Last week, my crew and I took on the great outdoors! Every single student played an integral part in our fieldwork at Outward Bound in Ullswater. From gorge walking and wild camping to taking the leap with cliff jumping, the students showed incredible courage and compassion toward one another. They quickly recognised that everyone brought unique strengths to the table, whether physical, mental, or emotional and used them to support each other throughout the week.
I am so proud of how they tackled every challenge and built truly strong, lasting relationships along the way.
We’ve kicked off this week with a positive buzz and memories we’ll hold onto for a long time to come.
After an incredibly immersive day, C33 are making their return journey to XP & XP East.
We will arrive slightly later than anticipated- 6pm.
Please collect your child from Car Park 3 where they will be dismissed by their fieldwork lead, unless school have been informed otherwise. This is the normal drop off and pick up area, not that used last week.
Yesterday marked an exciting milestone for our Year 8 students as we officially launched the immersion phase for our upcoming expedition. Trading the classroom for the chalk-lined coastline of Danes Dyke, the trip set the stage for a day filled with hands-on discovery, scientific curiosity, and outdoor exploration. Students were tasked with scouring the shoreline for open fossils, observing signs of active marine life, and examining the vast array of shells washed ashore by the tide.
Throughout the day, our students consistently demonstrated our core character traits of compassion and respect for the natural world. Mindful of their footprint on the delicate coastal ecosystem, everyone embraced Leave No Trace principles. They handled their surroundings with care, ensured marine habitats remained undisturbed, and left the shoreline just as pristine as they found it. Their environmental stewardship showed a mature understanding that true scientific inquiry goes hand in hand with protecting the places we study.
That same dedication was on full display through the incredible craftsmanship of their field sketches. Pausing along the beach, students poured real focus and precision into capturing the detailed textures of ancient rock layers, coastal erosion patterns, and native shoreline features. The care put into every line and shading detail reflected a high standard of work and a sharp eye for scientific observation.
The absolute highlight of the afternoon came when patient searching paid off—several students managed to find real fossils embedded directly in the chalk rocks! Holding pieces of ancient history brought the day’s learning to life in a memorable way. With their impressive environmental mindfulness, scientific curiosity, and artistic quality, our Year 8s have set a fantastic foundation for the rest of this expedition. A huge well done to all our students!
After a whirlwind week at Ullswater filled with lifetime memories, from tears to laughter, our crew has returned closer than ever. From sharing our family pet names and favourite foods to opening up about our biggest challenges, we truly got to know each other. The Ullswater experience has given us a strong foundation to learn, grow, and support one another throughout our XP East journey. It was an awesome experience and i was super lucky to be apart of it with them.
Our first day back in school was a huge success! During our morning crew session, every student arrived fully equipped and ready to put their best foot forward.
To help us keep this positive momentum going, please ensure your child brings the following every day:
Stationery: Pen, pencil, rubber, and ruler
Reading book
Hydration: A refillable water bottle
Uniform: Correct dress code (and PE kit on PE days)
Technology: Charged device (once issued)
A Quick Reminder: Mobile phones and smartwatches must be switched off and put away, or disconnected from mobile networks during the school day.
We are looking forward to a fantastic term ahead, and I will keep you posted on how our students are getting on!
After a whirlwind start to Y7 and attending Outward bound, Crew DCU have settled into school as we embark on our schooling journey.
Over the course of last week, we managed to take part in a plethora of activities, exploring the beautiful scenery in Ullswater. We braved new challenges like gorge walking and night navigation, showing immense courage and determination in unfamiliar environments.. It was a privilege to be part of this experience, and all of our crew members showed exceptional character growth, as we started our journey to the ‘top of the mountain’. We hope to bring these experiences, memories and character traits back to school this term.
Overall an amazing effort. Here are some of our highlights:
The transition to Year 7 is a monumental step for any student, but C33 Explorer took it in their stride during their very first mathematics lesson this week. Stepping into a secondary maths classroom can be daunting, yet our new Year 7s demonstrated extraordinary Courage right from the moment they walked through the door.
Guided by our Teaching and Learning protocols, the classroom was a space where taking risks, embracing contributions, and stepping out of comfort zones are celebrated as essential parts of the learning journey. All valuable skills that were developed at Outward Bounds last week!
Data Analysis and the Gallery Walk
The highlight of the lesson was an ambitious data analysis task. Working collaboratively, students identified patterns, trends, and information.
To share their findings, we deployed our Gallery Walk protocol. The data analysis was superb for a first lesson – students were actively interpreting what the data meant and backing up their conclusions with clear mathematical reasoning.
Shout-Out to Kai! A massive shout-out goes to Kai, who showed fantastic leadership by kickstarting our Popcorn protocol. Taking the initiative to launch a new classroom routine in front of peers requires serious courage, and Kai set a brilliant, high-energy benchmark for the rest of the crew to follow!
Working Hard and Living Our HoWLs
Throughout the session, C33 Explorer embodied our Habits of Work and Learning (HoWLs):
Work Hard: Every single student remained focused, persevered through challenging tasks, and gave 100% effort from start to finish.
Be Kind: Students supported one another during group discussions and built upon one anothers answers.
