Asthma Care for students
The attached information is to prepare students with Asthma for the ‘September surge’.
Crew Brunel: Thoughtful Thursday
This week’s Thoughtful Thursday gave Crew Brunel the opportunity to pause, reflect and think carefully about how we have started our Year 10 journey.
As we begin preparing for our GCSEs, developing good habits, taking ownership of our learning and understanding our strengths and areas for improvement are becoming increasingly important. Our session focused on exactly that – taking responsibility for where we are now and thinking about where we want to go next.
We began with our first round of HoWL reflections. Students self-assessed their progress across each of our three HoWLs: Work Hard, Get Smart and Be Kind. They used the HoWL rubric to RAG-rate themselves and awarded themselves a grade for each area. Once completed, students calculated their overall HoWL average, giving them a clear picture of their current strengths and areas for development as they settle into Key Stage 4.
The important part came next – setting SMART targets. With GCSE preparation now underway, students identified specific areas they wanted to improve and thought about practical steps they could take to develop their learning habits and make progress.
We then switched things around and moved on to peer assessment. Students assessed each other’s HoWLs based on what they have seen from their peers in sessions so far. They followed the same process of RAG-rating, grading and calculating an average, before finishing by setting a target for someone in their class. This encouraged students to consider how their actions and attitudes are seen by others, while also thinking about how they can support their peers to improve.
To finish the session, we looked back at our praises and conducts from the week and completed our SOS analysis. We celebrated the successes shown on our Crew leaderboard, recognised individual achievements and reflected on some of the conducts that had been recorded. Students were encouraged to think about what had gone well, what we wondered about and what we could do differently moving forward.
Finally, we selected two students to set pledges for next term, giving them a clear personal focus to work on and develop as we continue through Year 10.
Roan – ” I pledge to complete all of my extended study tasks to the best of my ability and make sure they are submitted on time to help improve my Get Smart HoWL from a 2.5 to a 3. “
Brooke – ” I pledge to arrive on time every day this term, helping me improve my Work Hard HoWL from a 3 to a 3.5. “
A really thoughtful and purposeful session from Crew Brunel. As we take our first steps into KS4 and GCSE preparation, it was great to see students reflecting honestly, taking ownership of their progress and thinking about the small changes they can make now to help them succeed in the future.
Miss Mitchell
Year 8 Being Human Update: they have been blowing staff’s minds!
The last few weeks have completely flown by, and that is largely down to just how much awesome work Year 8 have been producing. They have been absolutely blowing my mind with the start they have made to their new expedition, Being Human.
We began with immersion, with students being challenged to think hard, spot patterns and make connections without yet knowing exactly where the expedition was heading..
One of the biggest moments was our fieldwork to Danes Dyke, where students took part in fossil hunting. On the surface, it looked like the expedition might be heading in the direction of dinosaurs, but that was all part of the mystery. The fossils encouraged students to think scientifically about evidence from the past, while also using mathematical thinking to compare, measure and look for patterns in what they found. It was a brilliant red herring and got students questioning how all of these different experiences might eventually connect. A huge appreciation to Mr Heslop for his fantastic organisation of this fieldwork.
Then came the big reveal..
Students took part in an amazing (and patience testing) puzzle and scratch-card adventure, working together to uncover clues and piece together how their individual words linked to a much bigger picture. Across Year 8, students were able to make connections, test ideas and begin to see where the expedition was heading.
And finally, our Guiding Question was revealed:
What does it mean to be human?
Since then, X33 Skipper and E33 Pioneer have been producing some absolutely brilliant work.
Students have been taking real pride in their books and producing beautiful work with strong Craftsmanship and Quality. The level of thinking in lessons has been just as beautiful. Class discussions have been thoughtful, respectful and full of really interesting ideas as students begin to grapple with identity, belief, religion, experience and what all of these things can tell us about being human.
