Category : Sharing Our Stories

Beautiful Work This Week

G29: From The Ground Up – launch at Seven Stories!

G29 Students at XP Gateshead launched their book ‘From The Ground Up’ which answered the guiding question ‘What do the communities of North East England owe to the miners?’ at Seven Stories in Newcastle!

They also celebrated all of their beautiful work from their first year at XPG – you can view a collection of it here!

Plover’s Mining Gala

Year 5 and 6 Students at Plover School launched their awesome new Poetry Anthology ‘At the Coalface’ at a Mining Gala they hosted for their local community – beautiful work!

Beautiful Curation at XP Gateshead

Plover Early Years: Transport Day

Celebrating Success at Green Top

Over 5 years ago Miss Stewart and Miss O’Neill started their journey with us at Green Top as apprentices.  They then progressed and secured Learning Coach positions whilst studying towards a degree in Education.  Over the last two years they have both completed their degree and qualified as teachers!  We are so unbelievably proud of them both and grateful that we were a part of their special journey.  Sadly we didn’t have any teaching positions for them at Green Top so they have secured teaching positions in other schools.  Again, we are so, so proud of them!  We wish them both lots of luck in their new schools and know that they will be wonderful teachers inspiring many children in the future!

School Cook retires after 30 years at Green Top

This year we say goodbye to Sue, one of our school cooks.  She has been looking after us all for 30 years and we will be sad to see her leave!

We presented Sue with flowers and gifts today and celebrated her time at Green Top!

Good Luck Sue!

XP Students gift their gorgeous terrariums to care homes in Doncaster

Year 9 students from XP and XP East gifted 30 terrariums they created for the residents of the Oaklands Care home this week. The home on Bawtry Road was delighted to accept the miniature indoor gardens, which the residents will look after and keep.

Darren the Oaklands manager is pictured here accepting the terrariums – all of which are low maintenance and were happily handed over to residents.

Ed Miliband praises XPCC23

Ed Miliband shared an update from his Facebook page about XPCC23, praising students for their awesome work and involvement in the conference.

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Pizza Party! @ Carcroft School

Weekly update for families @ XP Gateshead

Red Carpet Celebrations @ Plover

Final Word @ Norton Infants

Products at the Picnic @ Green Top

Ahoy there, Shakespeare? @ Norton Juniors

Year 10’s Final Year Group Community Meeting @ XP

Jeff’s Law – exciting Expeditions on the horizon! @ XP Comms

Thank you for joining us for another great year of beautiful work and stories from across the XP Trust – we hope you have a wonderful summer!

We’ll see you in September!

XP Comms Crew

Beautiful Work This Week

XPCC23

“Every young person should learn about climate change in school. It’s marginal to most people’s curriculums – not XP School as you’re such a brilliant school”

Ed Miliband – Shadow Secretary of State for Climate Change and Net Zero

After the success of our inaugural conference last year and with climate change at the heart of our activism as a Trust, we held this year’s event on 13th July with the question: If not now, when? If not us, who? 

The programme for the evening featured the work and research of our Year 10 students and the contribution of experts from across our region.

Powerful keynote speeches, delivered by six students left the audience in no doubt that the planet is in crisis and action has to be taken now. 

What that action might be was ably and inspiringly answered by the panellists taking part in our Q & A. 

These were The RT. Hon Ed Miliband MP, Shadow Secretary of State for Climate Change and Net Zero; David Pulham, UK Manager Vossloh and Tim Newton, Sustainability officer, Doncaster City Council.

The conference also featured many stalls covering such subjects as Sustainability and ‘greener’ food, as well as scientific demonstrations and break out discussions.

One of the breakout presentations was delivered by Dr Mike Sprakes, Gastroenterologist, Mid Yorks Hospitals NHS Trust and Peter Leighton Jones, Head of Sustainability, Mid Yorks Hospitals NHS Trust.

Their talk focussed on Climate Change and the NHS.

We’re already thinking about next year’s conference – but more importantly if you can pledge to make a difference all year round we can all work together to save our planet. There is no Planet B. 

A Visit to the Dickens Museum

C29 Edale Fieldwork

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Crew Marsh Transition @ Carcroft School

Weekly update for families @ XP Gateshead

Crew 5&6 are loving XP Outdoors @ Plover

Sports Day Fun @ Norton Infants

Y6 Leavers Party @ Green Top

Glorious Sports Day @ Norton Juniors

Beautiful Work This Week

Terrarium Expert at XP Doncaster

DofE Bronze Award Highlights

Beautiful Curation: A Picture Speaks A Thousand Words

A Christmas Carol Study Guide – now available online!

