Newsletters

16 October 2026

Weekly Updates from The Island VI Form

It is hard to believe that the first half term of the academic year has already come to an end. It has been a pleasure to see our Year 12 students settle in so well, while Year 13 students have remained commendably focused on completing their qualifications.

Following half term, Year 12 tutor times will be adjusted. Students will attend tutor sessions from Monday to Wednesday. On Thursdays and Fridays, these sessions will be replaced by individual mentoring periods, which students will be invited to attend a few times over the course of the year. Consequently, attendance on Thursday and Friday will be strictly by appointment.

A friendly reminder that our Open Evening will take place on 12th November. Please encourage any prospective students who may be interested in joining us to attend! Additionally, we are still seeking student volunteers to assist with the event. If you are interested in helping out, please sign up here.

Please note that the first Monday following the break is an INSET day, meaning the college will remain closed to students. Term will officially resume for students on Tuesday, 3rd November. We hope you have a wonderful and restful half term break!

Phil Pearce-Jones - Head of School

Foundation Art Workshop

Our Foundation Students had a fantastic visit and workshop by Artist Laura Hathaway on 12th October. This corresponded with the introduction of the second project in the Exploratory Stage of the course - Abstract.

The students used natural pigments and found natural tools to explore the qualities, properties and potential of marks and line. The workshop culminated in a vibrant collaboration piece in 2 and 3d.

We would like to thank Laura for delivering such an exciting and valuable art experience for our students, and to the team at the Quay Arts for funding the sessions.

Your Future Event

Mr Stott and Mr Williams represented The Island VI Form at the Your Future careers event at Medina Leisure Centre yesterday. They had lots of engaging conversations with Year 11 students from Medina, Carisbrooke, The Bay, Christ The King and Lift Ryde about what The Island VI Form offers in terms of Level 3 courses, as well as our new Level 2 pathways. They also gave advice to Year 10 students from Cowes Enterprise College and Year 8 students from The Island Free School about how to make subject choices at A level and GCSE. It was a positive day and really nice to hear from those students who attended our taster day in the summer that they are now planning to join us next year. We look forward to welcoming them to our Open Evening on Thursday 12th November. 

Hello Yellow Day

Last Friday, we marked World Mental Health Day by embracing the Hello Yellow theme in support of Young Minds UK. Students and staff donned their yellow clothing to show their support and help raise awareness of mental health. Various other events took place throughout the day...

Year 12 students took part in a Taskmaster-style challenge, where they spent the week planning and decorating planters to display around our campus. Each tutor group will now take responsibility for caring for their planter and helping their flowers grow. The challenge encouraged creativity, design and teamwork, while also highlighting the importance of patience and progress over time.

Our Yellow Wall returned, sharing supportive messages and words of encouragement from students to remind anyone who may be finding life difficult that they are not alone.

Our BTEC Sport students were treated to a presentation from former Southampton FC player Francis Benali. He spoke about his professional football career, the qualities needed to succeed in sport, and the challenges he has overcome while raising millions of pounds for charity.

A huge thank you to everyone who took part and helped make the day so meaningful!

You can still support our fundraising efforts by donating via our fundraising page: https://fundraise.youngminds.org.uk/fundraisers/christopherwilliams/hello-yellow