A special shout-out has to go to Roza, who shared some of her own experiences and understanding of religion and belief with the class. Her contribution gave us even more knowledge and perspective to grapple with and really enriched the discussion.
You may also have seen on other blogs that our brilliant Year 8 staff team, alongside the amazing Mrs Mawby, have been getting out into the Doncaster community and visiting residents in local residential care homes.
Students have been getting to know individual residents, listening to their stories and beginning to piece together their life experiences. This gives them another powerful way into our Guiding Question: what can someone’s memories, relationships, experiences, challenges and achievements teach us about what it means to be human?
Students will use what they learn from these conversations to create a beautiful gift for the residents they have worked with, which will be delivered closer to Christmas.
There is already so much to celebrate, and we are only at the beginning!!
Year 8, you are absolutely smashing it. Watch this space..
Crew Brunel: Welcome to Year 10!
What a fantastic first week back for Crew Brunel! We have packed a lot into our first week, with opportunities to build our crew community, develop new skills, explore Doncaster and prepare for the challenges of KS4.
DAY 1
We kicked off the week by rebooting crew, reconnecting with each other and establishing our KS4 norms and expectations. We also launched our exciting Micro Adventure, where students would explore Doncaster through an A–Z challenge.
We also took part in inter-crew activities, competing in a range of fun and slightly unusual challenges, including balancing a ping-pong ball on a spoon in our mouths and throwing and catching a potato using a fork! These activities gave students the chance to have fun, work together and build relationships with students from their crew.
We then finished the day by beginning our preparation for our job interviews, with students exploring six different job roles and selecting the one they were most interested in applying for. They began considering the skills, qualities and experience they could bring to their chosen role, ready for their interviews later in the week.
DAY 2
On Tuesday, we headed into Doncaster town centre for our Micro Adventure, completing a range of fun and challenging activities. These included performing the can-can outside somewhere beginning with C, hugging a tree, handing out thank-you postcards to local services, and spreading some positivity by giving flowers to members of the public. It was a great opportunity to explore our local community, step outside our comfort zones and bring a little joy to the people of Doncaster.
Back at school, we continued our interview preparation by creating CVs and cover letters for our chosen job roles. Students had to think carefully about their skills, strengths, interests and experiences, and consider how these could be presented to a potential employer. This helped students build their confidence and independence, while giving them a better understanding of what employers look for when applying for a job.
DAY 3
Wednesday was a creative and exciting day! We launched our Future Fashion project, challenging students to think about sustainability and how recycled materials could be transformed into innovative and practical workwear. Students worked collaboratively to design and create their outfits, using their creativity to turn everyday recyclable materials into something completely new.
Students also took part in interviews with external staff, giving them the opportunity to put their communication, confidence and interview skills into practice in a realistic setting. It was fantastic to see students stepping outside of their comfort zones and showcasing what they could do.
We ended the day with our fashion show, where students proudly took to the runway to showcase their incredible creations and celebrate all of their hard work!
DAY 4
Thursday focused on preparation, reflection and learning. Students began preparing for the POL community meeting on Friday by creating a short script about everything they had done during their first week back. This gave them the opportunity to reflect on the different experiences they had taken part in and decide what they wanted to share with the wider school community.
We then explored a range of different revision techniques, looking at how everyone learns differently and how students can find strategies that work best for them when remembering important information for their GCSEs. Students had the chance to try out different approaches and consider which ones they could use in their own revision.
We finished the day with our Science immersion, where we began getting an insight into what we will be learning next week. This helped students to start thinking about the new topics they will be exploring and prepare themselves for the learning ahead.
DAY 5
We finished the week with a Presentation of Learning (POL) community meeting, where crews from each year group came together to share what they had been doing during their first week back at school. It was a great way to celebrate the start of the new school year and hear about what other crews had been getting up to.
We then moved into our History immersion, where we began exploring the history of Doncaster Plant Works. Students started to learn about the importance of the Plant Works to Doncaster and began completing the first section of their work booklets, building their knowledge and understanding of the site.
