Newsletters

16 October 2026

Weekly Updates from the Leadership Team

Welcome to our final newsletter of this half term.

Thank you for your support over the past seven weeks. There has been so much to celebrate, with events and activities highlighting the enthusiasm, talent and spirit of our Medina College students and community. Highlights have included Year 7’s team-building day at PGL, the NASA event streamed live to our VI Form students, our fantastic Open Evening for prospective students and families, and MANiFEST’s performance in our Theatre ahead of their appearance at Wembley Arena this evening! Our Year 11 Revision Evening and Careers Fair, alongside the Songwriters Workshop performance, have also provided valuable opportunities for students to prepare for their futures and share their creativity. Our sports teams have represented the school with dedication and passion, while clubs, trips and our new fortnightly Wednesday afternoon Enrichment programme have given students opportunities to discover interests, develop skills and try something new. Alongside our core curriculum, these experiences bring our values of Ambition, Courage, Confidence and Kindness to life. Thank you to the staff and partners who make them possible. There is plenty more to look forward to next half term.

Making the most of these opportunities depends on everyone following our school rules: Ready, Respectful and Safe. Being prepared, treating others with kindness and following instructions help everyone to participate and succeed. Where students find these expectations challenging, we will work with them and their families to build the resilience and responsibility they need, while maintaining clear expectations for behaviour.

You will have received a letter today explaining a small adjustment to the timings within the school day during the trial exams. The school’s start and finish times remain unchanged. Year 11 families have also received a separate letter outlining exam expectations. Revision sessions are available over the next two weeks, and we strongly encourage students to make use of this support while allowing themselves time to rest.

Thank you to the parents and carers who have attended our Year 7 Parents evening and the Year 11 revision evenings. These conversations are an important part of working together to support students, and we look forward to welcoming Year 10 families for their parents evening after half term.

We wish you all a restful half-term break and look forward to welcoming students back, on time and ready to learn, on Tuesday 3 November. Please remember that Monday 2 November is a staff Development Day, when the school is closed to students.

Mrs Paul, Mrs Mursell and Mrs Sandiford

Executive Headteacher and Co-Heads of School

Creative Island's Songs of Place concert

On Sunday 11 October, Mr Winsor took eight GCSE Music students to perform at Creative Island’s Songs of Place concert, held at GG’s in Newport. The venue provided a fantastic setting for this special celebration of music.

The students performed two pieces as part of a large ensemble, alongside the Isle of Wight Symphony Orchestra, Medina Marching Band and pupils from several island primary schools.

They also had the exciting opportunity to perform their own original song, Broken Bridge, which they wrote about life on the Isle of Wight. This was a wonderful opportunity for the students to showcase their creativity and share their own musical interpretation of what it means to live on the island.

Sofia A, Albie B, Samson B, Freddy C, Sammy J, James R, Millie S and Ella S all performed with great confidence and enthusiasm. It was a pleasure to share the stage with them and see their hard work and dedication come to life.

Well done to all eight students on a fantastic performance! We are incredibly proud of what you have achieved.

Careers Fair

Medina College’s Year 11 students took part in a careers assembly and careers fair this week, helping them explore a wide range of opportunities available to them as they prepare for their next steps beyond school.

Careers Enterprise delivered an informative assembly covering the different pathways available after Year 11, including further education, apprenticeships and other career opportunities; helping students understand the options open to them and make informed decisions about their futures.

The assembly was followed by a careers fair, bringing together a wide range of employers, universities and training providers. Students had the opportunity to speak directly with representatives, ask questions and learn more about different industries, qualifications and routes into employment. 

These events reflect Medina College’s ongoing commitment to equipping students with the knowledge, confidence and guidance they need to make informed choices and take positive steps towards their future goals.

Continued Community Support – Pan Together

Over the past two weeks, the strength and generosity of our school community have been on full display. Thanks to the incredible kindness of families across both Medina College and The Island VI Form, we have completed two major deliveries of essential supplies to The Pan Together Community Larder. Mr Binfield is seen here with a small selection from our latest delivery. 

Following a wonderful initial drop-off last week, a second batch of food and sanitary products was delivered on Thursday 15 October. Pan Together plays a vital role as a community hub, offering crucial support to local individuals and families. Both school teams and the staff at Pan Together wish to express their thanks to everyone who contributed.

Our collaboration with Pan Together doesn't stop here. Over the coming weeks, we will be highlighting more of the essential work they do for our local community, including:

• Warm, Safe Spaces: Providing welcoming environments for residents during the colder months.

• Benefits & Application Support: Offering guidance and assistance with navigating official applications and local services.

• Ongoing Larder Support: Continuing to supply accessible food and hygiene essentials.

Thank you once again to all our families for your ongoing care and generosity!

Enrichment Update: Creativity, Practical Skills, and Focus

We were thrilled to run our second enrichment session of the term at Medina College, and students across all year groups have been diving straight into a brilliant variety of activities!

MasterChef Journey: Our aspiring chefs continued their culinary progress by baking delicious shortbread under the expert guidance of Mr Murdoch.
Italian Culture: Students exploring Italian culture created handcrafted Venetian masks. The attention to detail was exceptional, and the finished creations looked absolutely stunning.
First Aid Skills: Students focused on essential life skills by learning why the recovery position is vital in emergency situations and practising how to safely place someone into it.
Year 11 Focus: Our Year 11 students continued with their bespoke revision sessions, working hard to build confidence and mastery with the ultimate goal of achieving excellent results this summer.

Some of the other enrichment activities available are employability, badminton, non-contact boxing, Christmas tree decorating and draughtsmanship.

We are also excited to announce that between Christmas and February half-term, we will be welcoming another local primary school to our site! They will be making full use of our trampolining facilities as part of our ongoing community links—we can't wait to host them on campus.

Thank you to all staff and students for another fantastic session!

Sports roundup

The boys' football fixtures have been in full flow this term with 17 matches being played. A big thank you to all students that have shown commitment and represented the school so far. 

Table positions 

Yr 7 - Joint 4th   Yr 8 - Joint 3rd   Yr 9 – Top of the league   Yr 10 – Top of the league 

Well done everyone!

Year 9 Boys v The Bay

On Tuesday, the Year 9 boys football team played their 3rd fixture of the half-term against a strong Bay side. It was a closely contested match with both teams battling hard throughout.  The game finished goalless at 0-0 with the Bay hitting the post in the first half before Medina hit the post and crossbar in the second half. A great team effort: well played lads!

Y8 Boys

The Year 8 boys' football team faced two tough opponents this week in CTK and The Bay.

Despite two hard-fought defeats, the boys played some great football and showed fantastic determination right to the final whistle. The team has made huge progress over their five fixtures this term (2 wins, 3 losses), showing clear improvement with every match.

We have one last game following half-term. Thank you to all the players for their hard work and continued commitment!

Y10 Boys v The Bay

On a lovely Wednesday afternoon, the Year 10 team showed teamwork, creativity and heart throughout the match against the Bay. Coming out victorious with goals from Archie, Eli, Lucas N and Sam. They now sit top of the league with 2 big games to go.  Well played lads!

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