As the academic year begins to draw to a close, we would like to take the opportunity to express
our sincere appreciation to Miss Yan, who will soon be returning to China after spending the whole
year with us as Carisbrooke College’s Chinese Language Assistant.
It was a picture-perfect Tuesday down at Appley Beach as our U13 girls cricket team took to the sand for a fantastic day of beach cricket. Facing tough competition from The Bay, CTK, and Medina, the girls embraced the unique challenges of the seaside pitch with brilliant enthusiasm.
As the tournament progressed, so did our squad's confidence. The girls quickly adapted to the unpredictable bounce of the sand, showcasing excellent teamwork and sharp reflexes. The fielding highlights of the day undoubtedly belonged to the boundary riders, who grew so fearless they were literally diving into the sand to attempt some spectacular, beach-worthy catches! This may have been an incentive for an ice cream for the best successful dive-catching moment!
When it was our turn at the crease, the girls put on a show with the bat. We witnessed a number of lovely, clean hits that sent the ball flying across the sand. While some excellent tactical play from the opposition ultimately kept us just out of contention for the 2nd or 3rd spot finishes, the scorecards didn't do justice to how hard the girls fought in every single over.
Despite the results not going our way on paper, the team's morale never wavered. The atmosphere on the beach was brilliant from start to finish.
Last Monday, the Carisbrooke U13 girls' cricket team travelled over to The Island Free School for their second fixture of the season.
Carisbrooke lost the toss and were put into the field first, a blessing in disguise that helped ease any pre-match nerves. Despite TIFS fielding a strong line-up that included two Hampshire county players, our girls remained completely unfazed.
The boundary fielding was a major highlight of the innings, with the girls tracking back brilliantly to close down several potential fours. The team demonstrated excellent communication and tight, close-in fielding throughout. In a spectacular display of quick reflexes, Seren and Maisie showcased some brilliant, fast-hand fielding to execute a couple of sharp stumpings that caught the TIFS batters off guard.
Through disciplined effort, Carisbrooke held TIFS to a total of 123–5 off their overs. Carisbrooke took to the crease. While the girls found runs hard to come by against a clinical TIFS attack, eventually finishing 42 all out. Despite the big difference in the final scores, the bowling display from Carisbrooke was incredibly promising for the rest of the season. Faye H, Nell, and Maisie all put in brilliant shifts with the ball, delivering excellent line and length against a very strong batting line-up.
Well done, Carisbrooke! We look forward to taking these positives into game three.
Last Sunday, a group of our students had the incredible opportunity to perform at the Isle of Wight Festival!
First up was the winning band from our recent Battle of the Bands, 'Gilbert and the Stones' with a cover of Paint It Black. They were followed by School of Rock group 'Hooked', who delivered an energetic cover of Nirvana's In Bloom. Year 11 band 'Shed' then took to the stage to perform their own original song, Again. These students formed part of our GCSE Music cohort this year, and their confident performances were a testament to the hard work they have put into developing their ensemble skills during their time at Carisbrooke. They are an inspiration to our younger students and will be missed!
The afternoon then moved to some quieter performances, beginning with Year 10 student Patience, who gave a beautiful rendition of Noah Kahan's Stick Season. She was followed by Year 8 student Merrin, whose crowd-pleasing performance of Champagne Supernova was warmly received. Our final performance featured a mixed group of students from Years 9 and 11, who rounded off the set with a fantastic blast of Paramore's Hard Times.
Although the weather was extremely hot, our students were as professional as ever and absolutely fantastic. Thank you to all the staff, students and parents who came along to support them. It was wonderful to have such a large and lively crowd, and the encouragement from everyone meant a great deal to the performers.
If you would like to get involved in any of our music groups at Carisbrooke, or take part in future musical projects, please speak to Mrs Peckham for more information.
The squad showed an excellent blend of explosive power and tactical bowling. Adapting to Appley Beach requires quick feet in the field and the ability to hit cleanly over the slow sand outfield—traits this group demonstrated across every single match.
