XP Gateshead

What Ofsted said

From the inspection on 15 October 2024

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 achievements. 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 the school should improve

• 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.

Read the full Ofsted report (opens in a new tab)