Skip to main content

Vietnam Trip

Vietnam Trip


Hot, tropical conditions, fascinating history and day after day of exciting new experiences are just some of the wonders that greeted 30 IWEF students on their once-in-a-lifetime trip to Vietnam last week.

Students from Carisbrooke College, Medina College and the Island VI Form, all part of the Isle of Wight Education Federation, spent ten days travelling from North Vietnam to the South via key locations in the central regions. Some of the highlights included visiting the mausoleum of Ho Chi Minh, exploring the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) and the 17th Parallel, journeying up the Mekong river while avoiding snakes and giant spiders and spending a night with a local family deep in the rainforest.

Joe Briscoe, trip leader and Mandarin teacher said: “To visit these places by yourself is one thing, but to undertake such an adventure with 30 eager and attentive young people behind you who are all willing to push themselves outside of their comfort zone and run towards scary new experiences, brings a whole different level of satisfaction as a teacher. We certainly encountered both the weird and the wonderful out there and I’m certain that as a result every student will have grown in countless ways.”

Lewis Chambers, 14, said: “Going to Vietnam taught me so many things, but the most important thing that it taught me was to try something new, no matter how nervous you may be”.

Amelia Strickland, 15, said: “This trip has made me a lot more adventurous in many different ways. For example I tried food I wouldn’t have been able to try here and I now have the courage to go to other places like this. I have learned so much about how the Vietnamese honour their dead. They use incense as they believe that when the smoke reaches the sky it connects them to those in heaven.”

While the adventurous aspects of the trip were fun, there was a very serious point behind it. Joe Briscoe said: “Interacting with the people of Vietnam and talking to them about their experiences during the war was a real eye-opener and, as students walked around the War Remnants museum in Saigon, you could see the shocking reality of the war hit home to them.”


We are so proud of the young people who went on this trip. They showed maturity beyond their years and grew in confidence each and every day. Our thanks go to Mr Briscoe, Mr Burnett, Miss Bracegirdle and Miss Lee for accompanying the students and for planning the trip meticulously, assessing for every eventuality. In giving up their time and taking on such a responsibility, they brought history lessons to life and enabled these students to make memories that will stay with them forever. 

Continue reading

Act of Remembrance

Act of Remembrance

Ahead of Armistice Day this weekend, we held our Act of Remembrance this morning and took part in a two minute silence to honor those who have served and remember their sacrifice.

Unfortunately, the weather meant that we were not able to come together as a whole school community as we usually would. Thankfully, Mrs Southwell organised a virtual alternative where we were able to broadcast the act of remembrance into every classroom.

Mr Len Pullinger from Vectis Brass Band came in to play the Last Post and Reveille. Year 11 readers, Nishani and Dillon, did a fantastic job as readers for the exhortation and Kohima Epitaph, and a poppy wreath was presented by Ashleigh, Josh and Ethan.

They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old:
Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn.
At the going down of the sun and in the morning
We will remember them.


Continue reading

An exciting visit for our Mentors in Violence Prevention

An exciting visit for our Mentors in Violence Prevention 

You will hopefully already be aware that the Mentors in Violence Prevention (MVP) programme has been implemented amongst our student body over the last year at Medina College. MVP trains students as mentors and equips them with the confidence, knowledge and skills to identify and speak out against bullying, abusive behaviour and violence. It aims to tackle the beliefs, attitudes and culture which can give the message that some violence is acceptable.

We recently welcomed Donna Jones, Police & Crime Commissioner, HIOW, Terry Norton, Deputy Police & Crime Commissioner, HIOW, Ranjeev Pathak, OPCC Safer Streets Lead, and Cabinet Member for Community Safety (IOW Council) – Cllr Karen Lucioni to meet with our new year 10 mentors, year 11 mentors and year 8 students to discuss the Mentors in Violence Prevention (MVP) programme. We were extremely proud of how well the students represented the school when sharing their feedback and thoughts on MVP.

It is an exciting time moving forward with MVP and the year 10 mentors are looking forward to delivering their first MVP session with our new year 7 cohort in the coming weeks. We are delighted to continue striding forward in creating a united community where our students are given a voice to speak out against unacceptable behaviour and feel supported to hold open conversations with their peers.




Continue reading

Parent Governor Recruitment

Parent Governor Recruitment

Could you be an IWEF governor? We’d love to hear from you!

A recent survey of governors in the UK found that 89% of them would recommend becoming a governor – we hope that you might be interested in joining us!