Logan
Tournament Role: Captain, opening Batter & Leading Pace Bowler
Performance Review: Logan carried a massive workload and delivered on all fronts. As an opening batter, he provided a solid, dependable platform, refusing to let the shifting sand disrupt his footwork. He then spearheaded the bowling attack with highly disciplined, solid pace bowling that consistently pinned opposition batters down.
Jenson
Tournament Role: Power Hitter & Strike Bowler
Performance Review: Jenson put on an absolute clinic in explosive beach cricket. He routinely cleared the ropes with massive sixes that sent the fielders scrambling toward the tide line. Not content with just dominating with the bat, he switched gears to bowl with genuine, intimidating pace, making the most of the unique bounce off the sand-covered track.
Warrick
Tournament Role: Middle-Order Finisher & All-Rounder
Performance Review: Warrick proved to be the ultimate asset in the 8-over format. His ability to walk to the crease and instantly find the boundary was vital, clearing the infield with ease for some crucial sixes. His all-round contributions kept the team's momentum high and ensured the run rate never stalled.
Oscar
Tournament Role: Spin Wizard & Pinch Hitter
Performance Review: Oscar had a fantastic tournament, showcasing a brilliant dual-threat capability. He read the beach conditions perfectly, turning the ball sharply to dry up the opposition's runs, and then turned around to smash a massive six when handed the bat.
Jake
Tournament Role: Top-Order Batter & Wicketkeeper
Performance Review: Jake was the model of reliability throughout the tournament. His steady batting was crucial in anchoring the innings, accumulating runs intelligently without taking unnecessary risks. Behind the stumps, he was exceptional, showing great agility and sharp reflexes to handle the unpredictable bounce on the sand.
Josh
Tournament Role: Defensive Spinner & Outfield Specialist
Performance Review: Josh adjusted beautifully to the beach surface, suffocating batters with an incredibly tight line and length that made scoring nearly impossible. In the outfield, he was a magnet for the ball, showing fantastic vision and balance on the uneven sand to lock on to several brilliant catches.
Harry
Tournament Role: Specialist Spinner
Performance Review: Harry brought vital control to the bowling unit. He adapted quickly to the unique challenge of bowling spin with a soft ball on an artificial strip, varying his flight and pace beautifully to keep the opposition's big hitters guessing and mistiming their shots.
Caleb
Tournament Role: Change-up Bowler & Athletic Fielder
Performance Review: Caleb brought an incredible amount of energy to the squad. His bowling was consistently accurate, regularly hitting a good length and making life difficult for the batters. In the field, he was dynamic—throwing himself into the sand to save boundaries and turning halves into chances with his rapid lateral movement.
On Thursday 11th June, we took 11 year 9 students to compete in the first ever First Tech Challenge competition held at BAE Systems in Cowes. The day consisted of a presentation to a panel of judges with the students explaining the process of designing, planning and building their robot to move and fire balls into a goal. They then went on to compete against 6 other schools in alliance matches to see which 2 teams came out on top. By the end of the matches, we were placed 6th. The top 2 teams (Medina and St Catherine's) then went on to choose teams to go through to the finals. St Catherine's chose us and after 3 nail hitting matches, we beat the Medina and the Lionheart alliance by 1 point! To say we were pleased was an understatement! A huge thanks to St Catherine's for letting us redeem ourselves and to the whole TechTonic team for the fantastic work they did. A special thanks to Todd and Freddie for their amazing driving and loading skills on the robot! Fingers crossed for next year and competing against mainland teams!
The Carisbrooke College U13 cricket team got their season off to a winning start with a dramatic last-over victory against Cowes Enterprise College at Northwood Cricket Ground.
Captained by Logan, Carisbrooke made the perfect start on the field when their skipper claimed the wicket of Cowes' opening batter with an excellent delivery. However, Cowes responded strongly and their second and third batters showed great determination, putting together a lengthy partnership that frustrated the Carisbrooke bowlers. Despite the lack of wickets, Carisbrooke never let their heads drop and maintained excellent discipline throughout the innings, restricting Cowes to a competitive total of 111.
