Sixth Form Induction 

We are really looking forward to welcoming students to our Sandringham Sixth Form Induction on Wednesday 24th and Thursday 25th June.

Students are to arrive at the Sixth Form Centre between 8am and 8.15am on Wednesday 24th June, and no later than 8.45am on Thursday 25th June.

During induction you are expected to wear smart business attire, in accordance with the published dress code.

See you all very soon.

Visual Arts Exhibition

 A reminder that the Visual Arts Faculty 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.

Tuesday 23rd June: 4.30pm - 6.30pm in the Visual Arts Studios

French Exchange Success

Last Tuesday, 24 students and 3 staff went to Annecy as part of the school’s French Exchange. It was a wonderful experience with some of our students even saying it was the best week of their life!

A huge thank you to our French colleagues at the Jean Monnet College in St Jorioz. A special thanks for Mrs Powell, Mrs Ellis, Mrs Flahive and Mrs Boost for supporting the exchange.

Please read Ridhay's report in the target language about the Exchange:

La semaine dernière, nous sommes allés en France à Annecy pour l’échange français. Le deuxième jour, nous avons fait une chasse au trésor avec nos correspondants et puis l’après-midi, nous sommes rentrés à la maison pour manger en famille. Le soir, nous sommes allés à la plage et on a fait un pique-nique.  C’était très amusant et drôle. Le troisième jour, nous sommes allés au collège qui s'appelle Jean Monnet où nous avons eu un cours de français. L’après-midi, nous avons mangé à leur cantine et plus tard, nous sommes allés au musée Paccard. C'était intéressant. Vendredi matin, on a visité une ferme fromagère pour acheter du fromage, de la confiture et du chocolat. L’après-midi, nous sommes allés à un château qui avait une belle vue. Samedi matin, j’ai fait de la randonnée à la montagne. C'était magnifique. Le dimanche, nous sommes allés au lac en bateau avec nos amis. C'était relaxant. Le soir, nous sommes allés à la plage pour notre dernière soirée. Le lendemain, nous devions nous retrouver à l'école pour rentrer en Angleterre. C'était très triste! Dans l'ensemble, le voyage a été très agréable et enrichissant et je le recommanderais à tous.

Gold Award Celebration at Buckingham Palace

On Friday 22nd May, our Gold Award holders celebrated their achievements at a garden party at Buckingham Palace.

This is a prestigious event and there was much excitement as the main palace gates opened and thousands of young people and their families were invited to spend time exploring the gardens, drinking tea, eating cake and listening to talks given by a number of celebrities including Alex Jones, Larry Lamb and Hugh Bonneville. The highlight of the event was a speech from Prince Edward, the Duke of Edinburgh who introduced one of the Award’s youth ambassadors, a young lady called Evie.  Evie is a Gold Award holder who has cerebral palsy, a visual impairment and dyslexia. She decided to do public speaking as her skill for her Award and she delivered an inspiring and uplifting address about the impact of that the Award has had on her life. The Duke of Edinburgh then took a stroll through the grounds and spoke to many young people about their experiences including some of our students.  

It was a gorgeous day with bright sunshine and blue skies. It was huge privilege to be invited as a guest to witness the success of our students and enjoy their celebrations.

Well done to our Gold Award holders and I hope you enjoyed your day.

Athletics Student Spotlight 

Whilst many of our talented athletes were at Hemel last week, Toby P was competing in the Southern Championships, taking part in a 2K steeplechase.

Toby ran a time that places him in the Top 10 in the UK for U18’s.

A brilliant achievement, and we are very proud of his efforts.

E-Week is Almost Here

We are excited to remind students and parents that E-Week is taking place next week - packed full of brilliant activities and experiences for all students.

We encourage everyone to check the timetable carefully so you know what you're doing and when. If you have any questions about your schedule or activities, please speak to a member of the teaching staff who will be happy to help.

A reminder to parents: please ensure that all E-Week related payments have been made via ParentPay by Sunday 14th June. 

We hope students have a wonderful week - let's all think sunny thoughts over the weekend.

