X29 Crew Kelly students were working hard and getting smart in History this afternoon with Mrs Hannam. The class showed great focus as they developed their historical knowledge and understanding. A lovely, productive afternoon from Y11 – keep it up!
Hands-On History: Building Motte & Bailey Castles
E33 Pioneer have been working incredibly hard on the History content for their first Expedition: This Land is Your Land.
When exploring how William the Conqueror gained control in England we learnt about the Motte and Bailey castles, which we had in Doncaster!
On Friday we spent the session consolidating our knowledge of the features of the castles by building our own to include:
- Motte
- Keep
- Bailey
- Palisade
We’re now working towards our skills check to demonstrate our knowledge so far in the expedition!
Excellent work, Pioneer!
Crew ABT – A Fantastic Week! 🌟
Crew ABT – A Fantastic Week! 🌟
What a week for Crew ABT!
The Crew have had a fantastic week with NO conducts and plenty of praises! 👏 This is a brilliant achievement and shows that the Crew are really starting to make positive choices and take responsibility for their learning and behaviour.
It’s great to see the hard work paying off and the Crew supporting each other to be the best they can be.
Keep it up, Crew ABT — let’s make next week even better! 💪🔥
Boys move
This weekend, a group of our incredible Year 10 boys took on the challenge of a 5k inflatable obstacle course at the Escrick Estate in York!
Over the past nine weeks, these students have been diving deep into crucial community issues—exploring mental health, building self-esteem, and learning how to break down barriers. Inspired to make a tangible difference, the boys chose to direct their energy toward raising funds for Young Lives vs Cancer, helping support families facing cancer across the UK.
The atmosphere on the day was nothing short of electric, packed with energy and fantastic encouragement from attending students, parents, and staff. The boys tackled every obstacle with determination, teamwork, and massive smiles—they were truly phenomenal.
A massive congratulations to everyone involved for putting in the work, raising funds for a fantastic cause, and representing our school community so brilliantly!
If you would like to support this great cause, please donate – https://gofund.me/c34026395
What coming up WC 28th September
Wednesday – Boys dna girls football training 3.30-4.30.
Year 8 and 9 netball fixture at Home against Ridgewood. 3.30-4.45.
Thursday – Cheerleading practice 3.30-4.30
Crew White- A little time to breathe
The last five weeks have been a big one for Crew White, and I just wanted to take a moment to say how incredibly proud I am of them.
They have been working so hard and have really stepped things up now that they are in Year 11. The days are long, with five-session days now sometimes becoming seven because of Academic Crew and Learning Labs. That is a lot to fit into a day, and yet they continue to show up, keep going and give things their best.
That’s why this morning’s Crew session felt so needed.
It was a chance to slow things down for a little while. Time to catch up, talk about how Year 11 is treating us, share a few thoughts, have a laugh and, most importantly, just have a minute to stop and breathe.
Because whilst I want them to work hard and make the very most of Year 11, I also want to get the balance right. I don’t want them burning out before they’ve even had the chance to really get going. There is so much pressure on them, and sometimes they simply need permission to pause.
A little hot chocolate and a sweet treat certainly seemed to hit the spot! ☕🍪 It was very well received and definitely appreciated.
But more than the biscuits and hot chocolate, I hope they know just how proud I am of every single member of my crew.
I’m proud of the hard work they are putting in. I’m proud of the way they are growing in confidence and maturity. But I’m also incredibly proud of the young adults they are becoming.
They’re growing, changing, finding themselves and discovering more about who they are and who they want to be. Year 11 isn’t just about exams and results — it’s about becoming the best versions of themselves, both academically and personally.
And I feel very lucky that I get to be a small part of that journey.
And honestly?
I just love their company. ❤️
This morning was definitely one that filled my little heart.
Sometimes, it’s the simplest moments that remind you exactly why you love what you do.
Same crew. Bigger dreams. Year 11. ❤️
Thank you from Team Spanish! 🇪🇸
A massive thank you to the students (Harry, Sara, Isa, Olivia and Mason) who helped in the Spanish room during our Student Showcase this week.
The students truly embodied our HOWLs and Character Traits and acted as fantastic role models throughout the event. They were polite, enthusiastic and friendly when welcoming and supporting our primary school students and their parents.
We are incredibly grateful for all their help and are very proud of the way they represented our school.
¡Muchas gracias!
Señorita Warwick and Señorita Barton ❤️
Crew Nightingale Are Working Hard in Their Global Lessons.
A fantastic start to the new school year, showing great engagement and producing high-quality work in their Global Option classes. With GCSE mocks approaching this November, their focus and commitment in lessons are helping them build confidence and strengthen their knowledge. It is great to see their resilience and determination as they challenge themselves to be the best version of themselves. Crew Nightingale — your hard work now will make a difference! 🌟
Sharing our Stories: 25/09/2026
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
]The bog baby @ Norton Infants
Year 4 English Quizzers @ Norton Juniors
Year 11 History: Living under Nazi rule @ XP East
Share your stories with us!
Write to us at comms@xptrust.org – we want to hear about it, write about it and celebrate it!
Crew AJA Outward Bound
It’s been a few weeks since we boarded the adventure bus to Ullswater and spent an entertaining four days getting to know each other and stepping out of our comfort zones. Our crew have made a fantastic start to the school year and we’ve fallen quickly into the routines of crew time, social time and (most importantly!) sessions. As a now three time crew leader, it’s always wonderful to hear stories from my crew’s teachers but this year has been exceptional. I really want to appreciate and praise crew AJA for their awesome start to the year.
Anyway – coming back to outward bound is something that we will do throughout our time together at XP. It’s such an important experience, and the foundation of the work we do together as crew. in light of that, here are some of the memories that we built from our first week in school.
