On Tuesday I was invited to attend Year 9 Passage Presentations at XP Gateshead. Passage Presentations are a formal, public rite of passage that mark the culmination of a student’s learning journey through Key Stage Three.

In Passage Presentations the emphasis is equally focused on character growth (being an ethical and compassionate human being) as it is on academic progress. As such, students present a comprehensive portfolio of their work to a panel of staff, peers, and community members, demonstrating mastery of Long Term Learning Targets, growth in their Habits of Work and Learning (HoWLs), and their understanding of the XP Crew culture to affirm their readiness to progress to their GCSE studies.

I attended four presentations and whilst very different they were all equally impressive. The first presentation was delivered by Amelia who spoke eloquently about her character growth and her realisation that thinking of others had strengthened her determination to be kind and focus on her studies. She referenced the Outward Bound experience as a turning point in her growth:

“Getting to the top of the mountain made me realise that I shouldn’t just focus on myself but I needed to help others.”

She is keen to pursue events management as a career and her focus on this was very impressive. She shared a metaphor about her time at XP, a key feature of each presentation, which summed up her conceptual understanding of our Crew culture:

“XP is like a garden. It is the right environment to grow and flourish. It’s not about being perfect but doing your best.” 

Next up was Finn who confidently and skilfully talked the panel through his learning journey at XPG to date. His reflections were highly articulate, discerning and showed a real understanding of self, impressive for a thirteen year old! Finn focussed on his resilience in both his studies and in his character growth. As a keen football player he talked at length about how his discipline in sport has helped him in his studies. You could clearly see that Finn is going to be successful in whatever he chooses to do. This couldn’t be better expressed than in his comment below:

“I show up ready to learn every day. Not just because I find Maths easy but it’s because of my work ethic… I take my independent work seriously: I’ve never missed a deadline from the start of Year 7.”

Finn showed and discussed numerous examples of ‘beautiful work’ he has created since joining the school. His understanding of the need to pursue high quality was evident in his reference to our Habits of Work and Learning and to critique and redrafting: 

“My written work has progressed because I’m widening my vocabulary and I don’t just settle on a first draft.” 

Finn delivered an outstanding Passage Presentation in spite of the fact that he was feeling unwell – I think that says it all about his resolve and determination.

Harrie’s Passage Presentation showed real integrity. He was able to talk about his progress and also how he is determined to become more focussed in sessions so that he is successful in his future studies. His metaphor below captured his honesty and a deep sense of self reflection:

“XP is like a highway. There are twists and turns and I’ve even had some crashes but XP has shaped me as a human.” 

Harrie talked about how he has matured, that he is now working more independently and is making sure he is balancing his new found love for boxing and his studies outside of school.  

Interestingly, he highlighted Presentations of Learning and creating outward facing products that impact positively on the community as the areas which have contributed most to his growth. He made some impressive pledges and I hope he meets with the success he deserves in the future.

The final Passage Presentation I attended was delivered by Warren. This young man had written an extensive reflection on his character growth and academic progress. He talked with honesty and openness about his determination to improve his reading and how by working hard he has done this, it is clearly helping in his sessions. He delved deeply into his assessments across subjects and Learning expeditions to show the progress he is continuing to make. Warren focussed on how the structures at XPG have helped him develop his confidence and oracy, particularly the fact that he has had to consistently participate and share his work in Presentations of Learning. Warren was proud of the progress he has made in developing his written work, showing compelling examples of this, and his growth in Maths:

“At first I wasn’t confident in Maths because I wasn’t good at it but I learned that confidence is essential in order to succeed and so is not giving up no matter how hard the task.”

Warren clearly understood the symbiotic link between character growth and academic progress which is extraordinary for someone of his age. I think the picture below shows how proud Warren’s Dad was of his presentation.

Passage Presentations are not easy. And it is exactly the reason why we do them. Passage Presentations transform traditional assessment into a meaningful “rite of passage” by requiring students to actively reflect on their academic mastery and character growth. This process not only empowers students to take ownership of their future but also strengthens the bond between the school, parents, and the wider community through a shared celebration of excellence.

I think I’ll leave the final word to Finn which pretty much sums up the essence of an XP school:

“It is great to come to a school where being a good person is highly valued.”

Andy Sprakes

Chief Academic Officer, XP Trust