils (along with the soft toys) with the purpose of teaching them about deforestation and its impact. Money was raised at the POL for the WildLife Foundation.
Blue Planet – Key Stage 1 children at Carcroft School produced a Spring Learning Expedition, Blue Planet, which culminated in the curation of a beautiful wall display located in a local scout hut – answering the guiding question: ‘How will what I do today impact the world tomorrow?’
Eco Garden
As part of their ‘Blue Planet’ Expedition, KS1 at Plover provided a lasting legacy for the community – a lovely eco garden that will develop across future Expeditions to provide a range of habitats and food sources for a variety of insects, birds and mammals. Students dedicated the trees to community heroes who have helped to improve the lives of people across Intake and Doncaster.
Coming to Doncaster – Why then, Why Now?
The LKS2 students at Plover School embarked on a Learning Expedition to investigate the reasons why the Romans came to Britain and what their life was like at the time. This was then compared with modern day migration: where people come from, why they leave their homes and what makes them settle in Doncaster? An online interactive map was created along with an external sign which is displayed within the school grounds for passers-by to view.
How can a healthy lifestyle impact my body and mind?
Year 5 and Year 6 students at Plover School began a Learning Expedition called ‘How can a healthy lifestyle impact your body and mind?’ This was also the Expedition’s guiding question. The children studied History, Biology and DT, where they made a number of different healthy recipes, demonstrating a variety of techniques, including boiling, roasting, grilling and baking. The Learning Expedition culminated in a wall display, where each child researched ways to positively support mental health. Each child wrote a message of mental wellbeing advice which made up the wall display of 100 different coloured bricks and will be a long lasting legacy of the children’s learning.
Rail City
“Rail matters because it connects Doncaster to the world and the world to us. It matters because our heritage in the sector fills us with pride and helps to define who we are. It matters because the rail engineering sector continues to thrive and because we have the capability to design the future of the industry. It matters because the sector can provide brilliant jobs and exciting careers locally and around the world for our talented young people. It matters because rail freight and travel can play a big role in reducing our carbon emissions. It matters because rail people are typically good people who are motivated to help and provide solutions for others. It matters because, since retiring, my Dad has become a successful rail historian; researching and writing about railways gets him out of bed in a morning and gives me another reason to be fiercely proud of my wonderful father!”
Dan Fell, Chief Executive Officer, Doncaster Chamber of Commerce.
Visitors and Delegates
We have continued to develop our connections and collaborations with delegates and partners from across the UK and all over the world. We’ve also travelled and delivered CPD, on everything from Crew to curriculum.
One of the most gratifying things has been the natural development of our work with key partners – including Edge and the Wood Foundation. This has involved our first visit to Aberdeen, working on the ethos and delivery of Crew over three days with 70 staff from more than a dozen schools in the area.
We also attended the annual Edge Deeper Learning conference in London, an event we hosted at XPE in 2022; at School 360, sharing our stories and listening to educators from across the UK making a difference to students and working towards social equity, opportunity and meaningful community connections, to play our part in developing the education models of the future.
Our 372 visitors this year came from Ireland, Wales, Scotland, England, Australia, America, Spain, Hong Kong, Japan and Denmark.
Our visitor from Japan was a journalist from the largest circulation Japanese National newspaper, the Yomiuri Shimbun founded in 1874. Mr Kazuhiko Makiti then wrote a column, with photographs, about his day with us.
For the second year running we have welcomed, in one day, over 60 visitors from Hong Kong.
Our protocols and processes have continued to develop to accommodate the ongoing progress and needs of the schools who visit us. Some have engaged with us many times now, returning to continue their CPD and bringing new colleagues with them.
Leadership and Performance
“How are we moving towards where we want to be …?”
In 2023/24, the performance management of Heads was returned directly to the CEO who met with each Head every fortnight, using the project management platform, Basecamp to model “Dynamic Professional Engagement Programmes” which will be used throughout the Trust for effective line management.
Our leadership methodology, “Impactivity” was further fleshed out and disseminated through regular workshops to define our leadership development impactivity includes strategies such as:
- First Principles
- The Big Picture
- Progressive Clarity
- Start with Why
- Smoothly Unfolding Sequences
- Everything is Relational
This leadership methodology is empowering leadership, increasing capability and capacity with a focus on increasing adult agency and creating a tangible thread through child to Director.
As a result, Norton Infants, Norton Juniors and Carcroft all received strong Ofsted reports and Green Top and Plover primary schools had their best ever academic performance results.
XP and XP East improved their academic results to national averages, with Meridian Trust, our improvement partner helping with this, aided by funding from the DfE.
Through the Trust wide staffing restructure, we created Trust Subject Leads School Faculty Leads and later in the year, we formed Associate Officer roles with:
- Jamie Portman as Associate Performance Officer,
- Mark Lovatt as Associate Curriculum Implementation Officer, and
- Kate ap Harri as Associate Research and Development Officer.
These roles were all created in service to our Heads, focused on improving adult agency through the implementation of impactivity, our leadership methodology.
Equity
“What do we need to be the best versions of ourselves…?”
XP Trust continues to be one of the most inclusive Trusts in each locale, especially in light of the pressures from the wider system.
To enable this, Heads, SENDCos and DSLs have refocused on our legal powers and responsibilities that lie with mainstream schools. We continue to strive to meet the needs of all our students, but where we cannot, we ensure the responsibility for this is sought and support is in place for all our students.
Provision maps, which are cost out support plans for children with SEN were created and highlighted significant underfunding. We worked in partnership with the LA to review our most acute SEN needs and will finalise this in the new year.
Safeguarding is strengthened by our empowered DSL network and crew, shifting from online training to face to face, scenario based learning. Improved access control to our buildings tightens our processes further. As a result, safeguarding was independently and positively reviewed in each school in partnership with the LA.
Attendance continues to be a focus of improvement, in light of lockdown, and while attendance is generally inline with national and local figures, it continues to be a focus for improvement as it is for many schools.
Operations – Finance & Legal, Facilities and Risk Management
“Do we have everything we need to survive, sustain and thrive..?”
This year we had to unfortunately start with our first Trust-wide staffing restructure. Fortunately, only very minimal redundancy was needed as Heads worked very closely with their staff. Advanced HR, an experienced and local organisation, were appointed as our independent HR advisors and worked excellently alongside both Heads and staff to minimise the impact. Despite this, it was a very stressful experience and one we plan not to go through again, applying extremely resilient financial methodologies to resolve sustainability issues in the year. The year ended with a new government that fully funded the incremental pay rises for both teaching and support staff.
Schools continue to be maintained effectively, with every step being a step towards a more sustainable future. Where we repair and improve, it is with a mind to reduce energy costs. We did not have the certainty to move forward with our solar energy strategy, but we should be able to realise this in the next academic year.
All cleaning staff are now in house, thanks to the great work from Michelle Jones, our Facilities and Risk Management Lead and the facilities team.