Frank Arrowsmith

By Mr M Said16th November 2020

We were very saddened to hear that Frank Arrowsmith, a great friend of the school, has passed away. Frank worked with us on our expeditions looking at Doncaster’s mining heritage.

We pass on our condolences to Brenda, Frank’s family and all who were lucky enough to know him.

There have been many tributes to Frank from across the community, we are posting our students words here to honour Frank.

[gview file=”https://cdn.realsmart.co.uk/8fcb5ef6413072ba30cbe25fbf839dfb/uploads/2020/11/16202319/From-the-ground-up-Frank-Arrowsmith.pdf”]

C25: Out here in the fields

By Joe Nixon9th November 2020

Our year 9 students were lucky enough to get out on fieldwork on the final week of term to complete work relating to their ‘Welcome to the machine’ expedition. Over the next seven weeks of the winter term, they will be working on their answer to the guiding question:

‘Do the benefits of industrialisation outweigh the costs?’

For their first STEAM case studies, students have been looking at conservation data, learning about how data can be collected and displayed using multiple representations. They have also been learning about specialisation and ecosystem management.

They visited The Hatfield Moors, our local nature reserve, to examine the extent of the fire damage from earlier this year. Students have been learning about the protected species that can be found at the site, particularly the adder, and how Natural England and the fire service prioritised safeguarding these species during the clear up operation.

While at the site, students conducted a series of sampling techniques, as well as collecting data on the wildlife. Sadly, due to slight delays in being able to visit the site, we weren’t able to spot any adders as they have likely gone into hibernation for the winter, however, students were still able to find other species key to maintaining and supporting the ecosystem at the wetland.

Students also conducted a number of tests on the site, in accordance with their two daily learning targets for the day:

1. I can estimate the population density of a species using random sampling techniques.

Students engaged in data collection of various parts of the site, using quadrats to provide increasingly accurate estimations of species numbers in the areas we sampled. We created a set of axes, used a random number generator to find coordinates to sample, and collected the data from those coordinates.

After collecting data in teams of three, we used all the data collected to calculate the predicted species number, based on scaling up the measurements to accommodate the size of the field. In debrief, due to a large range in answers, we went on to calculate the mean for those estimations, to create a more accurate estimation. We also discussed why using the random number generator was fundamental in keeping our research free from bias.

2. I can investigate the effects of abiotic factors using systematic sampling techniques.

Students then went on to conduct a series of pH tests on the wetlands, again using their quadrats placed along a transect, to link changes in species to abiotic factors of the wetlands. In debrief, we examined the data, looking for patterns relating to the abundance of the plant species and the abiotic factor recorded.

I feel incredibly fortunate that we were able to make it out to the site given the current circumstances, and I really look forward to hear how the work the students have done on this series of case studies will inform their guiding question answers over the coming weeks.

Year 7 students working hard and creating beautiful work

By Miss Jones16th October 2020

Wow! Year 7! What an amazing start to your art sessions at XP. You have all been a pleasure to teach and I am sooo excited to see your skills in art get better and better.

This half term, we have been concentrating on ‘line’ and ‘mark-making’.

I asked pupils to look carefully at this artwork by Olga Gamynina and have a go at re-creating it. Look at this beautiful work!

by Ben (X27 Admiral)

by Lidija (X27 Skipper)

Amazing work Year 7! Well done!

Amazing prints by X26

16th October 2020Miss Jones

Really impressed with Y8’s prints from today’s art lesson.

It was lovely to see the enthusiasm and excitement of the students with this new technique.

 

Superstars in Crew Macmillan – Term 1!

By Melissa Cocliff16th October 2020

…we’ve only gone and done it! We’ve finally reached the end of the first term in what has been one of the most weird, unpredictable times that we’ve experienced.

I wanted to end this term on a positive, and so i hope this post does Crew Mac some form of justice!

Throughout this term, Crew Macmillan have worked together on a number of different tasks and topics. We’ve learned about how stress can affect us and our sleep; and how sleep (or lack of) can affect us too! We’ve completed our Star Reader tests to find out our reading ages; and started a book club on Tuesdays, reading Pay It Forward; something we, as a crew, aspire to do this year. [check out these concentration faces!!]

We’ve laughed, cried, and everything in-between. Crew really have been incredible this term – thank you, guys!

Here are crew Macmillan working hard; and as a team, to learn about stress!

