I’ve been really looking forward to returning to school this week, and the opportunity to circle up once again with Crew Young. Almost as hard to believe that we are now entering our fifth year together at XP East, is the fact that some of them have grown even taller (and/or wider) during the summer break! However, whether they’ve grown further in character or in stature, there are some wise heads on these young, broad shoulders…..

Amongst other things, over the past three days we’ve discovered that Summer has almost completed the manuscript draft of her first novel, Maclaren’s alter ego is the superhero “Oven Glove Man” (with some amazing super powers), Lewis still aspires for a career in the police force, I’m rubbish at the rock game, and Isabel has encyclopaedic knowledge of pop stars, media and social influencers.

From our first outward bound adventure in Malham Cove and Kingswood, to the challenges of Aberdovey, to the experiences of the Slave Museum, and leaving an indelible mark on the fabric of our school when signing the central pillar of the building, Crew Young are now well on the way along their learning journey. Today they designed and then described their roadmap to future GCSE success.

Crew Young takes both their name and inspiration from Cliff Young, Australian farmer who won an ultra marathon finishing in Doncaster, a suburb of Melbourne Australia, beating world class athletes by an unorthodox approach to running the event. He is quoted as saying: “I like to finish what I start doing. I like to see it through to the end, to the best of my ability.”

So do we.