XP East

We are really looking forward to welcoming all our students back to XP and XPE on Wednesday 1 September as stated in previous posts on the website. 

(Reminder: Y8 XP students start on Tuesday 31 August as they are heading off to Aberdovey!!)

With COVID guidance changing, I would like to take this opportunity to inform parents about our system for using Car Park 3 to pick up and drop off all students from XP and XP East. 

From Wednesday 1 September we will only be using Car Park 3 and we will not have the use of the temporary car park for dropping off and picking up XP East students. This was always a temporary solution and I would like to take this opportunity to thank Doncaster Rovers for allowing us to use this space over the last year.

Obviously this will increase the volume of traffic in Car Park 3, so I would kindly ask that parents observe the speed limits so that students aren’t put at risk. In addition, could drivers please be vigilant as students move across the car park on their way home and to the bus stops on Stadium Way. Finally, could I request that parents be patient with one another as the car park does get congested, particularly at the end of the day. 

If parents could use the proposed routes as suggested in the picture below then we should be able to ensure a steady flow through the car park.

In addition, please could we ask that you switch your engine off whilst you wait, in the interests of keeping the environment as healthy as possible for our students and the wider community.

Once again many thanks for your support. Let’s make sure we keep our students safe and that we are kind to one another.

In crew

Andy Sprakes

Dear Parents/Guardians of C28 students,

I would like to welcome our new Year 7 students into our XP School Community.

Like our other students, Year 7 needs to come to school on Wednesday the 1st of September.  Our school will be open for students to arrive from 8 am and we ask all Year 7 students from XP and XP East are to go to the Heart of XP School (staff will be outside of the school to show students where to go).  From 8.30 am there will be a short community meeting to welcome students and then they will then be put into their Crews and meet their Crew Leader/s.

Once in their Crews students are going to spend the next three days building relationships with each other and taking part in a Microadventure.

Students need to bring their bag, with their pencil case, a filled drinks bottle (no fizzy drinks), and if appropriate their packed lunch.  If your son/daughter would like a school dinner this will be available too.  Further details about Parent Pay will be sent to you once your son/daughter is officially on role with us.

Your son/daughter will not need to bring their walking boots, waterproofs or their device in the first week, unless their Crew Leaders tells them otherwise as part of their Microadventure

Just to make you aware we have a number of students in school with nut allergies, therefore we ask that no nut products are brought into school.

Please can I ask you to see the post below from Nicki Mawby and complete the form giving your permission or not for Covid testing.

If you have any further questions please do not hesitate to get in touch with me on the following email address [email protected].

We look forward to seeing students on Wednesday.

Kind regards,

Gemma Vayro,

Phase Lead of Year 7

Following government guidance on COVID testing, before students start back to school for their 2021/22 school year, we are required to test all of our students. We will need parental consent to test your son/daughter. The new Year 7 cohort have not yet given permission to be tested at XP Trust. Would those parents of students starting in September please click on the link below and fill in the few questions. We would prefer all information to be completed and sent by Sunday 29th August 2021.

Google Form COVID – 19 Permission form. 

If you have any questions regarding the testing please email;

[email protected]

Thank you!

September 2021/22 new school year and steps to COVID 19 contact tracing:

Testing remains important in reducing the risk of infection transmission within schools. The Department of Education issued new guidelines and I would therefore like to confirm students at XP School and East School will be offered two Lateral Flow Tests on their first week back at school.

The new test is an Acon-Flowflex, which requires nasal swabs only. The test will return a result in 20 minutes. Students will need to register for the tests they take in school on their mobile phones through the NHS app, support from crew leaders and staff is offered to students for registering the test on their phones.

Students will also be offered and issued with home testing kits when they return to school for use during September. If a student should develop symptoms of Covid 19 or test positive they will not remain in school until a result is confirmed from a further PCR test. Students again do not attend school if a positive result from the home test kit is showing.

Step by step guide – ACON Flowflex  SAR-CoV-2 

The Department of Education issued new guidelines;

Unvaccinated young people up to the age of 18 years and 6 months and fully vaccinated adults, are no longer required to self-isolate if they live in the same household as someone with COVID-19, or are a close contact of someone with COVID-19. Those identified as a close contact will be informed by NHS Test and Trace that they have been in close contact with a positive case and advised to take a PCR test. We strongly encourage all individuals to take a PCR test if advised to do so. There is no requirement to self-isolate while awaiting PCR test results and so individuals can attend their setting as usual.

