Author: Gemma Long

Prison History Talk with John Kingsbury

Written by Gemma Long on April 23, 2024. Posted in News - VI, The Island VI Form. No Comments on Prison History Talk with John Kingsbury

Prison History Talk with John Kingsbury

On Monday 15 April, criminology and sociology students were treated to an in-depth talk from a local Island ex-Prison Guard and Historian. John Kingsbury used to work at HMP Isle of Wight/Parkhurst/Camp Hill between the 1970s to the early 2000s. During this time, he witnessed many changes in the criminal justice system and how prisoners were rehabilitated whilst receiving retribution from society for breaking the law.

John also ran the former prison museum and readily took us back to the early 1800s when the institute was originally a prison for young boys. We heard some horrific stories of 14 year olds being locked up in dark solitary confinement for over 4000 hours, straitjackets and restraints being used on some as young as 12. We were told about how a wing became a women’s prison and how they rioted worse than the men – and insulted a visiting Queen Victoria to the point where she made a royal decree that no royal should ever visit a prison again (which, interestingly, had to be formally revoked when Princess Anne came to visit in the 1980s).

John has worked with the likes of the Krays, The Yorkshire Ripper, the Black Panther and several IRA members. He provided several colourful stories and anecdotes, really giving us a detailed look into what it’s like on the other side of that big prison wall.

Success for mixed-year basketball team

Written by Gemma Long on April 19, 2024. Posted in Carisbrooke College, News - CC. No Comments on Success for mixed-year basketball team

Success for mixed-year basketball team

On Wednesday 17 April, Carisbrooke College hosted The Priory in a mixed year group basketball game. This allowed for those who have been attending basketball clubs all year to get some additional playing time before the end of the season.

The game remained closed for the first three quarters with both sides playing some lovely basketball. Ashton and Charlie, two of our year 11s and who have been part of the school basketball team for the last five years, played one of their best games ever, combining for 28 points and double digits assists. Harry and James, the other two year 11s, contributed well with some good rebounds and defence throughout. Our year 10s were led by Matthew who played hard throughout as the point guard, but it was Oli who came away with 10 individual points and just as many rebounds to help the team battle it out close to the basket.

Alban and Oakleigh supported with some fast movement away from the ball and supported an allround performance from the team. Jim, who had a standout performance earlier in the season at the annual tournaments, continued to dominate near to the basket with his strength. Logan and Dylan, two of our year 7 students, played without fear despite being many years younger that the other team’s players and with great confidence whilst on the ball, shooting and taking big hits defensively; clearly showing the potential these two have.

However, it was in the fourth quarter when the combination of Ashton, Charlie, Jim, Oli and Matthew started to show the difference between the teams and it was here that a 15 point lead opened up which pretty much gave the win to Carisbrooke. With a few minutes left, players were rotated but Carisbrooke came out as winners with a 51-43 final scoreline.

The team has two more games next week and we hope they can put similar performances together for. Well done!

Head of School’s Blog -19 April 2024

Written by Gemma Long on April 19, 2024. Posted in Carisbrooke College, HoS Blog - CC. No Comments on Head of School’s Blog -19 April 2024

Head of School’s Blog -19 April 2024

Welcome to the first blog for this term. I hope you all had an enjoyable Easter break. Thank you to the students who attended the revision sessions during the holiday. It’s only weeks away now until the year 11 exams begin. Please encourage your child to revise and remind them that there is a plethora of support available to them should they wish. If there are any issues, please speak to Mrs Smith, Head of Year or their tutor.

This week I have enjoyed delivering assemblies to the year groups. Linked to our Aprire and Achieve strap line and the word ASPIRE which focuses on our core values, the theme this time was Respect. Other key messages were around our expectations in terms of attendance and attitude to learning.

During the Easter break, some of our students went on a Ski trip to Austria. It was great to receive positive feedback from the staff on their excellent attitude and behaviour. A huge thank you to the staff – Miss Caddick, Mr Rock, Mrs Mackett and Mr Jones for giving up their time – trips like this broaden our students’ horizons and help them to gain confidence and independence, amongst many other skills. The students made new friendships and memories which will last them a lifetime.

