National Careers Week (2nd–7th March 2026) helps students learn about different careers through workshops and employer activities. The school follows a Careers Roadmap from Year 7 to Year 11, guiding students as they explore options and make decisions about their future.
At XP we develop key transferable skills such as listening, teamwork, problem‑solving, and creativity.
Please support your student in Years 9–11 complete an aspirations survey, and Year 11 students also must complete a Next Steps survey to support post‑16 planning.
Work Experience for C29 (Year 10) will run from 11th–15th May 2026, offering benefits like real‑world experience, confidence building, and CV development. It requires full attendance and support from parents/carers.
Year 10 will also be attending taster days at local colleges to help them begin to make choices about where they will study after XP.
What a fantastic and full week it has been for Crew Brunel! As we reach the end of this half term, it’s been a brilliant opportunity to reflect on our progress, celebrate achievements and recognise the effort that everyone has put in over the past few weeks.
We started the week by welcoming Crew Sinfield to join us. It was great to collaborate and begin the week together, strengthening relationships across crews. As always, we focused on our Crew fundamentals — checking in with one another, setting intentions for the week ahead and making sure everyone felt prepared and supported. These sessions are such an important part of our routine. They allow us to reflect, reset and ensure we are holding ourselves accountable to our goals. Starting the week with clear focus and positive energy really sets the tone for everything that follows.
Tuesday was a practical day as we tackled lost property! This task not only helped organise the school but also counted towards Duke of Edinburgh volunteering skills. Students worked together to sort and catalogue the few items, developing responsibility and community service — showing how even everyday tasks can build valuable skills.
On Wednesday, we continued exploring our current Wise Wednesday topic. These sessions always encourage thoughtful conversation and deeper thinking. Students demonstrated maturity in their discussions, listening respectfully to different viewpoints and building on each other’s ideas. Wise Wednesday is an important space for developing character, reflection and critical thinking — and this week was no exception. It’s great to see how much confidence has grown across the crew when contributing to discussions.
Thursday was all about recognition. We reviewed praises and conducts, taking time to acknowledge the effort and positive contributions made across the half term. A huge congratulations to Rowena, who achieved an incredible 33 praises this half term! This is a fantastic accomplishment and reflects consistent hard work, positive attitude and commitment to Crew values. It was brilliant to celebrate not just the numbers, but the behaviours and effort behind them. The praise leaderboard is a reminder that small, positive actions every day really do add up.
We ended the half term with a Community Meeting, celebrating the amazing work students have produced. A special mention goes to our Year 11 students who have worked incredibly hard during their mock exams. The resilience, preparation and focus they have shown has been impressive.
We are also extremely proud of the students who passed their Passage Presentations this week. A massive well done to: Liam, Brooke, Fin, Rowena and Roan. Their presentations were a true reflection of their hard work and preparation. Thanks to their success, we continue to maintain our 100% pass rate, which is something we are incredibly proud of as a Crew. We now only have a few presentations left after February half term, and we are really looking forward to seeing those final students step up and shine.
On Wednesday and Thursday morning before Crew time, we also held a Valentine’s themed bake sale to raise money for our chosen charity, Coral Reef Alliance. Thanks to the generosity of students and staff, we raised a whopping £90! This is a fantastic achievement and will go towards supporting important work to protect coral reefs around the world. A huge thank you to everyone who baked, donated and bought something — your support really made a difference!
As we close this half term, I want to say how proud I am of the effort, growth and resilience shown by everyone in Crew Brunel. It has been a busy term, but the progress made, both academically and personally, has been clear to see. I hope everyone has a well-deserved, restful break. Take the time to recharge, reset and return refreshed and ready for the new half term ahead.
See you all soon, Crew Brunel — keep striving, keep supporting one another, and keep being brilliant!
This week, C29 students were able to tour the historic Plant Works site in Hexthorpe, Doncaster. Here they took a tour of the Wabtec facility from the HVAC testing shop, to E2 – the erecting shop, which was built in – and home to the legendary Flying Scotsman.
Students were able to take in the history of the location as they were escorted around the 22 acre site seeing where it reached to at the height of production, spanning a staggering 90 acres. The site has been an integral part of our community for more than 170 years employing thousands of local people who worked numerous jobs from labourers to master craftspeople. The plant was also an integral part of the war effort with Doncaster women becoming ‘Munitionettes’, working long hours in dangerous conditions.
With the site relocating towards the end of this year, this is probably the last cohort from XP Trust to visit such an important part of Doncaster’s heritage. With this area of Hexthorpe being home to such historic achievements and listed buildings, it really was a privilege to be welcomed into this local slice of industry!
What happens when young artists are invited not just to study art history, but to re-shape it?
Learning began in the Year 10 expedition, A Change would do you good, students started their exploration into syncretism—the merging of ideas, styles, and belief systems—to reimagine artworks through the lens of multiple isms. Rather than treating movements as fixed points in time, students asked richer questions: What if these styles collided? How can I place myself within it? What new meanings might emerge?
This wasn’t about copying a style. It was about intentional synthesis. Each piece demonstrates thoughtful decision-making—where students selected, adapted, and fused visual languages to communicate something new.
Making the Familiar Unfamiliar
By layering isms, students disrupted the “single story” of art history. A familiar portrait becomes unfamiliar again. Mood shifts. Meaning deepens. Viewers are invited to pause, question, and look again.
This approach mirrors how artists have always worked—borrowing, remixing, responding. Our students weren’t just learning about art movements; they were working like artists, positioning themselves within an ongoing creative conversation that spans centuries.
Students took intellectual risks, embraced ambiguity, and trusted their creative instincts. The outcome is work that is confident, personal, and skillfully beautiful.
Displayed together, these artworks form more than an exhibition—they tell a story of curiosity, courage, and synthesis. A reminder that art history isn’t static. It’s alive. And our students are part of shaping what comes next.
Beautiful work. Powerful thinking. Art history—reimagined.
