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DofE – Brecons Bash 2022

DofE – Brecons Bash 2022

Two intrepid groups of VI Form students set off for Wales early Monday morning. For one group their aim was to revise and practice navigation skills in a wild country environment and then complete a 3 day final silver expedition. The other group embarked on their Gold practice expedition; a prerequisite for next year’s final test.

The weather was particularly kind to us during the day. We didn’t suffer too badly from intense heat, just the strong gusty winds on the exposed ridges could catch you out and awareness of intense UV levels was always a consideration. All groups were up early, some before the sun had risen, so that we avoided the heat of the day. Although during the night it was exceptionally cold in the valley and there was an assortment of thermals, wooly hats and rain jackets that were doubled up as pyjamas.



Day one exercise was to reach a high ridge accessed through a steep and windy waterfall gully. Then each team had to navigate to find a WW2 memorial site. The remains of a wellington bomber flown by a young Canadian crew are still scattered across the mountain here. The aircraft came down in July 1945, just before the end of the war. It was truly a poignant scene for us all at the memorial. The realisation that the aircrew who sadly perished were really not much older than our students. We paid our respects and moved on down the ridge.

The week continued with early morning starts up onto the hills and resulted in breathtaking views of the Brecon Beacons. On day four, everyone reached the summit of Pen Y Fan via the back door route and some even bagged other notable peaks on the way round.

The students’ culinary skills improved as the week progressed, as did their navigation and fitness. Congratulations to everyone on the team and thanks to the staff; Mr Saunders and Miss Windsor for their brilliant support.

Mr Bridle



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VI Form Activity Day

VI Form Activity Day

By Nicole Mostyn

Monday 18 July was our Student Voice Activity day that was put together by our team of year 12 students, alongside some keen teachers who organised their own activities to run from breaktime up until lunchtime.

Free ice lollies were collected from the hall whilst teams signed up and there was music playing by our fabulous musicians Tilly, Rufus, Esther and Cleo. They had the opportunity to perform on the stage which sounded amazing and really added to the liveliness of the event and enticed more people to join in.

The activities in the science department included blindfolded surgery, Wii sports and the Die Hard challenge. The challenges sounded easier than they were and these activities were a great way to test your teamwork and communication skills in a chilled environment whilst also channelling competitive sides and problem-thinking skills.

In the courtyard there was tennis, football and netball shooting. Despite the very hot weather, several teams took part and looked like they were enjoying themselves which was great to see.

In film and media, banner painting took place to go on the walls which brought out the creativity of our students and was quite a relaxing activity for a hot Monday morning. There were also news reports being filmed based around silly statements for people to share their ideas on which was very interactive and got people thinking on their feet. In film, there was also the ‘Magnificent Seven’ challenge, run by Mr Cronin, where students had to think of seven films for each of the seven main film genres. Mr Cronin was very impressed with the wide range of film knowledge students had so well done to everyone who took part.

In English the challenge was to perform a dramatic presentation on the Bard in which there were various costumes to choose from as well as scripts to read out as theatrically as you could. This really challenged the ability to think outside of the box, try something new and a bit out of your comfort zone which is a great exercise to build confidence. I spoke to a student who took part in this activity and she said “the teacher running it was very enthusiastic and encouraging which created a comfortable atmosphere”.

Lastly, Humanities organised a QR code scavenger hunt which started in B5 and carried on throughout the building. The questions definitely required the knowledge of a team so it was very fitting and many people enjoyed hunting for each code.

Teams who participated were able to claim a free hotdog from Mr Mumford’s BBQ which was a rewarding way to finish the day. The winners of the activity day were team Ollie, Emily, Nate, Jake and Callum. Very well done to this team and a much deserved prize of an Amazon voucher will be given for your great efforts of completing all the activities!

Overall, it was a gratifying way to start our final week of year 12 after the exam period. It was great to see students having a good time with their teams as this was exactly our aim for this activity day – to get as many people involved as possible and having a good time. Thank you to all of the teachers who got involved and created challenges as there was such a variety of activities that made this day enjoyable and unique.

Student Voice is very satisfied with the turnout and will continue to plan more interactive activities for students and teachers to maintain our high community morale.






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Student Voice Update 15 July 2022

Student Voice Update 15 July 2022

By Nicole Mostyn

As a team, Student Voice works together to come up with new ideas and improvements for our VI Form to help make a collective difference for our federation. We meet every Friday breaktime with an agenda of what we’d like to discuss and work towards, in the short term as well as long term.

Anyone is welcome to join and have their voice heard whilst building upon leadership and communication skills that are vital towards your UCAS applications and personal statements. Student Voice has achieved many goals since Christmas including this years leavers’ prom which was made possible by fundraisers such as face-painting, raffles and car washing, which was organised by Student Voice. As a team, £300 was raised which went towards the prom as well as charity which is a huge achievement and wouldn’t have been possible without the co-operation of our students alongside Student Voice.

As a federation, Student Voice groups have been able to meet up and share ideas with one another to engage younger years to carry on with Student Voice when they join VI Form. At the moment, Student Voice is organising an Activity Day on Monday 18 July which is a free event for all VI form students and there will be free burgers available.

