As part of Hertfordshire Library Services' 100th Anniversary celebrations, we are thrilled to highlight an exciting event that brings spoken word and storytelling to life.

Award-winning poet and performer Lewis Buxton will be appearing at St Albans Library on Friday 20th June from 7.30-8.30pm with his engaging and heartfelt show, FRIEND. Designed for audiences aged 14 and above, this spoken word performance explores the ups and downs of adult friendships through the lens of sport, sitcoms, and personal storytelling.

In FRIEND, Lewis blends poetry, humour, and honesty to share a relatable journey of connection and belonging. With his signature warmth and wit, he asks the question many have quietly wondered: how do you make new friends as an adult? His performance is both deeply personal and widely accessible, perfect for young people exploring relationships, identity, and self-expression.

Tickets are £8 per person and you can find the link for more details on how to book here.

Supporting Mental Health – Hertfordshire Services

As always, we value the importance of supporting mental heath within our school and wider community, and we’d like to highlight the Hertfordshire Children and Young People's Mental Health Service Directory, a valuable resource for students, carers, families and professionals.

This directory brings together a wide range of services offering both early intervention and more specialist mental health support for children and young people. Whether you're looking for advice, counselling, or more targeted care, the directory is a great starting point.

Click Here to access the directory for more detailed information and contact links.

We encourage all parents and carers to explore this resource and keep it handy should your child or someone you know need support.

Visual Arts Exhibition

We warmly invite you to come and see a selection of work presented from our Year 13 Visual Arts students who have just completed their examinations. The show will be an opportunity to view their Fine Art, Photography and Textiles work. The show is a great opportunity to come and see their outstanding work and we encourage all of our students to come and view their work, especially students who are currently completing exam courses in Fine Art, Photography or Textiles.

Visual Arts Studios - Tuesday 24th June - 4.30pm-6.15pm

We’re incredibly proud to celebrate the amazing achievements of three of our Yr 9 students, Samuel A-A, Toby R, and Freddie R, who have played a key role in an outstanding season with their football team, Harvesters U14 North.

The team has had a spectacular run this year, securing four major trophies: 

Watford Friendly League – Top Division Champions
County Cup Winners
League Cup Winners
Alton Towers Tournament Champions

They  tour to Alton Towers, the team competed against clubs from across the UK and came out on top, adding yet another trophy to their collection.

This level of commitment, teamwork, and sporting excellence is a real credit to the players and coaches involved. We’re thrilled to see Samuel, Toby, and Freddie succeeding on and off the pitch, and we look forward to seeing what they accomplish next.

Well done to the whole team on an incredible season.

Huge congratulations to S. Traviss in Yr 13 who has been shortlisted in the short film category for the Media Mag Production Competition this year. He made this short film entirely in his own time, so it is a fantastic achievement considering how busy he has been with his drama coursework, exams etc. What a fantastic achievement!

Also, a shout out to B. Bloomfield in Yr 13, and F. Kent in Yr 12, who also submitted to the competition this year but missed out on a nomination, however worked really hard on their films and made brilliant final pieces.

The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award Bronze Qualifying Expedition

Last Friday morning, our intrepid Yr 10 adventurers arrived at school to embark on the final leg of their Bronze expedition experience.

Just four weeks after their practice , they had planned routes in a new area in the Chilterns and had repacked their rucksacks. At Bronze the practice expedition is no longer compulsory. However at Sandringham we believe it is a vital part of the preparation for this final event. This time round equipment was better organised, confidence in navigation was stronger and team dynamics were well established. This meant that all groups were fully prepared to be independent and self sufficient for the two days.

As a leader team, we act as a safety net to intervene if there are problems but the sign of a successful qualifying expedition is that groups operate autonomously with little input from the staff team and all 24 of our groups operated an individual and effective teams. Leaders were so impressed by the skills they had developed and honed since the practice and by their good humour and positive attitude.

One group summed up their expedition experience by saying “We became closer friends by overcoming challenges together” which is a great reflection on their time together.

Well done on your achievements on expedition but remember to get the other sections completed and signed off to finish off your Bronze. A massive thank you to the extensive staff team who gave their time and encouragement to make this happen.

The Puzzle of the Week is a Mathematics challenge run weekly. This week's puzzle is shown above. For every entry you will receive 1 house point, if you answer correctly you will win 2 house points and if you are the fastest person to answer the puzzle correctly then you will win 5 house points!  To enter, simply scan the QR code and fill out the google form.  Good luck! Why not play at home and see who is the quickest to get the answer?