We ended the week on a high with our English immersion, where we watched A Christmas Carol. While watching, students made notes on important plot points, characters and key events, helping them to begin developing their understanding of the story and preparing for the learning we will continue next week in English.
It has been a busy but brilliant first week for Crew Brunel. From exploring Doncaster and preparing for the world of work to designing sustainable fashion and developing our academic skills, students have already shown creativity, confidence, teamwork and a real readiness for KS4. I can’t wait to see what the rest of the year brings!
Miss Mitchell
C33 Has Arrived! – Let the Adventure Begin!!
We’ve arrived safely at Outward Bound! 🌲
After our journey, we’ve refuelled with lunch and are already starting to settle into our new surroundings. Next up: finding our rooms, making our beds and getting ready to head out for our first activities!
There’s already a real buzz of excitement as everyone gets used to our home for the week. We can’t wait to see what challenges, adventures and memories the next few days bring! 💪
The adventure officially begins now… 👀
#C33OutwardBound
What a Way to Kick Off Year 11!
What a fantastic first day back for C29!
It was lovely to start the first day of our final year with a walk around Langsett Reservoir, taking in the stunning views and enjoying some time together in the great outdoors.
The walk was also a chance to reminisce about their very first day with us back in Year 7, when they set off on their first Outward Bound walk in Wales. Looking back, we’re not quite sure where the time has gone. It feels like we blinked, and suddenly their school journey is almost over!
It was wonderful to see everyone return after the summer well rested, refreshed and raring to tackle Year 11. There was plenty of catching up between friends, lots of laughter and, of course, plenty of opportunities to show what being a crew is all about. As tired legs started to kick in, students supported and encouraged one another, making sure everyone kept going.
Most importantly, it was fantastic to see the students enjoying themselves, spending time together and taking in the beautiful surroundings.
What a way to begin the school year – and what a way to start their final year with us. Here’s to a brilliant Year 11!
Crew Brunel: End of Year 9!
As another fantastic year draws to a close, Crew Brunel spent our final week reflecting on how far we’ve come, celebrating our achievements and preparing for the exciting journey into Year 10.
Monday saw us begin the de-gunging of our crew room! We took down displays, sorted through old textbooks and gave our space a well-deserved tidy-up. It was a lovely opportunity to look back on the memories we’ve created in our crew room over the past year while getting it ready to welcome a new crew in September.
On Tuesday, we enjoyed our final Tranquil Tuesday, spending time in classes continuing to read our anchor text and completing end-of-year learning activities. It was a calm and purposeful way to round off our academic year.
Wednesday was dedicated to completing our Crew Solo. This is always a significant moment, giving everyone the opportunity to reflect on their achievements, recognise how much they’ve grown and think carefully about the future they want to create for themselves. It was wonderful to see the maturity and thoughtfulness that everyone brought to their reflections.
We continued our de-gunging mission on Thursday, carefully organising and storing our portfolios in the library before giving the crew room one final tidy-up for its new occupants next year. We also looked at our praises and conduct one last time this year, taking a moment to celebrate the positive choices and progress that have shaped our journey together.
Our final day together started with the whole-school Community Meeting, where we celebrated the successes and achievements of the year. We reflected on memorable events such as Sports Day and the XP Arts Festival, reminding us of the fun we’ve shared and the incredible talent across our school community.
A special congratulations goes to Rowena, who was crowned Crew Brunel’s Crew Champion this term after receiving the highest number of praises across the year for our crew — a fantastic achievement that reflects her consistent effort, positivity and contribution to our crew.
