Medina College Review 2026: A large Newport secondary with a renewed leadership model and an attached sixth form pathway

A sizeable 11 to 19 secondary in Newport, Medina College sits at the centre of Island life for many families, with mainstream comprehensive intake and post 16 routes through The Island VI Form. The scale matters; with a capacity of 1,650 pupils, the offer is breadth rather than boutique, including a wide key stage 3 curriculum, options at key stage 4, and a separate post 16 identity that aims to serve students from across the Isle of Wight.

Leadership has recently been reset. From 3 November 2025, the school moved to a team model led by Executive Headteacher Jess Paul, supported on site by two Co-Heads of School and a dedicated Head of School for the VI Form.

The most recent graded Ofsted inspection (January 2020) judged the predecessor school as Requires Improvement, with leadership and management and sixth form provision judged Good.

Medina’s public-facing message is about belonging and incremental improvement, with leadership describing a focus on making each day better for students and families. The curriculum statement also sets out a values-led framework, with the ASPIRE mission (Ambition, Success, Progress, Inspiration, Respect, Equality) positioned as the language staff and students should recognise in daily routines, expectations, and reward systems.

The October 2025 leadership letter is useful context for parents because it explains the practical intent behind the new structure. The Executive Headteacher is present two days per week with strategic oversight, while the Co-Heads of School lead day-to-day operations on the Medina site and the VI Form leadership focuses on the post 16 experience. For families, this usually translates into clearer lines of responsibility, faster operational decision-making, and more visible leadership on site. It also signals that the trust is treating improvement as a priority rather than a slow burn.

It is also a school that expects students to be busy beyond lessons. News updates and the prospectus repeatedly frame enrichment, trips, performances and competitions as routine rather than exceptional. This matters for fit; students who respond well to a structured week with plenty going on will usually find more to plug into, while those who need a quieter rhythm may need to be selective and supported in their choices.

Medina College is a state school, so the value question is not about fees; it is about outcomes, support, and whether the school’s trajectory matches your child’s needs.

GCSE outcomes

The published GCSE measures available here point to a challenging results profile. Attainment 8 is 33.8, and Progress 8 is -0.68, which indicates that, on average, students have been making less progress than pupils with similar starting points nationally. EBacc outcomes are also low on the measures shown, with 5.6% achieving grade 5 or above across the EBacc and an EBacc average points score of 2.81.

For parents, the implication is practical: if your child is academically secure and self-motivating, they may still do well, particularly with strong attendance and good home routines. If they are more borderline in English and maths, or need significant academic scaffolding, you should look closely at how intervention is organised, what the homework culture is, and how consistently behaviour supports learning across classes.

A-level outcomes

The sixth form picture is clearer, both because the dataset includes ranking information and because the VI Form publishes specific entry requirements and an application timeline.

For A-level outcomes, the sixth form is ranked 2,062nd in England and 2nd on the Isle of Wight (FindMySchool ranking, based on official data). This places it below England average, within the bottom 40% of A-level providers in England.

Grades reinforce that message. A* grades represent 1.42% of entries, A grades 7.30%, and A* to B 34.08%. By comparison, the England average for A* to B is 47.2%, and A* to A is 23.6% (Medina’s combined A* to A is 8.72%).

This does not mean strong individual outcomes are impossible, but it does mean that parents should pay attention to subject choice, teaching continuity, and the support students receive with independent study habits. Post 16 success here is likely to be most reliable for students who attend consistently, choose appropriate courses, and use the structured support available.

Curriculum structure is described in a fairly traditional way at key stage 3: English, mathematics and science sit at the core, with modern foreign languages, humanities, religious education, design technology and computing also included. Creative arts and physical education are timetabled weekly.

At key stage 4, students continue English, mathematics, science and physical education and then select additional subjects during Year 9 options. The prospectus specifically references health and social care as one example of a newer route that may suit students with clearer vocational interests. This is a sensible signpost for families; it suggests that Medina is trying to balance academic core expectations with options that keep engagement high for students whose strengths are more applied.

Post 16 learning sits on a separate VI Form site, with both A-level and level 3 vocational pathways described. For students, that physical and cultural separation can be a benefit, because it signals a shift in expectations and independence. For parents, it is worth asking how transition is handled, how progress tracking works across two sites, and what happens if a student realises in October that their initial course combination is not right.

Medina’s post 16 route runs through The Island VI Form, which positions itself as a dedicated sixth form campus serving the whole Isle of Wight, with both academic and vocational options.

Entry requirements are clearly stated: the general requirement is a minimum of five GCSE grades 9 to 4 for A-level or level 3 courses, with some subjects requiring higher grades. The prospectus also describes interviews and, where needed, a trial period if requirements are not met initially. This structure tends to work well for students who need a bit of guidance to choose wisely, but it can feel demanding for students who are not yet consistent in attendance and organisation.

The VI Form also publishes a straightforward application timeline for the 2026 cohort, with applications open from November 2025 and a preference for receiving most applications by the end of March 2026, while noting that later applications may face reduced subject availability. Open morning tours are also published, which helps families move from a generic prospectus view to a more informed decision.

