XPGPHC – How can we continue to make progress in public health?
Year 9 students at XPG have embarked on their “You Give Me Fever” Expedition, which has culminated in their inaugural Public Health conference, addressing the challenges of public health amidst the cost-of-living crisis. Through three case studies examining historical and current health influences, they explored the impact of living conditions, government structures, and scientific advancements on people’s well-being.
This comprehensive analysis has also resulted in a formal report that presented key health risks for Gateshead’s residents, particularly in the context of the cost-of-living crisis. The report will be shared with the Health and Social Care Committee in Parliament.
Art takes flight at XPG!
Freya, a Year 7 student at XP Gateshead has created a beautiful piece of work that has been awarded a place in one of the most prestigious art galleries in the world. The Royal Academy is famous for showcasing new and established artists, bringing their work to a whole new audience.
The Young Artists Summer show, which is open for submissions to students studying in the UK aged from 4 – 19, opens in London on the 16th July and runs until the 11th August.
Freya’s painting Mr Pigeon was part of the expedition ‘Do your bit’ and honours the sacrifice that carrier pigeons made during WW1 and has been chosen from 21,500 other submissions. A remarkable achievement for a clearly talented and inspiring young artist.
We’ll follow up this story when Freya’s artwork is in place at the Royal Academy!
Is Science enough to save lives?
As part of their Expedition ‘You Give Me Fever’, C28 celebrated their learning this week – complete with a gallery of their incredible artwork. They shared scientific writing about diseases and their impact on society, dating back to the middle ages.
They sold their prints to raise money for their DofE Expedition – and the content will also be made into a book later in the year!
Better World Day is EL Education’s annual event showcasing student learning that contributes to a better world. Students work in partnership with each other and their local communities on this day to engage in and celebrate meaningful student work that positively impacts the world around them.
As a partner and friend of the EL Schools Network, XP Trust contributes to this every year. Like students at EL, all of our students are active citizens who engage in acts of service to their community – so naturally we have lots of Activism to share with the EL Crew.
This year, we’re celebrating all of our schools and their collective work. They’ve planted trees, created artwork for hospitals and raised money for worthy causes. Here’s just a few examples from this year of XP Schools making the world a better place.
Visitors from Northern Ireland!
Last week we welcomed a delegation from Catalyst Schools, an organisation in Northern Ireland that supports school leaders and teachers by exposing them to innovative educational experiences. Over the visit, they learned all about Crew and Expeditions from our awesome students at XP and XP East – including going to see world from across the Trust in Doncaster City Centre. As always we are delighted to welcome visitors into our Crew and share the beautiful work our students do every single day with the world.
A few months ago, Jake in Year 6 approached the school and his Crew with wanting to raise awareness around Motor Neurone Disease. Being a big fan of Leeds Rhinos, he has been inspired by Rob Burrows’ bravery and the superb effort of his ex-team mate, Kevin Sinfield.
Last week, Jake and his Mum organised a coffee morning fundraiser – including a bake sale, raffle and more! With the help of the Green Top Community, they have raised over £2600.
You can donate here: xptrust.info/MND – please leave a note to say ‘care of Jake at Green Top School’!
We would also like to give a massive shout out to Elsie from Class 6 and her family, who raised an outstanding £275 to buy raffle tickets. This is a cause very close to their hearts as they sadly lost Elsie’s Grandad to the disease in 2011. You can read more about it here.
Once again the generosity of the Green Top community has blown us away. We are Crew!
Full Steam ahead at Gresley Exhibition launch
A remarkable new exhibition about Sir NIgel Gresley has opened at the Danum Gallery in Doncaster – and our XP Schools Trust is playing its part! Our Rail City book, which is on sale in the gift shop at the gallery, was one of the catalysts for the invitation to contribute to this important collection of work – and the inspiration for the brochure which has been delivered by our Comms Crew. Our students’ study of our city’s rail story has given them a real overview of how important the work of Sir Nigel Gresley, who created Flying Scotsman and Mallard at the Plant, is in the history of steam and speed.
Letters and personal objects such as his hat and portrait are part of the exhibition, which has been curated with the collaboration of the Gresley Society, the Doncaster Grammar School Railways Archive and Doncaster City Council. Students from XPD are creating an audio experience for exhibition visitors and our Primary School Pupils are being invited to create rail related illustrations for colouring books that will be part of the gallery’s summer holiday resources for children across Doncaster.
Seb, who joined us at the launch said: “Going to the private viewing of the exhibition was great. It is important that young people carry on the legacy of our ancestors!”