ENGLAND BASKETBALL AWAITS

Huge congratulations to Alex C in Yr 9 on being selected for the England U14 Team for the upcoming International Tournaments. This is a massive achievement for our Yr 9 Captain and a great reward for a lot of hard work to date.

Well done Alex we are very proud of you and can’t wait to see what you do on the international stage.

We Are The Maths Challenge Champions

On Thursday 2 teams of 4 students from Yr 8 went to the Final of the Yr 8 Team Maths Challenge. The Year 8 Team Maths Challenge is a maths competition run by Herts For Learning for schools in Hertfordshire. Over 80 teams took part and the top 20 were invited to the final round.

One team finished an amazing 16th place - well done to Reoz T, Julia Y, Hudhayfa K and Alpha W.

The other team went better and finished first and won the competition - Congratulations to Daniel M,  Naomi S, Toby C, Hayley M.  Winners of the Year 8 Maths Challenge.

Exciting Audition Opportunity - Panto Time!

BEAM are thrilled to be partnering once again with award-winning Imagine Theatre for their upcoming pantomime production of Jack and the Beanstalk - and they're looking for talented young performers to be part of it.

They are looking for a youth ensemble of young people aged 9 - 16 to join a professional cast on stage. This is a great opportunity to gain experience working alongside leading performers in a professional environment - and many previous youth ensemble members have gone on to enjoy careers in the industry.

Auditions will take place on Saturday 4th July at BEAM, Hertford.

For more information and to fill out the application form, visit Jack and the Beanstalk Youth Ensemble Auditions Hertford

Help Lead Our PTA

The PTA is looking for someone to step into a leading role within our friendly and well-established team. You won't be going it alone; existing key members will be on hand to offer plenty of support and guidance.

The role doesn't need to be a big time commitment - we run a handful of well-loved events throughout the year, and the groundwork is already in place.

If you're interested in finding out more, or would like to volunteer your support, please get in touch via friendsofsandringhamschool@gmail.com or Mr Nicholls via admin@sandringham.aetrust.uk to learn more and/or offer your support.

We'd love to hear from you!

We’re Hiring

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

- Casual Theatre Technician

If you, or anyone you know would like to be part of our passionate and dedicated team, please visit the website here for more information and to apply.

The Duke of Edinburgh Award Bronze Qualifying Expedition

Last weekend saw our Bronze students embark on their Qualifying expedition - the final stage of their expedition journey. Everyone arrived at school ready for the adventure and we were soon on our way to the starting points in Whipsnade and Hyde Heath. Friday’s weather conditions were practically perfect for expeditioning - dry, warm but overcast, so no real risk of overheating or getting wet. Groups made good progress, following routes through the countryside of Buckinghamshire, Hertfordshire and Bedfordshire. Their accuracy with navigation and efficiency in packing rucksacks reinforces the importance of the practice expedition which they completed 4 weeks before. The lessons they learnt from that experience made this expedition more enjoyable and it was clear to staff how their confidence had grown. Groups made it to the campsites at Braid Wood and Hudnall Park safely and it was a lovely evening while groups prepared dinner which involved a lot of pasta and pesto with marshmallows, hot chocolate and even Swiss rolls for dessert.

Unfortunately it started to rain at about 2am with a particularly heavy downpour just as the dawn chorus broke at around 4am. The rain didn’t really stop all day. There was a brief reprieve between 6am-8am, which meant breakfast and packing up could be done but heavy downpours were the theme of the day. It felt like every time there was a possibility of drying out, the rain came again. From early afternoon onwards, the rain was persistent. Despite this hugely challenging weather, all groups were successfully finished by late afternoon. Staff were so impressed by the resilience and good humour of our students who persevered even though the going was tough. As always this could only happen through the support of the 16 members of staff who volunteered to supervise these expeditions.

The expedition is, of course, only one section of the Award and students have been encouraged to ensure assessor reports are uploaded for their volunteering, physical and skills sections to achieve their Bronze Award.

Well done to all our participants and thank you to all the staff. I hope you have finally dried out!

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).

Summer Holiday Activities with Barracudas

Looking for fun, action-packed activities to keep your kids busy this summer? Barracudas offer a fantastic range of holiday clubs and activities - and as a school community, we have an exclusive discount to share with you.

