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Victim Care Talk for Criminology Students

Victim Care Talk for Criminology Students

Last Friday we had a delegate, India Milner, from Victim Care – the IOW and Hampshire branch of Victim Support, come in and deliver a presentation to our VI Form criminology students.

Part of our course is to study the rights of victims and also look at the role of charities and advocacy groups involved in the criminal justice system. India created an informative presentation that detailed what victim care offers its service users; creating safety plans, support for ongoing cases and court preparation, providing security items, liaising with the police and other support agencies and producing supportive guides and resources.

India informed us of the three types of teams that cover the area which include the multi crime team, the domestic abuse team and the children’s and young person team. She took us on a journey of the criminal justice system and discussed in detail what the 12 rights of the Victims Code meant.

For more information what this fantastic group does visit: https://www.hampshireiowvictimcare.co.uk/

You can also find them on social media:
Twitter: @VCS_HantsIOW
Facebook: @Victim Care Service
Instagram: @vcs_hiow

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Lit in Colour and Keats House Visit

Lit in Colour and Keats House Visit

Ten A level English Literature students went with Mrs Carroll and Mr Saunders on a trip to London this week to take part in a diversity conference as part of the nationwide Lit in Colour programme. The event at Friends House included work from Birmingham Young Poet Laureate Iona Mandal, presentations from Jeffrey Boakye, Wendy Lennon and Akiya Henry on issues of identity, ethnicity, Shakespeare and drama, and a poetry slam hosted by Yomi Sode.

Afterwards, they visited Keats House in Hampstead and took in the atmosphere and history of the place that was home to the Romantic poet for two of the most productive years of his short writing life.

Finally, they were able to drop in on the Treasures exhibition at The British Library and see first-hand some of the most significant documents, books and maps collected there. It was a long and lovely day, with lots of literary inspiration for everyone who took part.

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Year 13 Masquerade Ball

Year 13 Masquerade Ball

On Thursday 29th June, our outgoing Year 13s held their Prom at Landguard Manor. It was a mysterious evening with a huge variety of masks being worn and some fantastic dresses and outfits on display. 

It was a beautiful evening and students enjoyed a fabulous Hog Roast meal in the gardens, before dancing the night away to the DJ set in the main house. Many staff attended to say their farewells and wish students well in their future endeavors. 

As a year group they are, as they have proved so often over the last two years through their hard work and resilience, a huge credit to the Federation and we wish them every success in the future.

Many thanks to Adam Pearson of APV Services for the wonderful images below. 




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Art Foundation Exhibition 2023

Art Foundation Exhibition 2023

As part of their Foundation Diploma in Art & Design at The Island VI Form, students recently exhibited their work at the Independent Arts Gallery in the centre of Newport. The exhibition was both exciting and thought provoking.

A private view was well-attended by family, friends, tutors, governors and members of the Island’s art community. There was a broad range of disciplines on show including; painting, printing, costume design and film.

The students have rightly been commended for their high quality outcomes, as well as the diversity in their themes.

The show will now travel to the Arch Window Gallery in Ryde where the work will continue to inspire and impress visitors over the summer.

Course leaders and tutors would like to express many thanks to all at Independent Arts for their help in the success of this event, and in advance to the curators of the Arch Window Gallery where the students’ work can be viewed up until 16 August.




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Southampton University Chemistry Workshop

Southampton University Chemistry Workshop

This week, 14 science students attended a 3 hour chemistry workshop at Southampton University. Students extracted, purified and analysed Trimyristin from nutmeg. They worked in pairs within the fume hoods to carry out the procedures. Once they had obtained their purified Trimyristin, they checked the purity using thin layer chromatography, melting point and infra-red spectroscopy.

All of our students had hands-on experience of a university laboratory and also got to explore the university campus. All students successfully extracted and purified the Trimyristin and were praised by the university staff for their practical skills. One group was complimented on how good their infra-red spectroscopy was in indicating how pure the sample was. We are very grateful to our local Universities who offer us opportunities such as this, to experience and explore post-18 educational options.




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Isle of Wight Festival Performance

Isle of Wight Festival Performance

32 students from Carisbrooke College, Medina College and The Island VI Form had the amazing opportunity of performing at this year’s Isle of Wight Festival!