 

Possibly my favourite moments of this term, though, have revolved around some of the incredible work crew Macmillan have produced. As a learning coach in Y11, it’s not often i get to see their amazing work – so i love it when i do!! Can you BELIEVE this is a drawing that Alfie has done as an artist study?! I thought it was a photo!

Courtney has also been working hard in Art: check out this brilliant viewfinder study she was working on. Some great tonal work and shading!

In 3D Art, students have been looking at steampunk style face masks; and there are some incredible examples. I was really impressed by Archie’s, and Joe’s attempts to create one!

I also wanted to highlight this fantastic piece of work done by Ricki. I don’t think i’ve ever seen a poetry analysis so detailed. Ricki led a bit of the session, along with Jayden. The amount of writing on this piece of paper is astounding!!

And finally this term, crew have been working on going above & beyond, and trying to beat the other Y10 crews on praise. I set them a secret mission, to get the most entries on the praise form as a crew. We’ve an average of 24.7 praise entries in Crew Macmillan; WOW!

Courtney has been entered on to the praise form 32 times during this half term! Courtney has worked incredibly hard and shows up every day, works hard, gets smart, and is kind, even when she isn’t having the best day! I am so proud of you, Courtney – well done! Some of Courtney’s praise entries are:

“Brilliant conduct during DofE when MCO had to tend to a first aid issue. Crew just sat and got on with DofE. Huge amounts of respect and compassion shown.” – me!   “Excellent paired work in sessions” – Mrs Batty. “These students are working so hard continuously in all sessions.” – Mrs Johnson.  Keep up the hard work Courtney!!

Heather has been entered on to the praise form 21 times during this half term! What an achievement!!!! Heather has put in an incredible amount of effort since returning to school – in to all sessions!!! Well done Heather – keep working hard! Some of Heather’s praise entries are:

“For producing amazing work in Expeditionary Arts” – Mrs Johnson. “really working hard this week on GCSE content” – Mr Shakesby. “All these students were working really hard in Art today. They grappled with their 3D work and were thinking creatively to produce facemasks in a steampunk style.” – Mr Jackson. Well done Heather!!!

Alfie has been entered on to the praise form 39 times this half term. WOW – that must be a record?! Alfie is an incredibly hard worker, who comes in and shows kindness and compassion every single day to anyone he crosses paths with. An incredible effort, amazing work Alfie! Some of Alfie’s praise entries are:

“Great hotel conversation, well done.” – Mrs Sprakes. “Great focus throughout the lesson” – Miss Taylor. “For being really supportive and kind when they could see a staff member was upset/struggling. Sent a lovely email too to ensure the staff member in question was okay. Such kindness and compassion goes a long way. Well done guys, and thank you.” – me!!

Frankie has returned to school almost flawlessly! Frankie has been entered on the praise form 35 times!!!! this half term – how amazing is that!!!! Frankie has also been working on a Dr Who project outside of school, so has had tonnes on her plate this term – and still shows up to sessions and works hard with a smile! An absolute pleasure to have in Crew Macmillan – keep up the fantastic work Frankie! Some of Frankie’s praise entries are:

“Accurate use of the present tense (different people) in a writing task.” – Mrs Sprakes. “Excellent paired work in sessions.” – Mrs Batty. “Fantastic start to English GCSE. Focused and keen to get on. Brilliant HoWLS- Well done! Keep it up!” – Miss Johnson. Well done Frankie!!

Isaac has also returned to school brilliantly after lockdown, and has been entered on the praise form 31 times this term. An amazing achievement!!! Isaac has knuckled down so well, come back in to school and worked hard, gotten smart, and has been really kind this term. Keep working hard Isaac – i promise that it will pay off!!

Some of Isaac’s praise entries are: “Fantastic start to English GCSE. Focused and keen to get on. Brilliant HoWLS- Well done! Keep it up!” – Miss Johnson. “Beautiful work on KWL, well done.” – Mrs Sprakes. “Great attitude in lesson.” – Miss O’Grady. Such positive feedback, Isaac – excellent work!!!

Imogen comes into school every day and SMASHES IT. She is such an incredible person, who works incredibly hard, has great attendance and a fantastic attitude in sessions. Imogen has been put on the praise form 33 times this term – that’s 33 times where staff have noticed Imogen going above and beyond what is expected of her! Wow!!!

Some of Imo’s praise entries are: “Improvement in vocab test results from one week to the next, well done.” – Mrs Sprakes. “Working hard in Maths” – Mrs Johnson. “Brilliant level of focus. In depth annotations made. Lovely session where everyone was on it!!” – Miss Johnson. What a superstar – Amazing work Imogen!!!!