It was a great start to the academic year. C33 Explorer proved that with courage, collaboration, and dedication to our HoWLs, there is no limit to what they can achieve in our expeditions. Keep up the amazing work E33 Explorer!
What a fantastic first week back for Crew Brunel! We have packed a lot into our first week, with opportunities to build our crew community, develop new skills, explore Doncaster and prepare for the challenges of KS4.
DAY 1
We kicked off the week by rebooting crew, reconnecting with each other and establishing our KS4 norms and expectations. We also launched our exciting Micro Adventure, where students would explore Doncaster through an A–Z challenge.
We also took part in inter-crew activities, competing in a range of fun and slightly unusual challenges, including balancing a ping-pong ball on a spoon in our mouths and throwing and catching a potato using a fork! These activities gave students the chance to have fun, work together and build relationships with students from their crew.
We then finished the day by beginning our preparation for our job interviews, with students exploring six different job roles and selecting the one they were most interested in applying for. They began considering the skills, qualities and experience they could bring to their chosen role, ready for their interviews later in the week.
DAY 2
On Tuesday, we headed into Doncaster town centre for our Micro Adventure, completing a range of fun and challenging activities. These included performing the can-can outside somewhere beginning with C, hugging a tree, handing out thank-you postcards to local services, and spreading some positivity by giving flowers to members of the public. It was a great opportunity to explore our local community, step outside our comfort zones and bring a little joy to the people of Doncaster.
Back at school, we continued our interview preparation by creating CVs and cover letters for our chosen job roles. Students had to think carefully about their skills, strengths, interests and experiences, and consider how these could be presented to a potential employer. This helped students build their confidence and independence, while giving them a better understanding of what employers look for when applying for a job.
DAY 3
Wednesday was a creative and exciting day! We launched our Future Fashion project, challenging students to think about sustainability and how recycled materials could be transformed into innovative and practical workwear. Students worked collaboratively to design and create their outfits, using their creativity to turn everyday recyclable materials into something completely new.
Students also took part in interviews with external staff, giving them the opportunity to put their communication, confidence and interview skills into practice in a realistic setting. It was fantastic to see students stepping outside of their comfort zones and showcasing what they could do.
We ended the day with our fashion show, where students proudly took to the runway to showcase their incredible creations and celebrate all of their hard work!
DAY 4
Thursday focused on preparation, reflection and learning. Students began preparing for the POL community meeting on Friday by creating a short script about everything they had done during their first week back. This gave them the opportunity to reflect on the different experiences they had taken part in and decide what they wanted to share with the wider school community.
We then explored a range of different revision techniques, looking at how everyone learns differently and how students can find strategies that work best for them when remembering important information for their GCSEs. Students had the chance to try out different approaches and consider which ones they could use in their own revision.
We finished the day with our Science immersion, where we began getting an insight into what we will be learning next week. This helped students to start thinking about the new topics they will be exploring and prepare themselves for the learning ahead.
DAY 5
We finished the week with a Presentation of Learning (POL) community meeting, where crews from each year group came together to share what they had been doing during their first week back at school. It was a great way to celebrate the start of the new school year and hear about what other crews had been getting up to.
We then moved into our History immersion, where we began exploring the history of Doncaster Plant Works. Students started to learn about the importance of the Plant Works to Doncaster and began completing the first section of their work booklets, building their knowledge and understanding of the site.
We ended the week on a high with our English immersion, where we watched A Christmas Carol. While watching, students made notes on important plot points, characters and key events, helping them to begin developing their understanding of the story and preparing for the learning we will continue next week in English.
It has been a busy but brilliant first week for Crew Brunel. From exploring Doncaster and preparing for the world of work to designing sustainable fashion and developing our academic skills, students have already shown creativity, confidence, teamwork and a real readiness for KS4. I can’t wait to see what the rest of the year brings!
And just like that… that’s a wrap on our fifth and final ever first week back!
It has been such a lovely week reconnecting after the summer break. We kicked things off with a wellbeing walk on Monday, followed by reflections and roadmapping our final year on Tuesday. Wednesday brought a ‘How to Revise’ workshop, before we created our year overview calendar, plotting all of those important dates — mocks, TSLCs and, of course, our exams.
We then worked out that we have just 153 days physically left in the building until our final exam.
153 days. Mental.
Thursday saw us thinking about the legacy we want to leave behind for future students, and today we finished with a POL before hitting the ground running with revision sessions.
But amongst all the planning and preparation, we’ve also made sure there has been time for some fun. We’ve played games we loved back in Year 7, compared our Year 7 first-day photographs with this year’s, and laughed at just how much we’ve all changed.
Then, just before everyone left today, we watched the video from their first week in Wales.
And that got me.
Watching those little Year 7 faces, knowing that those children are now about to enter their final year, made me incredibly emotional. Five years. Gone in the blink of an eye.
I honestly can’t believe we’re here.
We’re coming into our finale, and I’m not ready for it. I want a few more acts. A few more chapters. A few more first days, fieldwork, laughs, silly moments and memories.
I don’t want this journey to end.
But if there is one thing I know, it’s that Crew White are going to make this final year count.
So here we go, Crew White.
Our final chapter. Let’s make it one we never forget.