Well done to our two teams that have made it through to the Young Enterprise Grand Final on Tuesday 30 April. Lissy, Molly-Nora and Morgan who are running ‘Insignia’ – they are designing, manufacturing and selling a range of badges and Sophie, Freya (and Archie from Medina College) who are running ‘Wild Wax Melts’ – they are creating, manufacturing and selling handmade wax melts.

Thank you to all of the parents/carers who came to year 10 Parents’ Evening. It was a great turnout and feedback was very positive. We now have year 8 Parents’ Evening open for bookings via Arbor, this will be held on Thursday 2 May in school. Please do book appointments as this is an excellent opportunity to discuss your child’s progress at school with their individual subject teachers. If you have any problems with making the bookings, please email donna.keogh@iwef.org.uk.

Next Tuesday, year 8 students who have had consent will receive their HPV vaccinations.

Yesterday I had the pleasure of running the interschool dressage competition and I am very proud to say that Carisbrooke teams came first, second and fourth overall. All of the competitors were excellent and it was a great day. Thank you to all involved.

Congratulations to our highest achievement point winners from last week of term – Lilly-May and Oliver – year 7, Riley – year 8, Mason – year 9, Sam – year 10 and Tristan – year 11.

Have a good weekend.

Miss Begley

Head of School – Carisbrooke College

Head of School’s Blog -19 April 2024

Written by Gemma Long on April 19, 2024. Posted in HoS Blog - MC, Medina College. No Comments on Head of School’s Blog -19 April 2024

Head of School’s Blog – 19 April 2024

I would like to extend a warm welcome back to the Summer Term. I hope that you had a restful Easter break and are ready for the final term of the school year. As always, there is and has been lots of things going on in and around school.

During the Easter break, we had students on the IWEF ski trip to Austria which, by all accounts, was a huge success and an amazing experience for all those involved. Thank you to Mr Rock, Mr Mumford, Miss Caddick and Mrs Mackett for leading the trip.

Thank you also to all staff who put on Easter revision sessions for our Year 11 students.

In terms of Year 11, this term marks the start of their formal GCSE and BTEC exams. This week we have had Art, MFL Speaking and Sport BTEC exams taking place, with formal written exams commencing on Thursday 9 May. Please support your child in attending after school revision sessions and ensuring they are getting plenty of sleep and finding ways to manage their exam stress levels.

This week we have had Year 10 Parents’ Evening. Year 8 Parents’ Evening will be on Wednesday 1 May and Year 7 Parents’ Evening on Thursday 16 May. All appointments will be bookable through Arbor. We also have an opportunity for parents to attend Parent Voice on Wednesday 8 May between 6-7pm in our Meeting Room at Medina College.

Also coming up on Thursday 25 April it is Year 9 Take your Child to Work Day. Only students who have completed and returned the relevant forms are able to participate in this.

We have had some exciting news with Archie in Year 10 being part of Wild Wax Melts Young Enterprise group who will be participating in the final for this year on Tuesday 30 April. The final is a public event and details have been shared on our Facebook page.

Finally, it leaves me to sign off with a congratulations to our first Hot Chocolate Friday winners of the Summer Term: Alfred, Jacob, Caitlyn, Yamin, Lucas, Mustafa, Logan, Phoenix, Jake and Freddie, who all achieved the golden ticket for either having a 100% attendance in the previous week or being top achievement point winners for their year group. Have a lovely weekend!

Mr Pearce-Jones

Head of School – Medina College

Head of School’s Blog -19 April 2024

Written by Gemma Long on April 19, 2024. Posted in HoS Blog - VI, The Island VI Form. No Comments on Head of School’s Blog -19 April 2024

Head of School’s Blog -19 April 2024

One week down already! A Level arts based exams have started this week and continue into next week. The main bulk of exams then start from 20 May when study leave starts, although there are a few exams the week before. Year 12 exams start in early July.

We have distributed exam timetables this week in the assembly and these are also being emailed. Please make sure that you check them and raise any issues with the exams team next week. Do not leave it until the morning of the exam – that would be too late for any amendments to be made.

