Stakeholder Report: 2024/2025

Welcome to the Stakeholder Report for the Academic Year 2024/2025

Membership of the Trust

• Dr Richard Pountney (Chair)
• Steven Mundin
• Doncaster Rotary,  represented by Adrian Hattrell
• Michael Wilkinson
• Sally Lockey
• Sue O’Brien

Honorary Membership 

• Liam Scully
• Ron Berger

Our Design Principles

“As stewards of XP Trust, we build our community through activism, leadership and equity, sharing our stories as we go…”

Everything we do is aligned to our design principles, including our Director-Led Committees:

Building our Community

• Operations – Finance & Legal, Facilities and Risk Management
• “Do we have everything we need to survive, sustain and thrive..?”

Activism 

• Curriculum
• “How are we actively contributing to building a better world?” 

Leadership

• Performance
• “How are we moving towards where we want to be …?”

Equity

• Wellbeing
• “What do we need to be the best versions of ourselves…?”

Sharing our stories

• Strategy – Governance, communications & technology
• “Are we doing the right things in the right way with the right tools…?”

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

• S Bielby (Chair) – Safeguarding & Governance
• R Pountney (Vice Chair) – Curriculum & XP University
• A Buxton – Performance
• A Mead – Wellbeing
• T Blair – Performance
• A Best – Legal
• C Jones – Finance
• L Daniells – Facilities

Membership of the Executive Team

• Gwyn ap Harri – Chief Executive & Accounting Officer
• Andy Sprakes – Chief Academic Officer
• Catherine Blair – Chief Financial Officer
• Kate ap Harri – Executive Equity Officer
• Mark Lovatt – Executive Curriculum design, Implementation & Assessment Officer
• Jamie Portman – Executive Performance 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 2024/25, we continued to embed our empowering, in-service leadership methodologies as our new Executive Team emerged. By the end of the year, all Executive Functions were delegated to the team achieving a fully distributed accountability system. Mark took on the integrity of subjects and how this is held within our expeditionary curriculum. Jamie took on further responsibility for school improvement and coaching. Kate continues to work through her Equity strand, and in 2023/24 moved from safeguarding through to SEND, helping to secure funding for our most vulnerable children alongside Cat, our CFO.

Our Heads are fully accountable for the staffing and financial sustainability of their schools while leveraging our Executive and Central administrative team effectively and we continue to grow leadership capacity in our schools by separating out administrative tasks to our Central team under the leadership of our CFO, Cat.

In terms of our Central team, we have moved secondary schools to a new admissions policy and process to ensure our demographic is more aligned to our local community across Doncaster, with both admissions and appeals being done in house.

At the end of the year, how we administrate technology has also been centralised, utilising our technology partners, MSC and SYNC

Further transparency has been achieved by adding more to our Director Dashboard, and this will continue to make the things that are important to us visible.

Our DLCs are:

• Finance, HR, Audit, Legal
• 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.

Our Clerk to the Board, Julie Morrell, coordinates all of these activities and ensures legal compliance.

The governance website can be accessed here:xptrust.info/GOVERNANCE

Communications

The centralised Trust Communications team, based at XPE 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 increased the number of delegate visits and visits to our education partners to deliver CPD, while raising £69241.00 after expenses 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.

Mel Hewitt, our Partnership Development and Public Relations Lead, retired at the end of the school year. Mel was instrumental in building a number of key partnerships as well as building capacity and structures in our Comms Team. She will be sorely missed but is keen to continue to help and support the Trust as we continue to grow.

Technology

While our budget for last year did not allow us to invest heavily in technology, much of the baseline work was completed last year.
This year, we focused on investing in coaching through StepLab and Artificial Intelligence. All our leadership team can now leverage Google Gemini Pro AI and the quality of our work has increased without any increase in workload.

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…

We have welcomed hundreds of delegates from around the globe this year, sharing our design principles, how we XP and delivering CPD. Visitors have included educators from Germany, Hong Kong, Australia, Switzerland, Spain, Japan, and all across the UK.

