This week in crew I asked crew members to find a piece of work or something they have done that they are proud of. Students sent both written work and art work either completed in school or in their free time. We noticed that these were really individual and that they gave an insight to their identity and who they were. This is a topic we have been looking at in our Wise Wednesday sessions so it was great to see this theme carried on.
Celebrating Jenson Owen: A Triumph of Team Spirit and Integrity
On Sunday, October 6th, Jenson Owen took to the waters of Ponds Forge, Sheffield, competing in the National County Team Championships. It was a day filled with excitement, anticipation, and high stakes for Jenson and his team. Racing in both the relay and backstroke events, Jenson demonstrated not only his skill but also his resilience and sportsmanship.
The team finished an incredible second place overall. For many, this would be a moment of celebration—a testament to months of hard work, dedication, and unity. Yet, Jenson felt that their second-place finish was somehow a failure. It’s natural to want to be the best, but in reality, the result was far from a letdown. This wasn’t just about a medal; it was about the shared effort and commitment of every swimmer, the mutual support, and the camaraderie that pushed them through.
Jenson’s response reveals a deeper strength of character: courage. Courage isn’t just facing challenges head-on; it’s also having the fortitude to push forward even when the result isn’t what you hoped for. It’s easy to celebrate success, but true courage is found in embracing the journey and acknowledging that every effort, every race, and every second in the pool contributes to the whole team’s success.
What stands out most about Jenson is not just his physical prowess, but his craftsmanship and the quality he brings to his swimming. Craftsmanship in this context isn’t just about perfecting a stroke or hitting a certain time. It’s about the way Jenson approaches the sport: with a keen eye for improvement, a desire to refine his skills, and the relentless pursuit of excellence. Each race is a masterpiece in the making, and every practice is a brushstroke toward his ultimate potential.
And then, there’s integrity. This shines through in the way Jenson supports his teammates, the way he competes, and the way he reflects on his performance. It’s in how he holds himself accountable, both when he wins and when he feels he falls short. But most importantly, it’s in the way he understands that being part of a team means every single member contributes to the final outcome. When they climbed onto that podium for second place, it was a shared victory—something bigger than any individual performance.
Standing by the side of the pool, cheering him on, were his parents, myself, and Miss Burns. We couldn’t have been prouder. To witness Jenson push himself, to see him give everything he had for his team—that’s what sportsmanship and teamwork are all about. His parents beamed with pride, sharing in every moment, knowing that the courage and integrity they see in him each day were on full display.
So, while Jenson might feel that he fell short of his own expectations, to us, it was a massive triumph. Not because of a second-place finish, but because of the heart, the spirit, and the unwavering determination he showed. In a sport that’s often focused on individual results, Jenson reminded us all that it’s the collective effort and the character we build that matter most. That’s something no medal can measure.
Crew KBA have been working hard in sessions and it has been great to drop in and see so many students creating beautiful work and giving brilliant suggestions to discussions. Here are just a few examples that I managed to capture.
I look forward to seeing parents and carers during the SLC’s (student led conferences) 7th October (I have sent a sign up link in an email). This is an opportunity to see how students are settling in and for them to discuss their habits of work and learning.
Mrs Barnes
Crew Caldwell had a fantastic start to year 9- we focused on answering the guiding question ‘how can I show kindness to myself and my community and have a positive impact?’ We participated in some great activities, we created hampers for our local care homes, had a walk around lakeside and ended with fieldwork in Flamborough.
Crew Darling has kicked off Year 10 in style, showing true XP values!
Our first week was packed with team-building activities, including a blindfold challenge that tested trust and courage (well done Junior for leading Crew to safety!), and winning the Egg Drop, proving their craftsmanship and teamwork are ready for the year ahead!
During a micro-adventure around Doncaster, Crew spread kindness, delivering flowers to strangers, including staff at Sue Ryder and Cancer Research, who helped them collect antiques and a mascot. A huge thank you to the people of Doncaster for supporting and embracing our acts of kindness.
Back in school, we listened to expert speakers (XP Alumni) around careers, getting to grips with options for the future! We continued to spread Kindness around school and act as stewards of our community!