Our talented Art teacher Ms D. Stephen has had an art work selected for the prestigious Royal Academy Summer Exhibition in Piccadilly.

The exhibition was founded in 1769 and has run every year since. Each year around 1,000 works are selected from as many as 32,000 entries! The exhibition is always worth visiting as it has all kinds of artworks from both professional and new emerging artists. It features a wide range of disciplines such as drawing, painting, textiles, architecture, photography, sculptor and video art.

Ms Stephens has created a textile stitched line drawing piece from one of her life drawing classes, focusing on the hands and feet.

You can see her work in the exhibition from 17 June to 17 August.

Click here for more information and on how to book your tickets.

Yr 10 students will be going on their work experience placements next week. 

From golf clubs, to LEGO, fashion placements and the army, there is a huge range of working activity planned. 

Please ask students to double check;

• Where they are going
• Their timings
• What they need to bring with them. 

We can’t wait to hear how the placements go!

Jersey Farm Day Centre Performance

On Tuesday 10th June, we visited the Jersey Farm Day Centre with our Yr 10 GCSE musicians. The Day Centre meets on Tuesdays during term time and provides activities and companionship to elderly people living alone and independently in the local area.

Our musicians performed a 30 minute concert that featured solos and ensembles, concluding in a moving performance of ‘Hey Jude’, that was very well received.

Our students were fantastic ambassadors for the school and we are incredibly proud of them.

We are delighted to share some fantastic netball news from our Yr 8 Students - M. Phillips and G. Betteridge, who represented their Abbey Flyers Netball Club at the prestigious SCI Netball Festival in Brean. Resulting in them being crowned the U13 Cup Champions!

The SCI Festival is a highly competitive event that brings together netball clubs from across the country, and winning the U13 Cup is a fantastic achievement. Phillips and Betteridge showcased not only their athletic ability but also their teamwork, commitment, and determination on the court.

We’re incredibly proud of them and look forward to seeing how they continue to develop their netball journey in the years ahead.

Congratulations girls!

Students are busy rehearsing for our final concert of the year, our Summer Concert on 24th June.

The rehearsal schedule for the day has been shared with students and is displayed in the Music Department.

Please contact the Sandpit Theatre for any ticket enquiries.

Celebrating Languages: Share Yours With Us.

Do you speak another language at home or with your family? We want to hear from you!

At Sandringham, we’re proud of the  linguistic diversity within our school community, and we’re launching a new project to celebrate it.

We’re inviting students to record a short video of themselves speaking another language. It’s a fun and simple way to share a part of your identity and help others learn something new.

A few simple lines would be great:

Hello! My name is _________!
I speak English and __________!
My favourite word in __________ is __________!

Once recorded, please send your video to Ms F Baikie via your school Gmail account.

Get involved and help us celebrate the many languages that make up our amazing school community.

Navigating Senior School with Herts Dyslexia Association - This coming Monday 16th June

The Herts Dyslexia Association is hosting an ONLINE advice evening on Monday June 16th 2025 at 7pm.

Get expert guidance and tips on where to find support and discover helpful assisted technology to make the journey smoother. We will have the pleasure of hearing from the perspectives of senior staff, SEN consultants and other experts. Our experienced speakers will cover topics such as choosing subjects, managing workload, and making the most of extracurricular activities. Don't miss out on this opportunity to gain insight and guidance from experts in the field.

Open to all! Whether you're a student, parent, or educator, this session is perfect for anyone looking to make the most of their senior school experience. Register now and take the first step towards a successful academic journey! HDA members attend for free, non-members pay just £5.

Further information, including booking link and FAQs can be found in the flyer.

This week, we’re proud to shine the spotlight on former Sandringham student Oscar Sanders, whose outstanding A-Level Photography work continues to inspire both staff and students.

Oscar studied both Art and Photography during his time at Sandringham and consistently demonstrated a deep commitment to creativity and innovation. Now studying Architecture at university, Oscar’s talent for visual storytelling is evident in the remarkable project that earned him an A* grade.

One of the highlights of Oscar’s work was his unique use of drone photography to capture striking aerial views of the buildings of Welwyn. His keen eye for structure and form laid the perfect foundation for his future in architecture.

But it was his creative twist on wildlife photography that truly set his work apart. Oscar spent time at the zoo, carefully photographing a variety of animals. He then seamlessly integrated these animals into his urban landscapes.

