XP East

Today provided a fantastic showcase of the focused, high-quality interactions happening across our school. During session 5, myself and a visiting colleague from Meridian Trust conducted a walkthrough and were impressed to see such a great start to students’ work across all the classrooms we visited.

It was a privilege to step into E33 Explorer with Miss Johnson, E32 Explorer with Miss Barton, E31 Explorer with Miss Buckley, and E31 Pioneer with Miss Wilkinson. We also had the opportunity to spend time with the E30 Ethics group and the E29 Science groups. Across the board, students demonstrated a genuinely great attitude to learning.

One of the most impressive takeaways from the walkthrough was the confident academic language on display. Students are consistently using and applying tier 3 subject-specific vocabulary, confidently using complex terms into their contributions during lessons and in their books.

While the standard was high everywhere, there were a few particular highlights from the session. In E33 Explorer, students were deeply and enthusiastically engaged with Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream. Meanwhile, our Y11 students were seen rising to the occasion, responding brilliantly to high challenge and direct questioning specifically tailored to hone their exam technique.

To help us maintain this excellent momentum, we ask parents and carers to support us with our daily equipment checks. Please ensure your child arrives at school with their iPad and a suitable reading book. Having these essential items ready every day ensures their access to learning is fully supported and allows them to make the most of every lesson.

What a whirlwind first two weeks it has been for Crew Dufton! As we step into our final year, the energy, maturity, and genuine care everyone has shown has been incredible.

Here is a quick look at what we’ve been up to:

• Crew Week: We kicked off the year balancing mind and body, from our stunning walk at Langsett to team games and diving straight into building strong, active revision habits.
• Speaking & Listening Ambition: In Week 2, the crew took on their official GCSE Speaking & Listening prep within English lessons. I have been completely blown away by the ambitious, thoughtful topics everyone chose to tackle. The confidence on display is inspiring!
• Mondays for Crew, Fridays for Reflection: This morning, after a legendary game of our current favourite, Empires, we decided as a crew to restructure our weekly routine so it works best for us:
  • Mondays: All about checking in, bonding, and playing games to start the week with a smile.
  • Mid-Week: Academic Crew sessions, self-led revision, and focused Extended Study.
  • Fridays: Deliberately pausing to “check out,” celebrate our wins, and reflect on the positives before the weekend.

The vibe in the room is unmatched right now. Let’s keep this momentum going, Dufton! 🚀

Crew Spencer have made a fantastic start to Year 11 and are settling back into school really well. We’ve enjoyed a walk to Langsett, explored revision techniques to help us succeed in our GCSEs, and got back into the spirit of Crew.

Students produced some fantastic work creating mind maps about how they are going to be successful in Year 11. It has been a brilliant start, and I’m really looking forward to the year ahead!

Miss Dickinson

Find out more and apply here to #JoinOurCrew

https://xptrust.org/were-looking-for-an-amazing-leading-learning-coach-hlta-at-plover-2/

Today’s immersion lesson with Mr Heslop offered a fantastic look into how mathematical concepts come alive when connected to real-world applications. Students confidently tackled standard form, mastering how to convert, calculate, and manipulate extremely large and small numbers.

What made today’s session particularly impactful was its intentional link to the upcoming science curriculum. By contextualising standard form through Tier 3 scientific vocabulary— prefixes like nano-, milli-, mega-, —students weren’t just practicing abstract math. They were laying the foundational skills needed to measure everything from interstellar distances to cellular structures which will support them with their science learning this term too!

In E31, in both Explorer and Pioneer the learning behaviours on display were exceptional. Students grappled with both fluency and complex reasoning. The classroom culture was defined by resilience, curiosity, and working hard.

Engagement across the room was beautiful, with every student actively contributing and taking ownership of their progress. Mr Booth, supported with targeted intervention and patience enabling students who found the concepts challenging to build confidence and achieve those crucial “I’ve got it” moments.

Well done to Mr Heslop, Mr Booth, and the fantastic students in E32 for such great lessons!

At XP, our first week back looks a little bit different. Across our Trust, students and staff have been working hard to build and reestablish the most important part of our culture – Crew.

Beautiful work this week

Here’s a selection of beautiful work from across the XP Trust!

To read about other stories from across the XP Trust, visit xptrust.org.

Top of the Blogs

Class 12 | WW2 Crafts @ Green Top

Appreciating Kindness @ Plover

Crew McGlone – Tough Runner @ Carcroft School

Focus and Deep Thinking in Year 8 this week @ XP

Hook week day two @ Norton Infants

Crew week = complete! @ Norton Juniors

G29 first week back! @ XP Gateshead

Crew DCU @ XP East

Share your stories with us!

We now have a new dedicated news email so that you can send your stories, updates or ideas about potential news articles directly to us in Comms.

It might be something you or your students have achieved, a charity you’re supporting or anything at all that deserves a wider audience.

Write to us at [email protected] –  we want to hear about it, write about it and celebrate it!

From today, Y11’s Learn 2 Earn rewards scheme is back!

Students have the opportunity to collect stamps on ‘loyalty cards’ for outstanding contributions in Learning labs and at D6 [when it’s up and running] – this year, staff are able to award stamps to class superstars – if students are going above and beyond to contribute in sessions/work hard, staff will award extra stamps!

When their cards are complete (after 10 sessions), students need to hand them back in; there’ll be a half termly draw for a gift card for those attending the most sessions!

Please encourage students to get these filled in to claim those prizes (take a look at a small selection below!)

Miss Cocliff x

The Year 11 students at XPE have demonstrated exceptional Habits of Work and Learning (HoWLs) as they diligently prepare for their upcoming English Spoken Language assessments. Across both Miss Buckley’s and Mrs Desborough’s classes, lessons have been driven by outstanding focus, active engagement, and dedicated craftsmanship and quality, ensuring students refine their delivery, structure, and techniques to present with confidence. This commitment is clearly reflected in the exciting and diverse range of topics chosen by the students, spanning pressing social issues, personal passions and curiosities. Their hard work, positive attitude, and thorough preparation promise a brilliant and engaging set of spoken presentations.

After a whirlwind start to Y7 and attending Outward bound, Crew DCU have settled into school as we embark on our schooling journey.

Over the course of last week, we managed to take part in a plethora of activities, exploring the beautiful scenery in Ullswater. We braved new challenges like gorge walking and night navigation, showing immense courage and determination in unfamiliar environments.. It was a privilege to be part of this experience, and all of our crew members showed exceptional character growth, as we started our journey to the ‘top of the mountain’. We hope to bring these experiences, memories and character traits back to school this term.

Overall an amazing effort. Here are some of our highlights: