Firstly, we want to thank each and every one of you for the way that you have coped with the devastating news that your GCSEs will not take place this summer. We were particularly struck with the way that you all remained calm and positive last week which is a mark of the resilience and great character you have developed over the past five years. It is really important to stress to you that even though the GCSE examinations will not go ahead, you are still XP students and we want to ensure that you are safe, continuing to develop your academic skills and that we can support you in your next steps into Post 16.

The Government has stated that schools will provide the Examination Boards with an estimated grade for each subject studied by students. The statement from the Department for Education adds: ‘To produce this, teachers will take into account a range of evidence and data including performance on mock exams and non-exam assessment – clear guidance on how to do this fairly and robustly will be provided to schools and colleges.’  

We want to reassure you that we already have estimated grades based on assessments/mock examinations that you have taken in both Year 10 and 11, however, we would like you to continue to complete additional work for the following reasons:

1. To enable you to complete assessments/tasks which may be used as further evidence of achievement, if necessary. As you know this work is posted in Google Classroom so you need to check this regularly over the coming weeks. The opportunity to complete work will continue until we receive further guidance from the Department for Education. This is due in April.
2. To ensure that you are continuing to engage with the curriculum so that you do not fall behind in your studies and are therefore prepared for your next steps, whether into Sixth Form, College, Apprenticeships and/or work.

We know this will be a stressful time for you but you have done a tremendous amount of work and this will be recognised in the coming months. If you are worried about anything don’t hesitate to contact your teachers, Mrs Vayro or Mr Sprakes directly, we are here to help. 

Below is a picture of X22 from the last Friday. The next time we take a picture it will include all of you!We can’t wait to see you all again and then we can have a proper end of Year 11 celebration.

Take care and stay safe.

And remember… We are Crew!

Best wishes to you all

Mr Sprakes and the X22 Team

In these challenging times we need to celebrate the good things even more. So here’s the latest update from schools across the Trust.

We understand that all of this can be overwhelming for parents and students.  Whether it’s about staying at home, the change of routine – or for students in school adjusting to being without all of their Crew and friends.

We cannot underline enough that wherever you are you are not alone. Don’t sit on a problem, or worry – however large or small you might think it is. Share it with us.

The Staff across the Trust are here for you all – and each other. Colleagues are and will continue to be supported – and this support will grow and be defined by what is needed most and who needs it most. Day by day.

Staff are doing remarkable work in school and at home. As well as making sure the students are feeling connected, listened to and still part of school, they are extending this warmth and reassurance to all of our school families.

• Our schools are open
• Our students are safe with us in school and we’re making regular contact with our students working at home.
• Our curriculum is online
• We’re providing meals for our children in school and for children who need them via pick up
• Our schools will be open over the Easter Holidays for the students who cannot be at home and are currently still with us in school. We are doing this by using coordinated Teams, so that all staff will still have their holiday entitlement.

Please continue to look out for further updates and news. Beautiful work and magic moments are still happening across our schools and we will make sure we share them with you.

Thank you

As per the Prime Minister’s announcement last night concerning ‘staying at home and staying away from others’, our schools will remain open only for the children of key workers, and those that have been identified as vulnerable.

We have strict guidelines in place regarding hand hygiene and social distancing. Our available staff are operating a rota throughout the period.

We will continue to provide you all with as much structure and support as we can during this very difficult time.

Stay safe everyone.

Jamie Portman (Principal of XP and XP East)

As Mr Portman has outlined, we are providing an overview for parents of activities for students to complete throughout the week.

The weekly planner can be found by clicking on this link.

More detailed instructions for students can be found on Google Classroom.

Dear parent / guardian,

We have created ‘A family’s guide to online learning at XP’ which can be accessed by clicking on the hyperlink, or the image below.