This week, the awesome guide created by our Year 11 Students has been published on the Charles Dickens Museum website as a free educational resource! You can find it amongst a plethora of different resources on Dickens’ work.

We’re looking forward to visiting the museum next week to celebrate the work the students have created.

Beautiful Curation at Plover

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Finding doubles – outdoor maths @ Carcroft School

G30 Transition Days @ XP Gateshead

KS3 Girls Football Team do XP proud! @ XP

Well done Crew Marx @ XP East

EYFS Vehicles Celebration Event @ Plover

We completed our final expedition @ Norton Infants

Year 1’s awesome celebration of learning @ Green Top

Beautiful Work This Week

Our students contribute to Deeper Learning 2023

Wonderful to see our students @XPtrust @XPEastSchool @XPschool taking part in the @ukEdge #DeeperLearning conference today @DoncasterRaces – what a great view from the Royal Box! With @clairabelle5 @SprakesA & @gwynap pic.twitter.com/2sbu9lrCtz

— Melanie Hewitt FRSA (@MelanieHewitt61) June 22, 2023

XP Trust visits Chicago for EL’s conference

Just back from attending an @ELeducation institute in Boston on cultivating high quality work. So many take aways from the institute and from around Boston. Very much looking forward to sharing all that we have learned with @XPtrust pic.twitter.com/4f6qusysSD

— Laura Parsons (@lauraparsons700) June 25, 2023

Student Showcase: Book your place!

Staff Crew at XP Doncaster: RDA

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Finding doubles – outdoor maths @ Carcroft School

Weekly update for families @ XP Gateshead

Kick off! @ Norton Juniors

Catch up with Crew Caldwell @ XP

Performance poetry @ Plover

Class 1 hard at work! @ Norton Infants

World Wellbeing Week @ Green Top

Beautiful Work This Week

Deeper Learning 2023

This week we hosted the first day of Edge Future Learning’s ‘Deeper Learning’ at XP East! Delegates from across the UK gathered at XP to hear our CEO Gwyn ap Harri talk about Courageous Leadership and our CAO Andy Sprakes talk about Activism in the Curriculum.

G29 Presentation of Learning: Do Your Bit – King’s Hall, Newcastle University

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KS1 Father’s Day Breakfast @ Carcroft School

Beautiful work from Penny @ XP Gateshead

Fun in the sun! @ Norton Juniors

Crew Blessed make it to second! @ XP

Giving back to the community @ Plover

Artist of the week @ Norton Infants

Class 15 – Dance Hip Hop Workshop @ Green Top

Beautiful Work This Week

Ready, Steady, Grow!

In the spring of 2023, the KS1 pupils from primary schools across the XP Trust undertook a cross-curricular learning Expedition called ‘Ready Steady Grow’, where they looked to answer the guiding question…

‘How can I be the healthiest version of me?’

The Expedition culminated in this beautiful collaborative book – filled with recipes, healthy eating advice and the story behind the students’ learning!

‘What will I do to be a champion in my community?’ Pledges at Norton Infants!

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We’re going on a ‘booknic’ @ Carcroft School

Beautiful work from Scarlett and Winnie @ XP Gateshead

Preparing for Sports Day @ Norton Juniors

Cultivating stewardship @ XP

Thank you to our music experts! @ Plover

We are the champions @ Norton Infants

Crew Jackson – more beautiful writing @ Green Top

C27 Expert Visit – Rev Canon Ian Smith @ XP East

Beautiful Work This Week

Hokusai’s ‘The Great Wave off Kanagawa’ – XP edition!

A picture speaks a thousand words – Beautiful work at Green Top

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Adapting song/music @ Carcroft School

G28 Spanish Product @ XP Gateshead

We’re stoked @ Norton Juniors

Playstation Cup Finals @ XP

We raised £34 for the Plover Pantry! @ Plover

EYFS Gallery Walk @ Norton Infants

Year 2 Fantastic Reading @ Green Top

Beautiful Work This Week

Green Top Staff Crew: Mental Health Awareness Week

Lest We Forget – how does war change lives?

The Second World War may feel like several lifetimes ago to some of us, but there are still thousands of people for whom it was a lived experience,  something they will never forget. 

Years 3 and 4 in all the Primary Schools across our Trust, have through their recent expedition Lest we Forget: How does war change Lives? examined the lives of local people and national figures – all of whom have stories that deserve to be shared.

Four beautiful books have been created, capturing times both traumatic and remarkable.