Our visitors’ book is filled with comments that show just how deeply people value the work of XP Trust  –  and how consistently they are astonished by our students.

A visitor from Oldmachar Academy in Aberdeen exclaimed, “What a few days! Fabulous school, great young people, great vision. Wish my time at school had been like this”

Another visitor from Aboyne Academy, Aberdeenshire stated, “What an eye opening, heart filling experience. We appreciate you for sharing your knowledge and experience with us and look forward to taking our learnings back to our schools.”

A delegate from Fukuoka, Japan said “I really enjoyed my visit today! Wonderful school facilities, teachers and students. I would like to give 10 praise points each to the students who took me around the school! Lovely students! All the best to XP School!”

Anna Panisello, who, with her team representing the Catalan government, is leading an initiative to bring student-centered, deeper learning to schools in Catalonia. After her three day visit she said, ‘ Thank you for everything! We’ve had an amazing and inspiring experience cat XP admiring your beautiful work. It’s been a pleasure to share our passion for education. See you soon in Barcelona!’ 

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 and regional and international cultural organisations.

For example, our CEO, Gwyn ap Harri is developing a partnership with the Government of South Australia to implement Crew and Expeditions across schools in their state. Indeed, Gwyn, Kate and Ron Berger visited South Australia and worked with the state government to explore our signature processes of Crew and Learning Expeditions and how schools in the region could adapt, develop and adopt these key practices. This has led to a strong partnership and many schools in South Australia have begun to trial Learning Expeditions and Crew. 

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 second Arts Festival in July 2025 hosting artists from all of our schools in the Trust as well as community partners including Higher Rhythm, New College and DYJA. This year, we expanded the festival with a second stage which provided even more creative opportunities for students from across our Trust. Check out the festival in the clip below:

We also hosted a number of XP LIVE events throughout the year including an Indie Night, a Jazz/Funk night and an Open Mic Event. All the events have been well attended and we have invited young artists from across Doncaster to come and showcase their skills. In addition, as part of XP Live we hosted visits from Ron Berger and Jeff Robin, two world renowned educators who have influenced and supported XP, as well as hosting a retrospective exhibition for local artist Bramwell Sprakes that took place at the Doncaster Gallery and Museum.

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 from 2024/25 

Learning Expeditions at XP Trust continue to provide our young people to create beautiful work, grow their character and make academic progress. Here are some of the highlights from 2024/5.

Autumn Term

Be Kind: ‘How Do We Show We Care?’ – All Trust Primaries, EYFS

In the Autumn of 2024 the EYFS children at Norton Infant School began a Learning Expedition called ‘Be Kind’, which looked to answer the guiding question ‘How do we show we care?’ – you can watch their story here!

To Infinity and Beyond: ‘How does movement affect our world?‘ – All Trust Primaries, UKS2

Across our Trust Primary Schools, UKS2 pupils explored the guiding question “How does movement affect our world?” through a rich Autumn Expedition combining space science, forces, and design technology. Learners investigated the movements of the Earth, Moon, and Sun – developing their understanding of day, night, and the seasons – while hands-on experiments helped them uncover how forces such as gravity, friction, air resistance, and water resistance shape the world around us. They applied this knowledge by creating mechanical systems and Solar System models, testing prototypes, and refining designs in true young-scientist fashion. Their final Presentations of Learning, held as science fairs and expos across the Primary phase, saw pupils confidently share experiments, reports, narratives, films, and models with families and the wider community – celebrating not only their scientific understanding but also their creativity, collaboration, and growing confidence as designers, engineers, and storytellers.