Logan led from the front with impressive figures of 1 wicket for 15 runs from his three overs, while Jenson was equally effective, finishing with 1 wicket for just 9 runs from his three overs. The commitment shown on the field was particularly encouraging. Caleb, Jack, Oscar and Seb repeatedly put their bodies on the line to prevent boundaries, while Jake and Joshua both came agonisingly close to taking difficult catches. Behind the stumps, Harry was outstanding, keeping extras to a minimum, while Sullivan worked tirelessly to chase down anything that managed to get past the fielders.
Carisbrooke's run chase began steadily in challenging conditions, with dark clouds gathering overhead and a strong crosswind making batting difficult. Openers Jake and Logan, however, looked completely unfazed. Batting with maturity beyond their years, they guided Carisbrooke to 85 without loss after 10 overs, playing a range of excellent shots and putting their team firmly in control.
When Jake was eventually run out for a well-made 23 thanks to a superb throw from the boundary, Carisbrooke still appeared comfortable. However, the game suddenly swung back towards Cowes. Logan retired on 30, and Jenson was then dismissed by an unfortunate bounce with the very next ball, causing the innings to lose momentum.
Joshua then played a role in holding the innings together. Supported first by Oscar, who was later trapped LBW, and then by Harry, who contributed a valuable 5 runs, Joshua kept Carisbrooke in the hunt. With three overs remaining, Carisbrooke needed 16 runs from 18 balls. Excellent running between Joshua and Harry reduced the target to just 5 runs from the final 12 deliveries before Harry lost his wicket.
The tension continued to rise as Caleb looked to accelerate the scoring but was unable to find the boundary and was eventually dismissed. Suddenly, Carisbrooke required 3 runs from 7 balls.
Joshua showed composure under pressure. A single from the final ball of the penultimate over was followed by another quick single from the first ball of the last over to level the scores. Drama followed when Joshua attempted a risky run on the next delivery, only for Jack to be run out at the bowler's end, leaving Carisbrooke still needing one run to win.
With Seb arriving at the crease and nerves at their highest, the first ball proved difficult to score from. Then came the decisive moment. A slightly wide delivery evaded the wicketkeeper, allowing Joshua to sprint through to the striker's end while Seb raced hard to make his ground at the other. The pair completed the winning run with two balls to spare, sparking celebrations among players and supporters alike.
It was a fantastic team performance from Carisbrooke on the day, with contributions across the side and a level of determination, teamwork and resilience that bodes extremely well for the rest of the season. Congratulations to all involved on a memorable opening-day victory and well done to Cowes for their performance which was just as impressive on the day.
Thank you to Northwood Cricket Club for allowing the game to take place there.
On Monday 8th June, a little bit of torrential rain wasn't enough to dampen the spirits of our newly selected Carisbrooke College year 9 Sports Leaders. In their very first official leadership outing, our students stepped up to host and run a brilliant SEND Cricket Festival for over 120 students.
The festival welcomed a diverse group of participants with a wide range of needs, including wheelchair users, students with severe learning difficulties, and those with Social, Emotional, and Mental Health (SEMH) needs.
All twenty sports leaders were outstanding from start to finish despite the appalling weather. They demonstrated excellent levels of ability to differentiate and adapt their cricket stations on the spot without hesitation and tailored the activities for every individual, no matter the ability or need. Our leaders ensured every single participant felt included, supported, and cheered on.
From the first whistle to the final clean-up, the team were exemplary. Instead of letting the downpour wash away the fun, they brought an infectious, upbeat energy that kept everyone smiling.
Staff from St Georges, The Studio school, Forest Edge and St. Catherines all took time to praise our leaders with compliments, noting how maturely they handled the diverse needs of the children under such challenging weather conditions and proved themselves to be absolute naturals.
