I cannot believe we are half a term through this academic year! This week we have had our celebration assemblies and many students have received certificates. Congratulations to all of the winners and thank you for all of your hard work. It is always a pleasure to see the amount of students being rewarded for being such great members of the Carisbrooke College community.

On Monday we had our year 7 disco. The event was a great success for students and staff alike. It was lovely to see so many students joining in with the fun and letting their hair down. A well deserved treat for completing their first half term in secondary school.

On Monday, a group of students from Carisbrooke, Medina and the VI Form travelled to Vietnam for a long awaited trip. You can keep up to date with their adventures on our facebook and instagram page. So far it appears that they are having a great time and we are looking forward to hearing all about it on their return.

A letter was emailed out on Tuesday regarding revision sessions for year 11 students over the half term. Please encourage your child to engage in these sessions as they are to provide added support with their GCSE exams next year.

I wish you all an enjoyable half term and we look forward to students returning to school at 8.45 am on Monday 6 November.

Miss Begley
Head of School – Carisbrooke College 

Assemblies in school this week have been supporting Black History month. The theme for this year’s Black History month is “Time for Change: Actions Not Words”. The purpose of this theme is not just to educate people on Black History but to inform and empower people to be true allies in the anti-racism movement.

On Thursday, our Year 11 geographers went on a field trip to Sandown as part of their GCSE course. The students were all extremely well behaved and the trip was a great success!

On Wednesday, we held our Federation Careers Event for Year 11. It was a great evening with many external visitors giving information to our Year 11 students and their parents regarding opportunities post-16. Thank you to all those who attended.

Next Wednesday, we have our Year 7 Tutor Evening. This is an opportunity for parents of year 7 students to meet with their child’s tutor to discuss their progress and how they are settling into secondary school. If you haven’t already booked an appointment, please do so via Arbor. We look forward to welcoming you.

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.

Finally, we are currently recruiting for a Parent Governor. Letters have been sent out to parents today. For more information, please see our website.

Have a lovely weekend.

Miss Begley
Head of School – Carisbrooke College

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 

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 

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

I have had the pleasure of leading all the assemblies this week and welcoming all the year groups back. We have had a very positive start to the academic year and students have returned with a positive attitude. I have been very impressed with the engagement in the learning that I have seen whilst walking around and popping into lessons.

It has been a pleasure to meet and welcome our new year 7 students. They have settled in well to life at Carisbrooke. We look forward to seeing them grow over the next five years with us.

Next week our extracurricular clubs begin. There are many to choose from so please encourage your child to take a look at what is taking place and sign up to them.

Thank you for your support with student uniforms, especially with the current hot weather. Unless you hear otherwise, students will be expected to wear blazers again from Monday.

Please remember to follow us on our social media channels for information, news and updates.

Miss Begley
Head of School – Carisbrooke College

Last Friday evening we had our year 11 Prom. We had some fantastic arrivals including a horse, a tractor, a convoy of Harley Davidsons and a beach buggy to name a few! It was an amazing evening and the students did Carisbrooke College proud.

On Wednesday we had our Awards Ceremony. This is an evening where exemplary students are awarded for their efforts. The evening was a great success and there was not an empty seat in the audience. Thank you to all of the parents/guardians who came along and supported the event and to our wonderful staff for making it happen. Most of all, thank you to all the students who won awards for their continued efforts and contributions to Carisbrooke College.

Next week we have our student Rewards Trips and on Monday at 6.00 pm we have a meeting for the parents/carers of the students attending the Vietnam Trip. Please come along if you can, as important information will be shared.

School will run as normal next week until 3.10 pm on Friday 21 July.

Have a great weekend.

Year 10 trial exams finished this week. The behaviour and attitude to their trial exams has been exceptional. Results of these exams will be shared with the students during their lessons.

On Tuesday we welcomed our new year 7 students and they spent a day with us giving them the opportunity to experience what being a ‘Carisbrooke student’ is like. The students were amazing and it was a very positive day. We are all looking forward to them joining our community in September.

Year 10 students attended their work shadowing placements on Tuesday and Wednesday this week. Feedback so far has been very positive from both the students and work placements. We hope that this has given the year 10 students some insight into the working environment and also assisted them in their decisions for their future after Carisbrooke College.

We have our year 11 prom this evening and we’re expecting a great evening to celebrate the end of their time at Carisbrooke.

Have a great weekend.

Feedback about year 10s behaviour and attitude to their trial exams has been exceptional. I am so impressed with how they have behaved and taken onboard the exam condition expectations. The results of these will inform staff of the next steps required for each of them individually as they enter year 11. If you or they have any questions or issues regarding exams, please contact Mrs Smith, Head of Year or your child’s tutor.  Exams will continue next week.

Thank you to all the staff and students involved in the sports day for year 7 and 8 this week.  A great time was had by all and it was amazing to see the students all working together and supporting each other.  It was a pleasure to award medals to the winners.  Congratulations to you all!

Thank you to the parents/carers who attended our Parent Voice meeting on Tuesday – Your opinion really matters to us!

A reminder that this letter was emailed out earlier in the week with details of industrial action taking place in schools next week.  Next Tuesday and Wednesday is work shadowing for year 10 – hopefully many students are making the most of this valuable opportunity.

Have a great weekend.

It was a privilege to see our students perform at the Isle of Wight Festival.  They did themselves and the Federation very proud.  Well done to you all!

It was great to see so many parents at the ‘Help your child to revise’ evening on Wednesday.  It was very well attended and feedback was that it was very positive and informative.  We will hold another one next year prior to the trial exam in year 11. 

Next week year 10 will sit their first set of trial exams. These will be in the hall and run under the same exam conditions as their GCSE exams next summer. The exams for year 10 may be ‘trial’ exams but they are evidence of what level your child is working at and help their teachers to determine the level of exam they should be sitting next year and/or where there are gaps in their knowledge that need to be addressed. Please encourage your child to revise and if you or they have any questions or issues regarding exams, please contact Mrs Smith, Head of Year or your child’s tutor. You can also find the revision booklet for Year 10 on our website here. 

The Senior Leadership Team have commenced informal interviews with the year 10 students.  These interviews proved extremely helpful with the year 11s and it is an opportunity for your child to raise any issues, concerns or ask for advice regarding school, career plans and other opportunities.

Next Wednesday the School Immunisation Team are in school delivering vaccinations to students who have missed any of the previous sessions in the year.  Please see details further in the newsletter on how to book your child into this session.

Next Tuesday we have our Parent Voice meeting at 6.00 pm in school.  All parents/carers are invited to attend.

Have a lovely weekend and enjoy the sunshine safely.