Use code SANPTA26 to get £20 off your booking. Not only does this save you money, but a contribution from each booking also goes directly to our school PTA - so it's a great deal and great support for the school too.

For more information on activities and to book your place, visit their website here or call 01480 467567.

Free Feminine Care Products Available

We have a range of free feminine care products available through Student Services, including period pants, tampons and sanitary towels.

These are available to any student or families who needs them.

For more information on what is available and how to access them, please speak with Ms Drummond in Student Services.

Pre-Loved Uniform Sale

Our PTA will be hosting a pre-loved uniform sale on Saturday 4th July, 10.00am - 12.00pm, held under the canopy near Main Reception. This is a great opportunity to pick up quality uniform items at reduced prices.

With  Yr 11 students nearing the end of their exams, it's also the perfect time for families to donate any uniform that is no longer needed. These donations can be dropped off at the box outside 19 Skyswood Road, AL4 9NY.

We hope to see you there.

Lisbon Marathon Quest 

Our very own Harry W in Yr 12 is currently preparing to run the Lisbon marathon in October. He is managing to train for this whilst taking exams, working and playing lots of sport.

Harry is running the marathon for the OLLIE foundation. Please support him if you can - link to his fundraising page here.

The Naturals by Jennifer Lynn Barnes

Cassie Hobbes is not like most teenagers. Most teenagers don't lose their mother in a bloody, unsolved kidnapping. Most teenagers can't tell who you are, where you're from and how you're likely to behave within moments of meeting you. And most teenagers don't get chosen to join The Naturals. Identified by the FBI as uniquely gifted, Cassie is recruited to an elite school where a small number of teens are trained to hone their exceptional abilities. For Cassie, trying to make friends with the girls, and to figure out the two very different, very hot boys, is challenging enough. But when a serial killer begins recreating the details of her mother's horrific crime scene, she realises just how dangerous life in The Naturals could be.

Review by Shriya, Yr 7.

Highly engaging thriller.  A 17-year-old girl has an unusual ability to read people’s thoughts and piece together deadly secrets.  Her life changes when she is called by the FBI to join an elite programme for gifted teens. Motivated by her mother’s own cold case murder, she joins. ‘The Naturals’ unravel the toughest unsolved crimes. The author creates suspense when at the end of each chapter she writes a page from the killers' perspective.  As well as this, she links the new murder scenes back to Cassie’s own mum’s murder.  Overall, a book full of shocking twists. One of my all-time favourites'. 

French: impétueux, impétueuse

German: rasch

Spanish: impulsive/a

Thinking Question: French and English have ‘borrowed’ many words off each other. Can you think of any? And can you think why the two languages are so intertwined?

I is for… impetuous [adjective]

Definition: Acting quickly and without thought or care.

Example: She made an impetuous decision to leave her job.

Synonyms: Rash, Hasty, Impulsive

Antonyms: Cautious, Considered, Thoughtful

Etymology: From Latin impetere, meaning “to attack”.

Well done to our Girls Tennis Teams, who travelled to Habs in the Aegon Div 2.

The U13's, some of whom were debuting in their representation of Sandringham, drew in their Rubbers, narrowly missing out on the win in the shootout.

The U15's won all Rubbers and therefore the match.

Well done to all - there was some excellent tennis on show.

Congratulations to the U13 Girls who won 8-4 in their match against STAHS.

Meanwhile, there were some tough games for the U15 Girls, who lost 10-2 to a very strong STAHS.

Great effort all round girls.

County League 6

Our final county league meet took place this week at Westminster Lodge. With a top four place almost guaranteed for all teams, this meet would decide whether we could finish at the top of the tables.

Our girls came up against some good competition and with a slightly rotated U16 team, points were hard to come by. The U14’s pushed the league leaders all the way but we await final results to see if we did enough to finish 1st in the league.

