XP16 for 2021/22

By Martin Said13th October 2020

XP16 is a specialised provision for the creative arts and provides three pathways:

  • Art & Design
  • Music Technology (Higher Rhythm)
  • Creative Media (Higher Rhythm)

Art & Design promotional video

Here is a link to Higher Rhythm which will give you more information about what they offer. Higher Rhythm offer a number of other courses as well as the 2 mentioned above.

Each pathway can be studied to Level 3 National Extended Diploma, which is equivalent to three A Levels.

XP16 is based around three central, reflective questions:

  • What do I enjoy?
  • Who do I want to become?
  • Where do I want to go?

Careers education, information, advice and guidance

XP works in partnership with Doncaster Skills Academy to provide the best independent advice and guidance and local knowledge.

Personal Development

A comprehensive personal development programme is delivered alongside the continuation of Crew, our pastoral system.

The programme can include:

  • Looking after yourself – cooking, cleaning, personal finance, legal rights and duties, careers and pathways
  • Working with others – complementing our existing ways of working through individual and team work, with academic and pastoral support to ensure this.
  • Presenting yourself – preparing portfolios, CVs, UCAS forms, and further building of relationships with potential universities, employers or apprenticeships.

Portfolio

A student’s physical portfolio will contain work they are most proud of such as: reflective pieces, qualifications, references and links to digital work contained in their digital portfolio. Their portfolios will be of high quality and present each student in their best light. They will have full access to their digital portfolio after they leave school.

Environment

XP16 students have their own base in XP East, which allows them to have a sense of independence while still enjoying the resources of both XP and XP East, acting as stewards and role models to our younger students.

XP16 sessions start at 9:15am through to 3:15pm.

Students can work flexibly at the school from 8:30am until 4:30pm

Apply now

Email [email protected] to apply for a place at XP16

 

School reopening details

By Martin Said14th August 2020

Please find a link to the new ‘school reopening: support for parents’ website that we have created in order to help our community to understand the changes for the return of our students in the last week of August.

As you will see, we have produced a series of videos that explain:

  • the rationale behind the planned changes
  • overview of the safety measures
  • details for the first week back and the staggered approach to students returning
  • helping students to get back into the swing of things
  • how PE will work
  • individual videos for every year group at XP, XP East and XP16 (zoned locations of ‘bubbles’, entry/exit locations, lunch arrangements, equipment, staggered end of school day times).
  • a section for FAQs
  • Google survey to ask any questions

We have worked hard to produce such detailed resources because we want to reassure parents about the comprehensive plans that we have in place, and to let our community know well in advance of the changes that we have made.

We have also produced this video which explains how the website works, and we encourage all parents to please take the time between now and the week beginning 24th August to make themselves aware of the changes.

Click on the image below to access the XP16 section of our reopening website.

XP16 important updates for students in school

By Kate ap Harri23rd September 2020

Dear parents & carers,

 

It has been great to see our XP16 students back in school.

All students need to come into school for 9.15am this Friday (25th September) for a Community meeting. We will be discussing plans moving forward in their programme of study and then focusing on year 13 students with UCAS references and moving on from XP. The year 12 students will spend this time for pastoral care and other life skills.

From Monday 28th September students need to be back in school from 9.15am – 3.15pm everyday. It is important for students to be studying between taught sessions in a supportive environment. 

Students need to register at 9,15am in their first session with their teacher. Any students that are not in a taught session will register with me at 9.15am at the top of the main steps in the XP16 area.

If students need to leave school for any reason before 3.15pm each day have prior permission from myself and must sign out at reception before they leave for fire regulations and safe guarding.

If you have any further questions or would like to talk with me regarding your child’s programme of study in XP16 please feel free to phone or email me.

Moving forward all information and blog posts will be put onto the XP East website and not this one so please subscribe to the notifications so you don’t miss anything.

Thanks

Kate

Post 16 Lead

Outdoor Expedition Trust Lead

Extending provision for Y10/Y12 students from Monday June 15th

By Martin Said13th June 2020

As we continue to work our way through this unique and often challenging time, thank you once again for all your support. We really do appreciate your understanding as we, day by day, work through what is best for our students.

