Mental Heath Services Directory 

It’s important for students, parents and carers to know that help and support are always available should you need it. Hertfordshire’s Children and Young People’s Mental Health Service Directory brings together a wide range of services that can provide help with emotional wellbeing, anxiety, stress, behaviour challenges and more. 

You can view and download the full directory here:Link

The directory lists a variety of services, including early-intervention and specialist support such as:

• School nurses and duty lines
• Counselling services
• Youth wellbeing support
• Mental Health Support Teams in schools
• Digital and online support tools
• Single Point Access for professional assessment and referrals
• and more to help when you need it. hwehealthiertogether.nhs.uk

There are also services you can contact directly without a professional referral, including free and confidential support for young people in Hertfordshire. So please don’t hesitate to reach out for support when you need it.

Musicale Holiday Music Courses

Musicale will be running a range of 5-star music courses during the Easter and Summer holidays, designed to build confidence, inspire a love of music and help young musicians develop their skills.

Courses are available for all ages and abilities, including sessions for 5 - 7 year olds with no prior experience, as well as orchestral, musical theatre and rock music courses for those who are already learning an instrument.

Families can also take advantage of discount codes: MULTIEASTER and MULTISUMMER.

Please see the attached poster for more details and booking information.

Have Your Say on Children’s Digital Wellbeing

The UK Government has launched a major national consultation asking parents, carers and young people to share their views on how to keep children safe online. The consultation focusses on issues such as social media use, gaming platforms and AI chatbots, and aims to gather feedback on possible new measures to support children’s digital wellbeing.

The feedback gathered will help shape future decisions about how children interact with technology online, including potential age restrictions, platform design features and additional support for families navigating the digital world.

Parents and carers who would like to find out more or contribute their views can read further details by clicking here.

The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award Presentation Evening

On Wednesday evening, we welcomed over 150 members of Yrs 11, 12 & 13 and their families to receive their Bronze, Silver or Gold Awards.

This is a lovely occasion and gives us the opportunity to celebrate success and recognise the commitment of our students in working towards and completing their Awards. In the last 12 months over 200 Sandringham students have completed an Award; 120 Bronze Awards, 54 Silver Awards and a record (for Sandringham) 29 Gold Awards. Our Bronze and Silver Award holders received their certificates and badges and our Gold Award holders received a celebration certificate to tide them over until they attend their Gold Award Presentation ceremony at Buckingham Palace later this year. We are immensely proud of students and their achievements.

This is also an opportunity to thank the many staff who support the Award in school, whether it be on expedition or providing opportunities for students to complete their volunteering, physical and skill sections. We would also like to extend our thanks to the wider community who also support our Award holders through their DofE programme.

A Samurai Sensation 

On January 29th, Mrs Weber and her school Battodo Fudokan had the privilege to demonstrate the art of Japanese sword fighting at the opening of the ‘Samurai’ exhibition at the British Museum. The demonstration consisted of chanting, cutting of tatami mats and sparring with wooden swords in front of 500 visitors, including the Japanese Deputy Head of Mission Minister,  Masaki Ikegami.

The Samurai exhibition is open until 4th May. It includes a collection of extraordinary pieces of samurai armour; arms, fashion, woodblock prints and other cultural and historical artefacts.

Photos taken by Agnese Strode and David Thatcher.

Train To Teach

Are you thinking about a career in teaching? 

Find out more at one of the forthcoming information events from the Alban Teaching School Hub.

Sign up using the QR codes provided.

Shields Project Success 

Over the past six weeks, our Yr 7 students have been taking part in the inspiring Shields Project, a programme designed to celebrate individuality while promoting inclusion and belonging across our school community.

Throughout the project, students have explored what makes them unique, from their backgrounds and interests to their values and aspirations and represented these ideas creatively on  a form shield. The aim has been to highlight that while we are all different, every single person belongs and plays an important role in our school.

It has been fantastic to see 100% participation from Yr 7, with every student participating and contributing thoughtfully to discussions and activities. The finished shields are a powerful reminder that our diversity is our strength, and that inclusion is something we all help to create every day.

