We Need Your Help 

We are looking for volunteers to assist with our Yr 11 ‘You’re Hired’ day on Tuesday 20th January.  If you have experience with interviewing, can you spare a few hours to interview some students individually and help prepare them for the future? 

Please email Carly Eady eadyc@sandringham.aetrust.uk.

Thank you in advance.

Thank You for Making the Christmas Fair a Wonderful Success

We are delighted to share that this year’s Christmas Fair was a fantastic success, and we would like to extend our heartfelt thanks to the entire Sandringham community for their amazing support.

The event simply wouldn’t have been possible without the hard work of staff, Sixth Form helpers, student volunteers and our brilliant parent/carer community. In the lead up to the fair, a huge amount of preparation took place behind the scenes from creating digital brochures to organising ParentPay updates and arranging the setup of the main hall. Staff also stayed late after the Friday disco to help move tables and equipment, ensuring everything was ready in time.

On the day itself, the atmosphere was wonderful. Students loved visiting the Yr 7 stall classrooms, enjoying games, activities and festive treats. The fairground style food was a particular highlight, and it was great fun seeing staff getting stuck in with the cooking. Our site team also worked tirelessly across Friday and Saturday to set up, open spaces, move furniture and support with closing down at the end of the day.

We would also like to give a special mention to our Sixth Formers and parent volunteers. Their willingness to help wherever needed made a huge difference and were truly a credit to the school.

The fair has already raised an incredible £7,300 with raffle ticket sales still coming in. This total is more than double last year’s amount which is a phenomenal achievement that reflects the generosity and support of our community.

Thank you once again to everyone who supported the event. Your contributions helped create a brilliantly festive day for everyone, and we look forward to sharing the final fundraising total soon.

Outstanding Success in the Bebras Computational Thinking Challenge 2025

The Computer Science department is proud to announce our students’ exceptional performance in the prestigious UK Bebras Computational Thinking Challenge. Organized by the Raspberry Pi Foundation in partnership with the University of Oxford, the challenge introduces students worldwide to computational thinking through interactive and engaging problem-solving tasks.

This year, all three Key Stages participated, and we are thrilled to share that 118 of our students ranked among the top 10% nationally, earning Gold Certificates - an incredible achievement.

A special congratulations to Julia Y in Yr 8, Toby C in Yr 8, and Ben D in Yr 8, who achieved the highest marks nationally in the Intermediates category (Yr8 - Yr9) and are, of course, also our Top in School for this category.

We also proudly applaud our Top in School performers in the other categories:

• Marcus L Yr13 - Elites (KS5)
• Tim C Yr10 - Seniors (KS4)
• Joe W-C Yr7 - Juniors(Yr7's)

Well done to all our participants for showcasing outstanding computational thinking and representing our school with excellence.

Celebrating the Lunar New Year: A Special Online International Exchange

Sandringham School recently hosted a wonderful virtual international exchange lesson, providing our students with a rich and engaging look into the traditions of the Chinese Lunar New Year.

We were delighted to connect with a group of Master's students from the International Chinese Language Education program in The Education University of Hong Kong. These visiting mentors, all native Mandarin speakers from various Chinese cities including Beijing and Hangzhou, designed a dynamic and exciting lesson delivered remotely based on our students' existing topic.

The online exchange was a valuable opportunity for both the visitors and our students, offering unique growth opportunities and a chance to experience multimodal teaching methods first-hand, even across continents.

The online lesson provided a comprehensive and interactive exploration of the Spring Festival. Students were introduced to the Lunar New Year's origin, and core customs like the Lion Dance and Spring Couplets. They also learnt about the traditional foods like dumplings and practised key Mandarin greetings.

The student feedback was overwhelmingly positive, emphasising that the lesson was both fun and highly informative. Students consistently praised the visiting mentors, describing them as nice, sweet, and happy teachers who made the class enjoyable. Students Isabella A-P and Maisy E were enthusiastic, expressing that they "really enjoyed learning about the Chinese New Year and about all the traditions. The food was really yummy! All the teachers were really nice and we had so much fun!" Yancai C also shared positive feedback, noting, "I think it was very fun, and the teacher's Mandarin was excellent. The activities were also great, we ate yummy dumplings and received red envelopes with candy. The teaching style was also good.”

This online exchange was a fantastic way for our students to deepen their understanding of Chinese culture and language. We sincerely thank the mentors in Hong Kong for sharing their expertise and enthusiasm, making it a truly memorable and meaningful international experience!

