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Here’s a selection of beautiful work from across the XP Trust from the last two weeks of term! It’s been filled with all kinds of wonderful things from all of our schools. To read about other stories from across the XP Trust, visit xptrust.org.
Why the Arts Matter at XP – Our Festival Highlights @ XP Trust
At the Coalface: POL @ Norton Juniors
Climate Change Through Data @ XP
G29 What a Wonderful World POL @ XP Gateshead
At XP, we believe education should help young people discover who they are, what they stand for, and how they can make a difference. The arts are at the heart of this.
Through music, dance, drama, and visual art, our students learn to collaborate, express themselves, and craft work of real depth and beauty. These aren’t “extras” to the curriculum – they are essential experiences that develop the character traits we value above anything else: courage, craftsmanship, respect, and compassion.
Last Friday, we celebrated these values at our second XP Festival of Arts & Culture – a day filled with music, dance, and art from across all the schools in our Trust. Every primary school showcased their dancing skills in collaboration with Phoenix Dance Company, alongside cheerleaders and singers from across the Trust.
The afternoon culminated in a show-stopping parade led by the New York Brass Band, bringing everyone together for an unforgettable rendition of Kool and the Gang’s “Celebration”. The evening carried the energy forward with live music from XP Doncaster and XP Gateshead students, alongside local bands and professional artists.
Our students were phenomenal – both on stage and in the audience – showing once again the power of Crew in action.
A huge thank you goes to the XP Doncaster and Plover staff who stewarded and supported the event. It was a powerful example of what’s possible when we create spaces for young people to thrive.
Here’s to next year!!!
In Crew,
Andy Sprakes
This afternoon our Year 5 pupils proudly shared the incredible work from their “Fight for Your Rights” expedition during a special Presentation of Learning at Askern Welfare. The choice of venue was important to us – Askern Welfare, with its rich local history and strong links to the mining community, provided the perfect backdrop to celebrate the children’s exploration of rights, community and local heritage.
The event was a huge success. Families were welcomed into a hall filled with buzzing energy, pride and creativity. Pupils confidently performed their powerful Aberfan Disaster poems. Around the room, tables of children showcased their learning from the expedition, eagerly inviting their adults to view their work and take part in interactive tasks and challenges based on what they had learned.
We would like to give heartfelt thanks to the local experts who enriched our expedition through their time, knowledge and passion: Neill Williams, a former miner who shared powerful first-hand experiences of life underground. Lisa Jackson, committee member of Askern Welfare and a learning coach at Norton Infants, who helped connect our expedition with the mining welfare and share our story.
We are thrilled to announce that the final product from the “Fight for Your Rights” expedition – a professionally printed collection of pupil biographies and artwork of iconic figures – is now available to purchase via ParentPay. Families can now own a special piece of this incredible journey by purchasing their own copy online.
Thank you again to all who attended and supported this afternoon and help celebrate the Year 5’s learning this summer term!
This term, our Year 5 pupils have been hard at work on their summer learning expedition, At the Coalface, exploring the fascinating geography, rich history, and powerful musical heritage of mining.
Today, they proudly showcased their learning in a special presentation to Year 4. This was a fantastic practice run ahead of their full Presentation of Learning for parents and carers on Thursday 17th July
The Year 5 children took real ownership of their audience’s experience by designing a series of engaging activities for Year 4 to get involved in. From investigating how mining shaped local settlements to trying out creative tasks linked to mining life, Year 4 were thoroughly engrossed.
A highlight of the afternoon was the moving performance of Year 5’s own mining poems inspired by the Aberfan disaster, accompanied beautifully on the glockenspiel. Their thoughtful words and music captured the emotion of this historical tragedy and demonstrated how deeply they have engaged with the topic.
We are incredibly proud of Year 5 for their hard work, creativity and leadership. We look forward to seeing them share their learning once again tomorrow afternoon at the Askers Miners Welfare. Well done, Year 5!
Here’s a selection of beautiful work from across the XP Trust from this week. To read about other stories from across the XP Trust, visit xptrust.org.
XP FESTIVAL TICKETS @ XP Trust
A visit from Donny Dog and Doncaster Rovers @ Norton Juniors
E28 Shine at Bradford Literary Festival @ XP East
Despite last-minute dropouts leaving us with only 7 players instead of the usual 9, our team showed incredible determination and teamwork. They topped the group stage with an impressive 16 points — ahead of Carcroft, who finished 2nd, along with 3rd and 4th place teams all tied on 12 points.
The final was a tense match, with Carcroft threatening to steal the victory thanks to some powerful hits. But our resilient players held their nerve, securing a fantastic win. In a tense trophy reveal, XP trust comrades, Carcroft, were given the runners up medals whilst our amazing Y3/4 team secured the gold. Well done to everyone involved — you did the school proud!
Last Friday, published children’s author Jodie Garnish visited Year 5 and 6 to discuss her books, her writing process and how she became an author. The pupils engaged in a writing workshop and had an opportunity to ask Jodie questions about being an author. The pupils really enjoyed the day and lots felt inspired to become writers by the end of the session!
The new library at NJS is well and truly up and running and mathematics is getting in on the party. Working with our FONCA group, we have been lucky enough to purchase a series of math’s stories for all ages which will further add richness to our mathematics offer. It is also of note, that this is precisely the sort of spend that is derived from fundraising such as yesterday’s Summer Fayre. Thank you FONCA; thank you families.
On Thursday 22nd May, we had a brilliant visit from Doncaster Rovers Football Club, who came into school to talk to the children about the importance of resilience, belief and setting goals.
Fresh from winning the 2024/2025 league title, the team shared their journey with the pupils – how they dealt with setbacks, worked hard together and stayed focused to achieve their goal of becoming champions. The key message was clear: believe in yourself, keep going even when it’s tough and never stop aiming high.
A huge thank you to Doncaster Rovers for taking the time to visit us and share such a powerful message with our school. What an experience for the children – learning about resilience from real-life champions of League 2!
Year 6 have been working extremely hard this week preparing for their Final Word presentations. We can’t wait to invite in families next week, who will listen to how the pupils have developed both in character and academically during their time at NJS.
