Hook Week – Tudor Crimes and Hans Holbein

Today marked the first day of our new expedition, and Crew White were fully immersed from the start. We travelled back to the Tudor period to begin building our historical knowledge and curiosity, asking big questions about what life was really like during this fascinating, and often brutal, time.

We were introduced to the intriguing figure of Hans Holbein the Younger, exploring how his portraits tell us so much about powerful people, status and life in Tudor England. The children were fascinated by how art can act as a historical source and reveal details that written records sometimes miss.

We also read about Tudor crime and punishment, discovering just how harsh and shocking the justice system could be. While some of the punishments were gruesome, this helped the children understand how fear and control were used to maintain order.

It was a gripping start to our expedition, sparking curiosity, thoughtful discussion and plenty of questions.

We are looking forward to our Tudor banquet on Thursday!

Expedition Hook

In Crew Colclough, we have participated in a chocolate tasting master class. Pupils were given three different types of chocolate to taste. They used their senses to describe. We are excited to start our new expedition ‘From Bean to Bar’.

Experience Day

In Crew Colclough, we have completed our experience day to engage us in our new writing unit. We tasted red beans, maize and corn tortillas. The Ancient Maya diet consisted mainly of these foods. Crew Colclough demonstrated courage by trying new foods. We also created our own Mayan masks and explored why they were used.

Hooking into our new expedition…

Crew Godley have been blasting off on an exciting journey through the Solar System! We have discovered fascinating facts about the planets and proudly created our own fact files, brought coding to life through fun Star Wars themed projects, and begun designing our very own solar systems. Watch this space to see our solar system evolve!

A Seasonal Message from XP Trust

A number of deaf and hearing pupils from Plover School and the ARChi team have been working collaboratively on a British Sign Language version of the Twelve Days of Christmas. 

This is another example of diversity and belonging that runs through our schools and is a concrete example of our culture of Crew.

On behalf of XP Trust, we would like to wish everyone a peaceful Christmas and New Year.

Andy Sprakes

Chief Academic Officer 

XP Trust

Sharing our Stories: 19/12/2025

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

Reception Christmas Performance @ Green Top

Reception Christmas Party Day @ Plover

Year 4 Writing @ Carcroft School

Crew Rosa Parks @ XP

Christmas Crafts @ Norton Juniors

Crew CSP @ XP East

G32 Reverse Advent @ XP Gateshead

A Very Special Visit from Santa @ Norton Infants

Share your stories with us!

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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 [email protected] –  we want to hear about it, write about it and celebrate it!