Crew Darling has started a scrapbook to capture these memories and achievements, and there’s plenty more to come! Most importantly, we had a fantastic week rebuilding Crew and the bonds which will support us through our GCSEs!
Watch this space for more awesomeness from Crew Darling!
We had a great week on Outward Bound. Everyone in the crew tried something new and was challenged to show courage. The week began with a quick plunge into Ullswater which certainly woke us all up after a long coach journey! The challenges continued with gorge walking, waterfall climbing and a lengthy hike up Hallin Fell. Pupils were very tired, with many even asking for an earlier bedtime so they could get some much needed rest.
One of the most memorable experiences was the overnight camp. Pupils set up their shelters at the lakeside, hunkering down in their sleeping bags until it was time to wake up and enjoy the sunrise over the water. The ration packs were surprisingly tasty, with macaroni cheese and full English breakfast gaining rave reviews.
Although everyone was pleased to get home and enjoy the comforts of their own beds, we had a wonderful time getting to know each other.
Check out one of our students’ latest beautiful Expedition products, featuring powerful folk songs created by Year 7 at XP Gateshead, inspired by the rich mining heritage of North-East England. From performing mining-related songs to studying historical events and visiting Beamish Museum, our students have captured the essence of the miners’ stories.
Welcome to our final selection of beautiful work from the 2023/2024 academic year!
In our 10th anniversary year at XP, last week we celebrated with our first ever Arts Festival. Across our Trust, all of our 8 schools brought some of their creativity, community and beautiful work to share at the XP Doncaster campus. Students from our Primary Schools sang their fundraising original song ‘Dear World’, always an emotional and uplifting moment. From Samba to saxophone, spoken word to sensational dance routines – the XP Arts Festival, over nine hours of parades and participation, celebrated our schools, students and partners.
The dynamic Doncaster Youth Jazz Association’ who are now based at XP, delivered a brilliant set – complementing at one stage our parade of birds. Add ice cream and an audience not deterred by the occasional rainfall and you have the perfect day. We would like to appreciate everyone who contributed to this festival – whether artists on stage, backstage or as part of the dedicated crew who helped to make it happen.
See you next year!
All of the photos and videos above were captured by our Student Digital Leaders – beautiful work!
This week, we hosted our annual climate conference at XP. Students delivered a powerful keynote speech and then set up stalls, talking about different solutions and the research they have done on efforts we can all make to protect our planet.
During this learning Expedition, students in UKS2 explored how a healthy lifestyle impacts both body and mind through three case studies: history, science (biology), and design technology (DT). In history, they learned to use evidence to deduce information about the past, focusing on the achievements and societal structures of ancient civilisations. In science, they studied human development and the circulatory system, emphasising the importance of diet, exercise, and lifestyle on bodily functions. In DT, students applied principles of a healthy and varied diet, learned to measure ingredients accurately, and demonstrated various cooking techniques while creating and refining recipes.
Every school produced different final products that encapsulated their learning. Plover school’s Expedition culminated in the creation of colour tiles to decorate the school’s exterior, each carrying messages of mental well-being. These tiles serve as a lasting legacy of the students’ work, promoted during a colour run event involving parents and activities aimed at mental health awareness, with funds raised going to a mental health charity. Norton Junior School focused on producing healthy recipes, where students practised calculating ingredient ratios and perfecting cooking techniques – they then celebrated their work with parents with an event at Campsall Park, where participants ran 5k and enjoyed a healthy picnic together!
Year 1 and 2 pupils from Norton Infants embarked on a cross-curricular expedition to answer the question, “Where do we belong?” through art, geography, and history. They explored ideas through drawing, painting, and sculpture, learned to use geographical vocabulary and mapping skills, and investigated historical events and significant local figures. The expedition included expert visits, including talks from local leaders, to deepen their understanding of Doncaster’s uniqueness and diversity. Students also visited local landmarks, created related artwork, and produced an interactive travel guide. This project culminated in a family-oriented orienteering activity, showcasing the students’ findings and creative works.
