Newsletters

 Weekly Updates from Medina College – 2 October 2026

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2 October 2026


Weekly Updates from the Leadership Team

Welcome to the newsletter for this week. 

It has been a really successful week for students with broad and enriching experiences. Wednesday saw our first Enrichment session for students, including activities such as Draftsmanship, supporting students at a local primary school, Life/Employability Skills, Masterchef, improving the school environment, Cosmetic Science, MedinaFit and Finance, to name just a few. The students have reported how much they enjoyed their sessions and that they are looking forward to the next one. Over the coming weeks we will be sending updates about the activities and developments that we are all enjoying. 

Yesterday, we had the honour of hosting the Turkish girl band MANiFEST into school. They performed two of their songs, displaying their incredible dance skills. The Q and A session that they held after the performance was very honest and resonated very much with us as a school.  Talking about the importance of having drive and ambition, not giving up, finding their confidence by facing any fears and acknowledging how kind their fans are; which has helped them be as successful as they are now. Those messages very much echoed our ambition, courage, confidence and kindness values. We are very grateful to IW Festival Promoter John Giddings for providing this opportunity for us.

Next week sees our Year 11 students take another step closer to their end of year exams. We are holding the Year 11 Revision and Futures Event on Wednesday Evening (7 October), which we would encourage all Year 11 parents/carers to attend with their child. It is just one of the many events in the Year 11 calendar, preparing students for the nine months ahead. Today their assembly covered the logistical and regulatory expectations of exams, also talking about ensuring they use every opportunity provided to them to try and secure their own success. 

We hope you have a lovely weekend.

Mrs Paul, Mrs Mursell and Mrs Sandiford

Executive Headteacher and Co-Heads of School


Turkish girl group MANiFEST visit Medina College

Our students enjoyed an unforgettable morning yesterday as hugely successful Turkish girl group Manifest visited our school for an exclusive performance and Q&A session.

Manifest are a six-member Turkish girl group who were formed through the Big5 Türkiye competition. The band are currently making their mark internationally and are set to release their first English-language single in the UK next week.

During their visit, Manifest performed two songs for students: their viral hit ‘Snap’ and ‘Tralala’, their first English-language single, which is due to be released in the UK on 9 October. The performance was professionally filmed, with some of our students also interviewed about their experience of meeting the band.

The students then had the opportunity to take part in a Q&A session, asking thoughtful questions about the band’s singing and dancing, their inspirations, how they manage nerves and their plans for the future.

Inspired by bands including the Spice Girls, Manifest spoke about their ambitions for the future and encouraged our students to dream big, believe in themselves and chase their ambitions.

We were incredibly proud of the way our students conducted themselves throughout the event. Their enthusiasm, confidence and thoughtful questions made the morning a real success.

The event also provided a fantastic opportunity to reflect on Medina College’s four key values of Ambition, Courage, Confidence and Kindness. Co-Head of School, Anna Mursell, highlighted how Manifest themselves had demonstrated each of these values through their own journey. They have pursued their dreams and ambitions with courage, despite the nerves and challenges they have faced along the way. They have shown confidence by believing in themselves, and kindness through the way they support one another and work as a team.

The morning provided a powerful reminder that nobody needs to be perfect. What matters is believing in yourself, working hard, looking out for others and having the courage to pursue what you want to achieve in life.

We would like to extend our sincere thanks to John Giddings and Solo Music Agency for making this incredible opportunity possible and giving our students the chance to meet, hear from and be inspired by Manifest.

 


Important update: Supporting your child at Medina College

At Medina, we want to make sure every child feels safe, understood, and fully supported in their learning.

We know that families come in many different forms. Sometimes, children are raised by family members or friends—known as kinship care. This might include grandparents, aunts, uncles, older siblings, or family friends stepping in to provide a permanent or temporary home.

If your family situation involves a kinship arrangement, we would love for you to let us know. You do not have to share more detail than you are comfortable with.

Sharing this helps us:

  • Understand your child’s unique background and holistic needs

  • Offer the right emotional and educational support if they need it

  • Ensure we have the correct emergency contacts and pick-up permissions in place

Any information you share will be treated with strict confidence and sensitivity. If you would like to chat about this privately, please contact suzanne.dunbar@medina.iow.sch.uk

Thank you for working with us to help your child thrive.


Remarkable whale shark discovery 

We have some incredible news from our World Challenge expedition!

You may remember our live updates in the summer, where students from Medina College, The Island VI Form and Carisbrooke College had the unforgettable opportunity to spend 3 weeks in Mozambique and Eswatini. 

During the trip, there was an extra-special discovery…..
Students took part in an ocean safari to monitor marine life and found themselves swimming alongside a whale shark. The students’ photographs revealed that the whale shark had never been identified before. Its distinctive markings have now been officially recorded, and the whale shark has been given the identification number MZ-915 Medina!

