Dream Team!

We are delighted to say that we have recruited our pioneering teachers for the 2014-15 academic year. We are so excited about them as talented individuals, but more so in how their blend of skills will join to create a fantastic team.

Martin Said will join us from Cramlington Learning Village, an internationally renowned school in Northumberland. Martin is Head of ‘Create’ (a cross-subject department including Music, Media and Drama), and also has a Maths and Engineering background. Martin will deputise for Andy when needed. Martin is nationally known as an outstanding Project-based practitioner, and has even had articles published by High Tech High. Here are a couple of projects Martin has worked on: http://stonesinamineshaft.blogspot.co.uk & http://callofthewildproject.blogspot.co.uk

Gemma Thornton will join us from Armthorpe Academy. Gemma has led the creation of a Humanities and Arts theme-based curriculum, and is very experienced in pastoral support. She is a lovely person and an outstanding teacher.

Gemma said in her application letter, “I do not understand why any teacher would not want to teach in a creative environment that personalises learning of the individual student by challenging the way they create, design and develop their work.” – Neither do we, Gemma.

Marc Voltaire comes to us from the Doncaster School for the Deaf as an outstanding PE teacher with Biology background. Again, Marc has very strong pastoral skills, and led a fantastic project to create a multi-sensory nightclub for his students. He also has achieved Level 3 in British Sign Language.

Martin, Gemma and Marc will join Andy as our pioneering teachers at XP. Supporting us will be Anna Switzer, who is from Florida, USA and is an experienced Expeditionary Learning school designer. Anna will join us in April and help our teachers understand and implement the ethos and practice of EL. Our teachers will create our curriculum as their first expedition, and exhibit their plans to our parents.

What a dream team!

 

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