We were also delighted to celebrate Chloe and Matilda, who were recognised for their beautiful artwork this term. Their creativity and talent have truly shone through and they should be incredibly proud of their accomplishments. Finally, congratulations to Rowena, Matilda and David for achieving 100% attendance this term. Their outstanding commitment and dedication earned them a place in the attendance prize draw, with David being one of the ten lucky winners. As always, we ended our Community Meeting with Appreciations, Apologies and Stands — a fitting way to close the year by recognising one another and celebrating the strength of our community.
What a year it has been. Crew Brunel, you should all be incredibly proud of everything you’ve accomplished. You’ve shown resilience, kindness, courage and determination, and it has been a privilege to watch each of you grow over the course of the year.
Now it’s time for a well-earned break. Have a wonderful, restful summer. Spend time with family and friends, make plenty of happy memories, stay safe, and come back refreshed and ready for the adventures that Year 10 will bring.
See you real soon!
Miss Mitchell
Wise Wednesdays: Finishing the Year Stronger and Wiser!
From learning how to stay safe over the summer and understanding the importance of water safety, to exploring democracy, employment, finance and the world of work, students across XP Doncaster have continued to engage in thoughtful and meaningful learning through Wise Wednesdays in Crews this term. This newsletter celebrates some of the beautiful work taking place in Crews, reflects on the final term of the academic year and provides a preview of the exciting topics students will be exploring when they return in August…
A huge thank you to our Crew Leaders for creating safe spaces where students can discuss challenging topics, share different viewpoints and learn from one another!
Crew Brunel: Success and Looking Ahead
What a fantastic week we’ve had! With just two weeks to go until the end of term, there’s been plenty happening as we prepare for a busy finish.
We started the week a little differently with a Staff Day on Monday. This gave students an extra day to relax, recharge and get ready for the exciting week ahead.
On Tuesday, we caught up as a crew and shared what everyone had been up to over the long weekend. It was great to hear about the different ways people had spent their extra day off school.
Wednesday saw us continue reading our anchor text, Green Rising. We’ve enjoyed exploring the story together in our classes, with some thoughtful discussions as we progress through the book.
On Thursday, we turned our attention to Sports Day preparations, making sure everyone knew the important information ahead of next week’s event. We organised who would be taking part in each event and started thinking about ideas for our Crew mascot. There were some creative and hilarious suggestions, and we can’t wait for you to see which idea we choose!
Friday was all about celebrating our successes including the huge highlight – celebrating the first-ever Subject Awards Night, which took place on Thursday evening. A massive shout-out goes to Ayden, Rowena and Chloe for being nominated for subject awards. An extra congratulations to Ayden, who won the Subject Star Award for XP Year 9 HUMS, and Chloe, who won the Subject Star Award for XP Year 9 Art. We are incredibly proud of you both and all of our nominees for representing Year 9 so well.
We finished with our usual Apologies, Appreciations and Stands, recognising the positives from the week and supporting one another as a crew.
As a crew, we’ve also had some difficult conversations this week around behaviour and the importance of consistently demonstrating the XP Character Traits. These conversations are never easy, but they are an important part of helping us all grow, reflect and make better choices. We know that everyone is capable of meeting the high expectations we set in Crew Brunel, and we look forward to seeing those positive choices next week.
With just two weeks to go, we’re looking forward to Sports Day, more celebrations and making the most of the remainder of the school year. Let’s finish the term strong!
Miss Mitchell
Doncaster-Sheffield Airport – Art Installation
Thursday 1st July – Selected students are taking part in an Art Installtion Projext at Doncaster-Sheffield Airport as part of the opening relauch of the runways.
Please see the following information
- Arrive 8am – XPE Stairs
- Pick Up from XP School: 08:30
- ETA at Doncaster Sheffield Airport: 08:50
- Return from DSA: 14:50
- Arrive at XP School: 15:10
Bring a pack up, sun protection and plenty of water – FSM will be provided.
Students should follow the normal dress code. Please ensure they are dressed appropriately for the weather and wear clothing that they do not mind potentially getting art materials on during the day.urces etc.
Any questions please contact your child’s crew leader.