Rags to Riches: ‘What lies within the castle walls?’ – All Trust Primaries, KS1

In the Autumn 2024 expedition “Rags to Riches: What lies within the castle walls?”, Year 1 and 2 pupils at Norton Infants explored materials, medieval life, castle structures, and early engineering through science, history, and design technology. From investigating the properties of everyday materials through stories like The Three Little Pigs, to studying castle types, timelines, and feudal roles, to designing and testing their own catapults, pupils built a rich understanding of how people lived and worked within castle communities. This learning culminated in a powerful final product created in partnership with English Heritage: a series of photographic posters comparing jobs from the past with modern careers, celebrating both historical knowledge and the aspirations of children today. The collection was installed inside Conisbrough Castle, allowing families and visitors to experience the pupils’ learning in an authentic medieval setting and strengthening the Trust’s ongoing relationship with English Heritage.

Lest We Forget: ‘How Does War Change Lives?’ All Trust Primaries – LKS2

Across our Trust Primary Schools, LKS2 pupils explored the guiding question “How does war change lives?” through an Autumn Expedition centred on World War II and its impact on families, communities, and everyday life. Children investigated themes such as evacuation, rationing, The Blitz, and the changing roles of men, women, and children, using rich texts and historical sources to inform biography writing and reflective poetry. Their learning culminated in community-based Presentations of Learning – held in meaningful local venues – where pupils shared their understanding through song, storytelling, and exhibitions of their artwork and writing. These events, supported warmly by families, not only showcased the children’s knowledge and creativity but also honoured the lives affected by war and strengthened connections between our pupils and their communities. Here is an example from LKS2 at Plover: Lest We Forget – Plover’s Presentation of Learning – XP Trust

A Whole New World: ‘How do stories from different times show and shape the way people live?’ – XP Doncaster and XP Gateshead, Year 7

Year 7 students took part in the Humanities and Arts expedition entitled, “A Whole New World”, exploring the Guiding Question, “How do stories from different times show and shape the way people live?” as they journeyed from the Roman and Medieval periods through the Early Modern and Industrial eras. 

Through immersive fieldwork, including Viking life at Murton Park, hands-on historical enquiry, Shakespearean study, geographical mapping, creative writing, and expert insights, pupils connected past and present in meaningful ways. Their expedition culminated in a vibrant Presentation of Learning, where they recreated a historical timeline for families, performed dramatic scenes, and led teaching sessions showcasing their understanding, alongside the launch of their professionally produced book of historical narratives that is available to purchase from our Trust shop.

In Year 7 at XPG students engaged in a similar Learning Expedition but created a different product. Their expedition encompassed a comprehensive study of England’s history from the Roman Empire through the Dark Ages, Anglo-Saxon period, Norman conquest, and Industrial Revolution, with a special focus on how our region’s coal abundance fuelled industrialisation. Students delved into the works of Shakespeare, exploring his influence through stories and language, and how they remain relevant today. Additionally, they studied the novel Kit’s Wilderness by critically acclaimed local author David Almond, making connections to our region’s rich mining history and the story of the Felling Pit Disaster of 1812. The  expedition also included origin stories from the Northern Hemisphere, the etymology of the English language, and the geological and chemical properties of the ground beneath us. This involved studying particle models, basic chemistry, and the periodic table to understand coal’s significance during the Industrial Revolution. Furthermore, we traced the evolution of religion and its impact on contemporary life.

The expedition culminated in students writing folk songs about the different time periods students had studied and about figures from the local area who should be remembered for their significant contributions to the communities of the Northeast.  Through the term in music, students worked in classroom workshops to sharpen their ensemble skills, and to practise developing motifs into phrases, and phrases into sections of verse chorus form music. Initially we worked in the style of minimalism, inspired by stimulus material from Terry Riley and Steve Reich. Then students studied folk music and put into practice what they had learned about rhythmic motifs, to make melodic motifs which would become the basis for their final folk songs about the lives of The Venerable St Bede, Thomas Hepburn, George Stephenson and Sir Humphry Davy, Catherine Cookson and David Price.

Another Brick in the Wall: ‘How are structures important in helping us to explain our world?’
– XP Gateshead, Year 9

XP Gateshead Year 9’s “Another Brick in the Wall” Expedition culminated in a fantastic Presentation of Learning at the Farrell Centre and Hancock Museum in Newcastle. Students showcased their creative and analytical work from the project, including the oral histories they crafted and the artwork they had created.