Joe has come back into y10 absolutely brilliantly! We’re working on Joe’s HoWLs – he’s been working incredibly hard this term, and his HoWLs grades are set to be tip-top! Joe excels in STEAM, and his maths talent is second to none – he knows way more than i do!!! Joe has received 14 praise entries this half term – what a guy!!! Some of Joe’s praise comments are as follows:

“For producing amazing work in Expeditionary Arts” – Mrs Johnson. “Fantastic start to English GCSE. Focused and keen to get on. Brilliant HoWLS- Well done! Keep it up!” – Miss Johnson. “Great attitude in lesson.” – Miss O’Grady. Well done Joe – have a relaxing half term!!!

Milo is just an absolute superstar, and his hard work really doesn’t go unnoticed. Milo is aiming high for his GCSE’s, and that doesn’t come without graft! He comes in every day, asks some brilliant questions, and gets on with his work day in, day out. Milo has also received 14 praise entries this half term – what an achievement!!!

Some of Milo’s praise entries are: “Always works hard in PE.” – Miss O’Grady.  “Worked hard and created beautiful work in the session” – Miss Taylor. “Creative hotel conversation in Spanish.” – Mrs Sprakes. Keep up the great work Milo!

Vinnie has also just been amazing this term! Coming back into school, Vinnie has really matured and adapted well to the regular school routine. He’s been working hard in sessions and i’ve had tonnes of positive feedback. He’s really engaged well in his Geography sessions, too! Vinnie has been entered on the praise form 18 times this term – Crew Mac really are killing it this term!!!!

Some of Vinnie’s praise entries are as follows: “Brilliant conduct during DofE when MCO had to tend to a first aid issue. Crew just sat and got on with DofE. Huge amounts of respect and compassion shown.” – me!! “Working so well on their assessment in citizenship ” – Mrs Burrows. “Excellent recall of knowledge in quick fire test” – Mrs Batty. Keep it up, Vinnie, and you’ll achieve amazing things this year!

Finn is an absolutely wonderful human – what a joy to be around, and to have in crew. Finn constantly asks fantastic questions, he works hard, gets smart, and focuses on being kind – this comes with being the resident comedian!! Finn has had an amazing term and has been entered on the praise form an impressive 20 times!!!

See here some of the comments about Finn this term: “Working so well on their assessment in citizenship ” – Mrs Burrows. “really working hard this week on GCSE content” – Mr Shakesby. “All these students were working really hard in Art today. They grappled with their 3D work and were thinking creatively to produce facemasks in a steampunk style.” – Mr Jackson. Amazing work, Finn – keep it up after a nice 2 week break!!

Ricki has settled properly into Crew Macmillan absolutely perfectly. He has had some tough moments this term – but has been proving to everyone what an incredible young man he is! Ricki has received 30 praise entries this term as a result of his hard work and his dedication to turning things around in school. He really has blown me away – i really hope this continues Ricki – you’re a fantastic addition to crew Mac!!!

Some of Ricki’s praise comments are as follows: “Admiral have been on fire since they returned to School. Its a pleasure to be in their sessions.” – Mrs Johnson. “Working so well on their assessment in citizenship” – Mrs Burrows. “Excellent paired work in sessions” – Mrs Batty. Keep up the brilliant work; you’re capable of amazing things!!

Charlie has also returned to Y10 almost flawlessly. She goes above and beyond every single day to help others where she can, all with a smile on her face. Charlie, you’ve been an absolute delight to have in Crew this term – I really hope you know how much we appreciate your hard work! As a result of this, Charlie has been put on the praise form 29 times this term; AMAZING!

Some of the comments made about Charlie are: “Really impressed with the last few lessons, listening, helping with equipment and putting effort into the sessions. Well done girls. Please keep it up.” – Miss O’Grady. “Great translation into Spanish, well done.” – Mrs Sprakes. “Worked hard and created beautiful work in the session” – Miss Taylor. Keep up the fantastic work, Charlie – you’ll go far!!

And last but certainly not least, Archie; who has worked like an absolute trooper this term. Archie has produced some top quality work this term which demonstrates XP’s character values. He has worked SO hard this term, he’s getting involved in sessions, and he’s being kind every day. And his efforts have been noticed by staff-  Archie has received 15 praise entries this term – along with some praise postcards!!