Miss Dewey and the PE department could not be more proud of our year 9 students for how they presented themselves throughout today's SEND Cricket Festival. Well done to all involved.
Carisbrooke U13s opened their cricket season with an exciting home fixture against Cowes Enterprise College. After losing the toss, the girls were put in to bat first. Despite the early challenge, Carisbrooke quickly found their rhythm and began to build a competitive innings.
Cowes proved to be a strong side on the field, demonstrating excellent bowling and sharp fielding throughout. However, Carisbrooke responded well, with Faye H playing several lovely shots through the leg side to keep the scoreboard ticking over. The team finished their innings on 59-5, setting Cowes a target of 60 to win.
Carisbrooke then took to the field and produced a determined bowling and fielding performance. The standout bowlers were Seren and Faye, who both impressed throughout the innings. Seren was involved in several dismissals, taking catches and producing stumpings behind the wickets, while Faye claimed three wickets from her three overs.
Excellent fielding from Eva W and Amelia F also played a key role, with both players showing quick reactions to stop a number of shots that looked destined for the boundary, helping to keep the Cowes scoring under control and Ruby doing a brilliant job as wicket keeper.
The match remained in the balance right up until the final over. With Cowes still in contention, Seren stepped up to bowl the last six balls, focusing on keeping her line and avoiding any costly wides. Her composure under pressure helped Carisbrooke see the game out, securing a thrilling victory.
Final Score:
Carisbrooke 59-5 - Cowes Enterprise College – 57-3
A fantastic team performance and a winning start to the season for Carisbrooke U13s.
We are incredibly proud to celebrate the artistic achievements of four of our talented students—Sydney T, Oliver J, Jaime H, and Devon P—who have been representing our school beautifully at the Independent Arts ‘Arts Lab’.
Every Thursday after school, this dedicated group has been attending the experimental sessions at the Creative Hub in Newport. Arts Lab offers young people a relaxed, non-pressured environment to explore a variety of art styles, experiment with different mediums, and release their inner creativity under the guidance of professional local artists.
The culmination of their hard work was showcased at the recent Arts Lab 2026 Exhibition. What made this exhibition truly special was that the content was entirely youth-led, allowing our students and their peers to take full creative control over their projects and social actions.
Visitors to the exhibition were treated to an impressive variety of mediums and styles. Our students demonstrated incredible versatility, showcasing skills in:
Oil Painting
Willow Work (sculpture and weaving)
Lino Printing
Portrait Sketching
The dedication, maturity, and imagination shown by Sydney, Oliver, Jaime, and Devon are a credit to our school. It is wonderful to see our students thriving in the local community and using their voices so powerfully through visual art.
Huge congratulations to all four of them on a spectacular exhibition! We can't wait to see where your creative journeys take you next.
To find out more about the Arts Lab program run by Independent Arts, visit independentarts.org.uk.
.jpeg)
Carisbrooke College’s first-ever Battle of the Bands was an unforgettable success on Wednesday 20th May, transforming our school hall into a vibrant music venue packed with standing room only. Students, parents, families, friends and staff came together to celebrate the incredible musical talent within our school community.
With over 50 students performing across 16 acts, the evening showcased an outstanding range of talent, confidence and creativity. Awards were presented for Best Band, Best Solo Artist, Best Moment, Style Icon and People’s Choice.
The event was judged by an expert panel including Andy Booth, Claire Paul, Jake Curran, and special guest judge Steve Freeman, who kindly stepped in at the last minute. The evening also gave the school an opportunity to thank Steve for his fantastic contribution to Carisbrooke as Cover Supervisor over the past 10 years as he prepares to retire this term.
A huge part of the evening’s success came from brilliant Year 9 hosts MC Smith and MC Maxi, who kept the audience entertained and energised throughout with their fantastic introductions and humour.