Our students have rehearsed endlessly and shown incredible effort and enthusiasm in putting these performances together and gathering the confidence needed to stand up in front of a field full of people cheering them on. Students performed on the stage in the busy KidZone on Sunday afternoon and had the unique opportunity to see first hand how stage managers and sound technicians operate; learning all about set logistics, scheduling, soundchecks and life backstage.


Students from Carisbrooke College’s ‘School of Rock’ group opened our set with hits from 3 of this year’s festival headliners: George Ezra, Pulp and Blondie. Following this, The Island VI Form’s Olivia McC performed her own catchy original song ‘Take a Hint’, supported by fellow VI Form musicians. Our IWEF Stage Band (comprising students from all three sites) then wowed the crowd with REM’s ‘Shiny Happy People’ followed by Medina and Carisbrooke’s ‘Sing’ choirs uniting to perform ‘Royals’ by Lorde. The set was finished with a rousing rendition of Sunday headliner Robbie Williams’ iconic hit song ‘Angels’.

We are incredibly proud of our students. The time and energy invested into preparing for this event is highly commendable. We look forward to seeing our musical project at the IOW Festival go from strength to strength in the coming years.

If you would like to get involved in any of these musical activities please speak to your Music teacher – all students are welcome!

Mrs. Peckham, Mr. Phillips, Mr. Wiseman, Mrs. Brear and Mr. Turner




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Year 13 Leavers’ Awards

Year 13 Leavers’ Awards 2023

It was wonderful to have Year 13 together on Thursday 18 May for a final assembly. As well as sharing some important end of term information, it was a pleasure to celebrate our students and their successes by giving out the Leavers’ Awards.

Each subject area presented an award to the most exceptional student for their progress and achievement over the course of their studies at The Island VI Form. Special awards were also presented for Contribution to Debating Life, Outstanding Academic Progress & Achievement and the Head of School’s Student of the Year. Scroll down to the bottom of the page to see details of all of the award winners.

Year 13 have now started their examinations and we wish them all the best of luck. Staff will continue to be available to support students in normal lesson periods until the final examination has taken place.

We look forward to seeing all of the hard work pay off on results day, 17 August 2023.