Well done to all of Yr 7 for embracing the project with such enthusiasm and positivity!

A Spectacular Chemistry Show

The Sandpit Theatre was filled with flashes, bangs and plenty of excitement this week as the Science Faculty hosted their annual Chemistry Show.

Everyone who attended were treated to a fantastic evening of live experiments and fascinating demonstrations, bringing science to life in a fun and memorable way.

A huge thank you to Ms Haseler, Mr Lloyd, Ms Lynn and Ms Sutton for delivering such a fantastic show, and to everyone who came along to support the event.

A Level Dance Performance Evening

Don't forget to join us for a special evening celebrating the hard work and dedication of our A Level Dance students as they perform their practical exam pieces to a live audience.

A Level Dance
Monday 9th March at 5:00pm
DC1 (approx. finish 6:00pm)

Free to attend so please do come and support the students, all are welcome.

Clothes Donations for Herts for Refugees

As part of Shakespeare and Turin Charity Week, students and staff came together to support Herts for Refugees through a clothes donation drive.

We are delighted to share that around 30 bags of unused or unwanted clothing were collected. These donations will be distributed to refugees in areas across the UK and France, helping to provide much-needed support.

A huge thank you to all Houses for getting involved and supporting this important cause.

Sandringham’s Spring Concert - A Musical Treat - Next Week

Join us next week on Wednesday 11th March at 6:30pm in the Sandpit Theatre for our much-anticipated Annual Spring Concert.

This is always one of the musical highlights of the year, featuring performances from all of our choirs and instrumental clubs - including our ever growing Show Choir, the ever popular Jazz Band, and the outstanding Sinfonia Orchestra.

With a fantastic range of repertoire and plenty of talent on display, it promises to be a brilliant evening of music.

Tickets start from just £4, so be sure to click here to secure yours quickly before they sell out.

We look forward to seeing you there for a wonderful Spring term celebration of music.

Head Students 2026/2027

It is with great pleasure that we can confirm our new Head and Deputy Head Students.

This year, the students were required to write a formal application letter, deliver a presentation to the Sixth Form Team on an aspect of school life they would like to develop (focused either on Belonging or Innovation), and finally faced a panel interview. Out of the initial 89 applicants,20 students made it to the final panel interview: all 20 of the interviewees impressed us with their honest, humility, commitment to the school, and enthusiasm for contributing further. While the students below were ultimately selected, it goes without saying that the students all performed incredibly well and any number of those interviewed could have been selected.

Please join me in congratulating the students below when you see them – and wishing them every success in their new roles.

Head Students

• O. Ajaegbu
• M. Bugosi
• A. Chivers
• N. Hyland

Deputy Head Students

• S. Boswell
• J. Dracos
• J. Edgell
• E. Marioraki
• I. Promod
• R. Roy

Potential Kids - Easter Activities

Potential Kids are running a range of sessions throughout the Easter holiday for neurodivergent children and young people, their siblings, and parents/carers.

These sessions provide a welcoming and supportive space for families to connect, have fun and access tailored activities.

To book a place, please visit their website here or for further information email: info@potentialkids.org

Please see the attached poster for full details of sessions, timings and venues.

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).

How Art Inspires!

We are pleased to feature in the Arts Award Blog for March as a Trinity Champion Centre. As highlighted in our March blog for Arts Award, this recognition celebrates the way we champion pupil voice, nurture creativity and build meaningful community connections through the Arts. From empowering young people to lead their own projects to embedding creativity across our curriculum, our work reflects a strong commitment to inclusive, inspiring Arts education. We’re delighted that our journey and the achievements of our learners are being shared more widely as part of this national network of Champion Centres to help other centres establish the Award and consider how it could be introduced in their setting. If you would like to read this blog, please see the link here.

https://blog.artsaward.org.uk/

Auditions for Beauty and the Beast

Act2Act Youth Theatre, a local independent theatre company specialising in full-scale musical productions for young performers, is holding auditions for their upcoming production of Beauty and the Beast.