It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas: ‘Is charity enough?’ – XP Gateshead, Year 10

At XP Gateshead, students asked themselves a challenging question: “Is charity enough?” What followed was a rich and reflective expedition exploring inequality, compassion, and the deeper impact of human connection.

Inspired by A Christmas Carol, students considered both the historical and present-day realities of poverty and loneliness. They wrestled with complex ideas about justice, systemic change, and the emotional weight of being unseen. Their written responses, shared publicly at the end of the expedition, were powerful, personal, and deeply thoughtful. With honesty and maturity, they challenged the limits of charity alone, calling instead for lasting relationships, empathy, and structural change.

The Learning Expedition culminated in a heartfelt act of service: an Afternoon Tea hosted by the students for local community members and their grandparents, designed specifically to address isolation and foster belonging. Guests were welcomed with kindness, served by students, and invited to stay connected with the school and its events beyond the day itself.

EL Education’s Better World Week 2025

Once again, we took part in EL education’s annual ‘Better World Week’ which brings schools from across their network in the USA to celebrate activism and agency in young people who are working in their communities to actively make a positive and lasting difference. The link below shares our stories of how we are making the world a better place in the communities we serve.

#BetterWorldWeek 2025 – XP Trust 

Spring Term

See How Things Grow: ‘How do Things Grow and Change?’ – All Trust Primary Schools, EYFS

Across our Trust Primary Schools, EYFS children explored the Spring Expedition “See How Things Grow: How do things grow and change?”, learning about how they themselves have grown, what their bodies need to stay healthy, and how plants and animals develop over time. Through stories, play-based exploration, and hands-on activities, pupils deepened their understanding of growth while nurturing their environments.

At Plover School, as a lasting legacy, the children designed and created their own seed packets – beautiful products that celebrated their learning and encouraged others to help things grow too.

Ready Steady Grow: ‘How Can I Be the Healthiest Version of Me?’ Plover and Norton Schools, KS1

Inspired by a transformative professional learning visit to Jeff Robin at Jeff Tech High, staff at Norton and Plover reimagined their Key Stage One expedition Ready, Steady, Grow: How Can I Be the Healthiest Version of Me? – placing creativity, curiosity, and “doing the project first” at the heart of planning. Year 1 and 2 pupils explored health and wellbeing through rich, hands-on experiences, from sensory immersion with Handa’s Surprise to observational art, food preparation, poetry, and story innovation. Playful experimentation with Shrinky Dink plastic became a powerful bridge between art, science, and design, igniting excitement both in school and at home. As pupils developed their understanding of nutrition, food groups, and healthy living, they confidently shared their learning at a science fair-style Presentation of Learning, proudly presenting artwork, published stories, and healthy tasters to families. This Learning Expedition not only produced joyful, high-quality outcomes but also sparked a cultural shift in staff practice – proving that when learning begins with inspiration and heart, deeper understanding and exceptional standards naturally follow.

Fight for your rights: ‘How can one moment influence our future?’ – All Trust Primaries, UKS2

During the Spring Term of 2025, Year 5 and 6 embarked on an exciting Learning Expedition called ‘fight for your rights’ and investigated the guiding question ‘How can one moment influence our future?’. The pupils explored influential people throughout history who have fought for social justice and have made a significant impact on society and how we live today.

The Power of Life: ‘What Makes You Human?’ – Green Top School, LKS2

In the Spring 2025 expedition “The Power of Life: What Makes You Human?”, Year 3 and 4 explored how electricity, the human body, living things, and healthy eating help us survive and thrive. Through hands-on investigations with circuits, studies of nutrition and digestion, classification of living organisms, and an exploration of seasonal foods, pupils built a rich, interconnected understanding of what humans need to live well. Their learning was anchored by The Wild Robot, creative anatomical modelling, and purposeful writing tasks linked to science and design technology. 