Fawcett & Hepworth Charity Week

Last week, students and staff from Fawcett and Hepworth came together for a brilliant and inspiring Charity Week. The week was filled with positive energy, teamwork and generosity, showcasing the very best of our school community.

The fundraising activities were a huge success, ranging from the much loved cake sales, complete with an impressive array of homemade treats, to the lively Yr 7 and 8 disco, which proved to be a highlight for many of our students. 

A huge thank you goes to our dedicated house leaders and house captains, whose hard work, creativity and commitment ensured that every event ran smoothly. Their leadership always plays a ket role in bringing it all together.

Thanks to everyone’s generosity, we are proud to let you know that we raised over £1,000 for our chosen charities. This fantastic achievement will make a meaningful difference to those in need.

Well done to everyone involved!

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 follow the link on your House Google Classroom (it will be posted on Monday at 8.a.m.) to fill out the Google Form. 

Good luck! Why not play at home and see who is the quickest to get the answer (unfortunately we can only accept answers from students).

Christmas Dinner Success

It’s been a wonderfully festive week here at Sandringham, with over 1,367 Christmas dinners served to students and staff in the main hall.

The celebrations were made complete with festive music and the all important Christmas crackers - as we know everyone likes to put on a crown once a year.

A huge thank you to Culinera for their fantastic work. The meals were delicious and really set the festive tone around the school.

It’s beginning to feel a lot like Christmas!

KS3 English Celebration Breakfast

On Monday 8th December, we welcomed in families and students for the KS3 English Celebration Breakfast. This was to acknowledge and celebrate the hard work of students in their English lessons since the start of the year.

We would like to congratulate:

Yr 7: Amitis E, Anya W, Charlie S, Igor R, and Megan S.

Yr 8: Maria Z, Thomas B, Krzysztof W, Reoz T, and Leila S.

Year 9: Jessica P, Ridhay R, Adam C, Eleanor H, and Teresa L.

Thank you to parents and students for coming in bright and early for the celebration.

We look forward to hosting again in the Spring!

Need Someone to Talk To? Just Shout 85258

There is always someone out there to talk to - If you ever feel stressed, anxious, low, or just need someone to listen, you can text SHOUT to 85258 any time, day or night, and a trained volunteer will listen and help you find a way forward.

It’s completely free, available 24/7, and totally confidential.

You can find out more by visiting their website here.

Sandringham Christmas Card 2025 

Congratulations to William K in Yr 13 and Hannah P in Yr 10 for winning this year’s Christmas Card Competition.

William’s festive Badger design and Hannah’s charming Robins on a Postbox artwork will feature on the front of this year’s school Christmas card, which will be sent out very soon.

Well done to both students for their creativity.

HOUSE POINTS

Shakespeare remain upfront in the top spot with one week to go until Christmas!

1. Shakespeare 12,293
2. Turing 10,826
3. Fawcett 10,458

Special mentions this week:  

• H Sibson (8H) & A Kenward (10N) (17) – Most points this week
• T Tearle (7A) - 171 - Highest scoring year 7
• A Lewis (8T)- 145 - Highest scoring Year 8
• T Somers (9S) - 167 - Highest scoring year 9
• G Birkin (10s) - 105 - Highest scoring year 10
• L Jones (11H) - 42 - Highest scoring year 11
• F Evans (12S) 33 - Highest scoring sixth former
• 12S - Highest quiz score - 96/105
• Newton most house points this week - 788
• Newton STAFF for winning bake off (see photos attached)

A Level German Students to the BFI

On Wednesday, our A Level German group had a fabulous trip to the BFI on Southbank. They thoroughly enjoyed their study day, where they took part in interactive workshops with other A Level German students. They watched a range of clips from fantastic films such as The Lives of Others and Balloon. Through discussions around these films, students were able to explore the events, people and narratives that marked the end of the Cold War and ushered in a new era in German and European history.

After morning workshops conducted entirely in German, our students enjoyed a screening of the film Good Bye, Lenin!. Well done to all of them for their excellent behaviour and attitude. We wish them continued enjoyment and success in their A Level studies.

Join the Winter Reads Challenge.

The Winter Reads Challenge is a brilliant opportunity for students, families and staff to get stuck into some great books over the colder months and maybe even discover a new favourite read.

The challenge is completely flexible: you set your own reading goals and complete the challenge at your own pace. Whether it’s trying a new genre, finishing a long-awaited book, or enjoying stories together as a family, every type of reading counts.

By taking part, you’ll also be in with a chance to win an iPad!

