Sharing our Stories: 04/10/2024

Beautiful Work This Week

Celebrating XP Doncaster’s Duke of Edinburgh 2024 Expedition

Check out these beautiful highlights from C28s DofE Expedition last academic year! They had an awesome POL to celebrate their success this week.

Working with the National Gallery

On Monday, our dedicated Art Staff at XP Doncaster had the incredible opportunity to attend an enriching workshop organised in collaboration with The National Gallery, made possible through the support of Right Up Our Street. This was part of a larger initiative, as The National Gallery prepares for their upcoming visit to Doncaster on 19th October, which is an exciting stop on their nationwide Art Road Trip. In the lead-up to this highly anticipated visit, the Gallery has been offering a series of free CPD sessions aimed specifically at art teachers. These sessions are designed to enhance teaching practices, and we were fortunate enough that our staff could participate in one of these invaluable opportunities.

“It was really amazing to work with the National Gallery on the Staff Day at XP. They will be coming in to launch the Articulation prize for XP C28 students. Staff had the opportunity to take part in the workshop as a sneak peek before the kids get a chance!”

Kat Taylor – Art @ XP Doncaster

The focus of the workshop was particularly inspiring, centring on the importance of art commentary and how educators can empower students to express their own unique interpretations of artworks. It delved deeply into the ways students can be encouraged to find and use their own voices, providing them with the tools to articulate personal responses to visual art. The session explored various strategies for prompting thoughtful engagement with art, ensuring that students feel confident in offering their perspectives, regardless of the artwork’s complexity or the student’s prior experience. By fostering a more inclusive and supportive environment, the workshop aimed to inspire both teachers and students to approach art not just as observers but as active commentators, enriching their understanding and appreciation of visual culture. This experience was invaluable for our staff, equipping them with fresh insights and methods that will undoubtedly benefit our students in the classroom.

Building Crew at Green Top

On our most recent Staff Day, Green Top School staff completed an awesome scavenger hunt around Snaith! Crews had to complete various challenges throughout the day and they built Crew and formed stronger relationships as a result! Go #CrewGreenTop!

Wood Foundation Visitors!

We love welcoming visitors from all over the world to our Trust and this week it was a delight to work with our friends from the Wood Foundation with teachers from more than a dozen schools in Aberdeenshire. Our work with the Wood Foundation and the many schools they support, began in 2019 and has enabled us to share our story and how we work. We also travelled to Aberdeen this year to deliver CPD – including how we crew!

This week the focus was on creating and delivering expeditions and our visitors created some amazing food from our Plover Pantry recipe leaflets; originally created by the students. Part of this expedition was designed to bring the leaflets to life with a step by step video and photography guide. 

Really purposeful and beautiful work.

Top of the Blogs

Creating Beautiful Work @ Norton Infants

KS1 Community Crew @ Green Top

We are kind in Crew Lewis @ Plover

Road Safety in Crew MI @ Carcroft School

Crew Peak continue to fly! @ XP School

Making music @ Norton Juniors

Weekly update for families @ XP Gateshead

Crew HWA/KBU @ 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!

PE extra curricular next week

Tuesday- Year 10 boys football match away return to school 5.30

Wednesday- Year 7/8 girls football match away return to school 5.15

Wednesday – Netball practice 3.30-4.30

Thursday- Boys football practice 3.30-4.30

Please tick your name off the team sheets

Crew Da Vinci

Wow it’s amazing to be able to see crew within sessions this week. Here is some of the Spanish revision session in preparation for their Spanish speaking exam.

It’s heartwarming to see how the students support each other, especially as the exam date approaches. They’ve been practicing stress management techniques together, ensuring everyone feels prepared and confident. Keep it up crew Da Vinci and the rest of E27 (year 11)

    Crew HWA/KBU Update


     I was a proud crew leader last week when I asked for volunteers to help out with our student showcase, every single member of crew HWA/KBU volunteered. The showcase was a smashing success and members of our crew were able to develop their public speaking confidence by giving tours, while others showed off their artwork from their art lessons. 

    We also spent some time completing our GL screener tests on Tuesday, massive appreciation to the whole Crew for always coming to school prepared. Having the correct equipment makes jobs like that run so much smoother.

    Due to the awful weather, I also had the pleasure of watching Crew join in on a group game of Danish Longball in PE on Tuesday. We were the loudest and proudest crew, making sure to cheer from the sidelines and our teamwork skills shone through as we helped others when they were nervous to try.

    Celebrating Those Who Always Do the Right Thing!

    At XP East, we believe in celebrating the values that shape our community. Our character traits—Respect, Courage, Craftsmanship and Quality, Integrity, and Compassion—aren’t just words on a wall. They’re qualities we see every day in the students who show up, work hard, and support each other, embodying what it means to live by our school’s values.

    This term, Crew Dufton took these values a step further by creating a special series of awards to appreciate students who consistently uphold our values. Together, we crafted awards that align with XP East’s core beliefs, and we then voted for the students who truly exemplify what it means to work hard, get smart, and be kind.

    These students don’t just succeed in the classroom—they lead by example, showing the kind of integrity and kindness that inspires us all. We’re so proud to celebrate those who always choose to do the right thing, reminding us what it means to be part of a community built on trust, effort, and care for others.

    E28/Y10 Awesomeness Community Meeting

    We had a fantastic Y10 community meeting this morning, with lots to be proud of and celebrate!

    Congratulations to Crew Malala for being the top of the table for both praise points and attendance. I know that all Crews will be looking at praises, interventions and attendance as part of their Crew analysis on Thoughtful Thursday so I’m sure there will be some discussions around positive student conduct.

    Well done also to this term’s Crew Superstars: Lenia, Willow, Freya and Kasper (some beautiful words from Crew Leaders in the slides above!) We all really appreciate you 🙂

    And finally, we also had the opportunity to present the Bronze Duke of Edinburgh certificates to those students who were unable to attend Tuesday’s presentation. What an achievement!

    Mrs Parker

    Sponsor Crew Spencer – Sit up challenge for Macmillan

    Dear Parents and Guardians,

    We are excited to share that Crew Spencer has taken on a fantastic initiative to raise money for Macmillan Cancer Research by participating in a 30-Day Sit-Up Challenge! The challenge involves crew members committing to a set number of sit-ups each day, steadily increasing the count as the days progress. As the challenge unfolds, the sit-ups will be recorded by various members of the crew to track their progress and dedication.

    Macmillan Cancer Research is a wonderful charity that offers support, care, and assistance to those affected by cancer, and Crew Spencer is eager to do their part in helping this worthy cause. This effort isn’t just about building physical strength – it’s also about building empathy, community spirit, and understanding the importance of helping others in need.

    Members of Crew Spencer will be bringing home a sponsor form today for parents/carers/families. We will be also accepting donations from other Crews when we move onto making collections if anyone else would like to support us.

    Look out for the video that we plan to create to show you all how we get on!

    Arda and Ethan

    Crew Windsor Bake Sale

    What a busy morning we had today selling goodies for our chosen charity Dementia UK. It was a roaring success! We have a few bits left to sell tomorrow, but as it stands, we have raised £122.50. What a fantastic effort Crew Windsor!

    Extra curricular next week

    Tuesday – Girls football practice

    Wednesday – C31/C30 boys football fixture away. We aim to be back at XP for around 5.30.

    Netball fixture away. Back at school for 5.30. 

    Thursday – C28 Boys football fixture at home.