Our boys looked solid for their final meet, both teams securing high 50’s for points and prepping themselves well for the District Championships taking place today

Athletes of the meet:
U14G - I Kelly - 2nd+ PB
U14B - O Chau - 1st, 1st & T Howitt 1st, 1st, 1st
U16G - C Hardy - 2nd, 3rd + PV PB
U16B - L Holian - 1st, 2nd

Yr 8: Today was the Yr 8’s Quarter Final of the District Cup. RWP batted first, setting a respectable 141-6 for the boys to chase. After some strong performances from Oscar C and Sam H with 20 runs each, we finished on 126-7, 15 runs short. The boys still have a County Semi Final after E-week to look forward to.

Next week marks the end of a very hectic couple of weeks for our athletics teams, with a few more events to take place to cap off this summers competition.

AG Dance presents The World Tour.

Join us for an exciting journey around the globe featuring performances in street dance, ballet, jazz, and musical theatre. The show brings together students aged 4–17, showcasing their hard work, progress, and enjoyment of dance across a range of styles.

Sunday 5th July 

We’re pleased to be returning to the Sandpit Theatre and look forward to sharing this year’s performance with you.

AG Dance runs weekly classes in St Albans, offering a supportive environment for young dancers to develop their skills and confidence.

To book your tickets visit the Sandpit website.

REFLECT – Summer Dance Showcase 

Students and staff have been working incredibly hard this term preparing for our upcoming summer dance showcase, REFLECT.

The show promises to be an exciting celebration of creativity, talent and performance, showcasing the dedication and passion of our dancers across the school.

Tickets are now on sale via The Sandpit Theatre website.

Save the date and we look forward to seeing you there!

A Celebration of Dance 

Gwen Hallam Dance proudly presents 'Dancing Through Life!'

Dancing Through Life is a celebration of movement, music, and imagination, showcasing the incredible talent of our dancers. Featuring an exciting mix of ballet, tap, modern, contemporary, and jazz, we will take you on a journey featuring graceful performances and high-energy routines, leaving you ready to dance!

To book you tickets visit the Sandpit website.

Summer Music Concert 2026

Sandringham School presents their annual concert.

This features all their choirs and instrumental clubs, including the ever-growing show choir, the famous jazz band, and sinfonia orchestra.

Tuesday 23rd June at 6:30pm

Tickets are on sale on the Sandpit Theatre website.

A Journey At The Theatre

Join Theatretrain as we take a trip around the world in 60 minutes on Sunday 12th July.

To book your tickets visit the Sandpit website.

Limitless Academy of Performing Arts

After 2025's smash-hit, Sweeney Todd, Limitless Productions returns to St Albans with something a little more sweet!

Step into a world of pure imagination with Charlie and the Chocolate Factory: The Musical - a dazzling stage adaptation of Roald Dahl’s beloved classic.

When young Charlie Bucket wins a golden ticket to the mysterious Willy Wonka’s chocolate factory, he embarks on a fantastical journey filled with astonishing inventions, mischievous competitors, and life-changing lessons. Bursting with catchy songs, colourful characters, and magical surprises, this heartwarming musical celebrates imagination, kindness, and the joy of dreaming big—perfect fun for audiences of all ages. 

This amateur production is presented through special arrangement with Music Theatre International. All authorised performance materials are also supplied by MTI: www.mtishows.com.

Tickets are available on the Sandpit Theatre website.

Summer School Production of Alice in Wonderland

Cassana Performance Academy present this classic story on Sunday 2nd August.

Tickets are available on the Sandpit Theatre website

CMG Arts Present Dream Big 

Join us to celebrate their youngest students from CMG Arts as they take to the stage with their big dreams and spectacular stage presence.

Sunday 14th July - 11:00am and 3:00pm 

To book your tickets visit the Sandpit Theatre website.

A True Classic Feel-Good Show

Spotlight Dance and Theatre School presents Footloose!

To the rockin’ rhythm of its Oscar and Tony-nominated Top 40 score, augmented with dynamic new songs, Footloose celebrates the wisdom of listening to young people while guiding them with a warm heart and open mind.

To book your tickets visit the Sandpit website.

NCD Dance

We're back again! Bigger and better than ever!

We're so excited to bring you our annual show once again, with the great music, choreography, and vibe you've come to know and love from NCD. This year is a collection of pieces we have been working on, so there is something for everyone.  We hope you'll love this show as much as we do. 

For tickets please visit the Sandpit website.