Auditions will take place on Saturday 2nd May and are open to young performers aged 8 - 18.

If you enjoy performing, and would like to be part of a large-scale musical production, this is a fantastic opportunity to get involved with a local theatre company.

For more information and details on how to audition, please visit their website here.

Visual Arts Residential to Manchester: A Weekend of Galleries and Creative Inspiration

From 28th February to 1st March, Sandringham’s Art students went to Manchester for an inspiring and action-packed weekend Art residential. Across the weekend, we explored world-class galleries, historic libraries, contemporary exhibition spaces and even found time for a little shopping and sightseeing along the way. Our visit to the Whitworth was a brilliant start to the trip. The gallery’s blend of historic and contemporary art gave us a wonderful introduction to the city, viewing both modern installations and large scale textile works. Next, we explored Manchester Museum, where students were able to see dinosaur skeletons, Egyptian artefacts and exhibitions reflecting on the story of Manchester city. At Manchester Art Gallery, we encountered an impressive range of fine art, including the renowned Pre-Raphaelite collection. A highlight for many was the John Rylands Library. Its dramatic Gothic architecture, stained glass windows and grand reading room felt like stepping into another world. The atmosphere was perfect for observational photography. Our trip to Media City and The Lowry introduced us to Manchester’s modern creative scene. The contrast between historic architecture and sleek contemporary design showed how art continues to evolve. At The Lowry, students explored both gallery spaces and the striking exterior structure. They completed the Lowry 360 which enabled them to learn more about the work of Lowry and had a guided tour of his work. Of course, no residential would be complete without some time to explore the city itself. Between gallery visits, we enjoyed sightseeing around Manchester’s vibrant streets, discovering independent shops, cafés and plenty of opportunities for shopping. The Art residential was was an opportunity to experience art in context, gather first-hand inspiration and develop independence as young artists. Visiting such a diverse range of venues allowed us to see everything from classical painting and historic artefacts to contemporary installations and cutting-edge architecture.

A huge thank you to Mrs Ross who organised the weekend and Mrs Gidden who supported with the smooth running of this trip. We returned to Sandringham full of ideas, sketchbooks brimming with inspiration and memories that will shape our creative work for the coming months.

British Science Week 

British Science Week is running from the 6th - 15th March, with this year’s theme “Curiosity: What’s your question?”.

The week aims to encourage students to explore the questions they have about the world around them and discover how curiosity drives innovation and discovery in STEM.

We look forward to a week full of curiosity, creativity and scientific thinking.

HOUSE POINTS

Shakespeare still out in front, and show no signs of slowing down...

1. Shakespeare 18,865
2. Turing 17, 052
3. Fawcett 15,920

Special mentions this week:  

• C Li (7F), C Stavropolou (7J) & A Aydogan (7J) (17) – Most points this week
• T Tearle (7S) 240 - Highest scoring year 7
• M Altiganer (8F)- 214 - Highest scoring Year 8
• T Somers (9S) - 229 - Highest scoring year 9
• G Birkin (10s) - 156- Highest scoring year 10
• L Jones (11H) - 52 - Highest scoring year 11
• B Stevenson (12S) 45 - Highest scoring sixth former
• 12S - Highest quiz score - 148/165
• J for most house points this week - 295

We’re Hiring!

Come and be part of our fantastic team here at Sandringham. We’re currently looking for:

- Technical Theatre Manager

- Casual Theatre Technician

If you, or anyone you know would like to be part of our passionate and dedicated team, please visit: https://sandringham.herts.sch.uk/vacancies for more information and to apply.

Free Online Parenting Workshops – Spring Term

There are still spaces available on a range of free online parenting workshops delivered by Family Lives, funded by Hertfordshire County Council.

Sessions this Spring include:

• Sibling Rivalry
• Anxiety around ADHD
• Empowering Parents
• It’s a Dad’s Life

All workshops take place online via MS Teams and are open to parents and carers living in Hertfordshire.

To book a place, please complete the online referral form or scan the QR code on the attached flyer.

