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. 

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.

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

After the success of table tennis at Carisbrooke College this year, it is great to see some of our young talent challenging themselves further.

Both Joshua P and Dylan M took part in their first Summer League games on Wednesday 13 May at Smallbrook and both students had a successful night alongside their partners as they managed to secure victories in both matches. In what is a pairs' competition where both players take part in two singles matches and one doubles match, Dylan and his partner managed to win 3 matches out of the five and Joshua and his partner came away winning all 5 matches. Well done to both boys for taking this step and wanting to challenge themselves further.

Next week Logan M will take part in his first league game and, hopefully, a few more will follow in their footsteps over the next few months.

The 2025–26 season will go down as another memorable chapter in the history of the Carisbrooke College Cougars, packed with buzzer-beaters, fast breaks, defensive battles and plenty of Cougar pride. Across every year group, the Cougars showed exactly what Carisbrooke basketball is all about: commitment, teamwork and a never-give-up attitude.

This season marked the arrival of an exciting new generation of Cougars, as freshmen Joshua P, Jenson W, Albie M, Jack M, Thomas P, Oscar L, Sebastian T, Jake G, Reuben W and Sullivan C all officially joined the Cougar family. Their energy, enthusiasm and fearless approach brought a fresh spark to the programme and helped lay the foundations for what looks to be a very exciting future for Carisbrooke basketball.  The year 7 squad produced a perfect campaign that many teams could only dream of. The young Cougars stormed through all 6 regular season games unbeaten before taking that momentum into the annual tournament, where they added another 5 victories to lift the championship trophy without losing a single game all year. With relentless defence, fearless attacking play and ice-cold finishing under pressure, the Year 7s truly announced themselves as the future of Carisbrooke basketball. The Cougars Hall of Fame looks like it might be getting a few more entries in five years time.

The Year 8 team were only one basket away from potentially forcing a dramatic three-way tie for first place in their tournament. After battling through a fiercely competitive field, they secured an impressive 3rd-place finish and showed tremendous growth throughout the season. Their resilience and determination kept every game alive right until the final whistle.

Year 9 came agonisingly close to tournament glory themselves. In a thrilling campaign filled with intensity and energy, they narrowly missed out on the title to finish as runners-up. Their performances throughout the tournament showed incredible teamwork and composure under pressure, proving they could compete with anyone on the court.

The Year 10 squad battled hard but finished 6th in their tournament, while the Year 11 team rounded off their final Cougar campaign with a strong 3rd-place finish. Their leadership and experience once again helped set the standard for younger players coming through the programme.

When all the final scores were added together, there was only one school sitting at the top of the standings and that was Carisbrooke College. Across all tournaments, the Cougars recorded the highest number of wins overall with 14, earning top spot on the overall leader-board and cementing another hugely successful year for the programme.

One of the most impressive achievements for Carisbrooke continues to be its consistency and dedication to the sport. The Cougars remain one of only two schools to have competed in every tournament over the past five years, highlighting the passion and enthusiasm players have for representing the school, regardless of experience level. That commitment has helped build one of the strongest basketball cultures around.

Over the last 18 years, an incredible 237 students have proudly represented the Cougars, showing just how strong and long-lasting the programme has become. From experienced veterans to first-year players stepping onto the court for the very first time, every player has helped shape the identity and success of Carisbrooke basketball.

This season also saw several players climb the all-time Cougar record boards. As a school, Carisbrooke now boasts an overall win percentage of 59%, having played 298 games over the last 18 years and winning 177 of them, an incredible achievement that reflects years of hard work and development.

Logan M and Dylan M have now moved into joint position alongside Matthew H for all-time Cougar appearances, each reaching an impressive 42 games played in the famous Cougar jersey. Meanwhile, Logan M continues to light up the scoring charts, climbing into 3rd place on the all-time scoring list with 148 career points. He still trails overall leader Callum H, who remains top with 202 points, but the chase is very much alive.

Perhaps the most exciting storyline for the future, however, is the emergence of the freshman class. Joshua P has exploded onto the scene with 84 points in his very first season, already putting himself among the programme’s rising stars and becoming a serious contender to challenge the all-time scoring record in the years ahead. Fellow freshmen Jack M and Jenson W have also made major impacts offensively, finishing the season with 44 and 36 points respectively, proving that the next generation of Cougars is already making noise on the scoreboard.

To round off such a successful season, Cougar players will be rewarded with a trip to the iconic O2 Arena in London on Sunday 17th May to watch the British Basketball Final live. After a year full of hard work, commitment and unforgettable performances, it is a fitting way to celebrate everything the teams have achieved this season while giving players the chance to experience top-level basketball on the big stage. For many of the students, it promises to be the perfect ending to another fantastic year for the Carisbrooke Cougars.