Crew Brunel kicked off the week in a calm and positive way with a mindful session in the sportshall. We spent some time burning off a little energy – kicking a ball around, skipping, playing throw and catch, and enjoying some relaxed time together before settling into the week ahead. It was a great way to start with focus, connection and a clear head.
On Tuesday, we continued our Passage work, diving back into our science books from Year 7 and 8. It was interesting to look back at how far everyone has come, identify the progress made, and reflecting on their learning journey so far.
Midweek, we explored our final Wise Wednesday topic for this term. With all our topics now finished, students will begin creating and refining their own presentations, bringing together the progress, insights, and reflections they’ve gathered throughout the term.
Later in the week, we looked at praises and conducts, checking out who has climbed to the top of our Crew praise leaderboard. It was great to see so much positive recognition being shared.
We rounded off the week with our whole-school community meeting, where we celebrated character traits and shared real examples of staff and students showing them in action. We also found out who topped the praise leaderboards across the school – huge congratulations to Liam, Matilda, Pippa and Ayden who all tied for the top spot in Year 9! A fantastic achievement. As always, there was time for apologies, appreciations and stands, strengthening our community spirit.
Another brilliant week for Crew Brunel – well done everyone!
This week, Crew Brunel returned after a well-deserved two-week break, refreshed, energised, and ready to dive back into learning and community life. It was great to see everyone recharged and eager to catch up with one another. We kicked things off by checking in and sharing stories from our time off — some relaxing, some adventurous, but all full of fun memories.
Once we’d reconnected, we jumped straight back into our learning. We revisited our reading routines and explored our weekly Wise Wednesday topic, sparking thoughtful discussions and establishing expectations for a strong start to the term.
A highlight of the week was the launch of Passage. Designed to prepare students for the next stage of their academic journey, Passage offers students a structured opportunity to reflect on their learning, identify strengths and areas for improvement, and assess their readiness to progress to GCSEs.
During this week’s session, we explored the purpose of Passage, its importance in supporting both academic and personal growth, and the specific expectations for each student. By providing a clear roadmap for success, including defined milestones and achievable targets, Passage ensures that every student understands the steps they need to take to reach their full potential and transition confidently to the next stage of their education.
We rounded off the week with a whole-school community meeting, celebrating a fantastic first week back. It was a wonderful opportunity to recognise everyone’s contributions, highlight achievements, and reinforce the strong sense of community that makes our school so special. A big congratulations to Pippa for being awarded the Spanish Star of the Week. Her excellent work and beautiful craftsmanship and quality have really stood out. Well done, Pippa!
This week has set the tone for a term full of focus, resilience and collaboration. Crew Brunel is back, buzzing with energy, and ready to take on everything the weeks ahead have in store.
What a fantastic final week of the half term it’s been for Crew Brunel! We kicked things off in true Halloween spirit with a themed party that included some frightfully fun games such as Trick or Treat and Pin the Stem on the Pumpkin. Students were told there was a special Boo Basket up for grabs at the end of the week — and tokens could be earned through various activities. The student with the most tokens would be crowned the winner!
Midweek, we held a Year 8 and 9 Community Meeting, where we reflected on how awesome our students have been this term. Teachers shared lots of praises and appreciations, recognising students for their effort, kindness, and commitment both in and out of lessons.
Our creative challenge this week was to design a Halloween costume, and the results were Creeptastic! From scary monsters to clever, funny designs, students really let their imaginations run wild. A special well done to Pippa, whose creative design won her an extra 10 tokens!
We also kept an eye on praises and conducts — every praise earned 5 tokens, while each conduct resulted in 2 tokens being deducted. It was great to see so many students gaining tokens through positive actions and great behaviour.
To top off our busy week, Crew Brunel took part in a Penalty Shootout Fundraiser to raise money for our chosen charity, the Coral Reef Alliance. There were plenty of laughs and friendly competition — and congratulations to Blake for winning the hamper!
We ended the week on a high with a whole-school community meeting, celebrating the end of our first half term of the year. It’s been a fun-filled week full of teamwork, creativity, and community spirit. Huge shoutout to David, who has absolutely smashed it this half term by finishing at the top of our praise leaderboard with an impressive 43 praise points! Well done, David.
In true Crew Brunel fashion, our students showed great teamwork and strategy — instead of competing individually for the boo basket, they decided to join forces and pool their tokens. This led to two teams forming and battling it out throughout the week to see who could collect the most tokens. The competition was fierce, but in the end, the girls took the win! Well done to the girls’ team for claiming the Boo Basket!
Now it’s time for a well-deserved rest over the half-term break — I can’t wait to see what the next one brings!
This week, Crew Brunel has been all about resilience, reflection, and responsibility. Students have continued to show commitment even when routines have shifted a little – something to be proud of!
Monday
With Miss Mitchell feeling unwell, Crew Brunel joined Crew Peake for their weekly check-in. It was great to see students adapt quickly and still take the time to share how they were feeling and set themselves up for a positive start to the week.
