XP Gateshead

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils enjoy an exciting educational experience at XP Gateshead. Through expeditions, they connect learning across a range of subjects. Every pupil is part of a 'crew'.

Pupils describe how this supports their sense of belonging. Pupils are safe and flourish socially in this tight-knit community.

Pupils learn a broad and ambitious curriculum.

Pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), achieve well. This is evident in the high-quality work that pupils produce. Pupils also create final products in their expeditions.

They present these to a wider, external audience, developing self-confidence and pride in their ach...ievements. Pupils experience success by publishing and sharing their work through an extensive variety of outside platforms. This connects their learning to their community and the wider world.

XP Gateshead aims to bring learning to life. Pupils take part in extensive fieldwork opportunities. Every Year 7 pupil begins their XP journey with an outward-bound adventure.

Pupils passionately share memories of this experience. They express how it helps them and forms lasting friendships. Pupils also begin to develop the valued XP character traits.

The school then expertly builds upon this over time. There is an exemplary focus on personal development. This means pupils display excellent attitudes towards their learning and each other.

What does the school do well and what does it need to do better?

XP Gateshead has high expectations for what pupils can achieve. The unique expeditionary curriculum is rich with challenging texts. Due to the cross-curricular approach, pupils develop a deep understanding about the contexts of these texts.

In addition, staff expressly teach pupils how to develop their spoken language skills. Pupils understand the importance of articulating their thoughts in well-developed sentences. They also know how to respectfully build on the ideas of others.

For example, Year 8 pupils learn about what it means to be human. As part of this, they read the play 'Noughts and Crosses'. They articulately discuss the significant effect of systemic racism.

Pupils' writing development has not been as expertly considered and sequenced as other aspects of their work. The steps pupils should follow to keep improving are not as clear as they are in other curriculum areas. As a result, there is some variation in the depth of pupils' understanding about how to write in more sophisticated ways.

Crew sessions start pupils' day. These small-group sessions are meticulously planned to prepare pupils for their next steps. Sessions do this in numerous effective ways.

One aspect is 'crew read'. Here, staff model fluency and expression when reading aloud. Pupils also explore the key themes and ideas in the books they read.

This helps them to understand and celebrate difference in society, enhancing their wider personal development. Swift identification highlights pupils who need support with reading. Trained staff deliver small-group reading support.

This support helps pupils to access the curriculum with confidence.

The way the school builds a culture of positive behaviour is exceptional. Staff use deliberate and thoughtful strategies to enable pupils to thrive as individuals and as part of a team.

Weekly 'community meetings' take place, where pupils challenge and support each other. They do this through apologies, appreciations and making stands. These meetings help pupils to celebrate success and resolve any disagreements.

Pupils' mature and empathetic attitudes in these sessions are impressive. They are confident speaking in front of each other. Pupils' respectful attitudes are a significant reason the school is a happy place to be.

Staff reinforce positive attitudes in a highly effective way. The school embeds 'HOWLs' (habits of work and learning) throughout the day. Staff identify and celebrate when pupils are working hard, getting smart or being kind.

In crew, pupils review each other's 'HOWLs' as a critical friend. Pupils talk about how they are accountable for their behaviour and learning. This prepares them well for life beyond the school gates.

Leaders, including directors and governors, share a clear and ambitious vision for the school. They commit to providing a rounded education that helps pupils become better people. Leaders forge positive links in the local community.

Relationships with businesses enhance a growing and effective careers provision in school. Staff enjoy working at the school. Collaborative planning time and staff days help them manage their workload more effectively.

Parents are highly positive about the education and wider experiences their children receive. Many comment on the passionate staff and how everyone leads by example.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• The key knowledge that pupils need to learn and master to fully develop their writing has not been clearly identified. As a result, there is variation in how well pupils understand how to craft and improve their writing in different contexts. The school should continue to refine the writing curriculum so that pupils are able to write with sophistication for varied purposes across different subjects.