We are really looking forward to presenting our first ever subject awards evening, and celebrating with some truly incredible students!
We have had to change the schedule slightly, so both evenings will be rolled in to one. The subject awards evening will now take place Thursday, 2nd July from 5pm-7pm for both schools invitees.
We hope you can still join us for an evening of celebration! ❤️
Yesterday saw the third annual celebration of arts and culture across XP Trust and what a celebration it was! With temperatures soaring, students and partners braved the heat to deliver a festival rich in engagement, quality and community. Young people from every school across our Trust and other partners came together at XP Doncaster to perform and share their work. In addition, the Festival included a number of Presentations of Learning and input from one of our experts, artist (name) who co-created with visitors to the Festival a community piece of art that linked to the Year 8 Expedition ‘Should I Stay or Should I Go?
“With temperatures soaring, students and partners braved the heat to deliver a festival rich in engagement, quality and community.”
The stage arrived at 6.30am (thanks to James and Pete) and was swiftly assembled as was the sound system so that students could begin to perform in the early afternoon. The Festival was opened by Dave Evans, whose work on making this a reality is truly inspiring, who introduced Noah Hopewell, our opening act on keyboard, who provided the audience with two stunning performances. This was followed by the Daggers with an indie flavoured set. Next up was Jensen Dickens with a solo acoustic performance. He played and sang beautifully followed by the Velcro Hearts whipping up the audience with an assured performance of the Oasis classic. ‘Cigarettes and Alcohol’.
We were then joined by students from XP Gateshead who had travelled down from the North East to perform. Five bands played a range of songs in a variety of styles – from ‘Teenage Dirtbag’ to ‘Should I Stay or Should I Go?’ After this there were a series of solo performances by students under the expert tutelage of Zawedde which were both moving and showed the progress the vocalist had made over the course of the year. Special mention must go to the two groups of dancers and cheerleaders who braved the heat of the mats in front of the stage to deliver their performances!
The vocal group Vox Pops then graced the stage and put on a performance of high quality, enhanced by the accompaniment of their backing band (take a bow Geoff, Dave Harvey and Jensen).
At 3pm the festival moved into its next phase as we opened our doors further to parents, partners and members of the community to enjoy Presentations of Learning from Year 7, 8 and 9, the context of this work elevated by delivery from the main stage. Year 7 culminated their expedition by answering the Guiding Question, ‘How Does Water Shape Our World’ with a pertinent and timely message about the need to be safe around open water which was supported by the fire and rescue service. Year 8 shared their work from ‘Should I Stay or Should I Go?’ which engaged with the compelling Guiding Question, ‘Is Migration Worth the Risk?’ showcased by the permanent and beautiful mural students created to raise the awareness of the challenges facing migrants and refugees alongside local artist Phil Padfield who also attended the Festival to engage our wider community in a graffiti art project linked to the expedition as part of the Festival. Also, Sacha Gray from Community Arts organisation ‘Right Up Our Street’ visited the festival to interview a group of Year 8 students about their work which will be installed, with the support of RUOS, to impact positively in the Balby Bridge estate in Doncaster highlighting the importance of art in bringing communities together. Year 9 held a village fete style experience for their PoL where different stalls covered the different aspects of their expedition that had focused on ‘Protecting Our Planet’. In addition, as part of the culmination of learning, students displayed to parents their learning about coding and programming micro:bits!
“Sacha Gray from Community Arts organisation ‘Right Up Our Street’ (RUOS) visited the festival to interview a group of Year 8 students about their work which will be installed, with the support of RUOS, to impact positively in the Balby Bridge estate in Doncaster highlighting the importance of art in bringing communities together.”
Next up were a visiting band from New College, INOCULUM, who treated our guests to some very heavy rock. After some further stunning vocal performances from Sara and Pixie. The XP Jazz Band took to the stage to bring a chilled out, sophisticated vibe to the early evening performances. This was followed by two rock bands from Norton (what a vocal performance from Logan!) and Carcroft that were quite simply breathtaking. This was interspersed with a high energy and vibrant performance by the Samba Bands from Plover and Green Top (so good they did it twice!!) Thank you to Tom and Harvey who have worked tirelessly with these students over just seven weeks to get them performance ready – remarkable!
The final part of the evening was fired up by sets from the long established band The Roses, followed by the Brackets and Crash Radio.There were some inspired performances of real high quality and range – it was humbling to see how much progress and how accomplished these bands have become over the course of recent years building on their experiences of being patriot of our year long XP Live performance opportunities. My particular favourite was Crash Radio’s rendition of the Sex Pistol’s ‘Anarchy in the UK’!!
The festival culminated with an awe-inspiring parade featuring all of our Primary Schools, resulting in African songs and dancing led by our old friend Xolani – who is amazing!! What a sight it was to behold young people from across our primary schools fully engaging in music and dancing. It was very moving and uplifting.
The festival was closed by our long term friends, partners and residents, Doncaster Youth Jazz Association. As always their Swing Band, that is just about to embark on a tour of Herten in Germany, completed the evening with sophisticated Jazz classics and upbeat swing versions of popular songs. It was a fantastic end to a wonderful day.
