XP and XP East welcomed colleagues from the University of Manchester to find out all about our practices today. It is always an exceptional opportunity to share our practices with visitors, but today I was able to witness how powerful our students sharing their stories truly is.

Our students confidently presented on the question: “What is Crew?” They articulated the deep-rooted culture of community, accountability, and peer support that defines the Crew structure across our schools. Watching them explain how Crew acts as both an academic anchor and a supportive team to our visitors was a powerful reminder of how deeply they understand and live our values daily.

In addition to exploring our Crew culture, our visitors gained insight into the rigorous academic scaffolding that underpins our curriculum.

A huge thank you goes to Miss Johnson, who shared her expertise on how we design and produce our stunning, high-quality expeditions. By taking our guests behind the scenes of our planning processes, she demonstrated how we connect deep subject standards in order to answer guiding questions and produce beautiful, authentic final products.

This week has brought a deeply grounding reminder of why we do what we do at XP and XP East. Being invited by our students to sit in on their Final Word presentations has been nothing short of a privilege, leaving a lasting impression on all of the adults in the room.

The Final Word is a cornerstone experience where our departing students reflect on how their time here has shaped them as people and as learners. But it is one thing to know the protocol, and another entirely to sit in a room and witness it unfold. The depth of reflection shared by our students this week has been remarkably profound. They have spoken with immense maturity about their academic journeys, their growth through Crew, and their readiness to step into the wider world.

For the staff and family members listening, the impact is hard to put into words. Hearing a young person articulate their own character development, trace their resilience through years of hard work, and offer authentic appreciations to those who supported them is incredibly moving. It provides a rare, deeply moving view of the impact of our collective work. The vulnerability and insight shown by the students does more than just demonstrate their preparedness for the next stage—it reminded every adult present of the immense power of giving young people the space to own their story.

Thanks Neave and Karan for letting me join you today! I can’t wait to hear more stories next week.

A reminder to all of our C28 students – what we have at XP is special, you are all judged by your character and beautiful work in the world you are about to enter – not just your results! You have all worked incredibly hard. Please don’t be strangers, email us and come back to celebrate with us.

Year 10 Badminton in PE Session 1 today was so uplifitng!

Students were engaged in leading, umpiring and playing badminton in todays PE session. There is always something incredibly uplifting about seeing our students fully immerse themselves in sport, and today was a perfect example of community, teamwork, and character growth in action. There were smiles, encouragement, and a supportive competitive spirit. It was wonderful to watch these students engage so positively with the session, actively building their coordination while showcasing excellent sportsmanship. Core PE is really important to use to support wellbeing alongside the physical and health benefits.

The Return of Our Community Meetings following the exam period has been so uplifting for our school community. There was a wave of pride and community spirit echoed across our stairs today following the fantastic whole school community meeting held this morning. Bringing together students and staff from all year groups Mrs. Salter and Mr. Voltaire led the morning sessions, marking a heartwarming and energetic return to our highlight of the week.

After a rigorous and focused period dedicated to the Year 11 GCSE examinations, coming back together as a whole community feels even more special. The atmosphere was explicitly one of celebration—a chance to breathe, reflect, and look forward. Central to the morning’s success was the powerful momentum of shared appreciations, reminding us all of the strength, kindness, and resilience that define our school culture. A couple of standout highlights of the morning was our attendance celebration, where we recognised the dedication of our students, alongside honouring our “top of praises” recipients who have gone above and beyond in demonstrating exceptional character and hard work this week.

XP East have a hard act to follow when comparing the attendance from our crews this week!

Well done to all of our students who were named in this weeks community meeting! You are rockstars!

Our X30 students have successfully completed their DofE expedition and have arrived back into school. They are now completing the degunge process and should be ready to be picked up between 4pm and 4.15pm.

Beautiful work this week

Here’s a selection of beautiful work from across the XP Trust!

To read about other stories from across the XP Trust, visit xptrust.org.

Top of the Blogs

A Seaside Spectacular with Mr Dan! @ Green Top

Handwriting champion of the week @ Plover

STEM Challenge @ Carcroft School

Weekly Update @ XP Gateshead

Why is the seaside such a special place? @ Norton Infants

Duke of Edinburgh success @ XP School

Year 10 fieldwork to the Holocaust Museum @ XP East

Year 6 Heart Art @ Norton Juniors

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 comms@xptrust.org –  we want to hear about it, write about it and celebrate it!

Good Morning from our sunny campsite

Awesome day yesterday, kids showed grit and determination. Now on the day 2. With the sunshine on our faces and a smile in our hearts students embark on the next leg of the expedition.

They are all currently taking down tents, repacking their kit and having a bite to eat.

We aim to be back and ready for collection from XP today around 4pm.

We will try and keep you posted, please be mindful that signal is limited.

Thank you

DofE Team