• Starts: Saturday 1 November
• Ends: Saturday 31 January
• Open to: Children, teens and adults
• How to join: Sign up at your local library

scan the QR code on the poster to find out all the information you need to get involved.

Stay cosy and inspired this winter - happy reading!

Supporting the Hospice of St Francis Christmas Tree Collection

9th,10th,11th January 2026

The Hospice of St Francis has set an ambitious goal for its 2026 Christmas Tree Collection: to raise enough funds to cover the salary of a nurse for an entire year.

Bookings are now open, so if you live within one of the postcodes listed on their website (or on the attached flyer) please do consider signing up.

We are incredibly fortunate to have the Hospice of St Francis in our community. Last year, they provided compassionate care to 2,466 patients and their families.

The hospice needs £6 million each year to deliver its vital services yet receives less than 17% of its funding from the NHS, relying heavily on community support.

Please consider supporting this wonderful local charity, and sign up now.

Sixth Form Quiz Results

Congratulations to all Sixth Form students who took part in this week’s Sixth Form Quiz. It was a fun and always very competitive event, with plenty of knowledge and teamwork on display.

Here are the final results:

1st: Hepworth
2nd: Austen
3rd: Newton
4th: Fawcett
5th: Shakespeare
6th: Turing

Well done to all the teams, and especially to Hepworth for taking the top spot... they are on a role this week.

Lessons and Carols – Monday 15th December 7pm

Our annual Lessons and Carols will take place on Monday 15th December at 7pm in St Paul’s Church, St Albans.

This is always a special evening that involves our choirs and a number of our instrumental groups. All students involved in the event should have received an information letter via Parentmail last week and tickets are now available from the Sandpit Theatre.

The Fo$S team have also kindly volunteered to provide mince pies and hot drinks for sale after the Carols Service.

Tickets will not be available on the door, so please get your tickets now to avoid disappointment.

Into The Sixth Information Evening 

Join us on Thursday 8th January, from 5:30 - 8:15pm, and discover what it means to be part of the Sandringham Sixth Form community.

Explore our school, speak to staff and students, and learn more about the wide range of subjects and opportunities on offer.

There will also be a keynote talk from our Executive Headteacher at 5:30 and 6:30pm.

We look forward to welcoming all students and their families!

The Staff Festive Bake Off

This week, the Sandringham staff enjoyed some delicious competition with our staff bake-off. 

Our talented (in most cases) staff put their baking skills to the test, creating treats that were as tasty as they were creative.

The results were as follows:

1st: Newton
2nd: Shakespeare
3rd: Turing
4th: Johnson
5th: Austen
6th: Fawcett
7th: Hepworth
8th: Elgar

Well done to everyone who took part, a fantastic effort from all, and of course a huge thank you to everyone who helped taste and judge the bakes. It's a tough job, but someone has to step up.

Year 13 Students Take Part in BBC Radio Up Down Quiz

Were you listening to BBC Radio 5 on Wednesday morning? If so, you might have heard Mrs Dumsday and eight students from 13NE taking part in the Up Down Quiz live on air!

The group have been following the quiz since September, regularly completing it during Wednesday morning registration using the BBC Sounds app. This week, their dedication paid off as they became the first ever school group to participate live, much to their excitement.

The students competed in two teams: Team Rick (Angelina, Eva, Millie, and Poppy) versus Team Rachel (Eddie, Nico, Oscar, and Tom). The previous evening, a BBC sound engineer spent two hours setting up headphones and microphones in the classroom. Mrs Dumsday was interviewed first at 7.20am, and shortly after, the students arrived bright and early, full of nervous excitement.

Thanks to a video link to the BBC studio, the teams could see the presenters and vice versa. The quiz theme was announced live at 8.20am: populations of major cities beginning with the letter “S”, starting with St Albans. The teams had to decide whether the population of the next city was Up or Down from the previous one, moving through St Albans - Scarborough - Slough - Stafford - Southend-on-Sea - Swansea - Sunderland.

After three questions each, the teams were tied at two points each, leading to a tie-breaker. After some clever thinking, conferring, and a little guesswork, Team Rachel just edged ahead, winning a money-can’t-buy Up Down Quiz travel mug, along with a great sense of pride and glory!

All the students agreed that taking part in the quiz was enormous fun, though very nerve-wracking. It was a fabulous experience for everyone - perhaps the next radio presenter or sound engineer is among us?

Mrs Dumsday said "Today was up there as one of the very best days for me of over 20 years at Sandringham School - I am still buzzing with excitement and pride at you all! Well done again for being so incredible today-you all truly shone!"

