Newsletters

Carisbrooke College Weekly Updates – Friday 26 June 2026

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26 June 2026

Weekly Updates from Carisbrooke College

As we approach the end of another busy week, I would like to take a moment to thank our entire school community for the remarkable way you have responded to some very challenging circumstances.

The recent period of extreme heat has tested us all. Throughout these unusually high temperatures, our staff and students alike have been absolutely fantastic. We have made every possible effort to keep the school open safely, adapting routines, monitoring conditions closely and supporting one another throughout. Whilst it was unfortunate that we had to close the school for two days, these situations do occasionally arise when the safety and wellbeing of students and staff must come first.  I am incredibly grateful to our staff for going above and beyond, and to our students for the mature and positive way they have approached these challenges.

This week we introduced students, staff and parents/carers to our new mobile phone procedure, which comes into effect on Monday 29 June. The procedure has been introduced in line with government expectations regarding the use of mobile phones in schools. Thank you to everyone for your support and cooperation as we implement these new arrangements. We appreciate the positive response from our school community and look forward to the benefits this will bring to students' learning and engagement throughout the school day.

Today, the Inter-School Team Show Jumping Competition took place. We would like to thank Mrs Peake for her work in supporting and coordinating our students' involvement. We look forward to hearing more about the event and celebrating the achievements of those who took part.

Looking ahead, next week promises to be another exciting one. On Wednesday, we will be holding our Summer Showcase, a wonderful opportunity to celebrate the talents, creativity and hard work of our students. Full details can be found further down in this newsletter. If you are able to attend, please do come along and support our students as they share and celebrate their achievements. We look forward to welcoming as many families and members of the community as possible.

Our Year 10 students will also be attending their Taster Day at the VI Form next week. This is an important opportunity for them to experience post-16 education, explore future pathways and begin considering their next steps as they prepare for the future.

As we look ahead to the summer break, we also say a fond farewell to Jiaxin Yan, who has been a valued member of our community and has made a significant contribution to the development of Mandarin at Carisbrooke College.

Jiaxin has shared the following message with us: "When I first arrived on the Isle of Wight, everything was new to me. I was nervous, excited and unsure of what to expect. However, the daily morning greetings and the smiles I received from both staff and students quickly made me feel welcome.  Thank you for making my experience so special. I wish every student success in their studies and dreams, and every member of staff happiness and fulfilment in the future. Carisbrooke College will always hold a special place in my heart.

On behalf of everyone at Carisbrooke College, I would like to thank Jiaxin for her dedication, enthusiasm and support for our students and for Mandarin. We wish her every success and happiness in the future.

Finally, a reminder that on the last day of term, Friday 24 July, school will finish at 12.00 noon. School transport providers have been informed of the earlier finish, and school buses will collect students at this adjusted time. Please ensure that any alternative arrangements for collection are made in advance if required.

Have a lovely weekend.

Natalie Sheppard
Headteacher

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Feel Good Friday!

This week’s Feel Good Friday is all about celebrating friendship, reflecting on happy memories and looking forward to new beginnings as we mark this special time for our Year 11 leavers.

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26 Jun 2026
Carisbrooke U13s Cricket Team Dominate at The Bay to Secure Back-to-Back Wins
Carisbrooke U13s continued their dominant start to the season with a second consecutive victory away at The Bay to continue their dominance, securing their second consecutive victory of the season.Batting first, Carisbrooke posted a formidable 103/1 off their 16 overs. The innings was bui...
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23 Jun 2026
Celebrating the contributions of the wonderful Miss Yan!
As the academic year begins to draw to a close, we would like to take the opportunity to expressour sincere appreciation to Miss Yan, who will soon be returning to China after spending the wholeyear with us as Carisbrooke College’s Chinese Language Assistant.
Read more
23 Jun 2026
Recent Match Reports for U13 Girls Cricket Team
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 tourna...
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23 Jun 2026
Carisbrooke Students Perform at the Isle of Wight Festival
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 ...
Read more
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Updated information about the Crisis and Resilience Fund (CRF)

The Crisis and Resilience Fund (CRF) is available to support families and individuals over the age of 16 on the Isle of Wight.  The Crisis and Resilience Fund (CRF) is a new scheme designed to support low-income Island residents who have experienced a financial shock. The scheme launched on 1 April 2026 and will bring approximately £2.2 million per year to the Isle of Wight for the next three years.

The CRF is funded by Central Government and replaces the Household Support Fund, which ended on 31 March 2026.  The fund provides fast, practical help during a financial crisis, while also supporting people to build long-term financial stability.

What does the CRF offer?