Tuesday
As Miss Mitchell was still recovering, students joined Crew Sinfield and Crew Attenborough for their Tranquil Tuesday reading session. Everyone settled in beautifully and engaged with their reading — a perfect calm moment in a busy week.
Wednesday
Midweek brought our Wise Wednesday focus. Students worked in groups to take notes and discuss the weekly topic, showing great teamwork and thoughtful contributions. It was brilliant to see everyone learning from one another and building on each other’s ideas.
Thursday
Thursday was a big day for reflection and celebration. We looked at praises and conducts, recognising those who achieved their goals and challenging everyone to aim for a ‘no-conduct’ week next week. Students also reviewed the targets they set last week and made action plans to help them achieve them.
Friday
To finish the week, Crew Brunel joined the whole school community meeting. Students reflected on behaviours that didn’t align with XP’s character traits and offered apologies where needed, showing real maturity. We also celebrated those who have achieved a ‘no-conduct’ term so far — a fantastic achievement!
Special shoutout to David again, who topped the Crew Brunel praise leaderboard this week with an incredible 15 praises! Well done, David — your hard work and positive attitude are setting a brilliant example for everyone.
Overall, it’s been a week of growth and ownership. Crew Brunel are showing increasing responsibility for their HoWLs and are really beginning to take charge of their progress. I’m proud of the effort, honesty, and improvement I’ve seen — let’s keep it going!
This week in Crew Brunel we kicked things off by checking in after the long weekend. It was great to hear what everyone had been up to and to share our stories. We were joined by members of Crew Attenborough for this session too, which made the conversation even more enjoyable and gave us the chance to connect with others across the year group. It was a positive way to ease into the week and reminded us how important it is to start with connection.
On Wise Wednesday, we continued our focus on developing note-taking skills. We took it in turns to take notes and worked in our small teams to make sure we captured all the information.
Together as a crew, we reviewed our praises and conducts before reflecting on the targets we had set ourselves last week in order to think carefully about our progress. It was a valuable chance to pause, be honest about where we are with our HoWLs, and consider the steps we need to take to push ourselves further.
The week finished with a whole school community meeting, where we came together to share appreciations, apologies, and stands. These meetings are always a highlight because they bring the whole school together to celebrate each other, reflect on mistakes, and show support where it’s needed. It was powerful to hear so many voices and know that everyone has something valuable to contribute.
Finally, a special mention goes to David, who has managed not to receive a single conduct so far this academic year! This is something he has been working on, and his consistent effort is really paying off. We’re really proud of him for showing determination and self-management – keep it up, David!
All in all, it’s been another strong week for Crew Brunel, filled with connection, reflection, and community.
We are absolutely thrilled to celebrate the incredible artistic achievements of one of our own, X30 student Arina Barsukova! Arina recently had the fantastic opportunity to exhibit her artwork at the Barnby Dun Church Art & Craft Festival, and her pieces truly shone among the local talent.
Arina’s commitment and passion for art are truly inspiring. Her painting, which features a dimly lit, narrow street after rain, captured with striking, warm-yellow reflections from the streetlights, is a powerful example of her technical skill in handling light and mood.
Having your artwork framed and presented in a public gallery space like this is a massive achievement for any artist, let alone a student!
Celebrating 30 Years of Local Art
The Barnby Dun Church Art & Craft Festival, which celebrated its 30th year this year, is a cornerstone of the local community art scene. Participating in such a long-standing and respected event gives Arina invaluable experience, from preparing her work for display to sharing her creative vision with a wider audience.
An Inspiration to All
Arina’s exhibition at the festival is a brilliant testament to the talent fostered here at XP. It’s a powerful reminder that our students are not just learning skills, but are actively contributing to the wider community and pursuing their passions at a higher level.
Please join us in giving Arina a huge round of applause for this incredible accomplishment. We can’t wait to see where her artistic journey takes her next!
Have you ever exhibited your artwork or craft? Share your experiences in the comments below!
What a fantastic start to the new term for Crew Attenborough! This week, we laced up our trainers and headed out on the scenic Monsal Trail in Sheffield for a full school day of adventure, fresh air, and teamwork.
The highlight of the day had to be trialling the very first XP Colour Run – a burst of colour, laughter, and energy that left everyone smiling (and very messy!). It was amazing to see the crew cheering each other on, pushing through the challenge, and celebrating at the finish line in a cloud of bright colours.
To balance the excitement, we also spent time practising some mindfulness activities. It was the perfect chance to slow down, reflect, and appreciate the beautiful surroundings before heading back to school.
It was a brilliant day to reconnect as a crew, kick off the year with positivity, and make some unforgettable memories together.
This week in Crew Brunel we’ve enjoyed a mix of teamwork, reflection, and celebration. We refreshed our crew photos so staff can easily identify us, and created a playlist full of songs we love – a fun way to share more about ourselves. We also spent time reading individually, progressing with our own books, and worked in groups to take detailed notes during our Wise Wednesday session.