Mel Cocliff added: “It was a privilege to be invited to the launch of the Sir Nigel Gresley exhibition at the Danum Gallery. To watch students from XP interact with people involved, including our Civic Mayor, was truly heartwarming. It’s vital that young people in our communities continue to appreciate the rail heritage of Doncaster, and pass on that baton as they grow up, too!”
The exhibition runs until September.
EYFS @ Green Top build their sandpit!
Following the playhouse being removed from the Reception outdoor area, it was in need of a revamp so the children decided to create a sandpit in this space! What a perfect opportunity to work collaboratively to create a purposeful learning space for their Summer term expedition ‘What happens where the sea meets the shore?’ The children designed the space and made a list of resources and jobs – beautiful work!
Beautiful Curation @ Carcroft
Beautiful displays were installed this week at Carcroft School – a culmination of last term’s Expedition ‘There is no Planet B’.
Being Human – Beautiful Speeches from XP Gateshead
The G29 students speeches answering our guiding question “What does it mean to be human?” is now live on our website.
You can listen again and relive the POL speeches here!
This beautiful work is also available to visitors to the QE Hospital at the Windy Nook Entrance via a QR code on the art installation. This is important work matters, raising awareness of the importance of organ donation. A work that chimes with Olivias’ concluding remarks to our POL.
“…being human is about our social structures and relationships. How we connect, understand each other and have a sense of understanding and acceptance for ourselves and others. We build our world through our memories and experience to decide where we want to go in the future. Humans grow through our community and others around us.”
XP Y9 Fieldwork to Thackray Museum
The Power of Change @ Carcroft
In Spring 2024, students from Years 5 and 6 at Carcroft School embarked on an Expedition to explore the 19th century’s impact on our lives today, examining whether its influence has been positive or negative. Students immersed themselves in the era by creating African pattern-inspired book bindings and sculptures. They delved into the work of British-Nigerian artist Yinka Shonabare to understand cultural identity and globalisation. The history case study focused on the British Empire, particularly its effects on South Africa and the Zulu people, comparing Victorian society with Zulu society and discussing the legacy of these interactions. The science component of the Expedition related these historical impacts to the concepts of reversible and irreversible changes, using chemistry to draw parallels between the societal changes and scientific processes.
The Expedition’s culmination was an art exhibition-style event where students showcased sculptures inspired by Yinka Shonabare, reflecting on cultural identity and personal, cultural, or ethnic adaptation in an ever-changing world. This final product, along with literacy-based assessments and case study reflections, demonstrated the students’ learning and understanding of the 19th century’s influence. Throughout the Expedition, a diverse range of texts, including graphic novels and classic literature, enriched the students’ experience. Despite limitations on fieldwork due to economic conditions, video calls with South African residents offered insights into the lasting impacts of the British Empire on the Zulu people, enhancing the students’ global perspective and understanding of historical legacies.
Highlights from UKS2’s COL @ Plover
In the last week of term, students in UKS2 at Plover celebrated their work from their Expedition ‘The Power of Change’. Their guiding question was ‘How did the 19th century influence our lives today?’ and their final product explored significant locations in Doncaster, creating a history trail for members of the community to follow to learn more about the City’s history.
‘How will what I do today impact the world tomorrow?’ @ Norton Infants
Last term, students in KS1 at Norton infants explored ocean pollution – contrasting clean and polluted waters and their effects on wildlife, leading to local litter collection activities and artistic recycling projects, culminating in a family event promoting the reduction of single-use plastics. They delved into the science of this by examining the characteristics of living and non-living entities, focusing on animal needs and dietary types, and assessing human impacts on ecosystems, resulting in a detailed report on local fauna. Their geographical studies spanned identifying global continents, oceans, and specific habitats, enhanced by a narrative exercise based on “Somebody Swallowed Stanley.” Art skills were honed through various mediums in creating a sculpture and alternate story settings from “The Tin Forest.”
The students’ final product drew together learning from all three of these case studies. They created these activity booklets, which contain examples of beautiful artwork and written information, and include activities for children to complete – here’s a sample of their work below!
We would like to donate these booklets to local places so that children can complete them whilst they are out in our community! If this is something that you feel you would like copies of, we can send them to you! Please send an email to [email protected] and we will organise sending them to you!
Last week was Sign Language week in the UK – so all the students at Green Top have made this video, singing and signing the song ‘True Colours’ as part of the celebration!
‘If We Plant Trees…’ – Legacy @ NJS
As part of their awesome POLs this week, every single Year 3 and 4 child has planted a tree at Norton Junior School, with support from Murphy’s and their Roots Programme.
They also celebrated their product from last term (more on this next time!) and unveiled their awesome digital artwork, made from images of recycling – this will be on display in school after the Easter break!