The CRF provides:

  • Emergency Crisis Payments - Financial support for immediate, essential needs for low-income households who have experienced an unexpected financial shock.
    For 2026/27, this includes households that rely on heating oil for heating and hot water and have been affected by rising oil prices
     
  • Housing-related support - Help for residents who are struggling to meet rental costs.
  • Warm referrals - Staff will help residents make direct contact with relevant support services. We aim to build a strong network of resilience services across the Island, supporting residents on their journey towards financial independence.
  • Access to advice - Including income maximisation, budgeting support, debt advice, energy reduction advice.
  • Better connections between local services - Making support easier to understand and navigate.
  • Grants for voluntary and community organisations - Local voluntary and community groups, Community Interest Companies etc. can apply for grants to become part of the Island’s resilience support network.

What is a financial shock?

The Department for Work and Pensions has published guidance, including a definition of a financial shock, which can be found in the CRF guidance on GOV.UK:
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/crisis-and-resilience-fund-guidance-for-local-authorities-in-england-1-april-2026-to-31-march-2029

Types of payments available

Low-income residents can apply for two types of payments through the CRF:

  1. Crisis Payments - Quick financial support for urgent, essential living costs resulting from a financial shock.
  2. Housing Payments - Support with rent shortfalls for residents receiving Housing Benefit or Universal Credit housing costs.  This replaces the former Discretionary Housing Payments.

Resilience support services

In addition to financial support, the CRF also connects residents to resilience services, including:

  • Financial literacy (income maximisation, budgeting and debt advice)
  • Food literacy
  • Utility literacy
  • Mental wellbeing, education, and skills support 

We have provided below, contact details for Island residents seeking support through CRF Crisis Payments or Housing Payments:

CRF crisis payments

Email: crfapplication@iow.gov.uk

Telephone number  -  01983 823660

CRF housing payments

Email: housing.benefit@iow.gov.uk

Telephone number -  01983 823950

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We're writing to let you know about a range of creative activities for children and families taking place at Quay Arts over the next couple of weeks. We'd be very grateful if you could help us spread the word by including the attached posters in your school newsletter or sharing them with families.

Our upcoming events include:

• FREE Family Drop-In: 12 Word Stories – Saturday 27 June
• Kids Art Club – Sunday 28 June
• FREE Family Drop-In: Cardboard Birthday Cakes – Saturday 4 July
• HAF Drama Group Summer Workshops – Thursday 30 July, Tuesday 4 & Thursday 6 August
• Minibeasts Arts Academy: Snails Workshop – Monday 27 July
• Minibeasts Arts Academy: Worms Workshop – Tuesday 28 July

These sessions offer children the chance to get creative, learn new skills, and enjoy quality time with family and friends this Summer.

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Have your say! Have you had involvement with the ND Team? Does your child have a neurodivergent diagnosis, self-diagnosis or think they have? If so, please come along to a workshop to review the updated ND resource (previously the ND Tool).

We’re inviting parent carers to join us for a workshop to look at the updated Neurodiversity Resource and share their thoughts, experiences and feedback. Your voice is really important in helping to shape this work and ensure the resource is purposeful, relevant and reflective of the needs of children and young people on the Isle of Wight.

Workshop dates

📅 Online Teams Engagement Session
Tuesday 7 July | 7:00pm–8:30pm
Book here: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/online-parent-carer-engagement-for-the-neurodiversity-resource-tickets-1991314202384

📅 Riverside Engagement Event
Thursday 9 July | 10:00am–12:00pm
📍 Riverside Centre, Newport
Book here: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/1991233180044?aff=oddtdtcreator

Your experiences and views are vital in helping to shape this work 💙

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?? Calling all Carisbrooke College parents, carers, and friends! ??

We have a massive opportunity to win £1,000 worth of National Book Tokens to completely refresh our school library—but we need your help to make it happen!

The National Book Tokens Schools Prize is open right now. The more nominations Carisbrooke College gets, the higher our chances of being drawn as one of the winners.

Why do it? ? It’s 100% free and takes less than a minute. ? It will put incredible new books directly into our students' hands. ? Bonus: If Carisbrooke wins, the person who nominated us could win a £100 book token for themselves!

?? Deadline is July 8th, but they are doing weekly flash draws right now, so please nominate us today!

?? Enter here: https://www.nationalbooktokens.com/schools-prize

Please share this post with other local families and help us spread the word! Thank you for your support! ??

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Hyundai's Great British School Trip

Hyundai are giving parents/carers the chance to win a fantastic 1-night residential trip for their child's school, and we would really appreciate it if you could take the time to vote for us! 

School trips are incredibly valuable in terms of supporting children's learning and wellbeing. However, cost is often a significant barrier. The Hyundai school trip will include a 1-night residential, return coach travel and food and accommodation at the venue, fully funded, for 32 students!

Please consider nominating us using the following link: Nominate a School For a Free Trip – The Great British School Trip

The deadline for nominations is 4pm on Monday 29 June. 