At Green Top, the Learning Expedition culminated in a beautifully crafted Healthy Living Diary, a published product combining children’s scientific explanations, food knowledge, and wellbeing insights. Sold to families to raise funds for the local food bank, the diary – shared proudly at their final presentation – captured both the learning journey and the children’s commitment to supporting their community.

Fight The Power: ‘What Is Power?’ – XP Doncaster and XP Gateshead, Year 8 

In the joint Year 8 expedition “Fight the Power”, students at XP, XP East, and XP Gateshead explored the guiding question “What is power?” through Shakespeare, history, science, geography, RE, art, music, and computing. From analysing how power operates in Macbeth, to investigating tectonic forces, energy systems, and historical movements such as the Peasants’ Revolt and the Suffragettes, pupils developed a nuanced understanding of power in human societies and the natural world.

Their learning culminated in powerful creative products shaped by activism, context, and voice: at XP and XP East, students worked with a graffiti artist to design and paint a large-scale mural outside the school using stencils inspired by symbols of power studied throughout the expedition; at XP Gateshead, students created an abridged performance of Macbeth at the Caedmon Hall in Gateshead, showcasing how dialect, reinterpretation, and performance can challenge traditional narratives. 

You Give Me Fever: ‘How can we continue to make progress in public health?’ – XP Gateshead, Year 9

Year 9 students at XP Gateshead brought their expedition “You Give Me Fever” to a powerful conclusion by hosting their second annual Public Health Conference, answering the guiding question “How can we continue to make progress in public health?”. Through a rich blend of History, Science, Geography and English, pupils investigated how health has evolved from the Medieval period to today, exploring the impact of poverty, government action, and scientific progress on community wellbeing. Their final product -a fully student-led public health conference – featured keynote speeches, expert Q&A panels with local authority and health professionals, and a marketplace where students presented rigorously researched reports on topics such as respiratory health, deprivation, the tobacco industry, and the risks of smoking and vaping. With clarity, confidence and purpose, students challenged misconceptions, raised awareness, and called for meaningful community action, demonstrating how XP Gateshead learners are using their academic work to drive real social change in their city.

Summer Term

Once Upon a Time: ‘Who is hiding in the page of this book?’ – All Trust Primaries, EYFS

Earth Shattering Events: ‘What happens when disaster strikes?’ – Norton Junior School and Carcroft School, LKS2

In the summer of 2025, Years 3 & 4 began their Learning Expedition with the guiding question ‘What happens when disaster strikes?’

Throughout this Learning Expedition, children explored the impact of both local and international disasters – from flooding in Fishlake to fires in Florida. The causes, preventative measures and impact of such disasters were all examined, as was the effect on the people who experienced these troubles including displacement, health and the economic impact. Through studying local disasters, children were able to make sense of the geography of Doncaster, including their own positionality compared to areas that have suffered both natural and industrial disasters. What’s more, students shone a light on the 2019 flooding of Fishlake. They wrote newspaper reports about the hardships that villagers faced as a consequence of the flooding which was brought to life by our expert visitor – Kerry Poncia – who explained in detail the impact the flooding had on herself and her family.   Finally, each of the four classes within Y3/4 studied an artist that represented four types of disaster: water, wind, fire and industry. This artwork formed the border of our product – a scaled map of Doncaster which was co-created by year 4 children following a sequence of mathematical learning centred around the concept of area.

At Carcroft School, pupils undertook their own iteration of the Learning Expedition What happens when disaster strikes?, with a strong focus on geography, science and art. The expedition began with a Hook Week visit to Magna Science Adventure Centre, where pupils explored the galleries and took part in a volcano and rocks workshop that anchored their learning. Through the Learning Expedition, children developed a deep understanding of the Earth’s structure, tectonic plates, volcanoes, earthquakes, rivers and the water cycle, alongside scientific investigations into rocks, soils and fossils, and an art case study inspired by pop art. This learning culminated in a high-quality information leaflet and A3 information spread created for a real audience at Magna, directly linked to the workshop experience.