As mentioned to parents on Tuesday 9th June, I explained that we had plans in place to extend our in-school provision for Y12 students from Monday June 15th but that this would depend upon advice on the local situation from Public Health Doncaster. I also reiterated that any decision will be taken in light of the specific region of Doncaster, not the national picture as a whole.

This week XP representatives attended a video conference with Dr Rupert Suckling (the Director of Public Health Doncaster) who updated all Headteachers on the local situation concerning Covid-19. I have since received written documentation that states:

‘I can confirm that the launch of the new track and trace system means that I am now able to get a better understanding of the number of new cases at a local level. Although the number of cases has not steadied yet, the risk of catching COVID-19 in Doncaster is reducing. Encouragingly, there have not been any Coronavirus outbreaks in schools. Therefore, I am confident we are now at a stage where schools can consider how and when they reopen to a wider cohort of pupils, if they are able to do so, meeting all of the Government’s safety guidance.’

Consequently, our Leadership Team have decided in light of the information and on-going guidance from Dr Suckling, we intend to extend our in-school provision for both Y10 and Y12 students from Monday June 15th. 

Our provision will adopt a very cautious approach which will offer some ‘face to face support’, in the first instance, for those students who are most at risk of falling behind. Attendance is not compulsory, and we totally respect any decision that parents make.

The provision will centre around a ‘learning review’ approach designed to help students to assess what they have done, what they might be struggling with and what they could do in the weeks ahead taking input from the student, their crew mentors, teachers and the leadership team.  

It is our intention for all students in Year 12 to come into school at least once between now and the end of the academic year for a learning review. Crew mentors will be in touch to organise a time when your son or daughter can come in for their learning review Where we can, for those students that are not able to come into school we will use our online platforms to hold the learning review.

Any decision and plans regarding individual students attending more regularly will be made in the continuing partnership between the student, their crew mentor and parents.

We have created this guide for parents (which includes a FAQs section) providing case studies on how this provision will work.

As we already operate an in-school provision for children of key workers and those with special educational needs we have rigorous safety protocols in place for the 13-15 students that attend on a daily basis. In order to help parents to make an informed decision about sending students into school we have created this summary document (embedded below) which provides parents with some of the relevant Health and Safety measures. All of our safety protocols are based on ‘Coronavirus (COVID-19) implementing protective measures in education and childcare settings’ by the Department of Education.

The provision will be regularly monitored on a daily basis and any developments will continue to be taken with caution, and via on-going updates from Dr Suckling and Public Health Doncaster. I must emphasise that I will not hesitate to change or end the provision in light of any forthcoming information that suggests that our students or staff are not safe. 

Last, but not least – we want to reassure you once again that we are here to listen to any concerns or questions you may have. If you are worried or need any clarification of any aspect of this, or any other update please just get in touch via your son or daughter’s Crew Mentor or contact:

[email protected] (Gail Stonier: Executive Lead for Post 16)

 

Best wishes,

Jamie Portman (Principal of XP and XP East)

 

Summary of useful links and docs:

 

Overview for the week commencing 1st June

By Martin Said1st June 2020

Good morning,

Please find below the student overview for this week (week beginning Monday 1st June).

Remember, the student overview doc briefly highlights the topic or task, whilst Google Classroom has the specific detail and supporting resources.

The government has said that they would like for Year 12 students to be able to have some time with their teachers before the end of the academic year, but no earlier than 15th June. We are currently working on arrangements for students that can make this happen safely.

In the interim we will of course continue to provide work and support for our students as we have been doing.

Crew mentor group hangout KAP

12th May 2020Kate ap Harri

It was lovely to hangout with Tom, Ethan, Taylor, Toby and Rory today. We had a quick check in about what has been good over the past week and what wasn’t so good. These ranged from the weather, finding it difficult to get on with work, having to paint half the house etc, (however doing jobs like this at home can be used for your DofE voluntary section!)