Children and young people who attend an education or childcare setting and who have been identified as a close contact, should continue to attend their setting as normal.

Pupils, students and staff members who record a positive LFD or PCR test should let their setting know. Individuals who return a positive LFD result will need to self-isolate immediately and order a confirmatory PCR test. If the PCR test is taken within 2 days and is negative, the individual no longer needs to self-isolate. If the PCR result is positive, the individual must self-isolate and contact tracing will be conducted by NHS Test & Trace.

Thank you and stay safe!

The new school year will commence on Wednesday 1st September and Year 10 (E25) will be taking part in a number of activities in and out of school to revisit the underpinning principles of Crew and explore why this will be important in the achievement of our Common Mission.  Our Guiding Question for the week will be How can we, as a Crew, prepare ourselves for our next climb? 

Walk on the Monsal Trail

On Friday 3rd September, students will work together to complete the Monsal Trail walk in the Peak District.  Students will arrive at school and have a briefing and kit check before heading out into the Peak District to complete the walk. It is absolutely essential that students arrive at school no later than 8.00am so that the register and kit check can be completed before leaving school. It is also essential that all students bring all of the kit on the kit list so that they are fully prepared for the expedition; this includes a packed lunch and water to drink. If there are any problems in getting the appropriate kit before the start of term, please email your child’s Crew Leader.  Please ensure that you make a copy of the Consent and Medical Form and complete it, to return to Crew Leaders before the day of the hike.

Crew Activities in school

On the other two days (Wednesday and Thursday), students will complete Crew-building and personal reflection activities.  Each day students will start and finish at the usual times and will be expected to wear sensible clothing adhering to the school dress code, as well as bringing their usual equipment and devices.  Normal school dinner options will be available as usual on these two days.

Important documents

Please ensure you are familiar with the following important documents:

Letter to parents/carers

Kit List

Consent and medical form – please make a copy of this and return it to Crew Leader

Many thanks in advance for your support in this.  We hope you enjoy the remainder of your holiday!

This morning during our final Community Meeting of the year I spoke to staff and to students about how well our young people have managed this incredibly challenging and unprecedented year. 

I will never forget having to break the news to individual students, parents, staff and whole year groups that they were being sent home because of positive Covid cases. Not once was the news met with a celebration or cheer. Instead, each and every student reacted with sadness and disbelief because they wanted and needed to be with their friends, teachers and crews here in school. 

This sense of belonging is an incredible feature of our schools. As a community we have been through so much together. Every member of staff is so proud of our kids, and as I write this ‘final word’ blog post I am incredibly moved by what we have achieved this year, and we have achieved it via a collective sense of togetherness: students, cleaners, teachers, admin support, executive team members, learning coaches, leadership, parents, cooks… everyone!

As we look to 2021/2022, we will move forward in the spirit of Crew, with the continued hope of getting everyone to the top of the mountain. 

We’ve got our kids’ backs every step of the way!

Important updates not to miss:

• Additional staff day on Tuesday 31st August
• Y7 Outward Bound to Wales has been postponed
• A Level / GCSE results day 
• iPads at XP

A personal update:

From September 2021, I will be joining XP Trust’s Instructional Leadership Team, working on Teaching and Learning across our secondary and primary schools including our new secondary, XP Gateshead, which opens in September. Andy Sprakes, the Co-Founder of XP and former XP Principal, will be the Executive Principal for both XP School and XP East.

It was a tough decision to say goodbye to the role of Principal of both schools but some people say that being a teacher and developing teachers is my superpower, and whilst I would never call myself a superhero (!) I have to admit that this is where my heart lies.

Whilst I am taking on this new role, I would like to take this opportunity to reassure parents that I am not going anywhere! As mentioned, I will still be based at XP Doncaster and still involved with the leadership and management of our schools , but I will also be broadening my role across our entire Trust of schools (XP Gateshead, Greentop Primary, Norton Infants and Juniors, Carcroft and Plover). Apart from being a Centre Midfielder for Barnsley FC, or playing guitar in the Foo Fighters, for me this new role has to be the best job in the world!

I’d like to thank the Executive Leadership Team for allowing me to pursue my passion. Their support for my new role reflects their determination to ensure that we have the best teachers, and the best learning experiences for students in all of our schools.

See you in September!

Jamie Portman