The final work now lives at Magna and is featured on their website.

At the Coalface:  “How has the mining industry shaped our community?” – Green Top, UKS2

In the Summer 2025 expedition “At the Coalface”, Year 5 and 6 pupils at Green Top explored the guiding question “How has the mining industry shaped our community?” through music, history, geography, and rich fieldwork. After an immersive hook week studying artefacts, maps, songs, and artwork linked to Doncaster’s mining past, pupils investigated the evolution of mining, the experiences of child workers, major disasters, and the ways mining shaped local settlements and economic activity. They developed musical performances inspired by mining poems and folk songs, conducted fieldwork at the National Mining Museum and local pit tops, and studied how Doncaster’s landscape has changed over time. Their learning culminated in a powerful final product: a performance of percussion-accompanied mining poetry showcased at both the XP Festival of Learning and the Green Top Summer Fayre, alongside a community information map created with Thorne and Moorends Council, celebrating and preserving the area’s mining heritage.

Nature vs Nurture: Are We Really Free To Choose? – XP Doncaster, Year 10

In the joint XP and XP East Learning Expedition “Nature vs Nurture: Are we really free to choose?”, X28 and E28 explored the complex relationship between choice, identity, and the forces that shape human lives through history, science, RE, English, and art. Immersion began with ethical debates sparked by Gattaca and media portrayals of young parents, prompting students to question how society forms expectations of individuals. They then examined life under Nazi rule through a wide range of historical sources and interpretations, studied Jewish beliefs and the impact of persecution, and used genetics and evolution to expose how Nazi racial ideology distorted scientific principles. In English, students analysed Boys Don’t Cry to explore themes of family, prejudice, and societal pressure, while in Art they investigated interwar movements that challenged restrictive norms. This learning culminated in a documentary that became the central product of the expedition: a powerful student-produced film featuring interviews with Holocaust survivors, people with chronic health conditions and those who have lived with prejudice. By weaving their academic understanding with the lived experiences of Experts, students created a thoughtful, compelling piece that challenges prejudice and invites viewers to consider how confronting discrimination can inspire real change.

Curation Focus: Frenchgate Centre

Our curation highlight of the year is undoubtedly A Decade of Activism, a powerful exhibition transforming a corner of the Frenchgate Shopping Centre with artwork created by students from across XP Trust. Showcasing ten years of Expedition work, the display captures the issues our young people care about most – from protecting the planet to challenging injustice and fostering kindness within their communities. Every curated piece tells a story of activism, leadership and equity, reflecting the heart of our Trust and the belief that students can shape a better world. Rooted in our three rich curriculum seams – Protecting Our Planet, Standing for Social Justice and Cultivating Diversity & Belonging – the exhibition stands as a vibrant celebration of the courage, creativity and compassion our students have shown throughout the last decade.

 

Duke of Edinburgh

The Duke of Edinburgh Award Scheme has seen a resurgence since covid stopped students from being able to access the Expedition section of the Bronze award. All year 9 students continue to engage with the Bronze level which is fully funded by our schools. Doncaster has completed a voluntary Silver Award level for year 10 students and the demand for a space this year has risen due to its success. 

Careers

The Trust Learning Beyond the Classroom Lead took on the role of supporting and Line Managing the Trust Careers Lead, providing strategic processes for securing the DfE statutory obligations for careers in secondary school  as well as baselining how our schools are against the 8 Gatsby Benchmarks and evidencing this.

Leadership and Performance 

“How are we moving towards where we want to be …?”

Over the past year, we have continued to develop, refine, and embed our Teaching and Learning Model across all schools. This work has centred on a shared language, set of principles, and common methodologies that guide how lessons are planned, taught, and reflected upon in every phase. By aligning around these consistent foundations, teachers are better able to design learning that is purposeful, connected, and responsive to students’ needs.