Not Quite Dead Yet by Holly Jackson.

Jet has seven days to live, seven days to solve her own murder. She never thought of herself as having enemies but now she’s looking at everyone in a new light: her family, her ex-best friend, her former boyfriend. As her condition deteriorates, Jet realises she only has her childhood friend Billy to help her. Nevertheless, she’s determined to solve her own murder. Not Quite Dead Yet is suitable for mature readers who enjoy thrillers. It would be a good choice for fans of Holly Jackson’s extremely popular A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder series.

Vinnie C who has recently read the book says, 'I found this book gripping because there were so many twists and turns. It was also very well written.’

World Book Day 2026

Yesterday was World Book Day, and as mentioned in last weeks edition, this year all Yr 7 students will be able to select their own World Book Day title to take home. They can choose from the following books, which will be given out during their library lessons in the next couple of weeks:

• Hannah Gold: Bear Rescue
• Jamie Smart: Bunny vs Monkey
• Matt and Tom Oldfield: Unbelievable Football
• Roald Dahl: Chaos at the Chocolate Factory
• AF Steadman: Skandar and the Secret Element
• Nathanael Lessore: Against All Odds

Students may also want to visit a local participating bookshop with their World Book Day token, which can be downloaded here - digital tokens can be shown on a phone or tablet, or printed and taken into a participating bookseller. This token runs out on Sunday 15th March so be sure to use it whilst you can.

French: hésiter

German: Nicht sicher sein 

Spanish: vacilar

Thinking Question: Sometimes there is not a direct translation for a word, why might this be?

V is for … vacillate [verb]

Definition: Waver between different opinions or actions; be indecisive.

Example: I vacillated between teaching and journalism.

Synonyms: Waver, Hesitate, Fluctuate

Antonyms: Resolute, Decisive

Etymology: From Latin vacillare, meaning “to sway or waver”.

Yr 7 A Team: We are so proud of the Yr 7A Netball Team, who were outstanding at the District Netball Tournament this week; the best we have seen them play. They won 3 and drew 1 game in their group, which sent them into the semi-finals against STAHS, who beat us, but went on to become eventual winners. However, a 3rd place in the District Tournament is amazing. Player of the tournament - Immy, who was excellent in both attack and defence.

Yr 7 B Team: The Yr 7B Netball Team played some excellent netball at their District Tournament. In their group they faced four challenging opponents, coming away with three close losses and one win. Incredible efforts from all players, with Alexa receiving players’ player, and Gabriela and Shriya receiving coaches player. Well done girls.

Yr 8: 2/2 wins for our Yr 8 netballers against STAGS this week. Excellent play from everyone with very well deserved POMs going to Megan and Elodie.

U15 Indoor county cricket: Our girls win their group beating STAGS, John Warner & Simon Balle in the process. Silveira the pick of the batters whilst Hodgkinson took a hatful of wickets. This means the girls have qualified for finals day later in March. 

Yr 8 Boys: County Final Awaits! Our Y8 boys are through to the County Cup Final. A 3-0 win against the current champions with goals from Duncan & Adeyemo. Duncan also picks up the MoM award. A fantastic team display. Well done boys.

Year 9 Boys: Last weekend the U13’s were put to the test against a strong SAS team. Some good minutes for a lot of the boys, but unfortunately the result went against them. Well done lads 

Yr 10 Boys: An even game v SAS last weekend with both teams hitting the woodwork and testing the keeper. Sandringham edged the first half but couldn’t take the lead. A fantastic H. Roe save 5 minutes from the end of the game inspired Sandringham as they went on to win 1-0 with a Gardner goal from a Sam A-A corner. 3 wins on the bounce.

Yr 11 Boys: A wet and windy morning last weekend saw our Y11 boys football team draw 1-1 vs St Albans School. Our goal coming in the first half from Cohen.

KS3 Badminton: A highly competitive KS3 badminton tournament on Tuesday morning. With a 7.15am start, we were impressed by the commitment of these students. Well done to all that took part.