Speaking of DofE, I sent letters out to a number of parents regards enrolling students onto the Gold DofE award scheme last week. If you can do this as soon as possible this will help them to easily upload evidence to their eDofE accounts. There are loads of ways they can complete their DofE at home from helping with chores in the house, walking the dog, exercising from home, playing a musical instrument etc etc.

We also discussed that all students are expected to attend the whole year group hangout which takes place on a Monday morning at 11am. This week’s session was focused on DofE and then continued with the topic of financial skills that Mr Said has been leading for the past few weeks. This is a brilliant skill for students to understand To support them when they leave school.

Moving forward each mentor group is going to become a ‘crew mentor group’ so we are currently discussing how to name the crews. At the moment we’ve had suggestions of Mountains, continents, inspiring young people or Miss Stonier’s suggestion of cheeses…… I mentioned this to my crew as a joke but they thought it was a brilliant idea… oh dear!

The holidays start after the weekend and although teachers are not setting any new work over the 2 weeks (as far as I’m aware) I’d like to ask students in my crew to use some of the time to catch up on any work that is overdue. This will put them in a much better position after the holiday.

And to end on a really high note, Ethan in my crew did a mock chemistry A level paper this week and got an overall grade B in it which is absolutely brilliant at this stage in the 2 year course, well done Ethan, you are doing amazingly despite this lockdown!

Have a good week everyone and I’ll check in again soon.

Kate

Overview for the week commencing 11th May

By Martin Said11th May 2020

Good morning,

Please find below the student overview for this week (week beginning Monday 11th May).

Remember, the student overview doc briefly highlights the topic or task, whilst Google Classroom has the specific detail and supporting resources.

Last night the Prime Minister stated that it was the government’s ambition for Year 12 students to be able to have some time with their teachers before the end of the academic year. We will await further guidance from the government on this, some of which is expected to be made public in parliament today.

In the interim we will of course continue to provide work and support for our students as we have been doing.

Overview for the week commencing 4th May

By Martin Said4th May 2020

Good morning,

Please find below the student overview for this week (week beginning Monday 4th May).

Due to the VE Day celebrations, Friday is a nationwide bank holiday. Our in-school provision for children of key workers and SEND students is still open.

Remember, the student overview doc briefly highlights the topic or task, whilst Google Classroom has the specific detail and supporting resources.

XP16 KAP mentor group: Our future selves….

By Kate ap Harri20th April 2020

Today I had a hang out with some of my crew Hahn students this morning and then had a hangout with my XP16 mentor group this afternoon.

For the crew check in chicken I asked both groups the same question,

‘ Tell me 3 words that would best describe the person you see yourself or want to see yourself being in 10 years time’

There was one recurring word that came up in 90% of answers which. is to be happy : )

There was a mixture of other words such as, Having a job, mentally well, homeowner, financially secure, sane, friends, earn a wage, responsible, successful, athletic, being employed.

For most of them ‘happy’ was the thing they said third which leads me to wonder if by managing to make the other things happen then hopefully this will cause them to be happy or at least help towards them being happy?

We went on to explore that these things that they want for their future self aren’t out of reach for any of them. They’re normal things that most people want in their lives and as parents what we want for our children. We discussed that what we do today and tomorrow etc can impact on how likely we are to fulfil those ambitions and although life has Unfortunately thrown a big obstacle in our way (CV19) we can still achieve those dreams by continuing our studies at home and learning new skills.

So, it’s important to crack on with your school subjects and keep submitting your work to your teachers, they are all there to help you, I know this because i’m in touch with them all and every time i’ve asked their support has been given. Keep doing the work you’ve been set but also find time to find out who you are and what else you like doing…..

Some students have taken up new hobbies such as photography, others are getting fitter by cycling and running and can also put this towards their DofE awards! I have post 16 students cooking for their families and baking. One student couldn’t join my hangout this afternoon because he was laying paving slabs in his garden so we will check in together later in the week.

If you spend time each week doing some studying, learning new skills, keeping active and helping out others such as your families you will easily achieve the person you want to be in 10 years time.

Don’t worry about what you did or didn’t do yesterday / last week last month etc, concentrate on the things you can still do today, tomorrow and next week, because before you know it you’ll be 10 years older.