You can listen to a snippet of the show here now, but you can listen back to the whole quiz on the BBC Sounds app here: https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m002n6rq

Mrs Dumsday’s interview is around 7.20am, with the quiz itself at 8.20am.

Congratulations to all of you, what a brilliant pre-christmas highlight to cap this year off.

French: le/la débutant(e)

German: der Grünschnabel

Spanish: el/la novato/a

Thinking Question: Many languages attribute genders to their nouns. So for example, a table is a feminine noun in French. What are the consequences of this?

The Enemy by Charlie Higson 

When the sickness came, those under 14 were unaffected. The adults all became ill. The lucky ones died but many mutated into brainless, deformed monsters, oozing pus and blood and with a seemingly insatiable appetite - for children.

Gangs of youngsters are holed up all over London, barely surviving and being picked off, one by one, by hungry, marauding grown-ups. Rumours of a safe place to hide initiate a dangerous trek across the city, past alleyways, deserted buildings and underground stations where the grown-ups lie in wait.

Mikhail D in year 8 has recently read the book and thinks that it would be a great choice for those readers interested in post-apocalyptic worlds. He thought that is was a  “very good book, lots of carnage yet a fair amount of hopefulness. Insane lore and backstory, every book in the series is important to the timeline”.

N is for… novice [noun]

Definition: A person new to and inexperienced in a job or situation.

Example: He was a complete novice in foreign affairs.

Synonyms: Learner, Newcomer, Fledgling

Antonyms: Expert, Veteran

Etymology: From Latin novicius (‘newcomer’), from novus (‘new’).

As we head into the last school week before Christmas there are still a few fixtures left to play on the pitch and on the courts. Good luck to those teams... I'm sure you're all looking forward to a nice break full of chocolates and turkey.

1st XI Boys: Another win for the 1st XI in Round 5 of the ESFA U18 National Cup this week with a 4-0 victory over The Piggott School on the road today. This puts the boys into the last 16 of this National Cup again. Goals from Anfield, Dracos, Holgado and Philpot.

Yr 7: A tough first outing for our youngest basketball team as they lose to Roundwood in the District League. Behind from the first quarter but always in the game until the final 10 mins when RPS stretched ahead. A 51-18 loss for Sandringham. 

Yr 9: A 76-66 win over St. Columba’s College in a good game this evening sees our U14s move into 2nd place in their National group ahead of their last game to try and clinch a place in the National quarter finals. M Clark was again outstanding and led the team in scoring

The 1st XI secure their spot in the County Cup Quarter Final after a late equaliser in extra time takes the game to penalties which we won 4-2. Onto the next one boys.

Yr 8 Boys: Our Yr 8 team have progressed into the County Cup Quarter Final this afternoon after a dominant performance vs Barnwell school under the lights. A clean sheet and goals from Nathan, Nico, Sam, Rory, Seb & Rasmus. Mom goes to Danny. We will face Parmiters School in the new year.

Yr 9: The Yr 9 boys basketball team beat Tudor Grange Samworth in their final National Schools group game today to secure a place in the National Quarter Finals after Christmas.
A great defensive display saw the boys build a lead in the first half that we were able to maintain until the final whistle. Well played to all.

Big congratulations to the U16 badminton team who came 4th in last weekends county final - brilliant result girls. 

Senior Girls: An unlucky result for our senior girls as they bow out of the national cup after a 6-4 loss to Sam Whit. The girls led until the final moments and were the better team throughout the match with our oppositions capitalising on mistakes. We brush ourselves off and all focus is now on retaining both our county and district titles. POM goes to Hannah G for an outstanding attacking performance.

Join Sandringham Music Faculty at St Paul's Church for an evening of joyful and upbeat tunes. 

This event takes place at St Paul's Church.

Get your tickets here

Sandringham School Dance Department invites you to step Into the Upside Down

This year, the theatre transforms into Hawkins, Indiana, where nothing is quite as it seems. As you enter, be prepared to cross the boundary between worlds and embark on a thrilling journey inspired by the secrets, shadows, and supernatural energy of Stranger Things. From the neon pulse of the ‘80s to the eerie echoes of the Upside Down, our dancers will guide you through a story where courage, friendship, and mystery collide.

5th - 7th February 2026

We are offering a Velocity 2026 VIP Package, which includes:

• Priority front row table seating
• 2 programmes
• Games on your table
• Stranger Things themed cocktail/mocktail
• And a few surprises from the other side…

Tickets are now on sale here - be sure to get yours quickly to avoid disappointment. This is one show not to miss!