Oscar’s dedication, technical skill, and artistic vision exemplify the kind of creativity we nurture here at Sandringham. We wish him every success in his architectural journey and look forward to seeing where his imagination takes him next.

French: provoquer

German: herausfordern

Spanish: provocar

Thinking Question: Some languages have more words than others, how might that affect the people that speak that language?

Love Frankie, by Jacqueline Wilson - in recognition of Pride Month.

Frankie is nearly fourteen and teenage life certainly comes with its ups and downs. Her mum is seriously ill with MS and Frankie can feel herself growing up quickly, no thanks to Sally and her gang of bullies at school. When Sally turns out to be not-so-mean after all, they strike up a friendship and are suddenly spending all of their time together.

But soon Frankie starts to wonder about the feelings she has for Sally.

She doesn't want Sally to just be her friend. She wants her to be her girlfriend. But does Sally feel the same?

Definition: Provoke or annoy (someone) so as to stimulate an action or reaction.

Example: He was trying to goad her into a fight.

Synonyms: Provoke, Spur, Incite.

Antonyms: Deter, Discourage.

Etymology: Deriving from Old English gad, meaning a pointed stick used to drive animals.

What a fantastic day it was this week for our Yr 7 and 8 basketball teams at the recent Jr NBA Finals!

Our Yr 7 team put in a brilliant performance, finishing 4th overall, while the Yr 8 team secured a well-earned 3rd place, proudly bringing home the bronze medal. This mark the perfect end to two exceptional seasons on the court.

Both teams have shown remarkable dedication and teamwork throughout the year, culminating in their County Championship wins in March. 

A huge congratulations to all players and coaching staff involved,  the future of basketball at Sandringham is looking very bright.

District Championships

An incredible effort from all 79 students that competed at the District Athletics Championships today. Our teams were impressive and constantly competitive in a strong District.

This incredible effort from the team this year meant securing a strong second place in the overall cup! Congratulations to Roundwood Park on their well-deserved win.

Results:
Year 7B 🥈
Year 7G 🥈
Year 8B 🥈
Year 8G 🥇
Year 9B 🥇
Year 9G 🥇
Year 10B 🥈
Year 10G 🥇

Overall Girls 🥇
Overall Boys 🥈

Overall combined 🥈

We are very proud of this group who will be determined to come back stronger next year.

Congratulations team!

Herts Schools County Champs 2025

A special mention to all our medallists;

Gold:
R Newton (U13 PV)
S Sharma (U13 Hurdles)
H Regan (U15 Shot)
B Silviera (U15 Shot) - ES standard
L Carlin (U17 400mH)- ES standard
B Cray (U20 800m)
L Powell (U20 LJ & TJ)

Silver
F Holian (U13 Shot)
T Russ (U15 300m & Discus)
R Durkin (U15 Hammer)
S Coetzee (U17 TJ)

Bronze
S Smith (U13 200m)
F McGregor (U13 Discus)
M Wright (U15 Hurdles)
B Silveira (U15 Discus)

County League 6

Our final meet in the league brought some tough opposition with two top 8 schools to contest with. We wait on final positions but the cup final looks likely.

Athletes of the meet:

U14G - H Hardy 🥇🥈
U14B - E Morrison 🥇🥈🥈
U16G - P Hodgkinson 🥇 + SR
U16B - K Khan 🥇🥇

A slightly quieter week ahead after a big one this week on the Athletics front. A sprinkling of Tennis as Cricket in the sunshine for good measure.

Tickets to CONNECT are now sold out on The Sandpit website, so thank you to everyone for leaping on those.

CONNECT is on Wednesday 25th June at 7pm.

It's going to be a brilliant celebration of Dance and we can't wait to see you all there.

Skyswood School proudly present The Wizard of Oz

Based on the classic novel by  L.Frank Baum, Tom Kirkham's brilliant adaption of the Wizard of Oz sees the key characters of the Lion, the Tin Man and the Scarecrow join with  Dorothy on her quest along the Yellow Brick Road to find the Great Wizard. Toto has certainly grown in size, and a few surprise characters are introduced alongside the munchkins, winged monkeys and original cast.

Produced by The Schools Musical Company, the play is brought to life with a collection of fantastic songs and colourful characters.

Get your tickets on The Sandpit Website 

It's getting closer to our Summer Concert, so please do get your tickets now so you can enjoy an evening full of music.

This concert involves students in our ensembles and choirs and is on 24th June at 6:30pm.

Tickets can be bought directly from the Sandpit Theatre here.