Another busy weekend and week ahead for our sports teams - good luck to all the individuals taking part, and looking forward to seeing how you get on via @sand_pe

Yr 8 Girls: Our run in the U13 County Cup competition came to an end this week. A tough game with a last minute goal from Rickmansworth means we exit the competition at the semi-final. An excellent season for the girls with the district cup all still to play for!

Yr 9 Girls: The U14 Girls football team, had a fabulous run in the County Cup, but unfortunately lost in the semi final to a very strong St Joan of Arc, who we wish the very best of luck to in the final.

Yr 9 Girls: It was amazing to see some new faces representing Sandringham this week as the U14 Girls team faced Beaumont in the District Cup. The fixture didn't go our way, but we could not be more proud of the way the girls supported one another and were each other's champions; a true show of team spirit!

Yr 11 Girls: COUNTY FINALISTS! Congratulations to our U16 girls who book their place in this years County Cup Final after a 4-3 win against St Michael’s. Impressive play from all with standout performances from S. Davies, L. Burton & E.Duncan 

Yr 7 Boys: Another learning experience for our year 7’s in the county rally this afternoon. Didn’t make it out of the group stages but more minutes for our hardworking boys.

Senior Boys: Another win for the Senior Basketball team last night in the County Cup Semi-final over Watford Grammar School to book our spot in the U19 County Cup Final.

Best Theatre Arts

What happens when the lights go out? At a technology-free wilderness camp in the middle of nowhere, young people from three very different schools must learn how to live in a new, uncertain future. They’re disconnected, alone, and afraid. But don’t worry, it’s not the end of the world…

Created by playwright Megan Jenkins and composer Rob Castell, The Flare is an original, cutting-edge contemporary musical designed to inspire honest conversation between generations. Commissioned by Best Theatre Arts and Tip of the Iceberg Theatre Company, this groundbreaking, genre-defying project explores adulthood, nihilism, hope, and retribution, all guided and informed by the real experiences, fears, and opinions of today's young people as they navigate growing up in an ever-changing and sometimes terrifying world.

Running from 25th - 26th April 2026 - get your tickets here.

TIME TO SHINE

This weekend the Spotlight Dance and Theatre School are showcasing their brilliant performers in this magical show coming to the Sandpit.

Get your last minute tickets here, and don't miss out.

Making Theatre History...

Join Best School of Musical Theatre and Best Beginners St Albans as they time travel through 2,000 years of monumental British history in 2 acts. From standing stones to rampaging romans, killer kings to blitz-time bombs, this gloriously entertaining and inventive production celebrates the colourful and eclectic past of our fair isle through drama, dance, and song.

Saturday 21 March: Best School of Musical Theatre 10am - 1pm Class

Sunday 22 March: Best School of Musical Theatre 1:30pm - 4:30pm Class and Best Beginners Classes

Don't miss out - sign up here!

It's a Green Good Time

Beauty is in the eye of the ogre in Shrek The Musical JR., based on the Oscar-winning DreamWorks Animation film and fantastic Broadway musical.  It's a "big bright beautiful world" as everyone's favourite ogre, Shrek, leads a cast of fairytale misfits on an adventure to rescue a princess and find true acceptance.  Part romance and part twisted fairy tale, Shrek JR. is an irreverently fun show with a powerful message for the whole family.

Once upon a time, in a faraway swamp, there lived an ogre named Shrek.  One day, Shrek finds his swamp invaded by banished fairytale misfits who have been cast off by Lord Farquaad, a tiny terror with big ambitions. When Shrek sets off with a wisecracking donkey to confront Farquaad, he's handed a task – if he rescues feisty princess Fiona, his swamp will be righted. Shrek tries to win Fiona’s love and vanquish Lord Farquaad, but a fairytale wouldn't be complete without a few twists and turns along the way.

With abundant opportunities for imaginative sets and costumes, and a host of over-the-top roles for an expandable cast, there's a part for everyone in this dazzling adventure story.

The show date is the 14th March with a 1PM and 6PM showing.