Award Winners

Award Student Winner Citation
Art & Design Poppy Miller Poppy has shown an incredible ability to create high quality, creative pieces in a broad range of materials. She has an fantastic work ethic and always manages to work through when things are tough. Our creative conversations are often bizarre and hilarious, and I am glad that she has decided to stay with us for her Foundation in Art course. Well done Poppy and have a fantastic Summer!
Business True Mitchell True has been a hard working, dedicated and committed business studies student throughout the course. True has shown the the ability to reach the highest level and a focus that is not easily matched. True has been a pleasure to work with as she is able to converse on a number of topics, express her opinion and take advice well. I wish you all the best for your future.
Biology Joe Reader Behind the scenes he has worked hard to develop and extend his subject knowledge to the highest level which he willingly shares to support his peers. Outwardly he has maintained a relaxed approach to his studies, maybe a little too relaxed during practical work! Well done and good luck with your Pharmacology degree.
Chemistry Anya Poerscout-Edgerton Amazing and sustained effort throughout both challenging years of chemistry. She always took on any challenging content willingly and demonstrated practical competency whilst helping her practical partners along the way. Anya has also made significant contributions to STEM club.
Children’s Play, Learning & Development Eirwen Coode Eirwen has demonstrated an outstanding level of dedication and focus. She has consistently striven for her very best efforts and her results and coursework mirror this. Eirwen will now take up a role within the Early Year profession to further her talents in supporting the development of young children.
Classical Civilisations Maddy Hemper Maddy is a lively and bright student who always has something to contribute in lessons. She has a great knowledge of the Ancient World and has been a pleasure to have in the room.
Computer Science Hallam Saunders Despite never having studied GCSE Computer Science, Hallam has shown great commitment and drive to conquer each topic. Often completed the tasks before his more experienced peers, always willing to help others.
Criminology Soraya Meadows It is very rare to encounter an individual who dedicates as much of themselves in terms of effort and commitment to work outside of the classroom as Soraya. Your work ethic, attitude and dedication to achieve will take you very far in life and we wish you all the best.
English Language Maisie Slimm Maisie has worked very hard from the first day of the course; she is organised and diligent and has taken every opportunity to develop as an English Language student. She is always willing to share her ideas with others, which she does with incredible patience, and has been an asset to the group. I wish her well in the future.
English Literature Hannah Ainsworth Hannah put a great deal into her study of English Literature from the very first lesson onwards. Her passion and deep interest in texts shone through in the exceptional standard of her written work, and her insight and attention to detail were an asset to everyone in our class. She is an excellent student and will do great things at university. Well done Hannah!
Extended Project Qualification (EPQ) Hannah Flowers Hannah’s diligence and attention to detail in her important and topical research into HRT have been rewarding to see. She has absolutely made the most of the opportunity of the EPQ, demonstrating excellent organisational skills and producing a superb research project – which we will be using as an example of what a good one looks like!
Fashion & Textiles (Single) Elena Ciobanu Elena has been such a pleasure to teach. She works incredibly hard and has a thoughtful and academic approach to all her fashion studies. This work ethic will be her secret weapon going forward! We wish her much luck.
Fashion & Textiles (Double) Tia Shutler Tia has worked so hard in Fashion throughout the two year course. Her dedication to experimenting and creating innovative Textiles and Fashion deserves recognition. She is a true designer and we can’t wait to see what she does next. Bravo Tia!
Film Studies Lily Meredith Lily has shown a real dedication to Film Studies and has produced innovative and highly academic and practical responses throughout the course. She searches out additional knowledge and understanding across a wide variety of genres and is always prepared to argue her viewpoint. She has been a real pleasure to teach.
MFL – French Leon Newnham Originally nicknamed “Eeyore” due to his bright, optimistic and sunny outlook on life, Leon has gone from strength to strength in French this year, smashing all targets and staggering us all with his phenomenal memory, diligence and commitment to getting the grades he needs to get into university. Absolute superstar!
Forensic Investigation Maddie Young Maddie questions everything and once she realised we were not going to do the work for her, she flew. She consistently puts in the effort to do her best. We will miss her incessant questioning. But we are getting our own back by making her come up on stage. Well done!
Geography Owen Starling Owen is a talented and hard working Geographer will skills in both human and physical geography. His work is always of the highest standard and he has shown commitment to the subject throughout the two year course. We are proud that he is going on to study Geography at University.
Geology Chloe Cohen Completely overturning the stereotypical image of a pale, middle-aged Geologist with a beard, Chloe has worked the hardest in the class throughout the last two years to make fantastic progress. She is going to be a fabulous Geologist!
Government & Politics Fred Rust Extremely thorough and knowledgeable student who has approached the course with 100% enthusiasm from the very beginning of Yr12. Fred wrote to the Senator of Alaska.
Graphics Reuben Wallder Reuben has worked consistently hard throughout the course and has shown commitment and dedication. He has realised a fantastic portfolio that demonstrates a high level of skill when working with a range of graphic design approaches – especially digital painting! We wish you all the best for your future in the creative industry. Well done Reuben.
Health & Social Care (Single) Liv Bird Liv has been an outstanding student throughout this course. She has worked tirelessly to produce coursework to the highest standard which has become increasingly analytical and detailed. She is extremely well motivated and has always used feedback effectively. Well done Liv, you have been a pleasure to teach. I wish you well in your university course where I know the skills you have developed will be invaluable to you.
