Admission to Secondary School (2025)

XP Gateshead is part of the XP School Trust. We base our practice on our extremely successful schools in Doncaster - following a model of learning called "expeditionary" learning. In July 2017, XP School in Doncaster was judged by Ofsted as outstanding in all areas, highlighting character growth and stating that academic progress is outstanding for all groups of students.

Every year there are 50 places available at XP Gateshead. Parents can apply for places through the normal Local Authority process.

At XP we have a relentless focus on beautiful work, character growth and academic success. We expect our students, staff and parents to be courageous, respectful, committed to craftsmanship and quality, to show integrity and to be compassionate.

We provide an authentically tough and rewarding education for everyone, and we believe this is best achieved through not segregating our children by any measure, such as social class or academic ability.

For this reason, we allocate places to children in our catchment area using a randomised process. This is the fairest way that we can see to ensure that all children in the Gateshead area have the opportunity to come to XP Gateshead. More details of this process can be found in our admissions policy.

We hold high expectations for all our stakeholders. Without exception, our students are expected to be able to go to university if they so wish, our staff pursue a high level of continual professional learning, and our parents are expected to attend and be involved in Celebrations of Learning, Student-led Conferences and Passage Presentations.

Our students are immersed in term long 'learning expeditions', covering standards from across many subjects. We ensure our expeditions are broad and engaging by rigorous mapping of appropriate standards from the National Curriculum and GCSE specifications.

Expeditions are designed around real-world issues and problems and our students work to affect positive change in their communities.

To be absolutely clear, XP is neither a vocational school, so we do not prepare students for specific trades, nor are we an outdoor adventure school. It is not tailored for or aimed at any one particular group of children or type of child with specific ways of learning. We are a mainstream comprehensive 11-16 secondary school.

Every year there are 50 places available at XP Gateshead. You apply for places through the normal Local Authority process.

Admissions

We are a Comprehensive school situated in the East end of Gateshead and applications are through the regular local authority process. It is important to note that if you really want your son or daughter to come to XP Gateshead, you should still name other schools as second and third preferences. Naming only XP Gateshead does not increase the chance that you will be offered a place. Full details of our admissions policy and more information about our school can be found at www.xpgateshead.org (opens new window)

Oversubscription criteria

Where the school receives more applications than it has places available, the criteria listed below will apply, after the admission of children with an Educational Health Care Plan (EHCP) which names XP GATESHEAD, the oversubscription criteria will be:

1. A 'looked after child' or a child who was previously looked after but immediately after being looked after became subject to an adoption, residence, or special guardianship order. A looked after child is a child who is (a) in the care of a local authority, or (b) being provided with accommodation by a local authority in the exercise of their social services functions (see the definition in Section 22(1) of the Children Act 1989).
2. Children of staff where they have been appointed to fill a vacant post for which there is a demonstrable skill shortage.
3. Children with a sibling who is attending or has attended XP GATESHEAD. Sibling is defined in these arrangements as children who live as brother or sister in the same house, including natural brothers or sisters, adopted siblings, step brothers or sisters and foster brothers and sisters.
4. Children living within the designated catchment area of the school identified by random allocation. This process will be independently verified by the Local Authority.
5. Children living outside the designated catchment area of the school identified by random allocation. This process will be independently verified by the Local Authority.

Catchment Area

We intend our school to benefit Gateshead and its surrounding area so the designated catchment area of XP GATESHEAD will reflect this. The catchment area is defined as the following postcode areas DH3 1, DH 3 2, NE8, NE9, NE10, NE11, NE16, NE17, NE 21, NE 39, NE 40, NE41 8J, NE42 5N.

Please visit our website at www.xpgateshead.org (opens new window) to find out more about our school and feel free to get in touch if you have any questions etc.