I also covered in the assembly the examinations rules for both year groups – make sure that you follow them at all times. We are aiming to have no accidental breaches of the rules this year (exam malpractice).

Year 12 had their first introduction to the Extended Project Qualification (EPQ) this week, which offers UCAS points and the ability to demonstrate project management skills. We will be holding an EPQ only assembly next week for interested students.

Students from our VI Form have been part of an amazing business journey this year though participating in the Young Enterprise Programme.

Ed-WISE, a charitable benefit society based on the Island, delivers the Young Enterprise Company Programme on the Isle of Wight. The Young Enterprise Company Programme is a competition between student teams to create, launch and run a trading business for the academic year. There are milestone events such as Dragons Den (in November and February), where teams can earn investment for their business idea and several retail trading events, where teams sell to the public.

Ed-WISE is inviting members of the public to the Young Enterprise Company Programme Isle of Wight Grand Final event on Tuesday April 30 at 9am. This is the final event for 12 student business teams. The teams will explain how their business was set up and traded through the current academic year. The event takes place at Island Riding Centre in Newport. Ed-WISE is inviting as many people as possible to this free event, from across all sectors, so some people in business and some not. Ed-WISE is wanting the students to tell their story to as many people as possible. This experience will have a great positive impact on their development.

The event has 2 main elements to it – a trade stands section and a formal presentation section. The trade stalls element runs from 9am to 10am followed by the team presentations and awards. For those visitors who can only make the trade stands element, then those people are free to leave at 10am. People are invited to stay and hear the team presentations in full, if they are able to stay. The event ends at 12.30pm.

For those who would like to attend the event, to confirm attendance please click here.

Good luck to both of our teams:
IO Magazine – Ethan, Finley and Charlotte
The Little Wight Jewellery Box – Finn, Amelie, Ellie and Ruby

Have a great weekend.

Mr Mumford

Head of School – The Island VI Form

Eswatini and Mozambique Trip Opportunity!

Written by Gemma Long on April 18, 2024. Posted in News - CC, News - MC, News - VI, Uncategorized. No Comments on Eswatini and Mozambique Trip Opportunity!

Eswatini and Mozambique Trip Opportunity!

Medina College, Carisbrooke College and The Island VI Form invites you to join an online talk about our exciting eSwatini & Mozambique expedition, running in July 2026 for students currently in years 8, 9 and 11.

This is a life-changing opportunity for students to explore eSwatini & Mozambique with expert guides, while developing their life skills, confidence and independence. We’re partnering with World Challenge to offer this 20-night trip, which complements school learning. Here is a short video to give you a feel for what World Challenge is all about!

Applications are already open, so please visit our trip webpage for the sign-up link, itinerary, travel dates, Covid-secure booking terms and trip cost – examples of how past students have earned this themselves will be covered in the talk.

Paul from World Challenge will host the 30-minute Zoom presentation on Tuesday 30 April at 7pm. Please come along and ask any questions, or just listen in.

To attend, please register for the Zoom presentation here.

Please be aware that the trip will be open to The Island VI Form Year 12 students in September 2024. This means that current Year 11 students cannot sign up to the trip yet, but can still join the Zoom presentation to gather information and start planning.

Head of School’s Blog – 28 March 2024

Written by Gemma Long on March 28, 2024. Posted in Carisbrooke College, HoS Blog - CC.

Head of School’s Blog – 28 March 2024

Welcome to the final blog for this term.

We are aware that some fake Tik Tok accounts have been set up. We do our best to investigate these and report them to Tik Tok to be blocked. However, I would like your support with this, so ask that if you come across such an account, can you please also report them so we can shut these down as quickly as possible.

This week I have thoroughly enjoyed taking part in our celebration assemblies and giving out Headteacher Awards, Tutor Awards, ASPIRE Awards and 100 Attendance certificates. Congratulations to all of the students who received certificates. Your hard work has paid off.

We held a mufti day today in aid of the Ellen MacArthur Cancer Trust. Thank you to all the students and staff that took part. So far we have raised a fantastic £391 and the money is still coming in.