Award winners included:
Best Band – Gilbert and the Stones for their energetic performance of Paint It Black
Best Solo Artist – Patience for a beautiful acoustic rendition of Stick Season
Best Moment – Year 11 band Shed for performing their original song Again
Style Icon – Year 7 band The Messengers for their funky coordinated shirts and bucket hats
People’s Choice – Merrin, whose stunning performance of Champagne Supernova had the entire hall lit up with waving phone torches
The evening was also dedicated to the memory of our much-loved caretaker Pete, who sadly passed away at Easter. The event concluded with moving performances of his favourite song, Punk Rocker by Iggy Pop, performed by Year 11 musicians, followed by a mass finale of Live Forever by Oasis featuring all performers together on stage.
Donations raised from the evening will be made in Pete’s memory and will support the continued development of music opportunities and future events at Carisbrooke College.
The night was a true celebration of the amazing musical community we have here at Carisbrooke, and we hope this will become the first of many annual Battle of the Bands events.
Quotes from judges:
“It takes a huge amount of confidence to perform in front of a packed house, and it was amazing to see so many young people give it a go. Equally, the support from peers, friends and family was incredible – a huge success!” – Andy Booth, Music Industry Liaison, Platform One College of Music & Owner of Strings Music Venue
“The Carisbrooke students put on incredible performances throughout the whole evening. Deciding winners was a tough job, but seeing young musicians enjoying themselves on stage was amazing.” - Jake Curran, Music Journalist
“I was so blown away by the skill and confidence of the students, they were professional and entertaining throughout. Thank you so much for organising something so aspirational and memorable for them.” – Claire Paul, Director of Education, Creative Island
Comments/feedback from audience members on Arbor from a QR code:
Wow, great gig… Awesome absolutely awesome!
Great night of amazing performances
What a great evening of inspiring music.
Well done everyone 
Battle of the Bands was excellent.
MC Smith earned this!
On Tuesday 19th May, our year 7 young guns went to Newclose Cricket Club to take part in the annual year 7 softball cricket tournament. This is always a fun event for students to take part in and despite the weather looking like playing havoc with the day's events, the tournament was completed with just a short break for rain early on. A huge thank you to Mr Bricknell from The Bay for the time he put into setting up the tournament, organising and supplying the teas.
Carisbrooke started their campaign against Cowes Enterprise College. Carisbrooke batted first with Jake and Jenson opening and both reaching retirement. Joshua and Harry came in towards the end of the innings to give up a quick flurry of runs which eventually saw Carisbrooke reach 68. In reply, Cowes managed a respectable 46 runs with Joshua, Jenson, Harry and Caleb all taking wickets and Jenson nearly taking a hat-trick after back-to-back wicket balls.
In the second game, Carisbrooke lost Caleb, who had to leave the tournament for a short period of time, but he would be back for the later games. Carisbrooke would be taking on Ryde School in what looked like being a potential group decider and that is exactly what it was. With Carisbrooke batting first in a reduced over match due to the rain earlier in the day, Carisbrooke reached 50 runs, which was a little below the ideal sort of total. Having to adapt their style of play due to playing 2 overs less meant runs had to be scored quicker and, as a team, this possibly contributed to a few early wickets which slowed any building of a good total. However, Harry came in towards the end of the innings to give Carisbrooke hope by hitting a quick-fire 9 runs after an early batting collapse thanks to some bounces which just didn't go the boys' way. In response, Carisbrooke had to take wickets early, but despite several balls just passing past the stumps and a few balls falling short of fielders, the wickets just didn't come. However, Carisbrooke were able to limit Ryde School to a lower run rate initially, but as their captain, who was a class act throughout the game, came in to bat, Ryde School were able to reach their target of 51 runs with 11 balls left. As a result, Carisbrooke could no longer qualify for the final but well done to Ryde School, who deserved to take the win and for becoming the winners of the competition later in the day.
