Month: September 2023

Head of School’s Blog – 29 September 2023

Written by Gemma Long on September 29, 2023. Posted in HoS Blog - VI, The Island VI Form.

Head of School’s Blog – 29 September 2023

It has been a busy week this week with Young Enterprise, Year 7/8 Readers meetings and Open Evenings at Medina and Carisbrooke. Thank you, if you have supported at any of these events.

Time goes very fast at The Island VI Form and we are already only three weeks away from our October half term (two week break from Monday 23 October – Friday 3 November). Therefore, Year 13 students only have three half terms left before creative arts exams start or four half terms until written subject exams start! Year 12, despite just starting, have only nine more half terms before they sit their exams in 2025 (sooner for some vocational subjects!). Therefore, make sure you are getting the basics right:
– Be here every day

– Phone or email if you are absent
– Be on time
– Wear your lanyard
– Look after your mental health (plan ahead, eat well, exercise & relax)
– Plan driving lessons / appointments after school
– Study in study periods
– Attend after school revision
– Build career capital (DoE, Young Enterprise, Y7/8 reading mentor…)
– Ask for help

Parents often ask me how they can help and support; getting these basics right is one of the best and easiest things you can do.

Have a nice weekend.

Mr Mumford

Head of School – The Island VI Form

Head of School’s Blog – 29 September 2023

Written by Gemma Long on September 29, 2023. Posted in Carisbrooke College, HoS Blog - CC.

Head of School’s Blog – 29 September 2023

On Thursday we had the pleasure of opening our doors to current year 6 students at our Open Evening. I thought I would share one of many positive pieces of feedback we received – “Thank you very much for such an informative evening – it was lovely to see how passionate current students were about the school, as well as the teachers. I can assure you that the pupils who helped tonight did you proud in showing off the school, and it was lovely to see.” We had so many student volunteers helping and they are our best ambassadors as they share their experiences of life at Carisbrooke. The evening was a great success.

Our Year 7 students sat their CATs (Cognitive Abilities Tests) this week. They were all very mature and well behaved, well done year 7!

Next Wednesday we have our careers evening to be held at Medina Theatre between 5.00 pm and 7.30 pm. This is open to all year 11 students and parents and will be an excellent opportunity to speak to key members of staff from Island businesses with regards to employment after education. It would be great to see you all there.

On Tuesday we had the Employable Me event for our year 11 students. The event was received very well by the students who found it engaging and useful. Thank you to all of the external visitors for making this event happen.

The next Parent Voice meeting will take place in school on Tuesday 17 October at 6.00 pm. This is for existing parents and new year 7 parents are also invited to attend. If you have any questions with regards to Parent Voice, please email louise.southwell@iwef.org.uk.

Have a lovely weekend.

Miss Begley

Head of School – Carisbrooke College

Head of School’s Blog – 29 September 2023

Written by Gemma Long on September 29, 2023. Posted in HoS Blog - MC, Medina College.

Head of School’s Blog – 29 September 2023

This week has been a very busy week in school with many events happening. On Tuesday, we had Open Evening for Year 6 with about 180 of our lovely students volunteering to come in and help. The evening was amazingly successful with some very lovely feedback such as “Amazing evening to show the school to its full potential. Hollie enjoyed taking part in the practical things and the students who were demonstrating and guiding her were brilliant. The teachers were informative and also answered all the questions we had. Thank you for a fabulous tour”. We also had an informative and useful careers event on Tuesday for Year 11 and school photographs on Wednesday where students looked very smart.

There have been a lot of sporting fixtures this week with the under 15 girls winning their match against Carisrooke by 9-2, Year 10 boys beating Ryde School 6-4 and the Year 8 boys, although losing, put up a great performance in the Hampshire Cup. Well done to you all!

Outside of school we also have seen success with Isobel W in Year 11 who became the youngest British female to have trekked across the Pyrenees in July, a very impressive achievement.

Please remember we have lots of lunchtime and after school clubs throughout the week, including Dancelive and LGTBQ+ clubs on a Wednesday which have just started. So there are lots of opportunities for students to experience success.

The next Parent Voice meeting will take place in school on Monday 16 October at 6.00 pm. This is for existing parents and new year 7 parents are also invited to attend. If you have any questions with regards to Parent Voice, please email louise.southwell@iwef.org.uk.

As we enter the final three weeks of term and germs start to emerge, can you please encourage your child to carry out good hand hygiene so they don’t miss out on participating in school life.

The final part of celebratory news is that we had our first Hot Chocolate event where 10 students from across all year groups were invited to have hot chocolate and biscuits with myself to either celebrate 100% attendance or top achievement points in the previous week. Well done Michael, Joseph, Latia, Erin, Summer, Cody, Imogen, Ryan, Jenson and Kobe.

Mr Pearce-Jones

Head of School – Medina College

Head of School’s Blog – 22 September 2023

Written by Gemma Long on September 22, 2023. Posted in Carisbrooke College, HoS Blog - CC.