Health & Social Care (Double) Mia Yardley Mia has an amazing work ethic and commitment to the course. Mia will be pursuing a career in the Health and Social care sector and we believe she will make a fantastic health care professional. He kind, caring nature and overall ability to use and apply her knowledge to the highest standard is fantastic – all the best for the future Mia, we wish you every success.
History Emily Fedden Emily has been a committed and enthusiastic historian from the very beginning of Year 12. She always makes constructive and accurate contributions to the class. Her work has developed steadily over the two years and she is now an accomplished historian. Well done, Emily.
Law Amelia Grannum Amelia has demonstrated real commitment and consistency throughout her two years in A level law. Her work ethic is phenomenal, and this can be seen clearly in the quality of her written work and in her understanding of legal principles right across the syllabus. Well done, Amelia.
Mathematics Charlie Horner A talented mathematician who has gone from strength to strength over the last two years. Charlie always finds the time to help his fellow peers and continues to ask questions to further his own understanding and knowledge. A delightful young man who has excelled at A level Maths and has been a pleasure to teach. Good luck for the future.
Mathematics (Further) Miles Bevan-Davis An excellent mathematician who has combined his talent with hard work to produce consistently high grades in Further Maths. A quiet and modest young man that has been a pleasure to teach. Here’s wishing you all the best for the future.
Media Studies Honor Sampson Honor has shown a wonderful commitment to Media and has produced exceptional academic and practical work over the two years. Her inquisitive and questioning nature has been boundless and she is a beacon for achievement for all her fellow students. She has a bright future within the Media sector.
Music & Music Technology Rufus Reader Rufus has demonstrated supreme commitment to the courses; he is always willing to help others and go above and beyond to create his best work. Fantastic work Rufus!
Performance Arts Wiktoria Brodowska Vicki has demonstrated that she is hard working, committed and creative. Always pushing herself to achieve in both theory and performance. Willing to help others and support others.
Philosophy Ruby Hendey Ruby has shown commitment to achieving the very highest standards in Philosophy, her dedication and work ethic is inspirational and a credit to her. She has shown a real flair for Philosophy, showing a critical eye for concepts and an impressive ability to pick apart arguments and construct her own responses to theories. With these skills, her positive attitude and integrity, Ruby will go far-congratulations!
Photography Alicia Jupp Alicia has been a delight to teach from the moment she joined the course. She has negotiated the technical element with determination and good spirits. Alicia has strong ideas for her photoshoots and surprised us with her bravery, both behind, and in front of the camera! We are not losing her completely as she is studying on the Art Foundation course in September. Have a great Summer Alicia, very well done!
Physical Education Robson Adkinson Robson is an unfailingly pleasant and polite student whose whole attitude to the course has been exemplary. He is always willing to go above and beyond to help his peers and support the PE department with running events. We wish him every success as he continues his studies in Sports Management next year.
Physics Josie Martin Josie has demonstrated an incredible enthusiasm and work ethic throughout her time here. If she is at all unsure of an idea then she will tenaciously pursue an explanation through any and every resource available until she is satisfied that it makes sense. Well done on an outstanding two years Josie.
Psychology Laila Dillon Always going above and beyond expectations and a natural psychologist in the making from the start! I am sure we will one day be teaching about the influential female psychologist Dr Laila!
Sociology Mia Toogood Mia has worked hard consistently across both years of VI Form despite adverse circumstances and setbacks. She has shown incredible resilience, persistence and grit and embodied what it means to be a great VI Form student. Well done Mia!
Spanish Grace Boulton Grace has been a delight to teach throughout the course. She has a phenomenal ability when it comes to vocab games – a fantastic memory for words and has expertly combined her love of art/graphics into her study of Spanish. Wishing you all the best for the future.
Spanish Miruna Livanu Miruna has been an outstanding student with an uncanny knack for uncovering and sharing all sorts of useful links to articles and video clips to enhance her own knowledge and that of others in the class. She has a fantastic ability in languages which should see her mastering even more in the future!
Sport Beth Blake It has been a delight to teach Beth throughout the last academic year. She has displayed real enthusiasm and commitment to the subject which is reflected in the grade that Beth has achieved. Well done.
Travel and Tourism Frankie Murphy Frankie has been an outstanding student in Travel from the onset. Her attention to detail and understanding of all aspects of the industry has been very impressive. Frankie has undertaken work experience as a writer for a travel website and has had many excellent, well research articles published. Frankie has been a delight to teach and will go far.
Contribution to Debating Life Tilly Grimshaw Her curiosity about life, the universe and everything has really paid off through her fantastic ability to discuss, debate and engage with all subjects. Tilly has impressed with her enthusiasm, ability to listen to others all her work with Student Voice, her contributions at Talking Shop, and part of our winning Mock Trial team. Well done and thank you!
Outstanding Academic progress and Achievement Matthew Penn Outstanding progress from GCSE to A level, predicted to achieve at least one grade higher than target grade.
Outstanding Academic progress and Achievement Mckenzie Cornwell Outstanding progress from GCSE to A level, predicted to achieve at least one grade higher than target grade.
Head of School Award – Student of the Year Tilly Grimshaw An active member of student voice, key member of the debating group, excellent grades, founder of the chess club, always willing to go the extra mile and more importantly she is a genuinely lovely person.
Head of School Award – Student of the Year Oleksii Bakal Having been only with us for a short time, in very difficult circumstances, he has made outstanding progress. He is a very polite and caring person who it has been a pleasure to know.

