The coach has just left Cambridge services for the final leg of the journey. ETA at school 1.45pm. Please be prompt for collection to allow all staff and students to get home to their families.
I’d also like to massively appreciate the staff who have given up their week to facilitate what has been a phenomenal experience for our children. I can’t wait to hear all about it when they arrive and again on Monday!
Mrs Salter
This week in Crew Brunel has been a great mix of rest, reflection, and preparation as we move closer to an important milestone in our learning.
We started the week with a staff day, which meant students had a long weekend. This was a brilliant opportunity for everyone to take a well-earned break, recharge, and catch up on any work that had been missed or not yet completed. It was great to see students returning refreshed and ready to learn.
As the week continued, we focused heavily on our Passage presentations, as this is our final week of preparation before presenting next week. Students have been working hard to refine their ideas, improve their structure, and make sure their presentations are clear, confident, and purposeful. The progress made has been fantastic, and we are really looking forward to seeing the final outcomes next week.
One of the highlights of the week was teaming up with Year 10 for a peer critique session. Year 10 students acted as our “experts” since they completed this process last year, and their feedback was incredibly valuable. It was brilliant to see older students supporting and guiding our Year 9s — a great example of teamwork, leadership, and our school community working together.
We ended the week with a whole school community meeting, celebrating and highlighting the excellent work being done by students across the school. It was a positive way to finish the week and a reminder of the high standards and ambition shared by everyone.
A huge well done to David, our standout student this week. David earned Spanish Star of the Week and was also placed in the top 3 Year 9 students across the trust for completing Tassomai tasks in his own time. An amazing achievement that shows dedication and excellent learning habits — well done, David!
Another strong week for Crew Brunel — keep it up everyone, and let’s finish our presentation prep strongly!
Miss Mitchell
We have just set off from Pila, we are scheduled to arrive on time for our Ferry in the morning. We will send updates if there are any changes.
XP East Year 9 students showed excellent focus and engagement during today’s DofE Skills session as they painted their model figures. The calm, purposeful atmosphere allowed students to concentrate, develop fine-detail techniques, and take pride in their work.
This creative activity supported key DofE skills such as patience, resilience, and self-motivation, with students demonstrating real commitment throughout the session.
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.
Key Stage 1 Community Crew @ Green Top
Fruit Tasting and Painting @ Plover
Sticky knowledge – Maths reasoning @ Carcroft School
Weekly Update for Families @ XP Gateshead
Maths, Mysteries and Masterminds @ Norton Infants
High Energy and Big Wins @ XP East
We now have a new dedicated news email so that you can send your stories, updates or ideas about potential news articles directly to us in Comms.
It might be something you or your students have achieved, a charity you’re supporting or anything at all that deserves a wider audience.
Write to us at comms@xptrust.org – we want to hear about it, write about it and celebrate it!
Today’s DofE Skills session saw our Year 9 students fully focused and engaged as they worked on painting their model figures. The session was calm, purposeful, and a great example of how creativity can support concentration, patience, and attention to detail.
If yesterday was about finding our feet, today was about conquering the mountain. The energy on the slopes of Pila remains electric, and we couldn’t be prouder of how our students are performing.
The technical progress we’ve witnessed over the last 48 hours is nothing short of “unbelievable.” Students who were tentatively snow-ploughing on Monday are now mastering parallel turns and executing crisp, controlled stops.
The real highlight, however, has been the bravery on display. Many of our groups transitioned today from the comfort of the blues to the challenge of red runs. These slopes are significantly steeper and more demanding, yet our students attacked them with a “brilliant attitude” and a noticeable pickup in speed.
After a morning of hard work, we headed to the very top of the mountain to lunch at the Star of Pila. The panoramic views of the Alps provided the perfect backdrop for some well-earned rest.
For one intrepid group, the adventure didn’t end at lunch; they took on the ultimate challenge of skiing all the way down from the peak. It has been a truly unforgettable experience (certainly not one to forget!) filled with constant laughs and a shared sense of achievement.
As we look toward our final day on the snow tomorrow, we’re holding onto the mantra we started with this morning: “It’s a good day to have a good day.” We intend to make every second of that last descent count before we begin the journey home.
This week, Year 10 students worked alongside Year 9 to support them with their passage presentations. Year 10 listened carefully as Year 9 presented, offering constructive feedback and sharing their own experience and expertise.
Their advice focused on presentation skills such as clarity, confidence, and engaging the audience. The session was a valuable opportunity for Year 9 to build confidence and improve their work, while Year 10 developed leadership skills and practised giving thoughtful critique.
A great example of students supporting students and learning together. 👏
On Tuesday 10th February 2026, Year 10 will be taking part in fieldwork to Wabtec Rail – the former Doncaster Plant Works site.
This fieldwork has been planned to support their learning in History – to support their GCSE exam knowledge, and is a brilliant opportunity to bring the students’ learning to life in an exciting and engaging way. The experience will be used to support learning back in the classroom to help the children better understand the content and develop a deeper understanding of the Doncaster Plant Works, ready for their GCSE papers this summer.
11 Skipper will depart school at 9:15am and our expected arrival time back at school is 12:00pm.
11 Admiral will depart school at 1:15pm and our expected arrival time back at school is 3:15pm.
Lunches will not be affected by this fieldwork. We have secured a coach to take us to and from Wabtec Rail.
Students will need the following equipment: charged devices, pen, pencil, ruler, water bottle – and anything else needed daily.
If you have any questions about this fieldwork, please contact me on shannam@xpschool.org or get in touch with your child’s crew leader.
With thanks,
Sarah Hannam
What a difference forty-eight hours makes! After a fantastic start to our Pila adventure, the transformation in our students is nothing short of incredible.
Yesterday was a true “mountain milestone” day. Under stunningly clear blue skies, we faced our first full day on the slopes. As expected, there were plenty of falls and even more laughs, but amidst the snow-dusted jackets was some excellent technique. Every single staff member was blown away by the headway the students made; their determination to get back up and try again was the highlight of the day.
To celebrate a successful day of skiing, we headed into town last night for a legendary pizza night. It was a sea of smiling faces and “unlimited” slices, fueled by plenty of drinks and topped off with a well-earned round of Italian ice cream. It was the perfect way to recharge the batteries and bond as a group away from the chairlifts.
We returned to the slopes this morning with a newfound confidence. The improvement was visible from the first run—so much so that the groups were able to move considerably further up the mountain. As staff, we couldn’t be prouder. Beyond their skiing ability, the students are conducting themselves with maturity and spirit. They are representing the school brilliantly, getting better with every turn, and looking out for one another every step of the way.
After another trip into the local town for some post-ski gelato (you can never have too much ice cream in Italy!), we’ve headed back for our evening meal. The students are now settling down, resting those hard-working legs, and getting ready for another intense, high-energy day tomorrow.