Just to reiterate, student Voice is open to anyone who is interested so don’t be afraid to give it a go and get a better insight into what the committee is about.

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Join us this September!

Join us this September!

It is not too late to join us this September. The courses below have been fully confirmed to run and staff are in place to help you begin your VI Form journey. We have the widest range of A level courses and a proven track record of success. Our students progress to top universities and career opportunities. 

Take a look at the Apply 2022 page to see the prospectus, course entry requirements and application form. Alternatively, get in contact by emailing viform@iwef.org.uk if you would like an informal chat about your options. 

Aspire and achieve at The Island VI Form.

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Head of School’s Blog – 15 July 2022

15 July 2022

It’s been a busy week at VI Form.

Thank you to all of the students who helped with the Year 10 Introduction to VI Form days for Medina and Carisbrooke students. We have also hosted the Year 9 Peer Mentoring training program for Medina and Carisbrooke students and Domestic Abuse Support training for staff.  Finally, BTEC sport and A level PE students did an amazing job supporting the Federation games over a number of days.

Our Silver DofE group are currently experiencing some amazing landscapes in the Brecon Beacons. It is very warm weather to be out in everyday, but they are coping well. We also have a number of VI Form students participating in the Camps International trip that left for Cambodia this week. They will be there for a month taking part in various projects and hopefully having some amazing experiences. Safe travels to them all. 
 
Next week is the last week of term and, on Monday, our Student Voice are running a range of activities. It would be lovely to see as many of you as possible taking part during break, periods 2 & 3 and lunch. Lessons will then continue as normal up to 3.15pm on Friday 22nd.  

It is predicted to be very hot on Monday and Tuesday. Please make sure that you protect yourself with suncream, suitable clothing, a hat and that you have a water bottle that can be refilled from one of the three fountains on site. (canteen, upper common room and playground corridor).

Enjoy a lovely weekend, and stay safe in the sun.

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Head of School’s Blog – 8 July 2022

8 July 2022

Thank you to all students for helping safeguard everyone on site by wearing your lanyards more consistently this week. There has been a big improvement and this needs to continue please. I will not be giving out temporary lanyards at the student entrance next week, you will need to request one from reception. I will still be meeting and greeting you and doing spot checks on lanyards in lessons.

A reminder of some of the other changes for next year: the student entrance/exit will be the only way that students can access the building; walking across the staff car park needs to stop (we aren’t just being awkward, it’s about safety) and some of the internal doors will be having lanyard mag locks fitted (again, this is for safety reasons and why you need to wear your lanyard all the time).

Finally, a reminder that attending paid work is no excuse to miss lessons. By being here you have signed up for full time education and your home is able to claim child benefits based on this fact. If finance is an issue for you, we do have a bursary scheme that students can apply for (new applications are welcomed in September), as well as other potential sources such as the Newport grammar school charity. Please come and speak to us if support is needed.

Enjoy the sunny weekend.

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Year 13 Prom 2022

Year 13 Prom 2022

Bowing out in style!

On Thursday 30th June, our outgoing Year 13s held their Prom at Landguard Manor.  The magnificence of the venue, however, was utterly surpassed by the elegance and style of the students, each and every one of whom had really gone to town to recreate that Old Hollywood glamour. 

The Prom committee’s tireless work over the last 6 months really paid off, as the evening, blessed by fabulous weather, was the perfect ending to their time with us. 

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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Head of School’s Blog – 1 July 2022

Thank you to the Student Voice Prom committee for organising a wonderful event at Landguard Manor on Thursday.  Have a wonderful summer, Year 13, and we look forward to seeing you on results day in the Lower Common room (with your ID!).

Year 12 main written trial exams are nearly finished and lessons restart on Tuesday 5th July. They will continue up to (and including) Friday 22nd July. The year is not over, despite doing end of year exams, and we start completing Year 13 content for the last 3 weeks. Art, Graphics and Photography exams will be held next week – only impacting each class for one day each.

Finally, congratulations to the students who took part in the Biology Olympics run by the Royal Society for Biology. 12,566 students took part from 608 schools worldwide!

Best wishes for a lovely weekend. 

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A Level Geographers visit the IW Festival

A Level Geographers visit the IW Festival

How smelly is the Isle of Wight Festival?

This important question and others were investigated by Geography A-level students when they visited the Isle of Wight Festival during their lesson on Friday 17 June. 

As part of an investigation into the importance of arts led regeneration on the Isle of Wight, students tried out sound scaping, emotional and smelly mapping and conducting an urban drift through the festival site.  Students learnt how to use sampling strategies to choose their sites and created environmental quality indexes that suited a festival. These skills will in turn support them in their own coursework investigations for the remainder of the term. 

We had fun, we learnt some new skills and we found out that the IW Festival is a very noisy, smelly place indeed!

Mrs Allen.



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Skyborne at Gloucester Airport Visit

Skyborne at Gloucester Airport Visit

A group of Year 12 travel and tourism students recently visited Skybourne at Gloucester airport. Skyborne is an innovative airline training academy.

Students enjoyed workshops, presentations and demonstrations about roles within the airline industry.

Representatives from British Airways and Easyjet were on hand to answer any questions regarding recruitment and roles within the sector. It was an informative event that the students found  interesting and useful.




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