Head of School’s Blog – 22 September 2023

Here we are at the end of week 3 – this half term is definitely flying by.

A few messages regarding Year 11 –

– Students who went to the The Globe Theatre in London yesterday were a credit to the college. I have had lots of positive feedback about their attitudes and behaviour.

– There is an ‘Employable Me event’ on Tuesday where students can focus on what they plan to do after post-16.

– A letter was given out to students today during their assembly and it has been emailed to all parents/carers. This is with regards to their behaviour and learning in their final year in secondary school. Please take time to read this information and discuss it with your child.

Next Tuesday, we have the school photographers in and all students will be having their school photos taken. Proofs will be sent home in due course. As always, please ensure your child is in full uniform looking smart.

On Thursday 28 September, we have our Open Evening for Year 6 students. We have been inundated with student volunteers to help out for the event which just proves how proud our students are of our school and want to ‘show it off’ to prospective students. As Head, this is a pleasure to see.

Next week, on Tuesday and Wednesday, our Year 7 students will be sitting CATs (Cognitive Abilities Tests). No revision or prior learning is required. This involves three tests over the two days. Results from the tests help us to understand learning styles and highlight potential difficulties that students may be facing.

Attendance last week dropped to 93.8%. Please remember, our aim is always 100%, 95% equates to a maximum of 9 days off of school a year. Remember you can monitor your child’s attendance to school and in school through Arbor.

Have a lovely weekend.

Miss Begley

Head of School – Carisbrooke College

Head of School’s Blog – 22 September 2023

Written by Gemma Long on September 22, 2023. Posted in HoS Blog - VI, The Island VI Form.

Head of School’s Blog – 22 September 2023

Lessons are now in full swing and all students should now be supporting their studies by doing additional work in their study periods. This needs to be your regular routine that starts now. I keep saying that hard work pays off (HWPO) and it’s true. The other key is to be here every day.

In your study periods, you should be reviewing prior learning, making revision notes from day one, looking at which topics are coming up next, completing homework, looking at past exam papers and examiner reports. If you are not sure what to do, ask your teachers. Support will also be on Google Classroom.

Study periods are also for building ‘Career Capital’ or transferable skills (leadership, team work, resilience, for example). You should be taking part in extra curricular activities in or outside of school.

For example, here are some upcoming opportunities:

Young Enterprise – First meeting 9.30am Monday 25 September in M1
Support Year 7/8 reading – Introductory meeting at 12.40pm Monday 25 September in A5
UCAS hub – M2 Tuesdays during morning break
Talking shop – every Thursday in A5 during morning break
Duke of Edinburgh – after school on a Tuesday and a Wednesday in the Upper Common Room
Gym Inductions – sign up in Student Services
LGBT+ club – Fridays in S5 at 12.40pm
Mock legal trial – TBC (just before Christmas)

Have a lovely weekend.

Mr Mumford

Head of School – The Island VI Form

Head of School’s Blog – 22 September 2023

Written by Gemma Long on September 22, 2023. Posted in HoS Blog - MC, Medina College.

Head of School’s Blog – 22 September 2023

The weather may be changing, but as a school our commitment to improving students’ life chances stays the same. As you will have seen from my letter this week we are focusing on attendance to school and truancy in school. We firmly believe in the mantra “attend today and achieve tomorrow”.

For the vast majority of students, their attendance is excellent and they do not miss a single lesson; this can be seen in the levels of progress they make in school. Please remember, our aim is always 100%, 95% equates to a maximum of 9 days off of school a year. Remember you can monitor your child’s attendance to school and in school through Arbor.

Next week, we have some exciting events coming up with our open evening for Year 6 starting at 5pm on Tuesday 26. Also on that day, we have an Employable Me event for Year 11 where they can focus on what they may like to do post-16. On Wednesday 27, we have the school photographer in, so please make sure your child’s uniform is looking especially smart.

I would like to congratulate Michael C and Rebecca B in Year 8 for being our school ambassadors this week as they have accompanied me out to primary schools to talk about their experiences at Medina College.

Unfortunately, some of the sporting fixtures had to be cancelled this week because of the weather, but the Year 8 boys did manage a match against Ryde School where Ashton W achieved an impressive goal!

Lastly, we are passionate about working in partnership with parents and carers and we want to do everything possible to secure a strong working relationship. To enable us to do that, can we please ask if you would like to speak to one of our team that you make an appointment. This allows us to quickly and efficiently respond to any matters you may wish to discuss.

Have a lovely last weekend of September.

Mr Pearce-Jones

Head of School – Medina College

Head of School’s Blog – 15 September 2023

Written by Gemma Long on September 15, 2023. Posted in HoS Blog - VI, The Island VI Form.

Head of School’s Blog – 15 September 2023

I hope your first week has gone well.

The clear message from me is that students who have good attendance and put the work in, get good results. You need to use your study periods to support your learning, not just do the homework set. You need to review your lessons, start making revision notes now, read up about next week’s work and review old lessons / revision notes so that you burn the knowledge gained into your long term memory. Hard work pays off (HWPO), the posters around school are true.

