Measuring, cutting, sawing, sanding and now painting the structure. So far, this product has taken all the children’s’ skills and they’re really stepping up. Can’t wait to see it all come together
Final details of the structure
Decorating our final products
After measuring, cutting and crafting their boxes for their day and night model, the children have used sponges and acrylic paint to craft their own space designs.
We’re looking for a Learning Coach and Crew Leader at XPG
At XP Gateshead, building strong relationships is at the core of everything we do. By leading a close-knit Crew of just 12-13 students, you will guide their daily character development and ensure they achieve real academic success. It’s about helping young people discover that they can do work that truly matters.
We are looking for passionate individuals who dare to break the traditional educational mould. As a Learning Coach, you won’t just support lessons – you will foster a vital culture of teamwork, equity, and belonging.
Join us in shaping thoughtful, kind individuals who are ready to change the world.
Find out more about the role and apply here: https://xptrust.org/xp-gateshead-learning-coach-ta-and-crew-leader/
Sharing our Stories: 06/11/2026
Beautiful work this week
Here’s a selection of beautiful work from across the XP Trust!
To read about other stories from across the XP Trust, visit xptrust.org.
Top of the Blogs
Expert Visitors who care @ Norton Infants
5SO Carpenters @ Norton Juniors
Calling all geographers and climate activists @ XP Gateshead
Share your stories with us!
Write to us at [email protected] – we want to hear about it, write about it and celebrate it!
4EB Brings Norton’s History to Life Through Art!
As part of their work exploring Norton’s history, the children of 4EB have been getting creative!
Each child chose a pupil who attended Norton Junior School in 1939, the year the Second World War began, and created artwork inspired by that child.
By putting themselves in the shoes of a child from the past, 4EB have made a wonderful connection with Norton’s history, bringing the faces and stories of a generation from nearly 90 years ago back to life.
We’re looking for a great teacher of Mathematics at XP Gateshead
What if teaching Maths could be about more than covering the curriculum? What if every young person could leave school believing that they really are a mathematician? At XP Gateshead, that’s the ambition.
Joining XP Trust means becoming part of a community that does things differently. We believe education is about more than passing exams.
If you want to teach in a school where your creativity is valued and your work makes a difference, XP Trust is the place for you.
Find out more about the role here: https://xptrust.org/xp-gateshead-maths-teacher/
Production started
This week, Year 6 have really cracked on with our product: measuring accurately, cutting precisely, gluing and constructing. It’s all looking really exciting and the children have been fantastic, showing great maturity and pride along the way!
Tag Rugby – evasion and quick reactions!
In their first lesson of the new half-term, Year 6 dived straight into tag rugby to practice their evasion and reactions as part of a lesson on attacking and defending. In the lesson, children worked strategies to avoid being tagged when in possession of the ball, such as using footwork and feinting, and also how to be an effective defender, by remaining light on your toes to react quickly to the attacker’s movements in defence. Once the children had practiced 1v1 situations, they moved onto games where two defenders worked against an attacker, where they used strategy to tag the attacker by remaining in a defensive line. A great lesson to begin our new scheme in PE!
5SO Carpenters!
5SO have been busy constructing the frame for their Earth and Sun models this week. They learnt how to saw safely and accurately using bench hooks and junior hack saws and then sanded their wood to create a smooth finish.
Measure, Mark, Saw
This week, 5HJ have been developing practical skills by measuring, marking and sawing pieces of wood as the first stage in creating their space models. They used rulers to practise accuracy before carefully using saws to cut the wood.
The activity developed their measuring skills, hand-eye coordination and safe tool handling, while encouraging independence, concentration and precision.