Plover’s Eco Garden!
KS1 at Plover have just finished their Expedition ‘The Blue Planet’. Their final product has 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 at their POL yesterday – including Mrs Ogle and Dame Rosie Winterton!
Highlights from KS1 and LKS2’s COL @ Green Top
On Friday, KS1 and LKS2 at Green Top celebrated their learning for their two Expeditions – ‘The Blue Planet’ and ‘There Is No Planet B’
The celebration included an interactive art gallery, a visit from Reptile Rendezvous and showcasing awesome family learning.
As part of their Expedition ‘Once Upon a Time’, students in EYFS at Plover have raised money to provide boxes of books to local community organisations, including Doncaster and Bassetlaw Hospital Trust. They posted this update on their social media this week from their Children’s Ward, thanking students for their generous donation.
Genius of Steam and Speed
Across the Trust we have always researched and celebrated Doncaster’s railway story through expeditions. Lots of our students’ work is already out there in the community – including railway stations and parks. Our latest book, Rail City, is also on sale in Waterstones and the Danum Gallery, Library and Museum.
On the 23rd April a remarkable new exhibition – Gresley: Genius of Steam and Speed – will open at DGLaM, featuring artifacts, letters and stories about the man who engineered the Flying Scotsman and the Mallard in Doncaster.
Students from the Trust will be co-creating an audio guide which will be accessible through an app for the exhibition. We will also be helping to create rail related resources for the summer holiday programme of children’s events at DGLaM.
As part of their Expedition ‘Once Upon a Time’ Green Top have had some beautiful displays created for their reading areas in Nursery and Reception!
Staff Days across the XP Trust
All our staff were getting their heads together and planning for next term’s Expeditions last Friday and Monday – lots of exciting learning and products are on the horizon for students in term 3!
As with all of our Expeditions, students will work within one of our three curriculum seams and staff will do the project first! If it’s good enough for our kids, it’s good enough for us!
Passage Presentations at XP Gateshead
This week, G28 were the first year at XPG to complete their ‘Passage’ – these are presentations to a panel where they reflect on their learning journey, discuss examples of their work, and talk about how they are prepared for next steps in learning and GCSEs.
The quality of the “passage” presentations @xpgateshead as year 9 pupils discuss their learning journey and character growth in front of an invited panel has been outstanding – a real privilege to be part of this process @XPtrust pic.twitter.com/iscK4W8SMS
All year 9 pupils @xpgateshead @XPtrust take part in passage presentations – these are presentations to a panel where they reflect on their learning journey, discuss examples of their work, and talk about how they are prepared for next steps in learning and GCSEs pic.twitter.com/fE6NcEoXg4
XP School Trust Ltd is seeking an experienced firm to supply external audit services to our Trust.
Please see our Invitation to Tender letter below. If you would be interested in providing this service to our Trust please return your tender to Cat Blair, CFO ([email protected]) no later than 5pm on Tuesday 30th April 2024.
This week we’re proud to share the beautiful story of UKS2s Expedition from last term ‘Earth Emergency’. The carefully designed planters and greenhouse will surely be a catalyst for Plover growing its own produce for generations to come!
We’d like to thank everyone who has got in touch or left a comment about the programme – we are so proud of our students and how eloquently they expressed how they feel about their school.
It is a privilege to work at XP Trust but I don’t reflect enough on the wonderful things I see and experience every day as I work alongside students, teachers, colleagues and other stakeholders in, and across, our Trust. As one of our Design Principles is ‘sharing our stories’ I have made a commitment to share my stories on the Trust website so that those moments are captured and celebrated more often.
So, here we go!!!!
One of the highlights for me in January was the Festival of Learning organised by XP University. The event took place on a Staff Day as staff from across our Trust gathered together as Crew to explore, critique and contribute to our newly proposed Trust wide Teaching and Learning model. The model draws together best practice from across the Trust and from other schools so that we have a consistent way of talking about, sharing and developing high quality learning experiences for all our young people and staff.
The model is underpinned, crucially, by five fundamental principles that inform our lesson design. These are:
Learning through expeditions
Feedback
Leaders of our their learning
Curriculum
Literacy
In addition, we proposed using a simple but effective methodology to inform lesson planning that ‘Activates, Constructs, Demonstrates and Consolidates’ learning or AC/DC for short!!! Staff worked through the model in a series of practical workshops and made a commitment to develop and embed this practice in every school across the Trust.
Check out this short clip that shows highlights from the day!
It was a fantastic day and showed how dedicated and determined our staff are, across the Trust, to ensure our kids create beautiful work, grow their characters and achieve academically.