The boys were obviously disappointed by the last result, but as this cohort of students had demonstrated previously this year, they were able to pick themselves up and go again and, with Caleb coming back in time for this game, the side was back to full strength. In the next game, Carisbrooke took on The Island Free School and were batting first again. Jack and Seb opened the batting and did so in style. Seb hit a quick 10 and Jack reached retirement. The innings were looking solid. Joshua then continued in this form by hitting 19 with back-to-back fours and a 6. Harry again came in and hit a quick 7 and Caleb and Oscar finished the innings with Carisbrooke reaching 78 runs. TIFS, in reply, scored 42, but in all fairness to TIFS, Carisbrooke's bowling was on form. Caleb, Joshua, Jack, Jake, Seb and Jenson all took wickets in their overs, which meant the other team were not able to get a partnership going.
In the final game for Carisbrooke, they played against Lift Ryde in the 3rd/4th place play-off. After batting first again, Carisbrooke posted a massive 85 from their 7 overs. Jenson started the fun by reaching 14, including a huge 6 which nearly left Newport. Jake followed this up with 11 runs of his own and, with Joshua reaching another retirement and Oscar, Jack and Harry all hitting with a high strike rate, Lift Ryde just couldn't find a way to break the side down. Lift Ryde would be difficult to break down also and only lost three wickets thanks to Jake, Harry and a run-out thanks to a direct throw from the boundary by Joshua. However, the bowling as a team was truly superb. Jake only went for 3 runs in his over. Joshua bowled a maiden, Oscar 4 runs, Caleb 2 runs and Jenson 1 run coming off their overs meant Lift Ryde were held to 31 in response.
Not only did the boys come back from an earlier disappointment, but they showed that they would be a challenge for any team in the upcoming outdoor season. A massive well done to all the boys involved.
Top Run Scorers
Joshua 41
Jenson 38
Harry 30
Jake 27
Jack 18
Seb 9
Oscar 7
Caleb 1
Top Wicket Takers
Jenson 5
Joshua 3
Jake 2
Harry 2
Caleb 2
Seb 2
Jack 1
On Sunday 17th May, a group of 45 excited Carisbrooke College students set off bright and early at 9:30am for an unforgettable trip to the British Basketball League Play-Off Final at the iconic O2 arena in London.
From the very start, the atmosphere was brilliant thanks to our legendary bus driver, Ben from Leicester, who kept the journey fun, relaxed and full of laughs throughout the day. 90S dance music was also very welcomed, even if not by the students.
There were certainly plenty of memorable moments along the way! Logan somehow managed to conquer FOUR bacon baps on the ferry, a feat that may never be repeated. Epic games of Impostor (phone game) at the front of the bus in which Mr Peake was clearly the champion despite Mr Lyle, Nell, William, Archie and Logan constantly cheating. William proudly showed off his extra-large foam finger for most of the day, while Oscar decided the crowd entertainment needed improving with some very questionable dance moves of his own. Before long, Sullivan joined in and suddenly, most of the Year 7 boys had formed their own unofficial dance troupe, meaning the cheerleaders were almost out of a job!
Oscar also attempted to “borrow” the mascot’s outfit at one point, although thankfully security intervened before he could make his debut appearance on court, which was just the distraction for Jake who somehow transformed himself into the event paparazzi, even managing to get onto centre court while the women’s champions, the Sheffield Hatters, lifted their trophy.
The basketball itself was incredible. Students witnessed the London Lions win the men’s competition in emphatic style, with high-flying dunks, unbelievable long-range shooting and an electric atmosphere inside the arena. For many students, this was their first experience of live professional basketball, and it is safe to say it will be one they never forget, even if it was for the £17 three pieces of chicken and chips.
A huge thank you must go to Mrs Peake, Miss Harris and Mr Lyle for supporting the trip, keeping students entertained and ensuring everyone was looked after throughout the long day. Special thanks also go to Mr Briscoe for staying up late as our home contact and making sure everybody arrived home safely before midnight.
An exhausting but absolutely explosive day full of sport, laughter and memories that will last a long time!
Thank you to all the students who were an absolute credit to the school from beginning to end and represented Carisbrooke College superbly. Special well done to each and every one of you for making it into school the following day despite the lack of sleep.