PSHE and RSHE Newsflash

The Personal Development team at Carisbrooke College would be most grateful if parents/careers could complete the PSHE/RSHE consultation form linked below by 30 June.  Parent Consultation Form  Your feedback is very important to us and helps us to constantly improve systems and ways of communication which are crucial in our ever-changing world.

This term, in PSHE/RSHE lessons, year 7, 8, 9 and 10 will be discussing ‘Relationships’. Links to a more detailed summary of what each year group will be discussing will be posted in next week's newsletter.

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Maritime Futures Programme

Fully funded spaces are available for this programme which takes place during the summer holidays for students aged 14 and above. Funding is subject to criteria for those in genuine financial need. Please see the UKSA website for further information. 

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Cowes Harbour Commission is delighted to invite pupils, parents and families from across the Isle of Wight to attend our Harbour Safety Day on Saturday 18th July 2026 at the Sugar Store, Shepards Marina, Cowes, from 10:00am to 4:00pm.

This free community event has been designed to help children and young people learn about staying safe on and around the water through a range of interactive exhibits, demonstrations and hands-on activities.

With the Isle of Wight's strong connection to the sea, we believe Harbour Safety Day provides a valuable opportunity for children to discover more about maritime safety, emergency services and the important organisations that work together to keep our waters safe.

What to Expect

  • Interactive maritime safety exhibits
  • Hands-on activities for all ages
  • Safety equipment demonstrations
  • Opportunities to meet local maritime experts
  • Family-friendly learning experiences
  • Information on staying safe on the water and around the coast

Meet the Experts

Visitors will have the opportunity to meet representatives from a range of local and Solent-based organisations, including:

  • Cowes RNLI
  • NCI Coastwatch
  • Maritime Volunteer Service
  • Flying Fish
  • SeaSafe
  • Royal Life Saving Society
  • St John Ambulance
  • Gosport Lifeboat
  • HM Coastguard
  • Hampshire & Isle of Wight Fire Service
  • Ryde Lifeguards
  • Alzheimer's Café

Event Details

Harbour Safety Day 2026
?? Saturday 18th July 2026
?? Sugar Store, Shepards Marina, Cowes
? 10:00am – 4:00pm
??? Free Entry

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Over 100 free or low cost events at this year’s Biosphere Festival with loads of stuff for kids to do!

Get ready for the Biosphere Festival! The programme has now gone live with over 100 things to do, mostly free or low-cost, all being run by our brilliant local community. Nine days of events all over the Island to celebrate our UNESCO Biosphere Reserve from 27th June to 5th July with lots of activities aimed at families and young people. Don’t miss out, lots of events have limited space and require booking. You can see the full programme at www.wbiosphere.org/biospherefestival.

Recently named one of The Guardian’s top 10 UK nature festivals (https://www.theguardian.com/travel/2026/apr/30/10-best-uk-nature-festivals-late-spring-summer), the Biosphere Festival is a great opportunity to engage with our amazing island nature, creativity and heritage in new and exciting ways. Many of these events are unique to the festival, you won’t get these experiences anywhere else. In fact, we think that this festival, with so many entirely community organised events, might be unique on the planet!

Local libraries are running crafting sessions, seed potting and a scavenger hunt. The Wildheart Animal Sanctuary is offering low cost entry for their Festival of Conservation and Science. Hop aboard the maritime discovery bus and dive into the marine world of the Isle of Wight at the new and exciting Museum and Maritime Archeology Centre. Learn about local species and do real citizen science as part of the Nature Safari at the Watermill Calbourne. Try zinemaking in Sandown, word collage at the Quay Arts Centre, go Wild in Godshill, go on a Bug Hunt at Farringford, get on your bike at the Cyclewight family bike ride, take a Byways and Birdsong nature walk, explore the rockpools of Bembridge, join a community picnic in Gurnard and help clean our local beaches on a Nurdle Hunt.

And for the teachers, there are loads of adult-oriented events too, including a Primary Teachers' Tea Party at Naturezones.

Our Biosphere Reserve status is a prestigious UNESCO designation, like World Heritage status, that recognises our unique combination of people, wildlife and landscape. It celebrates all our local efforts, individual and organisational, to live sustainably within our remarkable environment and to protect, conserve and enhance it for future generations.

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Dates for your diary

Year 10 Taster Days at VI Form
8:45am – 3:15pm
from 01 Jul until 02 Jul
01
July
Summer Showcase
8:45am – 3:15pm
01
July
Transition Day
8:45am – 3:15pm
07
July
Inset Day - Students not in School
8:45am – 3:15pm
08
July
Year 7 Trip to Splashdown
7:30am – 7:10pm
21
July
Year 8 Trip to Paultons Park
7:00am – 6:30pm
22
July
Sports Day
8:45am – 3:15pm
23
July
Development Day - Students not in school
All Day
27
July

Useful Links

Term Dates and College Day

Attendance

Arbor (Communications and Payments)

Latest News

School Clubs

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