“weaving together community, character, and performance into a singular, elevating experience.”
The XP Trust Festival of Arts and Culture 2026 serves as a powerful testament to the transformative impact of our schools’ creative curriculum, weaving together community, character, and performance into a singular, elevating experience. By providing a stage for students from across the Trust to share their work, the festival actively builds essential life skills: nurturing the confidence and resilience required to conquer nerves and individual expression, alongside fostering the compassion and integrity needed to collaborate as Crew. The day acts as a pivotal bridge between students, parents, and partners, creating a shared space where academic milestones like Presentations of Learning meet the joy of collective performance, ultimately reinforcing a culture where students are inspired to pursue mastery, value belonging, and be made to see that there is more in them than they know.
My heartfelt thanks go to the staff, partners, and community members whose unwavering support made this our best festival yet. Particular thanks go to Claira Salter, staff at XPD and Trust staff who bore the brunt of stewardship and organisational duties. Seeing the growth, courage, and connection on display, from our youngest primary dancers to our graduating bands, has been truly humbling.
As we look back on an incredible day of community and celebration, I am already counting down the days until next year…
Andy Sprakes
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.
Green Top Summer Fayre @ Green Top
Yorkshire Wildlife Park @ Carcroft School
A Celebration of Humanity, Harmony, and Heritage @ XP Gateshead
Independent learners leading their own learning @ Norton Infants
Football Stars selected to represent Doncaster @ XP East
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!
We can’t wait to welcome our community to the XP Festival tomorrow! To ensure the day runs smoothly for our entire Crew, here are a few quick logistics:
Currently (at 7.00am Wednesday 24 June) there is an Amber warning in place by the Met Office and temperatures are expected to reach approximately 30 degrees at some points during the Festival.
As we are expecting hot weather please make sure that:
Food and drinks will be available from 4pm through Relish. Please note this is an alcohol free event.
There is no designated seating. You are welcome to bring your own portable chairs or picnic blankets so you can sit comfortably and enjoy the performances.
Parking for the festival is completely free if you use Doncaster Rovers Car Park 3. Accessible parking is available – please ask a Steward on arrival.
This event is free, but we will welcome donations on the day to support future XP Live Events. Your contributions help us continue to provide authentic, creative platforms where our young people can craft beautiful work and share their stories.
See you tomorrow!
Tickets are available at XP East reception. Let’s celebrate all the success this year.
We are delighted to celebrate the success of two talented XP East students who have recently been selected to represent two prestigious football teams across Doncaster.
Their selections are a fantastic achievement and reflect the dedication, hard work, and commitment they have shown both on and off the pitch. Competing at a high level of football requires discipline, resilience, and a passion for the game—qualities that both students demonstrate every day.
Representing their respective teams will provide them with exciting opportunities to develop their skills, compete against strong opposition, and showcase their talent across the region. Being chosen to play at this level is a significant accomplishment and highlights the growing sporting talent within our school community.
At XP East, we are incredibly proud of our students’ achievements, whether in the classroom, through expedition learning, or in extracurricular activities such as sport. These selections are a testament not only to the students’ dedication but also to the support of their families, coaches, teammates, and the wider school community.
We look forward to following their progress throughout the season and celebrating their future successes. We wish both students the very best as they take on this exciting challenge and continue to represent XP East with pride, determination, and sportsmanship.
Congratulations to both players on this outstanding achievement—we can’t wait to see what the future holds!
What an incredible two days of athletics for our Year 7–10 students at Doncaster and District.
Our athletes showed that success comes from hard work, determination, and the courage to give their very best. Every race run, every jump taken, and every throw made reflected the dedication and resilience of our students.
🌟 Year 7
🌟 Year 8
🌟 Year 9
While these results are certainly worth celebrating, what inspires us most is the character shown by our students. They supported one another, pushed through challenges, and represented our school with pride. Their achievements remind us that success is not just about winning—it is about having the confidence to step forward, work hard, and never stop striving to be better than yesterday.
To every student who competed: you have shown what is possible when talent meets effort. Be proud of what you have achieved, and let this be the motivation to keep aiming higher. The future is bright, and this is only the beginning. 💙🏅🏃♀️🏃♂️
“Success isn’t always measured by the medals you win, but by the courage you show in chasing your goals.”.
We’re advertising for various roles across our Trust!
Learning Coach at XP Doncaster
To find out more, visit: https://xptrust.org/careers-at-xp/current-vacancies/
Curious about the XP Festival lineup?
Here’s a hint: students from every XP Trust school will be sharing their passions through vibrant art installations, dance, storytelling, and live music! This is a key moment in our XP Live programme, giving young people authentic opportunities to produce and perform work that has agency and legacy.
Get your tickets here!
This week, temperatures are expected to rise across the UK. Please ensure that your child brings a water bottle, sun cream, and a cap for PE lessons.
This is especially important if your child is attending the Doncaster and District Athletics events on Monday 22nd and Tuesday 23rd June.
Thank you for your support.
Thank you.