Because neither Oxbridge nor destination percentages are available in the provided dataset for this school, the most parent-useful approach is to treat progression as pathway-led rather than headline-stat-led. In practice, you are looking for: appropriate course matching, strong careers guidance, and consistent study support that helps students translate good intentions into grades.

Year 7 admissions are coordinated through the Isle of Wight Council’s coordinated admissions scheme, rather than direct school allocation. For September 2026 entry, the published admissions number is 180, and the stated closing deadline for applications is midnight on 31 October 2025. Offers are made on 2 March 2026 (national offer day for England).

If the school is oversubscribed, the admissions policy sets out a clear priority order. It begins with children with an Education, Health and Care Plan naming the school, followed by looked-after and previously looked-after children, certain exceptional medical cases supported by professional evidence, sibling links, children of staff under defined criteria, and then proximity based on whether Medina is the nearest school. Where distance is used as a tie-break, the policy describes straight-line measurement using the local authority’s geographical information system, with random allocation used only where a tie remains.

Open events matter here because they help families assess day-to-day fit rather than relying on reputation alone. For the 2026 entry cycle, a Year 6 open evening was scheduled for 23 September 2025, including headteacher talks in the theatre. Future open evenings typically run in early autumn; check the school’s calendar for the current cycle.

FindMySchool tip: if you are comparing multiple Newport-area options, use Map Search to understand how your address relates to likely transport routes and how the local authority typically applies distance tie-breaks across schools.

Pastoral strength in a large secondary is usually felt through consistency: predictable routines, accessible staff, and early intervention when attendance dips or relationships become fragile.

Two practical signals stand out. First, the school has run a free breakfast club in term time, available every morning from 08:15 to 08:35, which is the sort of simple provision that can materially improve punctuality and readiness to learn for some students. Second, the leadership biographies point to relevant safeguarding and mental health capability within the senior team, including trauma-informed training and senior mental health leadership experience.

Ofsted monitoring visits in 2021 highlighted work on strengthening curriculum ambition and improving attendance. For parents, the question is whether that work is now translating into reliably calm lessons and consistent follow-through on behaviour. The best way to validate that is to ask, very specifically, what happens in the first 20 minutes of a lesson when a student is off-task, and how quickly patterns are escalated to heads of year or pastoral leads.

Medina’s enrichment is best understood as a mix of structured academic support, creative life, and sport.

On the structured side, the published clubs timetable includes multiple homework clubs, subject revision sessions (for example science, English, geography, business studies, food technology, design technology), and a chess and boardgames club run through the library. For some families, this is the most important offer. It provides a supported environment for students who struggle to work effectively at home, and it reduces the “all homework is a battle” dynamic that can affect wellbeing.

There are also signals of genuine interest-led enrichment. A First Tech Robotics club is listed (by invitation), alongside clubs such as Dungeons and Dragons and a Warhammer club, which tend to appeal to students who want a social space built around shared interests rather than purely performance. The school also runs lunchtime events such as an annual Rubik’s Cube competition, which is a small but telling indicator of a culture that makes room for informal, student-friendly activities.

STEM engagement appears in news updates too. Examples include participation in the Global Underwater Hub STEM Challenge, where Year 9 students designed and presented an autonomous remotely operated vehicle concept linked to plastic pollution, and a visit to the Goodwood Festival of Speed through a STEM outreach programme. These experiences matter because they make learning feel connected to real-world engineering and design, which can be a strong motivator for students who are not naturally exam-driven.

Creative arts are visible through productions and performances. A recent example is a school staging of High School Musical, alongside other music-related opportunities such as workshops focused on music industry careers and performances in the local community.

The published college day runs from tutor time at 08:45, with period 5 ending at 15:15, equating to 32.5 hours per week. A free breakfast club has been offered from 08:15 to 08:35 in term time.

As an Island secondary, travel planning matters. Families should sanity-check bus timings, after-school commitments, and how late a student might realistically stay for clubs before the journey home becomes too stretched.

• Inspection context. The most recent graded inspection outcome available is Requires Improvement (January 2020, predecessor school). This is older evidence, and the school has since moved into a new trust context and leadership model, so families should test whether day-to-day learning culture is now more consistent than it was at the time of the judgement.

• GCSE progress profile. Progress 8 of -0.68 is a material concern because it suggests students, on average, have not been making the progress expected from their starting points. If your child is already behind in English or maths, ask how intervention is organised and how frequently progress is reviewed.

• Sixth form outcomes. A-level results sit below England average on the measures provided, so post 16 success is likely to be most secure for students with strong attendance, clear course fit, and disciplined independent study habits.

• Leadership transition. The new leadership team model began in November 2025. Change can be positive, but it also means policies and expectations may be evolving quickly. Families should confirm what has changed this year in behaviour routines, attendance strategy, and academic support.

Medina College is best understood as a large, central Newport secondary in a period of structured change, with a broad curriculum and a clear link to The Island VI Form for post 16 progression. It suits students who want variety, benefit from on-site academic support such as homework and revision clubs, and are likely to engage with enrichment that ranges from STEM competitions to theatre productions. The main question for most families is consistency: consistency of behaviour that protects learning, and consistency of teaching that improves progress at GCSE and beyond.