You don’t need to be an education expert to volunteer as a governor. Schools require a combination of hard and soft skills to ensure their boards operate effectively. In return you will be supported through training and mentoring. The work and life experience parents bring to the role is valuable in contributing to a diverse Governing Board. Although you need to be a parent at the start of your time as a governor, you can continue even if your child/children have left the school.

“I became a Governor after being involved with Carisbrooke College Parent Voice group. I have now been a governor for nearly 8 years! It is very rewarding. I have learnt a lot of new skills. The reason I am a governor is because all children should have a good education and I feel that we are helping this to happen in our schools.” – Vanessa

This week we have sent out a letter inviting nominations from parents who would like to join the Governing Board. If you would like to find out more, please contact the Clerk on 01983 526523 or email emma.shambrook@iwef.org.uk. If there are more applications than vacancies a ballot will be held. Application forms must be returned by 12.00 noon on 20 October.

A copy of the Federation’s governor recruitment information can be found at https://www.iwef.org.uk/iwef/governor-recruitment/. This includes more information about the work of the Governing Board, who can be a governor and what to expect. If you would like to talk to a governor before applying, please contact the Clerk. You can also find information about the role of governor online at:
https://governorsforschools.org.uk/courses/introduction-to-school-governance/

Please note that, for the protection of children, all governor appointments are subject to an identity and DBS check.

Continue reading

Summer Concert 2023

Summer Concert 2023



On Thursday 20 July, we held our annual Isle of Wight Education Federation Summer Concert at the Island VI Form. The sun shone as audience members gathered outside to enjoy ice creams from The Plaza Ices and further refreshments were served indoors by our Parent Voice members.

The concert began at 7.00 pm and featured a variety of musical performances from students across the Federation. Our IWEF Sing group opened the evening’s programme with a lively performance of ‘Circle of Life’ from Disney’s The Lion King followed by the energetic ‘Royals’ by Lorde. Various ensembles from Carisbrooke College’s School of Rock club performed a variety of songs from Blur, Blondie, George Ezra and Pulp, collaborating on some with the Carisbrooke College Ukulele Club, KS4 Music students from Medina College and A-level Music students from The Island VI Form.

Over the course of the evening we heard 3 impressive original compositions from Olivia M with her catchy song ‘Take a Hint’, imaginative piano solo ‘Dreams’ from Oliver K and touching acoustic number ‘A different time’ from Tilly G. Olivia H wowed the audience with her powerful rendition of ‘Freddy, my love’ from the musical Grease, fresh from her appearance as ‘Marty’ in the recent IOW Theatretrain production.

The Island VI Form students and Medina College’s Year 11 came together to perform ‘70s classic ‘Go your own way’ by Fleetwood Mac with some impressive guitar solos from Jake C. Hannah C delivered a flawless performance of Sam Smith’s ‘The Writing’s on the Wall’ with an emotional depth and musical expression well beyond her years. Carisbrooke College’s vocal trio of Annelise, Olivia and Lucy mastered some stunning harmonies and gave a nod to chart sensation Taylor Swift with their performance of ‘Love Story’. The Island VI Form’s Tilly and Rufus were joined by Lennon to give the concert some jazzy flavour with French Jazz standard ‘J’attendrai’.

The concert concluded with all of our performers coming together to perform a spectacular concert finale of The Rembrandts’ ‘I’ll be there for you’, having learnt and workshopped the song earlier in the day.

The concert raised funds for our IWEF Creative Arts Faculty to support future events and productions. Thank you to all the students, staff, parents and governors who came along to support this lovely evening, and to our Creative Arts Faculty for organising this fantastic event. We are thrilled to see our students performing with such skill and confidence, and look forward to all the exciting opportunities 2023/2024 will bring! All students are warmly encouraged to take part in our musical clubs and activities: please see your Music teacher for more details about how you can get involved this year.



Continue reading

GCSE Results 2023

GCSE Results 2023

Governors, staff and students have been celebrating at Medina College today as students received their GCSE results. Despite starting their GCSE courses at the height of the pandemic, students have demonstrated their resilience, dedication and commitment to their studies and they should all feel very proud of their achievements. 

Governors would like to pay tribute to the hard work and determination of teaching and support staff who have provided outstanding support to students. 

The majority of students are remaining within the Isle of Wight Education Federation community, by moving on to take A Level and vocational Level 3 courses at The Island VI Form. However, students are also progressing into a range of apprenticeships and other further education studies both on and off the Island. 

