XP School

As we reach the end of another academic year, it is the perfect time to celebrate everything that Rosa Parks Crew has achieved. This has been a year filled with hard work, resilience, teamwork and personal growth, and every member of the Crew should be incredibly proud of what they have accomplished.

Throughout the year, students have consistently demonstrated the XP character traits of courage, craftsmanship, respect and compassion. Whether in the classroom, on expeditions or supporting one another through Crew, they have embraced every challenge with determination and a positive attitude.

A particular highlight has been the successful completion of Passage, an important milestone that gave students the opportunity to reflect on their journey, celebrate their achievements and look ahead to the future. Each presentation showcased the confidence, maturity and personal growth that has developed over the year, and students should be incredibly proud of the effort they put into this significant achievement.

Another fantastic accomplishment has been completing the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award. From planning and preparing to taking on the expedition itself, students demonstrated resilience, teamwork and perseverance throughout. They supported one another, overcame challenges and showed exactly what can be achieved through determination and collaboration. The experience created lasting memories and equipped students with valuable life skills that will stay with them for years to come.

Above all, Rosa Parks Crew has continued to embody what it means to be part of the XP community. They have celebrated one another’s successes, encouraged each other through challenges and grown together as a Crew. Watching their confidence and independence develop over the year has been a privilege.

A huge thank you goes to every student for their commitment, enthusiasm and willingness to always strive to be their best. You have represented Rosa Parks Crew with pride and should all take a moment to reflect on just how much you have achieved this year.

We hope you all have a well-deserved and restful summer break. We look forward to seeing what the next chapter holds for Rosa Parks Crew and are excited to see you continue to grow, succeed and inspire others.

Well done, Rosa Parks Crew—you have had a year to be truly proud of!Celebrating Rosa Parks Crew – A Year to Remember

Beautiful work this week

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.

Top of the Blogs

Year 6 leavers party 2026 @ Green Top

Our class of 2026 @ Plover

KS1 Celebration of Learning @ Carcroft School

Powering the Future @ XP Doncaster

Colour run fun! @ Norton Infants

Year 6 raises money for local donkey sanctuary @ Norton Juniors

G29 Final product @ XP Gateshead

Share your stories with us!

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!

We’re looking for Cleaners at Green Top School!

https://xptrust.org/xp-trust-cleaners/

Find out more here and apply to #JoinOurCrew

It was that time of year again where crew gets incredibly competitive! It was a really hot day but students enjoyed ice lollies and time in the air conditioning between events. We lathered on the suncream and had a great morning of rounders, dodgeball, football and athletics.

During the afternoon we completed the yearly sports day quiz, sporting photo and put together our mascot after being given Australia this year as our country (very fitting for Crew Irwin).

At the end of the day it was announced that we had won for year 8 at XP!

Great day had by all 🙂

Mrs Barnes

As part of our current expedition, 8.3: Inside the Code, our Year 8 students have been exploring the invisible systems that keep our modern world communicating. But building encrypted networks and powering communication hubs requires energy—and lots of it.

To explore how we can power our future sustainably, we were incredibly lucky last Tuesday to welcome an expert guest into the classroom: Ian Barnes, the Renewable Manager at AE Spinks.

Mr. Barnes spoke to our students about the critical realities of climate change and how we can use environmentally friendly methods to heat our homes. He gave the class a deep dive into the world of heat pumps—a technology currently revolutionising renewable energy across the UK.

Our students got some fantastic “insider facts” about the industry. Mr. Barnes explained the practical realities of his day-to-day role, including the logistics of fitting heat pumps into different types of housing—explaining exactly what makes an installation straightforward, and what makes it tricky. He also shared his overarching mission: to massively increase the number of heat pumps operating across the UK to help reduce our collective carbon footprint.

Learning about engineering is one thing, but actually doing it is another! Following the talk, the students put on VR headsets to step directly into a virtual installation site.

Taking on the role of a heat pump engineer, students had to physically navigate the virtual environment to build, wire, and install their very own heat pump systems. It was an incredible way to bring complex, invisible engineering right into the classroom, allowing students to apply their problem-solving skills in real time.

A massive thank you to Ian Barnes and AE Spinks for taking the time to visit us, sharing their expertise, and letting our students experience the future of green engineering in virtual reality!

On Friday, Crew Caldwell participated in their final ever Sports Day… 😢

I am so immensely proud of how the students performed, especially in the heat! Everyone took part, gave it their absolute all, and, most importantly, had fun.

Once again, our crew finished in 4th place. At least we’re consistent! 😄 But that certainly didn’t dampen our spirits.

Thank you all for making it such a fantastic day, guys! 💙