At XP Trust, staff induction is an immersive dive into the heart of our pedagogy and practice. During the Staff Expedition Slice Induction over the course of 2026, colleagues from across our Trust have embarked on a condensed “Expedition Slice” entitled ‘Raiders and Invaders’ which was designed to answer the Guiding Question: “What is the legacy of the Vikings in York?”.
By taking on the role of learners as well as educators, staff engaged directly with the anatomy of a Learning Expedition and experienced and deconstructed the purpose of our Core Practices in relation to Expeditions and how imperative it is to consider them deeply when designing the curriculum.
The Expedition ‘slice’ launched with visits to XP Doncaster and Plover Primary, grounding participants in both school cultures and our shared Core Practices. Staff reflected on how Learning Expeditions function in both primary and secondary settings, capturing insights on anchor charts to guide their progress and understanding, build their background knowledge and to reinforce their learning.
We then travelled to York, debriefed our learning from the first day and readied ourselves to immerse ourselves into the Expedition. We did this through a ‘mystery piece’ to provoke and compel curiosity. After this, and just like the students we teach, our experience extended far beyond the classroom. We engaged in authentic fieldwork at the Jorvik Viking Centre and were absorbed by an expert-led session with Kevin Cockayne from The Dig museum, capturing critical evidence and widening our understanding of the historical impact of the Vikings settling in York.
“Immersion compels curiosity!”
Building on the fieldwork experience, in Case Study One, staff analysed historical sources, explored Viking expansion, and they considered the impact of the Danelaw. In Case Study Two, they tackled complex chemistry, exploring atomic structures, metallic bonding, and how Viking blacksmiths created steel alloys and corrosion-resistant metals. Learning was anchored by rigorous and challenging texts such as extracts from the ‘Prose Edda’ as well as specialised scientific research papers supported by clear rubrics to structure high level analytical writing.
As one member of our Staff Crew reflected:
“I struggled at first with the Science Case Study, this being totally out of my skill set. It made me realise how some of my children feel every day.”
Experiencing challenging material outside of personal comfort zones reminded staff of the cognitive struggles that our students face daily. It highlighted the critical need for scaffolding, expert guidance, and a supportive culture of Crew to ensure that we were all successful.
The culmination of this expedition slice provided clear proof of what happens when learners are empowered to produce authentic, high-quality work. Working in pairs, staff created entries for a publication entitled ‘The Jorvik Codex,’ extracts of which will be subsequently published in the upcoming XP Unpacked magazine to share with educators globally.
By connecting purposeful fieldwork, rigorous academic disciplines, and creative expression, staff experienced firsthand how an authentic audience and high expectations drive students to create truly beautiful work.
Another reflection from the book articulates the power of the work we do with candour:
“Creating something which you have a passion for makes it so much more powerful and stresses just how vital it is that we engage the students and spark that curiosity and desire to create.”
And I’m sure you’ll agree they have created beautiful work of their own that they should be proud of!!
Andy Sprakes, October 2026.
