XP Gateshead

XP Gateshead is a small secondary academy free school that opened in 2021 and was inspected for the first time under section 5 in October 2024. It is part of XP School Trust Limited. Inspectors found a school with high expectations and a distinctive expeditionary curriculum that connects subjects and gives pupils ambitious learning experiences, including fieldwork and outward-bound activities. Pupils, including those with SEND, achieve well and produce high-quality work, and safeguarding is effective. The school's personal development and behaviour are exceptionally strong. Pupils belong to small 'crew' groups, benefit from meticulously planned sessions and reading support, and show mature, empathetic and respectful attitudes. Community meetings and the HOWLs approach help pupils celebrate success, resolve disagreements and take responsibility for their learning. Leaders have a clear vision, positive community links, effective careers provision and staff who feel supported; parents are highly positive. The main area for improvement is writing. The key knowledge pupils need to develop sophisticated writing has not been clearly identified or sequenced as well as other parts of the curriculum, so pupils' understanding of how to craft and improve writing varies across contexts and subjects. The report notes this was the school's first routine inspection since the pandemic and that, under the current framework, no overall effectiveness grade was given.

Strengths

• Distinctive expeditionary curriculum connects learning across subjects and brings learning to life.
• Broad and ambitious curriculum with high expectations for what pupils can achieve.
• Pupils, including those with SEND, achieve well and produce high-quality work.
• Strong sense of belonging through small 'crew' groups.
• Extensive fieldwork and outward-bound opportunities build confidence, friendships and character.
• Exemplary focus on personal development.
• Exceptional culture of positive behaviour built through deliberate and thoughtful strategies.
• Weekly community meetings help pupils celebrate success and resolve disagreements maturely.
• Pupils display excellent attitudes towards learning and each other.
• Effective reading support and 'crew read' develop fluency, expression and understanding.
• Staff explicitly teach spoken language and pupils articulate ideas respectfully.
• Clear and ambitious leadership vision shared by directors and governors.
• Positive local community links and growing careers provision.
• Staff feel supported and workload is managed effectively through collaborative planning.
• Parents are highly positive about the education and wider experiences.
• Safeguarding arrangements are effective.

Areas for Improvement

• Key knowledge for developing sophisticated writing has not been clearly identified.
• Writing development is not as expertly considered and sequenced as other curriculum areas.
• Pupils' understanding of how to craft and improve writing varies across contexts and subjects.

Admissions: local authority offers data from the Department for Education. A school is oversubscribed when at least 5% of the families who put it first were not offered a place, and undersubscribed when everyone who put it first got in but 10% or more of its places were unfilled in the Department's school capacity survey (the latest survey is used for entry years it does not cover). Places: Department for Education, School capacity, from local authorities' annual survey as at 1 May. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024–25); the survey was not run in 2020. Places include sixth form places. Forecasts are the local authority's own for the school's planning area, an area it uses to plan places that is not the school's catchment area. The forecast starts from a head count in 2025; the dashed line is the Department's estimate of places in that area, including those the authority has firm plans for. Planned places are cumulative, and only those with firm plans are counted.

In 2024–25 pupils at XP Gateshead attended 91.1% of sessions (the national figure for secondary schools was 91.6%). 22.6% of pupils were persistently absent, missing at least one session in ten (nationally 23.4%).

Sessions missed

Pupils persistently absent

Source: Department for Education, Pupil absence in schools in England. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024/25). Persistent absence means missing 10% or more of sessions; severe absence means 50% or more. No figures were published for 2019/20.

In 2024–25, 17.2% of pupils at XP Gateshead were suspended at least once (nationally 7.3%). One pupil was permanently excluded.

Pupils suspended at least once

Source: Department for Education, Suspensions and permanent exclusions in England. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024/25). A pupil can be suspended more than once, so suspensions per 100 pupils can be higher than the share of pupils suspended. Very small numbers are hidden by the DfE. Exclusion figures dropped in 2020 and 2021 because of school closures.

In 2025–26 XP Gateshead had 14.4 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for secondary schools was 16.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 7.1% were no longer at the school a year later (nationally 14.1%).

Pupils per teacher

Teachers who left the school within a year

Source: Department for Education, School workforce in England. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024/25). Pupils per teacher counts full-time-equivalent pupils and teachers. Turnover is the share of a year's teachers (full-time equivalent) who were not at the school the following year, whether they moved to another school or left state-funded teaching. Turnover and sickness figures run one year behind the ratios. Sick leave is the share of teachers who took at least one day in the year, so it swings widely at small schools, where a few teachers can make it 0% or 100%. The national figures are for all state schools of the same type.

In 2025–26, 22.0% of pupils at XP Gateshead were on SEN support (nationally 14.1%) and 3.3% had an education, health and care (EHC) plan (nationally 3.5%).

Pupils by main type of need

Source: Department for Education, Special educational needs in England (the 2025–26 school census). SEN support is extra help in school without an EHC plan. National figures are for all state-funded secondary schools. Counts are as published, with small numbers not hidden.

In 2024–25 XP Gateshead received £10,365 and spent £9,533 for each of its 200 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £1,000 (£3 per pupil).

Across all 8 schools of Xp School Trust Limited, income was £7,611 and spending £7,203 per pupil.

Income per pupil

Spending per pupil

Source: Department for Education, Financial Benchmarking and Insights Tool. Each year is the one the financial year ends in (2024 is 2023–24). Academy figures include a share of the trust's central services, shared out by pupil numbers, and are rounded to the nearest £1,000. Premises costs were defined differently from 2024, so compare them across that gap with care.

• Primary Schools
• Secondary Schools

All schools in Gateshead · Gateshead local authority: places and applications

XP Gateshead is part of Xp School Trust Limited, which runs 8 schools. The nearest others:

• Norton Infant School Doncaster
• Norton Junior School Doncaster
• Carcroft Primary School Doncaster
• Green Top Doncaster
• Plover Primary School Doncaster
• XP East Doncaster
• XP School Doncaster

What is XP Gateshead's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for XP Gateshead is Good, from an inspection in November 2024.

When was XP Gateshead last inspected by Ofsted?

XP Gateshead was last inspected in November 2024.

How many pupils does XP Gateshead have?

XP Gateshead has 245 pupils on roll.

What age range does XP Gateshead cover?

XP Gateshead for pupils aged 11 to 16.

What are XP Gateshead's GCSE results?

In 2026 its average Attainment 8 score was 48.4, and 52% of pupils achieved grade 5 or above in both English and maths GCSE.

Where is XP Gateshead?

XP Gateshead is at Swards Road, Felling, NE10 9UZ.