Part of our strategy revolves around helping students and families to structure their days in order to establish routine. Where possible, we would like students to follow their normal timetable and complete the work that has been set by their teachers. A ‘weekly planner’ will be available for each year group and published on our website on a weekly basis. This will provide a very brief overview of the week in order to highlight what students should be working on.

Whilst the weekly planner will provide an overview of the week, Google Classroom will be used to provide specific details for tasks. Staff will be able to set work, provide resources, and even create videos in some instances which will go some way in ensuring that families are supported.

As mentioned, following the normal timetable is only a suggestion but establishing a routine at home may help families to ensure that students can focus on their learning.

We are also setting up a ‘Parents support centre’ which will be released as soon as possible. This will contain useful resources, a contact list for teachers and staff, and other information to support parents during this time.

Best wishes,

Jamie Portman (Principal of XP and XP East)

Over the next few weeks if you need to contact either school please email the usual office email address. If it is urgent please call on 01302 898792 option 2 for the XP East school. You will not be able to get through to XP but all enquires can be handled at East.

We will keep our schools open for as long as possible, whilst ensuring that we keep our students / children safe. This is our top priority.

* Updated on 20.03.20 due to the recently released Government guidance on key workers.

As you are aware the Government has announced the closure of all schools from the end of the day tomorrow, Friday 20th March 2020.

We will be keeping the school open for those children whose parents/carers work as key workers and those who are open to social services, support agencies or have an Education, Health and Care Plan. Key Workers that we are aware of include:

• Health and social care
• Education and childcare
• Key public services
• Local and national government
• Food and other necessary goods
• Public safety and national security
• Transport
• Utilities, communication and financial services

I am sure you will appreciate, a plan needs to be prepared urgently and therefore we would really appreciate a response to the following request:

1. Please contact the school offices as soon as possible should you believe you fall into one of the categories listed above. We appreciate the phone lines may be busy, therefore please also use our admin email if you need to which is office@xpschool.org
2. Please state your child’s name and your reason you request your child to remain in school during these difficult times.

We are continuing to look at supporting our families who are entitled to free school meals and will provide updates as soon as we can. Please keep checking the website daily for updates. 

Best wishes,

Jamie Portman (Principal of XP and XP East)

Doncaster School Nurses are also contactable on 01302 566776

Please find below an update from the XP Trust on the current situation. 

After the UK Government’s announcement yesterday we would like to update and clarify our plans on the Coronavirus situation, as from (today) 18th March 2020.

We confirm that we will continue to support our school community by:

From 23rd March 2020, 

• Keeping our schools open for the children / students whose parents work as ‘key workers’, defined by the government as NHS staff, Police and Delivery Drivers, more details to follow on this.
• Opening the schools for children / students who have a Social Worker and/or Education, Health and Care Plans
• Ensuring children / students who receive Free School Meals will be able to access the schools to collect a free Meal provided by the school (further details to follow from the schools themselves)

For children / students who have been asked to stay at home by the UK government, we can confirm that:

• Our curriculum for XP and XP East is now online for all students to access at home. 
• Details on how everyone can access these resources are available here.
• Every school in the Trust will have plans in place to touch base with their children / students throughout the closure period, they will communicate this to you.

For those parents whose children will continue to come to school on Monday 23rd March, please could you support the schools by ensuring:

• Your children / students wash their hands before they come to school and when then get home
• You keep the communication between home and schools open via email, websites and phone calls 
• Follow the government guidance on household self isolation 

Schools will continue to send out updates where the situation changes and for your reassurance and information.

As always the usual lines of communication to schools will be open if you have any specific concerns related to your child or circumstances.

Thank you for your support at this time.

The video below provides parents and students with instructions on how to access our curriculum online.

All of our students are familiar with Google Docs and Google Classroom, and each of them have an email address which will contain updates on what they should / will be doing.

Please bear in mind that our staff are still teaching lessons, and some of them are in self isolation because they have symptoms of the virus.

However, you will see that our expedition and subject websites have been part of our practice for some time now and we are in a strong position to continue our work remotely.