Dear Parents and Guardians,

We are thrilled to share that Crew Spencer has had a fantastic first week back at school! The children have returned with such enthusiasm, and it has been a joy to watch them reconnect with their friends and settle back into the school routine.

The first week back, our focus has been on kindness—a theme that has resonated throughout all our activities. We believe that nurturing kindness within our students is just as important as academic learning, and it has been heartwarming to see how your children have embraced this value.

Highlights of the Week

Care Home Donation Boxes:
Our week kicked off with a creative project where the children designed and decorated beautiful boxes. These boxes were used to collect donations for our local care home, and the children took great pride in making them special. They were thoughtful and considerate, knowing that their work would brighten someone else’s day.

Team Building and Bonding:
We also engaged in several team-building activities throughout the week. These exercises were designed to help the children strengthen their relationships with one another, fostering a sense of teamwork and camaraderie. It was inspiring to see them work together, support each other, and build lasting bonds that will serve them well throughout the school year.

Kindness Postcards at Lakeside:

On Thursday, we enjoyed a lovely walk around Lakeside. The children had a wonderful time handing out postcards filled with kind messages to members of the community. It was a rewarding experience for them to see the smiles they brought to people’s faces. This activity also gave the children a chance to explore our local area and connect with the community in a meaningful way.

Looking Forward

As we move forward, we will continue to weave the theme of kindness into our daily activities, encouraging the children to carry this important value with them both in and out of the classroom.

Thank you for your ongoing support. We are looking forward to a fantastic year ahead with Crew Spencer!

Miss Dickinson

Dear Parents,

We’re excited to share that E29 has had an amazing first week back at school! The week was filled with activities that not only sparked joy but also encouraged kindness and community spirit.

Spreading Kindness

Our focus on kindness kicked off with activities that taught E29 the importance of helping others. They enthusiastically took part in creating care packages, which we donated to local care homes. The kids loved knowing that their efforts would bring smiles to the residents.

Fun and Games

In between, we enjoyed plenty of fun games that helped the children reconnect and bond as a group. These activities were a great way to start the year with positive energy and lots of laughter.

XPkindness Trail

One of the highlights of the week was designing and setting up the XPkindness Trail around Lakeside. The children left behind inspiring messages and thoughtful surprises for the community, showcasing their creativity and compassion. 

Fieldwork Adventure to Flamborough

We wrapped up the week with a beautiful day of fieldwork at Flamborough. We explored the natural surroundings, whilst on a hike and shared in the joy of outdoor discovery. We even got to see seals swimming in the sea! It was the perfect adventure to end the first week back.

We are so proud of how E29 has embraced the start of this school year with enthusiasm and kindness. We look forward to all the wonderful experiences that lie ahead for Year 9!

E29 Crew Leaders

What a week- what a Crew!!

Crew White had the best first week back in school. We crammed so much into those 4 days. There were lots of team building games, re-visiting norms and carrying out acts of kindness within our community. We finished the week off with a sunny walk in Flamborough on Friday where we chatted along the way, shared sweets and played the rock game. (So many caught out, hehe!)

Our act of kindness saw us creating care packages for residents in a local care home, decorating shoe boxes and filling them with goodies. We then personally delivering them to the residents. Whilst there Crew members paired up with a resident each and helped them make decorations during their arts and crafts session. The residents didn;t want us to leave and have asked that we go back again soon.

Whilst reflecting on our week and why Crew is so important, some students shared their thoughts:

‘I feel like we are all so close and get along so well, its lovely’ Elsie

‘Doing hard things is made easier when with Crew, we have a bond no matter what’ Lucas

‘Crew is important to me as it gives me a chance to talk about things that I wouldn’t feel comfortable talking about to others’ Arlo

Crew Ardern hit the ground running on the first week back, displaying and presenting some fantastic work across school and the wider community. We had a series of tasks to complete in the hope of answering the guiding question ‘How can the rest of my time at XP shape me as a person and a learner?’.

On the first couple of days crew norms were being re-established as well as completing a bit of team building. On Wednesday, we participated in a YOGA session to behind to understand the importance of relaxing and self care. We then went to lakeside and spread words of encouragement and positivity, this was a task which was allowed students to understand the importance of kindness and how that can help to shape them as a person.

Thursday was an opportunity for students to talk to ex students who had been on different journeys through education and work. This was an amazing insight of how we are all different, have different personalities, hobbies and interests which will help to shape them in future careers.

We look forward to an exciting year in KS4, where we will begin our journey of our GCSE’s.

Well, what a first week for Crew Rosa Parkes! We had a fantastic week re-visiting crew and preparing for year 8.

Day 1; All about getting to know each other again, and looking back at our time as XP – and also looking towards the future.

Day 2; we went on fieldwork to Sandall Beat wood. We took a nice steady walk there, where we then took part in orienteering, den building, looking at habitats and supporting the forestry workers to look after the wood.

Day 3; all about team building and taking part in lots of different games, challenging ourselves throughout the day.

Day 4; we reflected on the week and why we do crew for the first week of term.

Crew, you have made me proud once again with your determination and attitude. Keep it up, and I know we will have another amazing year!

Come on Crew Rosa Parkes, we can do it.

Notification for all C27/Year 11 Students.

There will be no English Learning Lab this Monday. As we are spending the first two weeks on your speaking exams we would like you to complete independent research as part of your extended study this week.

English Learning Labs will commence on Monday the 9th of September.

Mrs Desborough

As part of C31 Immersion we will be taking XP East students to Murton Hall in York on Wednesday (4.9.24) to be Vikings for the day!

Students will need to arrive to school at 7.45am for us to leave at 8.15am and we are aiming to be back at school for 4pm, traffic allowing.

Students will need to bring:

• A packed lunch (students on Free school meals will be provided with a lunch)
• A large bottle of water

Students should wear comfortable clothing. It is advised that students do not wear brand new footwear/clothing as the ground is quite dirty and the nature of the tasks they will be doing they may get a bit dirty!

We are really looking forward to and we believe it will be a great experience for the students.

If there are any questions, please contact [email protected] / [email protected]

We have had a fantastic week but we’re glad to be coming home!

There’s many tired faces on the coach, desperate for “their own bed” and “a takeaway!”

Unfortunately, as I am sure you understand, there have been some delays to our return journey. 

We have just left Scotch Corner Services, according to the estimate we will return to school at 6pm. 

As mentioned in the blog update, we would appreciate it if you could park in Car Park 3 as normal, then meet your child with their bags where the coaches departed from at the opposite side of school. This ensures we can keep the students safe and there is enough room for the coaches to manoeuvre. 

Your child will be released from their Crew Leader once they have seen you. 

We look forward to seeing you!

Unfortunately, as I am sure you understand and appreciate, there have been some delays to our journey.

We have just left Scotch Corner Services, according to the estimate we will return to school at 6pm.

As mentioned in the blog update, we would appreciate it if you could park in Car Park 3 as normal, then meet your child with their bags where the coaches departed from at the opposite side of school. This ensures we can keep the students safe and there is enough room for the coaches to manoeuvre.

Your child will be released from their Crew Leader once they have seen you.

We can’t wait to get back!