XP East

This week, as a crew, we have worked hard to answer our guiding question: “How can I show kindness to myself and my community and have a positive impact?”

We began by resetting our norms and expectations for the year ahead, making sure we all start on the same page and support one another in the right way. Midweek, we were joined by parents for a warm and joyful day of coffee, tea, games, and the colour run. It was a wonderful reminder that kindness doesn’t just exist within our crew, but also in the connections we share with families and our wider community.

One of the biggest challenges came yesterday when we tackled the Monsal Trail. For many of us, it tested our resilience, but with encouragement from those who love exploring and who kept spirits high, we pushed through—together. Even when it felt tough, we supported each other, and I’m truly grateful to crew for helping me get through it too.

Today, we took time to reflect on the week. Already, we can see changes in our crew: stronger bonds, greater determination, and a clearer sense of what it means to live out kindness in action. This week hasn’t always been easy—we’ve had to grapple and lean on each other—but it has shown us the power of crew.

As we look ahead, we carry with us the lessons of this week: kindness to ourselves, kindness to others, and the positive impact we can make together.

Thanks Miss Askin

In our first week back, each crew took part in a special challenge to support our local community. During their micro adventure on Wednesday, Crews headed to local charity shops to choose a mascot that would represent their crew for the year ahead.

Not only was this a fun way to kick off the term and build crew spirit, but it also meant we could give something back to local charities at the same time. The mascots are now proudly displayed in crews, reminding us of the importance of working together and supporting our wider community. We’re excited to see how these mascots inspire our crews throughout the year!

Cora Hatch, Crew Dufton: “For our crew mascot we bought a teapot, because having a cuppa brings us all together. This will be important as we head into KS4 because we don’t want to burn ourselves out from working hard all the time, we need to find time to relax too.”

Nicole Wilkinson, Crew White: “We bought Larry the Sheep because in Wales and DofE we had lots of interactions with sheep that made us laugh. We know that there might be tough times ahead, so we wanted something to lighten our mood”

Miss Ayre, Crew Windsor: “Bobby the British Bulldog is our crew mascot. We named our crew in honour of Queen Elizabeth II and wanted a mascot that linked to the British Royal Family”

Arda Aydin, Crew Spencer: “White Tiger’s are unique and everyone is Crew Spencer is unique too”

After a night out on expedition, all of our C32 Crews are safely back at the centre – tired, happy, and full of stories. Since they’ve been back, their time has been about the simple but important things: food, rest, and sorting out their own kit after life outdoors.

This evening, the focus shifts from physical challenge to reflection. Crews are now preparing their presentations to answer the guiding question: “What does it mean to be Crew?” Tomorrow morning, before heading home, they’ll share their thoughts and experiences with the whole school – bringing together everything they’ve learned about teamwork, responsibility, and belonging.

It’s been a transformative few days already, and we can’t wait to see how the students capture the impact of their journey in their final reflections.

TOMORROW’S JOURNEY BACK HOME

We plan to leave the centre as close to 12:30pm as possible. Traffic dependent and including the stop for the drivers/services we should be back at XP for around 4pm. 

However, the journey here took longer due to unplanned road closures and diversions –  so we will keep in touch via the school website and allow students to call home when we are close. 

Be sure to check back here for further updates tomorrow.

Please note that C30 will be arriving back from their fieldwork at aroud 4:20.

Our second day at Outward Bound has been packed with adventure. Students have been challenging themselves in all kinds of ways, showing real courage and Crew spirit as they take on new experiences and support each other along the way.

Over the course of the day students have not only conquered the ever changing weather conditions, they’ve also hiked, scrambled and engaged in water activities!

This evening, Crews set off on their overnight expeditions – navigating, camping, and working together across the area. We look forward to welcoming them back tomorrow and hearing their reflections on the journey!

#C32Crew

After kicking things off yesterday by reestablishing our Crew norms, reflecting on the importance of Crew, and pulling together to play a mini version of ‘99 to Beat’, Crew White carried that same energy and teamwork into today.

We ventured into Doncaster town centre to carry out an A–Z task, exploring important places and discovering key facts about our city. Crew White fully immersed themselves in the challenges, showing curiosity, teamwork, and enthusiasm throughout. They also showed real respect and compassion to the public around us, which made the day even more special.

One of the highlights was hearing Crew members thank staff for their time and wish them a nice day – such a simple gesture, but the perfect example of living out our HoWL: Be kind. It’s moments like these that remind us how powerful Crew really is, and why those shared values matter.

As we step into Key Stage 4, we know this is going to be a big year. But after the way Crew White have returned – with such a positive attitude and genuine commitment – there’s no doubt that every single one of them is ready to rise to the challenge and absolutely smash it.

Well done, Crew White – another great day, and many more to come!

After we re-established our connections as a crew on our first day it was time to test our team work skills and get out in our community for day two!

Today we embarked on a mammoth trek (haha) to Sandal Beat Woods. Taking part in a range of team building activities and acts of service for the benefit of our community. We began the day with a mini beast hunt which some of us were a little nervous about. Luckily, we found Freddie the frog who made everyone smile. When we circled up we appreciated that sometimes we will have experiences that make us feel unsure or nervous but if we try them with a positive attitude and rely on our crew, we can have great outcomes.

Then we complete our act of services by clearing up some paved areas, play areas and cutting back overgrown paths for the benefit of everyone who visits the woods. Do not let these kids tell you they cannot do jobs or help at home because they all mucked in and did a brilliant job!

Next was orienteering where we had to navigate to markers around the woods relying on map reading, compass skills and a lot of team work! Despite a wrong turn we did really well and had a lot of fun, but we were certainly ready for lunch!

Finally, we learnt about fire safety and how to light a fire using a flint and steel and a bow! Again Crew Hoy needed to listen to each other and work together to ensure they created an ember to start a fire. I was so impressed with the way you all worked and these skills will be vital in your lessons and wider school this year.

What will tomorrow bring? After over 20000 steps probably some aching legs so rest up guys!

From,

Mrs Desborough!

We’re pleased to share that all of our C32 students and staff arrived safely at Ullswater today, ready to begin their Outward Bound adventure.

Day one started with a tradition that sets the tone for the week ahead: the famous “jog and dip.” Crews jogged down to the lake together before taking a refreshing dip in the water – a rite of passage that’s all about courage, resilience, and facing challenges as a Crew.

It was fantastic to see students already stepping outside their comfort zones and supporting one another. If today is anything to go by, this week promises to be an unforgettable experience.

You can follow #C32Crew on Facebook and X for updates throughout the week.

I am sure I was not the only member of Crew Hoy to arrive on the first day back feeling the summer blues. Having left a very unhappy 6 year old at home (who still has a week left of her summer break) I was not feeling like the peppy and positive crew leader that I try to be. Fortunately, this is what crew is all about. We support each other. We laugh. We share. We are a mini family.

Today we spent time re-establishing our core values by looking again at our HOWLs and character traits. We consider the highs and lows of year 7 and thought about our goals and ambitions for year 8 and beyond. We completed a solo which made us think deeply about ourselves and what we need to focus on during the year ahead. We spent time having fun together again with people who we know will have our back, hold us to account and share every day of the next year with.

Thank you so much to my wonderful crew who have made my first day back easy and reminded me why I really love my job. You are the best! #WeAreCrew