XP Students visit New College for Spanish Taster Day

Two of our Year 10 students and one Year 8 student visited New College today to experience A Level Spanish. Students worked with current Year 12 and Year 13 students to improve their speaking skills. They talked about what their lives would be like if they lived in Spain, building on previously learnt vocabulary and grammar, and adding new language through conversation. They also looked at careers where languages can be an advantage.

X30 Fieldwork to National Coal Mining Museum 6th October

Students in X30 Year 7 will be visiting the National Coal Mining Museum on Friday 6th October. This fieldwork will be part of students expedition “From the Ground up”. We will leave school at 8.30am and return by 3.15pm. Students will need to bring a bag with:

A packed lunch (students on free school meals will be provided with a lunch), a pen / pencil / pencil case to complete work during the day and a warm coat as part of the day is outside.

If your child needs to take any medication, please inform their crew leader so that any necessary arrangements can be made.

If you have any queries please contact [email protected] or [email protected]

C27 Visit to York Chocolate Story

As part of our expedition in Spanish this term, exploring the issue of child labour on cocoa and sugar plantations in Latin America and Fair Trade, C27 from XP and XP East visited York’s Chocolate Story. We learned about the origins of chocolate and how it is produced. Students were surprised to learn that chocolate has its origins in Mexico, and only came to Europe following the Spanish conquest of the Americas. The word that we use for chocolate comes directly from the Aztec word “chocolatl”, which was a cold, bitter drink mixed with chillies.Students tried this drink – not a popular choice with most! They also had the opportunity to try cocoa during various stages of the chocolate making process, and then made their own chocolate lolly.

C25 A Christmas Carol Fieldwork

If there is a better way for C25 to revise for A Christmas Carol, I don’t know it!

Last Thursday we took the students of C25 to the Savoy cinema for an exclusive private screening of Mark Gatiss’ National Theatre Production of Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol in preparation for their mock exam on Friday. The students’ behaviour was superb and the production was excellent. It showed the disparity between the rich and the poor in Victorian society whilst giving clarity to the students on both plot and character development. We hope to be able to replicate this event with future production.

A special thanks to all the staff at the Savoy cinema who were so friendly and patient with both our staff and students.

C27 Fieldwork on Thursday 8th September

As part of their immersion, C27 are going on fieldwork to Sheffield to visit Park Hill and the School of Architecture at the University of Sheffield.

We will be departing at around 9:15AM and returning for approximately 4PM. Students should arrive at the usual time in the morning but please note the later finishing time. We will keep you updated on the day about a more accurate time for our return. Students will need to bring a packed lunch unless they access free school meals, in which case school will provide one for them. Students will need to dress appropriately and in a waterproof coat and warm layers, as we will be walking around Sheffield at points of the day. If you have any questions about the day, feel free to contact me at [email protected]

X28 Fieldwork to Potteric Carr

On Wednesday the 13th of July, XP year 7 students will be going on fieldwork to the nature reserve Potteric Carr in Doncaster. This will take place within school hours; students need to be on time for crew to register as normal and they will be back for a debrief during session 5.

Students will be lead by an expert lead into the different species’ habitats that exist in Potteric Carr. We will have the opportunity to explore these habitats, and see the species we have been researching in person. We will study how these species have adapted to suit their environment, this will be followed with lots of time for questions. We should finish our morning with a guided meditation session before we head back on the bus to debrief our day.

As we have been studying about animal habitats during our current expedition this is a great opportunity for X28. I have attached a kit list here to help students prepare for the day and weather. Any questions please contact myself or your child’s crew leader.

C28 (Year 7) fieldwork to the University of Sheffield – Tuesday 14th December

Students in C28/Year 7 will be visiting the University of Sheffield on Tuesday 14th December as part of their current expedition ‘’Food Glorious Food’. The primary purpose of the visit is to work with Dr Megan Blake and her International Development postgraduate students to look into how we might go about improving food distribution and waste. Whilst at the university, students will also be able to meet with student ambassadors and have a tour of the campus to give them a sense of what uni life is like!

We will be departing at around 9:15AM and returning for approximately 15:50PM so there will be a slight change in finish times of the school day for students. Students will need to bring a packed lunch unless they access free school meals, in which case school will provide one for them. Students will need to dress appropriately and in a waterproof coat and warm layers, as we will be walking around the campus at parts. If you have any questions about the day, feel free to contact me at [email protected]

Best wishes,

Miss Boon

X24 Fieldwork 2nd and 3rd April

X24 students will be out on fieldwork for two days next week.

On Tuesday 2nd April we will be travelling to Sheffield as part of the immersion for our new STEAM expedition.  The fieldwork will take place during the day so students should arrive at school at the normal time.  Lunch will be provided.

On Wednesday 3rd April we will be on Humanities fieldwork but will need to leave school at 8am and will arrive back at 4.15pm  Students will need to bring a packed lunch and should have coats and sensible shoes for walking outside as there will be a 10 minute walk from the coach stop to our destination.

Fieldwork in Don Gorge

Live Blog Fieldwork in Don Gorge