Thank you to the MHST team for putting on an advice and guidance session to new Year 12 students about settling into VI Form life. It was a great event and both students and staff have learned lots from it. If you missed it and feel like you might be struggling, please speak to Student Services, as we should be able to repeat the event in a few weeks time, if needed.

School photographs for new Year 12 students will be on Monday from 9.00 am. Student Services will collect students and take them down to the hall. If Year 13 would like a new photo, they can have one taken during break time.

Have an enjoyable weekend.

Mr Mumford

Head of School – The Island VI Form

Head of School’s Blog – 15 September 2023

Written by Gemma Long on September 15, 2023. Posted in Carisbrooke College, HoS Blog - CC.

Head of School’s Blog – 15 September 2023

It does not seem possible that we are at the end of week 2. Year 8-11 students are back into their school routines. Our new year 7 cohort have started well and are already getting involved in Carisbrooke life. Behaviour and attitude to learning in the lessons I have popped into has been very good.

Thank you for your support with student uniforms. Now that the weather has cooled we expect all our students to be in full uniform, including blazers.

“Attend today, and achieve tomorrow.” Every moment in school counts, and days missed add up quickly. For example, a child in Year 10 who is absent for three days over a half term could miss 15 lessons in total. The higher a pupil’s attendance, the more they are likely to learn, and the better they are likely to perform in exams and formal assessments. Attendance for Year 8 (92.2%) and year 11 (94.3%) are currently below our minimum target of 95%.

Our extracurricular clubs began this week. Please take a look at the website where there is a list of all clubs taking place both at lunchtimes and after school and encourage your child to sign up to them.

Can I please remind you that if you wish to speak to a member of school staff, the easiest way is to call/email the school to make an appointment. We cannot guarantee that if you arrive in reception asking to meet with someone, that they will be free at that particular time.

Congratulations to Matthew C in Year 8 who won an award at the Child of Wight Awards on Friday evening. Matthew won Fundraiser of the Year! Such a great achievement, we look forward to seeing more fundraising and headlines from you!

Please remember to follow us on our social media sites (details below) for all information, news and updates.

Miss Begley
Head of School – Carisbrooke College

Head of School’s Blog – 15 September 2023

Written by Gemma Long on September 15, 2023. Posted in HoS Blog - MC, Medina College.

Head of School’s Blog – 15 September 2023

We have now completed our first full week back in school and it is the end of our second week of term. Already, time seems to be flying by! It has been a great relief to have some cooler temperatures to assist our students’ ability to focus in their lessons.

I would like to say thank you for your support in sending students to school in the correct uniform, the vast majority of students are looking exceptionally smart and are excellent ambassadors for our school community.

There has been some excellent learning taking place around school, from baking bread in food technology, experiments in science, trampolining in PE and the Vietnam War in history to name a few. It has been a pleasure to visit classes to see this taking place.

A couple of reminders from myself:

For the safety of our students, please can parents not park on the double yellow lines outside of school at the end of the day. It makes it very dangerous for students walking home and also getting on and off of buses. None of us want to see a child injured.
Attendance matters, so please send your child to school whenever possible. Did you know that 1 day off school equals 0.5% of school missed for an academic year. 5 days equals nearly 4% of their education missed.

Lastly some excellent news; at the Child of the Wight Awards 2023, one of our Year 8 students, Lily K was awarded carer of the year. Well done Lily, we are very proud of you!

Mr Pearce-Jones
Head of School – Medina College

Examination Invigilators

Written by Gemma Long on September 13, 2023. Posted in Vacancies.

Examination Invigilators

Salary: NJC Scale 1; SCP 2 – £11.59 per hour plus holiday pay
Contract type: Casual

The Governing Board for the Isle of Wight Education Federation is seeking to appoint enthusiastic and supportive Examination Invigilators who will support the effective and efficient invigilation of all internal and external examinations across the Federation.

The Isle of Wight Education Federation has been established to harness the very best education practice within two secondary schools and a large A Level sixth-form centre of almost 500 students. The aim is to create a culture of continual improvement with increasingly successful outcomes for young people across the Island.

The Federation comprises of Carisbrooke College, Medina College and The Island VI Form and candidates should, therefore, be prepared to work across the three sites, as necessary. Appropriate vehicle business insurance will therefore be required.

The Colleges are fast-paced, fun and caring environments in which to work and there are excellent opportunities for personal and professional growth and development. If you feel you have what it takes to be part of our dynamic team, we would be delighted to hear from you.

To apply, please complete the application form below and return it to hr@iwef.org.uk. Please note that we cannot accept applications which are not submitted on the official application forms, and we do not accept CVs under any circumstances.

The Governing Board of the Isle of Wight Education Federation is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people and expects all staff and volunteers to share in this commitment. The Governing Board of the Isle of Wight Education Federation is an equal opportunities employer and welcomes applications from all sections of the community.

Please note that the Governing Body of an Aided or a Foundation School is the employer

Closing date for applications: once sufficient quality applications have been received.