This week has been a busy and reflective one as we wrapped up the term and prepared for a well-earned break.

We started on Monday by getting ourselves organised and back on track. Crew members spent time catching up on Sparx tasks, Tassomai, and updating their DofE skills logs. It was also a chance to check in with one another and make sure everyone felt supported heading into the final days of term. In addition, students took some time to give staff their apology postcards, each including a personal pledge for how they will improve moving forward — an important step in taking responsibility and rebuilding positive relationships. As part of our DofE volunteering skills, we also took on the task of sorting through lost property. We carefully organised items and created a blog post to share key information with the wider school community, helping reunite belongings with their owners — an impactful way to give back and support others.

Tuesday brought a slight change to our usual routine. We swapped our normal Tuesday activity and instead focused on our Wise Wednesday topic. Everyone engaged well, taking thoughtful notes and contributing to discussions.

On Wednesday, we joined the rest of C30 for our community meeting. This was an important moment to reflect as a year group. We celebrated successes and recognised positive achievements across the cohort. However, we also looked closely at areas for improvement. Attendance was a key focus, with Crew Brunel currently sitting lowest in the year group — something we are determined to improve next term. We also reviewed praises and conducts data, and again, it highlighted that we have work to do, as Brunel has received the highest number of conduct points so far this term. While this was a challenging conversation, it was an important one, and we are committed to making positive changes moving forward.

Thursday gave us the opportunity to dig deeper into this data within our own crew. We spent time unpicking praises and conduct points to better understand patterns and identify how we can improve as individuals and as a crew. We also had another opportunity to catch up on Sparx tasks, ensuring everyone is as prepared as possible going into the break.

Friday was Crew Day — a fantastic way to end the term. We began with a whole-school community meeting where achievements from across all year groups were celebrated. A highlight for Crew Brunel was recognising our Crew Champion for the term: Roan, for his fantastic improvement in attendance. A huge well done to him — an achievement to be proud of!

After this, we split into year groups for our Crew Day activities. Year 9 focused on their DofE volunteering skills, with each crew taking on a task to give back to the XP community. Crew Brunel were on portfolio duty, and we took real pride in the job. We carefully organised folders and book boxes, ensuring everything was sorted into the correct crews. We then tackled loose papers, organising them into year groups and placing them alongside the appropriate folders. Finally, we cleared away waste paper and made sure everything was recycled properly. It was a great example of teamwork and responsibility in action.

Lunchtime brought a fun and memorable moment with the “sponge the teacher” event, organised by Year 11 to raise money for their prom. It was a brilliant way to bring everyone together and end the term on a high note.

To finish the day, we degunged our crew room, leaving it clean, organised, and ready for next term — a fresh start for everyone.

Now it’s time for the Easter holidays. Two weeks to rest, recharge, and enjoy time with family and friends. Have a fantastic break, and I look forward to seeing everyone back, refreshed and ready to improve!

Miss Mitchell