This means our students have played a direct part in documenting a previously unrecorded whale shark and contributing to ongoing marine conservation and research. 

And that was just one part of an incredible three-week trip involving community projects, wildlife, trekking and marine conservation.

The full story can be found on our website here.

 


Solo Award for Student reporting on the Isle of Wight Festival!

Earlier this year, our students were set a special writing challenge by Isle of Wight Festival Promoter John Giddings and Festival Director Caroline Giddings: to capture the atmosphere and spirit of the Isle of Wight Festival through their own eyes.

Rather than writing a traditional review of the headline acts, students were challenged to produce a 500-word report bringing the Festival experience to life for the reader.

Students were asked to consider the people, including the fashion and the sense of community among festival goers; the atmosphere, from the energy and excitement to the sights and sounds; and the environment, including the food stalls, fairground rides and hidden gems beyond the main stages.

The entries were judged personally by John and Caroline, who were extremely impressed by the high standard of submissions. They decided to recognise every student who entered with a participation certificate, while selecting Year 11 student Tianna as the overall winner of the SOLO Award for Student Reporting on the Isle of Wight Festival.

John Giddings presented the certificates during his visit to the school this week. He thanked all of the students who took part, highlighting the value of seeing the Festival through the eyes of a teenager.

The detailed and personal reports provided John and Caroline with a unique insight into how young people experience the Festival, offering valuable feedback that will help inform their planning for future events.

A huge congratulations to Tianna on winning the SOLO Award, and well done to all of our students who took part!


Year 7 Football!

On Tuesday 29th September, our Year 7 boys football team had a home game against The Priory. After 2 defeats in the last few weeks, the team were excited to try and get a win and what an improved performance they put in! Goals came from Mack, Will, Harry G and Lincoln to give us our first Year 7 win this year. The boys represented Medina outstandingly!

Well done.

 


Enrichment at Medina

On Wednesday, we started our first-ever whole-school enrichment sessions at Medina College, with all students getting involved.

As I walked around the school and visited as many different sessions as I could, I saw students practising first aid and learning how to support life in an emergency situation. I also saw students learning about Italy’s language and culture, and even had the chance to practise my own limited Italian! Elsewhere, students were cooking in two different rooms and making decorations for the Christmas Tree Festival at Brighstone.

There was so much happening that I didn’t make it to many of the other sessions, which included non-contact boxing, badminton, Medina Fit and many more.

Our Year 11 students have also been working on an innovative programme of study skills support sessions, designed by Mr Jones, Director of Progress and Attainment. These sessions are designed to help students practise specific revision strategies, such as using flashcards, before applying these strategies to a specific subject with the support of a subject-specific tutor.

We are keen to keep developing our enrichment offer, so if any member of our community has a skill they would like to share or could host some of our students as part of enrichment, then please contact me by email: nick.binfield@medina.iow.sch.uk


Thank you Dulux Decorating Centre! 

Last term, we were very fortunate to receive a donation of paint from Dulux Decorating Centre to enable us to renovate our school library. 
Our SENDCo and 3 wonderful members of our support staff grabbed their paint brushes and, with energy and enthusiasm, got to work. 
The result is a warm, calm reading space with tables, a sofa, and a fireplace.

Groups of students can be found at lunchtimes and break times reading, revising, playing games and doing jigsaw puzzles in this lovely space. 

Thank you to everyone who has contributed towards the improvement of this space in our school, especially Dulux for their generous donation.

 



 


Isle of Wight SENDIASS FREE Workshops October

Sessions are all free and with an experienced Support Worker offering impartial information and advice.  The website is being continually updated with new short videos to help bring to life the information young people and their families need to help them access the education, health and social care they are entitled to.  A video on what to expect can be found here. 

 


 

Special Menu - Monday 5 October

New All Day Eats menu – a selection of grab and go hot and cold snacks as well as some more substantial hot options. These are available daily during break 1. 

 

 


Dates for your diary

Year 11 Revision Evening
5:00pm – 6:30pm
07
October
Medina College Open Morning
9:30am – 12:00pm
08
October
Scholastic Book Fair
0:00am – 4:00pm
from 12 Oct until 16 Oct
12
October
‘Your Future’ Careers Fair
0:00am – 0:00am
13
October
Medina College Open Morning
9:30am – 12:00pm
13
October

Useful Links

Term Dates and College Day

Attendance

Arbor (Communications and Payments)

Latest News

School Clubs


Attendance

If a student is unable to attend the school for any reason or has an appointment then you can register this using the Arbor App links below.  You are also able to contact the school using the Attendance line on 01983 538055

Try using the Arbor Parent App available on the following links ANDROID or APPLE with Guidance on use HERE


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