Please remind students in Year 11 of the revision sessions that are taking place over the Easter holidays and encourage them to take part. Also, to revise for their exams whilst still enjoying their break and taking time to relax. Hard work pays off – stick to your revision timetable and remember to take time out to relax as well.

Congratulations to our highest achievement point winners from last week – Maxi – Year 7, Hannah Year 8, Mia and Madison Year 9, Brooke Year 10 and Darcy Year 11.

I look forward to seeing students returning to school in full uniform and ready to learn on Monday 15 April.

Have a lovely Easter break.

Miss Begley

Head of School – Carisbrooke College

Head of School’s Blog – 28 March 2024

Written by Gemma Long on March 28, 2024. Posted in HoS Blog - VI, The Island VI Form.

Head of School’s Blog – 28 March 2024

Dear Students, Parents & Carers,

Have a great break. I’m calling it a break rather than holiday, as there is a clear expectation for both year groups that you should be doing revision for the upcoming exams.

Year 13 in particular should be finishing creating revision materials by the end of Easter to allow time to go over their notes multiple times to burn the knowledge into their long term memory.
Remember that there are a number of revision sessions on offer over the break (see timetable below).

Thank you to staff and students for a great term, the next one will fly by! Lessons re-start on Monday 15 April at 8.50 am.

Eat – Sleep – Revise – Repeat (plus look after yourself – exercise, relax etc…).

Happy Easter!

Head of School’s Blog – 28 March 2024

Written by Gemma Long on March 28, 2024. Posted in HoS Blog - MC, Medina College.

Head of School’s Blog – 28 March 2024

It is hard to believe that we are now at the end of the Spring term, 2024 seems to be moving at a rapid rate. Next term is a big term for our Year 11 as they start their formal GCSE exams, so we wish them luck preparing for these over the holidays and we look forward to welcoming them back and helping to support them through this rite of passage.

Please remember to book for Year 10 parents evening on Thursday 18 April, this is between 4-7pm in person and appointments can be made through Arbor.

We wish students who are taking part in the Ski trip during the second half of the holidays a safe and enjoyable time, let’s hope for plenty of snow!

There have been so many amazing sporting fixtures taking place recently and I know that many of these are covered in the school newsletter, so please ensure you are looking at this communication. We have also been busily celebrating student success in our celebration assemblies, it is lovely to be able to shout loudly and proudly about student success.

It leaves me to wish you a safe and enjoyable Easter break. I very much hope you enjoy this time to recharge batteries and hopefully come back to some better weather in the summer term.

Faraday Challenge Winners!

Written by Gemma Long on March 26, 2024. Posted in Carisbrooke College, News - CC.

Faraday Challenge Winners!

Cooper, Lilly, Jacob, Dakota, Jack and Karla represented Carisbrooke College at the annual Faraday Challenge, hosted at Christ the King College by the Institute of Engineering and Technology (IET). The challenge is a competition in which pupils are given a brief – this year the theme was on road safety – and then asked to design, produce and present a prototype product that meets the criteria of the brief. Pupils are given a budget of ‘Faraday Bucks’, which they must use to buy electrical and mechanical components from a ‘shop station’ (run by the IET) which they use to make their product.

It should be stressed that the pupils do not receive any help from teachers or adults, aside from purely technical guidance from the judges if they get stuck, making the engagement, dedication and hard work from the pupils all the more impressive.

Inspired by island roads, the team came up with an idea of a device that alerts cars on blind corners that an on-coming car is coming. Over the course of the day, our six Year 8 pupils impressed the judges with their prototype, organisation skills and teamwork, as well as their confident presentation.

They went on to beat the teams from Island Free School, Ryde School, Priory and 2 teams from Christ the King to win! Only 3 points separated the top 3 teams, and the judges expressed that they were particularly impressed by the quality of the prototype, the pragmatism and simplicity of their idea, and the team’s meticulous and clear write-up of their project! They now have a chance at attending the grand finals at Silverstone this summer, once all 251 schools in the project cave competed!