English Visit to XPD

Catherine Desborough

Today I had the pleasure of visiting XP and XP East to complete English walk throughs and review our students’ books.

Across year 7, with both Mrs Poncia and Miss Johnson, I was able to see some beautiful narratives being carefully crafted. Students were incorporating a range of tier 2 vocabulary and were redrafting key paragraphs based on specific feedback from their teacher. It was fantastic to see the students so engaged and working so meticulously.

In year 8, Mr Wilmot’s Explorer class showed superb recall of key details from their anchor text. They were all working diligently and offering wonderful contributions and ideas. Their books were also very good and showed some high levels of productivity.

In year 9, Miss Wilkinson and her Pioneer class were considering how the character of Jack had changed from the beginning of Lord of the Flies to chapter 8. They could clearly recall key events and were curious when asking clarifying questions about key vocabulary. They then used this vocabulary to support their choices about the character. Additionally, the maps they have created of the island are fantastic!

Finally in year 10, both Ms Cross and Miss Buckley’s Skipper and Explorer classes were grappling with annotating a key poem from their GCSE anthologies. In Skipper students offered some stunning inferences carefully considering the context and motivations of the poets. Whereas in Explorer students summarised key contextual information on the background of Wilfred Owen and practiced their subject terminology skills.

All in all it was a pleasure to be in all these classrooms. In every room the atmosphere was positive and enthusiastic and students were engaged.

Well done Team English from Mrs Desborough (Trust Leader of English)

C31 – Engaged in English

Catherine Desborough

It was a pleasure to drop into Ms Cross and Miss Buckley’s sessions this afternoon and see how our C31 cohort are finding Lord of the Flies.

There were excellent demonstrations of protocols such as unpicking the DLT key vocabulary, the building of a shared glossary and fantastic dramatic reading.

It is wonderful to see our students thinking deeply and building their knowledge of our anchor text, Lord of the Flies.

Keep it up everyone!

Year 8 Inspired by Artist Michelle Clarke Stables

Amie Hudson

This week, Year 8 students at XP were given an exciting opportunity to immerse themselves in their new expedition with a visit from professional artist Michelle Clarke Stables (MC Stables).

Michelle worked with all Year 8 groups, bringing energy, expertise, and a fresh perspective on what it means to live and work as an artist. She inspired students by sharing her personal journey and creative story, showing that art is not just about making something beautiful—it’s about expressing the human experience.

One of the highlights of the day was when Michelle introduced her original artwork and a powerful sculpture titled Entrapment. This piece explores themes of fear, anxiety, and the barriers we sometimes create for ourselves, sparking deep conversations among students about how art can communicate emotion and connect with audiences in powerful ways.

Students also had the rare chance to closely examine Michelle’s original pieces. This hands-on immersion gave them valuable insight into materials, processes, and the layered thinking that goes into creating professional artwork.

The workshops challenged Year 8 to explore expressive mark-making, colour, and words in new ways—laying a strong foundation for their expedition learning. By experiencing art firsthand, students began to see how creativity can give voice to complex ideas, emotions, and stories.

Michelle’s visit has raised the profile of Art across the school, showing students that the subject is not only about developing skills, but also about asking questions, telling stories, and making meaning. She has kindly donated, on loan, some of her pieces to be exhibited within the XP and XPE community which will enrich the arts experience for the whole school; its staff, students, parents and our visitors. 

The buzz in classrooms following her sessions has been undeniable, and it’s clear her visit will leave a lasting impression on our budding artists.

“Michelle inspired our artwork in class. I enjoyed that we were able to express ourselves freely through the marks we made. I think it’s good to have authentic artwork around the school. I added XPs Character traits to my own work.” – Jensen E31

What a wonderful start to the year with C31. I’m looking forward to seeing how their work progresses!

Mrs Hudson

C31 Immersion Week: Digging into history & piecing together what is coming next!

Eleanor Wilkinson

C31 students have kicked off the term with an incredible first week of immersion! They have been working hard, getting smart, and being kind as they tried to figure out what their new expedition will be about. Many came close with their guesses, but the big reveal happened on Friday — and it was worth the wait!

Throughout the week, students engaged with new protocols, supported each other, and worked collaboratively. They also had the chance to interact with an expert in war artefacts, Michael and explore these artefacts, setting the stage for their upcoming expedition. It’s been awesome to see their teamwork, curiosity, and kindness as they navigated this exciting start to the year.

Check out the video below to see all the amazing work Year 7 has been doing. What a fantastic week!