Matthew Parr-Burman, Executive Headteacher for the Isle of Wight Education Federation and Head of School for Medina College, said “I am extremely proud of our students; it has been a pleasure to see them opening their results today. Their hard work has paid off and they leave us with skills and qualities that will stand them in good stead for their next steps. My thanks go to the staff and parents for their unwavering support. I wish each and every student all the best for the future.” 

If any year 11 students across the Island are undecided about their next step, it is not too late to join the Island VI Form. Students at The Island VI Form thrive in an environment that is solely focused on Post-16 teaching and learning, making it the perfect stepping stone between school and university, apprenticeship or the world of work. More information can be found at https://iwef.org.uk/the-island-vi-form/ or by emailing viform@iwef.org.uk.


Continue reading

Goodwood Festival of Speed

Goodwood Festival of Speed

On 13 July, 24 students from Carisbrooke College and 24 students from Medina College were fortunate enough to attend the 30th Goodwood Festival of Speed. We were very kindly gifted the entrance tickets by the festival. This STEM orientated trip was fun, informative and inspirational. All of the students had a great time seeing how technology and engineering has evolved and loved exploring the interactive exhibits. They saw cars that were 100 years old right up to modern F1 cars!

Here is a report from student, Maggie B:
I really enjoyed going to the Goodwood Festival of Speed. We started off by seeing the Future Lab, which is the FOSTech area whhich incorporates the STEM activities. This area covered technological advances that have been made or that could be implemented in different areas; There were robots for the NHS that could navigate around without collision , we got to interact with facial tracking softwares and futuristic technology that could make testing for illnesses in the NHS quicker and cheaper. Then we moved on to see both old and new cars for both racing and exploration and there were many interactive games, we also saw motorbikes and off road cars racing around the track to qualify for the hill climb. At 11.30 there was a Red Arrows display.









Continue reading

Year 8 Trip to Marwell Zoo

Year 8 Trip to Marwell Zoo

65 Year 8 students enjoyed an adventure to Marwell Zoo on Monday. It was fantastic to see the students learning about a wide range of animals whilst trying their best to spot some of the zoo favourites, such as the elusive Amur Leopards! It was quite fitting to have our rewards trip at the zoo considering when the students saw a park with swings and a slide, their inner wild animal came to light!

Both students and staff had a great day and it was lovely to see these students enjoy their reward trip, as they have worked so hard over the course of the year. They were excellent role models for the school and we could not be any more proud of how our young people from Medina conducted themselves.

Mr Cameron




Continue reading

Annual Awards Ceremony

Annual Awards Ceremony

We held Medina College’s prestigious annual Awards Celebration last Thursday evening and what an event it was! The evening began with a wonderful performance from the Federation choir singing ‘Royals’ by Lorde. Mrs Southwell, as MC, then started proceedings and introduced Mr Parr-Burman who emphasised how each of the winners had demonstrated the key qualities of perseverance, resilience and determination. There then followed subject awards which were presented by our chair of governors, Mr Bridgeford; citations were read by the teachers who nominated the students (which added a personalised touch).

As the evening proceeded, we were treated to a performance by the VI Form band, led by the truly talented Tilly Grimshaw on vocals and guitar and backed by the equally gifted Josef Krista on piano and Rufus Reader on the bass. We also had a spine-tingling performance of Sam Smith’s ‘The Writing’s on the Wall’ by Hannah Cox which left a certain executive headteacher with a tear in his eye.

Awards culminated in three very special awards: The Progress and Achievement Award won by Oliver K, The Endeavour Award won by Finn M and the Head of School Award won by the inspirational Summer R. The evening was rounded off superbly by a majestic performance on the piano from Oliver K. All in all, it was an evening of celebrating the absolutely marvellous young people that it is our privilege to nurture and teach.




Continue reading

Year 7 Trip to Tapnell Water Park

Year 7 Trip to Tapnell Water Park

80 Year 7 students enjoyed an action-packed day on Wednesday, starting with a dodgeball tournament and then a short bus journey to Tapnell Farm’s Water Park.

It was great to see the students having fun and embracing the chilly waters. The satisfaction the students gained from pushing the teachers in the water was slightly concerning, but it was all good fun and the teachers gave as good as they got! There were a lot of aching bodies the following day.

The students were incredible throughout the day with their manners, behaviour and sense of humour. I was so proud of them all! They fully deserved the day for their exemplary behaviour and attendance throughout the year.

Mr Williams, Head of Year





Continue reading