Although many believe we are, XP Gateshead is not a special school, an outdoor school or a private school.

Our school is a challenging place to learn and we expect the very best from our students through our relentless focus on Beautiful Work, Character Growth and Academic Success.

Andy Sprakes, our Chief Academic Officer, explains more about the realities of XP Schools and dispels some of the myths surrounding our innovative approach. This is a must watch for all prospective students and their families.

Academic rigour is at the heart of our curriculum. Our students engage with important guiding questions through worthy challenging texts, carrying out purposeful fieldwork and working alongside experts, making connections between disciplines and creating activist products that have an impact on the world around them. 

Learning expeditions are visceral learning experiences with case studies that bring the National Curriculum and GCSE standards to life, ensuring that students work hard to get smart, with learning that is both deep and meaningful.

We believe that in education, we often underestimate our children. At XP Gateshead the work is highly academic and highly challenging, because "there is more in us than we know".

Every learning expedition involves the creation of beautiful work. Through critique and multiple drafts, students craft work that is thoughtful, accurate, precise, beautiful and beyond what they might have previously dreamed possible. 

They create portfolios which archive their beautiful work and speak to these during Student-Led Conferences - essentially parents' evenings flipped - where students present to their parents and Crew Leader for 30 minutes on their HoWLs, academic progress and character growth.

We want our students to know that they are important, because their work is important, so expeditions involve public exhibition of work, work that impacts on the community and elements of service learning.