Towards the end of the week, we reflected on our praises and conducts. A huge well done to Elliot and David, who have achieved a no-conduct week again – an excellent start to Year 9 for the two, and a clear sign of the fantastic progress they’re both making. Crew Brunel are very proud of you both! We rounded things off with our whole-school Community Meeting, sharing appreciations, apologies, and stands, and celebrating what makes our school community so strong.
Crew Brunel continues to impress with positivity, focus, and teamwork – a great way to begin the year!
The C30 expedition team are excited to let you know that Year 9 will be taking part in a special Survival Skills Immersion Day on Thursday. The aim of the day is to give students the opportunity to build teamwork, resilience, and problem-solving skills in a hands-on, practical setting – themes that are explored in our anchor text.
From the very first session until lunchtime, students will be learning and working outdoors. They’ll take part in a range of survival activities designed to test their creativity, collaboration, and resourcefulness. This is part of our ongoing immersion programme, which gives students space to experience learning in new and memorable ways.
Key information for the day:
Students will be outside all morning – please ensure they bring a waterproof coat, sturdy shoes/trainers, and layers suitable for the weather.
A water bottle/sunprotection will be needed.
Normal school timings will apply in the afternoon.
Thank you for your support in helping them prepare for this exciting experience.
The first week of Year 9 was nothing short of incredible for Crew Brunel. From exciting challenges to moments of reflection, we came together as a crew and as a year group to set the tone for what promises to be an amazing year ahead.
Day 1: Rebooting Crew
Our first day began with a crew reboot, revisiting our crew norms and reflecting on our character traits and Habits of Work and Learning (HoWLs). It was a great reminder of how important it is to support one another and hold each other accountable.
Then, we jumped straight into our first round of crew-building activities:
The Egg Drop Challenge – Using sponges, plastic bags, straws, and tape, we designed protective shells to keep our eggs safe during a drop from the balcony. The tension was real, but the creativity was next level!
Plane Races – We crafted paper airplanes, attached balloons and straws, and launched them along a string to see which could travel the furthest.
Then we headed to the sports hall for a series of energetic team games — Rock, Paper, Scissors, Ice Cream Cone, and Marble Balance. These activities pushed us to think strategically, communicate effectively, and most importantly, never give up. It was amazing to see everyone encouraging one another, showing determination, kindness, and resilience.
The afternoon brought a welcome shift in pace with mindfulness activities:
Football – Everyone got involved, supporting one another and demonstrating excellent sportsmanship, even when things didn’t go as planned.
Yoga – Despite some technical glitches, Miss Mitchell stepped in to lead the session. Miss Mitchell and Miss Burnitt reminded us that yoga isn’t about flexibility but about finding calm and moving at our own pace. The session brought balance and focus after our action-packed morning.
We ended the day with mindfulness colouring and bubble making, the perfect way to reflect and relax after an amazing first day together.
Day 2: Building Community
Wednesday began with a community morning where we welcomed the families of our Year 9 students into school. Over refreshments, families, students, and staff connected while taking part in fun games like skittles, curling, parachuting, skipping, and bingo. It was inspiring to see everyone working together, trying new skills, and simply enjoying time as a community.
The afternoon brought one of the highlights of the week: our sponsored colour run in support of Age UK and Diabetes UK. These charities are close to our hearts — diabetes affects members of our school community, and supporting Age UK means giving back to the older generation in our area.
Running laps of the field while being splashed with water and vibrant paint was an unforgettable experience. Parents joined in the fun too, watching us laugh, cheer, and celebrate being part of such a supportive crew.
Day 3: Preparing For DofE
Thursday took us outdoors for an exciting adventure along the Monsal Trail, where we stopped at cache points to collect information for our learning booklets. The walk was tough in places, but our crew showed true grit, determination, and perseverance to complete the trail together.
This is just the beginning, as all Year 9 students will be taking part in the Duke of Edinburgh’s Bronze Award programme — an amazing opportunity for our students to try new things, challenge themselves, and have plenty of fun along the way! Throughout the programme, they’ll get to learn a brand-new skill, give their time to help others, get active and push themselves physically, and embark on an unforgettable expedition with their crew.
Day 4: Reflecting and Looking Forward
On Friday, we spent time in solo reflection — thinking deeply about the past year and how we’ve grown as individuals and as a crew. We then connected our reflections to this year’s guiding question:
“How can I show kindness to myself and my community and have a positive impact?”
It was a powerful moment of introspection, helping us set personal intentions for the year ahead and reminding us of the strength we have as a crew when we work together.
A Week To Remember!
Our first week in Year 9 has been full of learning, laughter, and growth. From building resilience through challenges to finding calm in moments of mindfulness, Crew Brunel has shown what it truly means to live our values.
If this week is any indication, Year 9 is going to be an incredible journey — one where kindness will guide us every step of the way. Here’s to Year 9!