To strengthen professional dialogue and share expertise, we have introduced several new vehicles for collaboration and celebration of strong practice. Our Teaching and Learning Festival brings staff together to lead and take part in workshops, highlighting effective practice from across the trust. Teachmeets provide a space for teachers to deliver short, focused presentations on what works in their classrooms. Alongside these XP Unpacked magazine captures and shares examples of great teaching, providing a written record of learning design and pedagogy in action.

Both XP Gateshead and Plover achieved successful Ofsted inspections (Good with Outstanding features), building on the strong outcomes from previous visits across our trust. These results reflect the depth of effective leadership in each school, where teams have worked with clarity and purpose to sustain high standards and continually improve the quality of education.

The Performance Narrative process remains central to how Headteachers evaluate their school’s effectiveness. It provides a structured framework for leaders to reflect on impact, identify areas for development, and align improvement priorities with our shared trust vision. Alongside this, Director Led Committees continue to play a vital role in governance and accountability, ensuring that both the Executive Team and School Leaders are rigorously challenged and supported.

We have begun to explore how coaching can further strengthen the quality of teaching across our trust. Through engagement with StepLab, a platform designed to support professional growth through clear, incremental development steps, we are building a structured approach to improving classroom practice. This work is already helping teachers focus on precise actions that have the greatest impact on learning.

Coaching has now been identified as a key priority area for the trust. We are extending this thinking beyond teaching, exploring how a coaching approach can support professional growth at all levels. This includes developing coaching models for Crew Leaders, Learning Coaches, and those in leadership roles. By embedding coaching as a shared way of working, we aim to create a culture where feedback, reflection, and continuous improvement are part of everyone’s practice.

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. 

SEND

Provision maps, which are cost out support plans for children with SEN were created and highlighted significant underfunding. We continue to work in partnership with the LA to review our most acute SEN needs and will finalise this in the new year. To ensure the process of this is more effective, a process has been impl;emented where the CFO & EEO liaise with the LAs instead of SENCos to ensure clarity of communication.

A new process has been implemented across all schools and was presented to Heads and SENCos at the last Inclusion network. So far this process appears to be working by identifying ‘gnarly cases’ that require additional central team support and reducing ‘noise’ allowing SENCos to focus their time on the most important aspects of their roles, which is through spending more time with students and staff as opposed to communicating with the La and completing paper work. The EEO visits schools on a fortnightly basis and this is a standing item to discuss.

Safeguarding

Heads have asked for the return of the SSS training platform where safeguarding training has been made more accessible for all staff but less time needed form DSLs to create their own training.

Safeguarding Risk Assessments has been confirmed as the Trust’s process for the more serious student safeguarding concerns. These are then logged on a central spreadsheet and monitored and evaluated by the EEO with Heads on a fortnightly basis to ensure they are secure and of quality.

Attendance

Attendance will be a shape up for the EEO this half term (1b) to provide an aligned process for all schools to follow to ensure the highest attendance possible for our students. 

Behaviour

A Trust aligned exclusion process was created and is now in place for Suspensions and Permanent Exclusions. This process aligns with Local Authorities and DfE expectations,  providing a simple & clear step by step process for schools.

Operations – Finance & Legal, Facilities and Risk Management

“Do we have everything we need to survive, sustain and thrive..?”

After the financial turnaround of 2023/24 where beginning budgets were predicting a deficit of over £400k, the Trust actually started this year with a small surplus which has grown significantly to end up with £1.2m surplus for the 2025/26 academic year, over 6% of turnover. Our target is to be between 2-5% so after only two years, we are back in the healthy position of being fully staffed and able to invest our surplus back into our three priority areas:

• Our working environment
• Leadership development
• Technology

Our 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.

A number of projects were completed successfully by Gary Brown and his team, such as Green Top’s new EYFS and Library, and Plover’s Hall.

At the end of this academic year, we moved to our new catering partners, Relish School Food, thanks to the great work from Michelle Jones, our Facilities and Risk Management Lead and our catering staff who are now employed by Relish.