Some praise entries for Archie are: “Remained on task and didn’t say a word for a whole 18minutes! Record!!” – Miss Johnson (haha!!), “Working hard in Session 1. Expeditionary Arts” – Mrs Johnson. “Working hard on demonstrating an understanding of key plots in Stave 2 of A Christmas Carol” – Mrs Mawby. Archie seems to be really smashing it in Humanities; please do keep this up, Arch – i’m so excited to see what you achieve this year!

So, Crew Macmillan – it’s over and out for 2 weeks. Don’t miss each other too much… try and relax a little – you need to recover ready to work just as hard next term!!

See you soon… stay safe!

Miss Cocliff x

X27 Admiral completing beautiful extended study this week

By Miss Jones2nd October 2020

X27 has had their first extended study set for art this week and I have been really impressed with their submissions.

Here is some of the beautiful work by X27 Admiral.

Bryson.

Jasmin.

Alysia.

Well done X27 Admiral. I am looking forward to seeing X27 Skippers’ efforts (they are due in on Monday……no pressure).

 

Crew Webb’s academic success

By B Batty25th September 2020

With the new term and expedition now well under way our check in today was focused on sharing a piece of work from the last few weeks that we were pleased with or proud of.

It was great to see examples from Art, English and Spanish as well as History.

Here are Crew Webb’s choices:

Charlie shared his 3D mask making designs. He has used both his Ipad and more traditional techniques when developing his Steam Punk creation.

Tristan,  Loris,  Kyra, Sam and Eleanor shared their History assessment on living conditions in the Medieval Period.

Amber also picked her Medieval living conditions assessment but also some of her Spanish work that she had drafted and improved. It’s great to see Crew Webb getting smart through revision and redrafting.

Here is Lara’s beautifully annotated version of the poem Living Space 

Tom and Kyle choose their work from 2D and 3D art. Here is Tom’s view finder study and Kyle’s steam punk helmet on Boba Fett! Beautiful work boys!

Y10 & 11: We Are Crew!

By Mr M Voltaire24th September 2020

It’s been the most unusual starts to a year that we’ve ever had here at XP as it has been for most school across the country. But during this time of change and uncertainty, there has been one thing if which I am absolutely certain; the commitment and work ethic of students in our phase, Years 10 and 11. Walking around the school during Crew time I see the same thing everyday; our young people sitting in their circle speaking with compassion, maturity and usually with smiling faces. It’s been a big adjustment for some of us returning to school after such a ling break from routine. Some of us have struggled to slip straight back into the daily routine which has left some feeling tired, but still I’m delighted to see just how well our students are working. In lessons, I have seen students in years 10 and 11 working with focus, purpose and downright graft! Our ‘Crew Dashboards’ where we log all of the positive things we see are bursting at the seems with positive comments from out teachers and learning coaches which is wonderful to see. Here are a few excerpts:

 

X24:

–Admiral have been on fire since they returned to School. It’s a pleasure to be in their sessions.

-Kyra and Alfie: PERFECT translation of a text, wow, well done.

-Max W: Max worked really well in Citizenship an History, completing work both in a group, shoulder buddies and independently. Well done Max.

-Jayden, JD, Ricki, Max, Jaggy: Brilliant team effort on their work around ACC plot. Worked together well as a team and proved me and RJO wrong!

-Sam and Milo: Students supporting each other in difficult tasks, well done! Wonderful to see!

 

X23:

-Charlotte: Absolutely fantastic work , attitude and student. Keep going.

-Abi: Brilliant attitude to come back with stronger than ever.

-Mills: Know you’re finding it tough but you’re awesome and a role model to others.

-Tyler and Levi: Working incredibly hard in session, with a positive attitude. Grappling with tricky concepts. Really pleased.

-Isaac: Issac was great in art, head down and on task throughout. I’ve been impressed the last few sessions how Issac has joined a smaller group with myself, found images, shared and expressed, constructively his thoughts.

-Liam: Brilliant effort. This is reflected in your grade, well deserved

-Jac, Alex, Jon: Brilliant work in history today. Detailed answers and very involved – absolutely on fire!!!

There are hundreds more!

 

What has been even more pleasing this term is the way that our young people seem to be looking out for watch other and supporting each other in their own unique way. I’m seeing people take the time to check in with others and see how they are doing, hearing people speaking up and reaching out and feeling great about the way that our young people see us all as in this together. Our community meeting in X24 was a wonderful thing to see today as every single student wrote a personal positive message of support to their peers in X23. It made me unbelievably proud to see the maturity and compassion being shown to other students in the school have a lot on their plate and a lot on their mind. X24 are shaping up to be a fine set of young adults and I look forward to seeing them develop throughout the rest of the year!