Children engaged in a presentation of learning. Alongside their families, they visited our Diverse Doncaster art gallery and were able to see their art work of significant landmarks from across Doncaster. The artwork was accompanied by writing explaining important facts and information they have discovered throughout the expedition. Children were also invited to take part in our Doncaster orienteering challenge. Each family was given a list of clues about significant places in Doncaster – the children had to demonstrate their knowledge by working out what the location was, find the image of it in our school grounds and use the orienteering peg to mark their answer.
In the summer term of 2024, Year 3 and 4 students at Carcroft embarked on a learning expedition titled “From Bean to Bar,” exploring the question, “What is the real cost of a bar of chocolate?” The curriculum spanned history, science, and design technology, integrating studies of the Mayan civilization and fair trade practices. Students applied their learning by baking brownies, creating Mayan-inspired packaging, and developing an understanding of states of matter. For the presentation of learning, students sold their baking in boxes and invited parents to try different healthy dishes inspired by Mayan cuisine!
There have been a series of wonderful celebrations of beautiful work at XP Gateshead this week! G29 celebrated their learning from the Expedition ‘Should I Stay or Should I Go?’ – students truly excelled in all areas, from catering for 150 people, creating wooden birds decorated in their own Islamic art, folding over 150 paper cranes, creating menus, seating plans, not to mention the artwork inspired by the poem that they then performed beautifully. You can read more about it here.
G30 celebrated their work from across their first work at XPG – you can read the full blog and see more photos here. They also launched their CD of folk songs from their ‘From The Ground Up’ Expedition – which is available to stream online from next week! Stay tuned for more information!
And finally, last night G28 celebrated their learning from their ‘Hold Back The River’ Expedition with a Live Stream full of creative writing, read and recorded by the students – you can watch the stream below!
As we say goodbye to our Class of 2024 cohort across our XP Trust primaries, we wish them all well with their futures! We will miss you and remember – you will always be Crew.
Here are some highlights from Green Top’s Leavers celebrations yesterday!
We’re looking for:
A sporting week! @ Norton Infants
Chapter One Celebrations @ Carcroft School
Cup Completion @ Norton Juniors
Successful Panto Audition for Mia @ XP Gateshead
Pupils to benefit from Enthuse Partnership at XP @ Worksop Guardian
We now have a new dedicated news email so that you can send your stories, updates or ideas about potential news articles directly to us in Comms.
It might be something you or your students have achieved, a charity you’re supporting or anything at all that deserves a wider audience.
Write to us at news@xpschool.org – we want to hear about it, write about it and celebrate it!
Dear parents,
We have recently received next year’s prices from our current catering providers, Doncaster Council Schools Catering Service.
Due to rising food and labour costs, they have significantly increased the price to all of our schools across the Trust.
Even with the schools heavily subsidising this, we may still need to increase the cost per meal for parents to £3.00. We are greatly disappointed to ask this of our parents, but this is a decision we have had to make due to reasons out of our control.
We will continue to work with Schools Catering over the summer holidays to try and bring these costs down, whilst ensuring a high quality meal will be provided to each of our students. We will keep parents informed with any updates on this.
We are exploring other providers, and if necessary, we will look to change providers if a more cost effective offer is available elsewhere.
We will do everything we can to keep the price of school meals affordable to our parents, but we wanted to provide early warning that our prices are likely to increase from September 2024.
Hello everyone,
This week, we had the privilege of hosting the Conversation Club at our school, where we learned about the challenges faced by refugees and asylum seekers. It was eye-opening to discover that they receive just £50 a week to cover essentials like food, clothing, and hygiene products.
One of the significant expenses they encounter is transportation, which can cost up to £5 a day. This is a considerable amount given their limited budget. However, we realised that having a bike could eliminate this expense entirely, providing them with free and reliable transportation.
To help make a difference, we are organising a bike drive. We are reaching out to our community for donations of any old bikes that you no longer need. Bikes in any condition (unless completely broken) can be incredibly valuable. At XP we pride ourselves on our curriculum themes and our outward facing work, and this is opportunity for our Crew to participate in both!
You can drop off your bike donations at XP/E, and we will ensure they reach the Conversation Club, who will distribute them to those in need. Your generous contributions will be greatly appreciated by the refugees and asylum seekers and will help ease their daily struggles.
Thank you so much for your support and kindness.
Warm regards,
The Students of C29