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Welcome to our new Parent Governor

Welcome to our new Parent Governor

Following the invitation to parents to make nominations for the Governing Board, we are pleased to let you know that Shaun Arnold has been appointed to the post of Parent Governor. There was one nomination made for the two vacancies, so a ballot was not required.

Shaun has been a member of the IWEF Governing Board for almost four years as a Co-opted Governor.

Shaun says ‘I have been a governor for nearly 8 years and have been a member of many committees, from finance to quality of education. I was also an active member of the Isle of Wight Education and Children’s Services Scrutiny Panel for 4 years. Being a school governor is a truly rewarding experience. As a school governor, I give back and make a difference to the young people in the school. I have a unique outlook being a person with Aspergers (ASD) and having children with ASD. I believe that every student should have the opportunity to achieve their full potential, and that this can be achieved through high-quality teaching, a supportive environment, and a focus on the individual needs of each student.’

The Governing Board will continue to try to fill the remaining Parent Governor vacancy.

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IWEF Spring Concert

IWEF Spring Concert

This Wednesday we held our first IWEF Spring Concert at Carisbrooke College. The concert was titled ‘Sound Minds’ and featured a programme of songs linked to themes surrounding mental health with over 50 students coming together to be creative and express themselves through the powerful medium of music!

Audience members gathered in the school canteen before the event to view a display of some of the fantastic work being done in our Creative Arts Faculty, while Year 11 student Oliver Kurt, from Medina College, serenaded everyone on the piano and our Parent Voice and School Pastors served refreshments.


The concert began at 7pm and featured a variety of musical performances from our CC School of Rock groups, MC Band, CC Ukulele Club, IWEF Stage Band (comprising of students from Carisbrooke, Medina and The Island VI Form), various soloists and both our CC and MC choirs performed.

Tilly S, a Year 8 student from Carisbrooke College, delivered the first ever live performance of her song ‘Jealousy’, and we were later treated to another original song from Tilly G, a Year 13 A-level Music student at Island VI Form. All of our performers then joined together to perform a concert finale of The Beatles’ ‘Help!’ having learnt and workshopped the song earlier in the day.

The concert was raising funds for the IOW Youth Trust and we were grateful to Michelle Moorman (IOW Youth Trust Fundraising and Communications Manager) for coming along to share some words about the valuable work they are doing in our local community.

In many ways this event encompasses the Five Ways to Wellbeing ‘Give’ that we have been focusing on as a federation this term. If you were unable to attend the concert but would like to contribute towards this event’s donation to the IOW Youth Trust there is an option to do so on School Gateway.

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 so many of our students so keen to perform at live music events, and look forward to all the exciting opportunities Summer 2023 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 in our next event.

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Athens Trip

Athens Trip

Island VI Form students have returned from an unforgettable Classical Civilisations trip to Greece – with an unexpected bonus extra day for extra measure!

Thirty A Level students travelled to Athens to support their studies in history, literature, tourism, art and politics, three years after the original trip had to be cancelled due to the pandemic. They enjoyed a guided tour of the Acropolis, including the world heritage sites of the Parthenon, Erechtheion and Ancient Agora on a beautifully sunny day. This was followed by a trip to the mountains to walk up through the sanctuary at Delphi, which was once the base for the oracle at the Temple of Apollo.

Listening to Mr Stott in the Tomb of Agamemnon

Due to unforeseen circumstances the group had to stay an extra day in Greece, and they took the opportunity for a rare visit to the Bronze Age citadel at Mycenae. Once home to Agamemnon before he set sail for the Trojan War, the students explored the 3,500 year old site, including the shaft graves and beehive tomb. During the week away, VI Form students also managed to visit the National Archaeological Museum, Corinth Canal, the towns of Arachova and Nafplio, and took the funicular up to enjoy the views of Athens at the top of Mount Lycabettus. They were accompanied by History and Classics teachers Miss Lowthion, Mr Stott and Mr Corner.

Miss Lowthion told us that “the trip was an incredible adventure for our young people, some of whom had never been abroad before. Our Classical Civilisation students have been studying these ancient sites for many months but to explore them first hand is invaluable for their learning. It was such a pleasure to spend a week with our students, and share this exciting cultural experience with them all.”

On their return the students commented that “the architecture was interesting… the sheer scale of the walk to the temple at Delphi was a favourite… and the trip was a great success!”

  • The Parthenon

  • Temple of Apollo at Delphi

  • The Lion Gate, Mycenae

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