From Pat Grainger, who lives in the centre of Doncaster and remembers the Corn Exchange cellars being used as an air raid shelter, or Harry Hewitt who as a child helped the war effort by being a runner – delivering messages between the Home Guards. 

The research for these books has been thorough, the original poetry and illustrations adding so much to the work that has become a valuable and treasured resource of stories from a time past, but part of our history and community. 

A visitor shares their story!

My notes from today’s visit to @XPschool , with thanks to all of our hosts for such a warm and considered xperience, incl @gwynap @JamiePortman @SprakesA -will take some time over the weekend to reflect upon these 👇🏽 & consider the implications #learning #unlearning #compassion pic.twitter.com/9eT4BBZRai

— tjgolding (@tjgolding) May 25, 2023

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Sharing our Expedition learning @ Carcroft School

Beautiful work from Olivia @ XP Gateshead

NJS walk to school week @ Norton Juniors

Is Migration worth the risk? @ XP

Y5 Football tournament @ Plover

Yorkshire Air Ambulance land art @ Norton Infants

Iron Man Champion @ Green Top

Beautiful Work This Week

C27: You Give Me Fever

In January 2023, students in Year 9 studied a joint HUMAN and STEAM expedition called ‘You give me fever’ where students had to answer the guiding question:

Is Science enough to save lives?

The final product was a charity drive in order to raise money for local health charities. We did lots of school events in order to raise money for the charity chosen by each school. We conducted a sponsored walk, bake sale, PJ day, sponsored silence and a bikeathon. 

For our presentation of learning, we created short flip book animations that were projected in XP East. There were zones set up outside around XPD made to look like the time periods of each case study (Black Death, Cholera Outbreak, Spanish Flu & Aids). We were dressed up in period costumes and spoke to the audience about the science and history or each case study. Students also displayed their artwork and sketchbooks to showcase the skills they had acquired this term. At the end of the PoL we presented the funds raised for equipment at NHS Doncaster.

Green Top Year 3/4 – Lest We Forget

Comms: Curation case notes from Norton

Curation case notes from Norton

Eco Pledges at Frenchgate!

It has been wonderful to partner with Frenchgate on this important project – we can’t thank them enough for giving our Schools the opportunity to make their own pledges and display them for all to see within the Centre.

https://www.doncasterfreepress.co.uk/lifestyle/shopping/frenchgate-launches-our-planet-pledge-to-help-raise-awareness-of-the-impact-of-climate-change-4138644

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Active maths lesson @ Carcroft School

Beautiful work from Ben @ XP Gateshead

Subtracting Fractions Treasure Hunt @ Norton Juniors

X28 Crew Re-wilding @ XP

We are activists! @ Plover

Reading for pleasure @ Norton Infants

Crew Malala Beautiful Artwork @ XP East

Maths Club @ Green Top

Beautiful Work This Week

A Christmas Carol: Year 11 Study Guide for GCSE – created by Year 11 at XP!

Students at XP in Year 11 have been preparing for their GCSE English Literature Exam studying a range of different texts. One of these was A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens. 

As we learn predominantly through Learning Expeditions at XP Trust, students embarked on a Humanities based expedition entitled Is Charity Enough? Students studied A Christmas Carol whilst considering the work they had completed, and were continuing to study, as part of their GCSE History in the thematic module Health and Medicine through the Ages. Students focussed on A Christmas Carol considering what life was like particularly social conditions at the time the novella was written.

Students then began a detailed study of the Dickens classic by reading and writing about characters, themes and the intent of the novella. This was the foundation for the study guide that includes this content as well as beautiful artwork, interviews with Lucinda Hawksley (the Great Great Great Granddaughter of Dickens himself) as well as curators from the Dickens museum in London.

The result of this work is a fantastic guide for the students to use to help them in their GCSE revision as well as a beautiful product that reflects the students authentic voice and deep engagement with the text. However, this guide isn’t just for our students and their studies  – it’s available to everyone studying A Christmas Carol at GCSE, as well as anyone else with a keen interest in Dickens!

You can buy your copy of the guide here!

All students in X25 were given a copy of the guide and further copies can be purchased through our website.

Beautiful Curation at Norton Campus!

Doncaster Minster – E27 Ethics

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LKS2 Recount Writing @ Carcroft School

Weekly update for families @ XP Gateshead

Investigating tectonic plates @ Norton Juniors

Year 8 Spanish fashion topic @ XP

Our Coronation crown winners @ Plover

Celebration Crew @ Norton Infants

C27 Visit to York Chocolate Story @ XP East

Green Top Winners! @ Green Top