Supporting Young People’s Mental Health: Free Online Workshop

We know that many families are seeking guidance on how to navigate young people's mental health and suicide awareness. With these vital topics becoming a bigger part of the conversation from September, many parents are looking for ways to have confident, safe conversations at home.

To support our community, The OLLIE Foundation is hosting a free online workshop specifically for parents and carers.

• Wednesday 15 July 2026  7.30 pm – 8.30 pm
• Online (Free via Zoom)

This supportive, interactive, and non-judgmental session will help you:

• Feel more confident talking to young people about mental health.
• Recognise signs that a young person may be struggling.
• Respond safely and compassionately.
• Learn simple, evidence-based approaches to suicide prevention.

There will also be a safe space to ask the OLLIE team any questions you may have. It's really important that we can equip ourselves with the tools to support our young people when they need it most.

Hemel Storm Juniors - Summer Camp & Autumn Launch

Looking to keep the kids active or elevate their basketball skills - Hemel Storm Juniors have some incredible opportunities coming up:

Summer Basketball Camp

Monday 3rd August – Thursday 4th August

The Hemel Hempstead School, Heath Lane (HP1 1TX)

Primary and secondary school-aged children

9am – 3pm daily (Early Bird from 8am available for £3/day - After Camp Club until 5pm for £6/day)

£40 for a single day or £160 for the full 4-day week (plus a 10% sibling discount)

Check out the attached poster for more details or scan the QR Code for more details and how to book your place.

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.

Barracudas also offer flexible payment options, including Tax-Free Childcare, Childcare Vouchers, and Klarna, helping to make holiday childcare more accessible for families.

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

Great British Summer Savings

To help with holiday costs, the Government has launched the Great British Summer Savings scheme running from 25th June to 1st September 2026.

VAT has been cut from 20% to 5% across a range of family activities, making days out much cheaper. Here is where you can save:

• Food: Reduced prices on children's meals in restaurants and cafés.
• Entertainment: Cheaper family/child tickets for cinemas, theatres, and museums.
• Attractions: Lower entry fees for theme parks, zoos, and soft play centres.
• Free Travel: Children aged 5 - 15 travel completely free on local buses throughout August.

Find Local Discounts - You can use the official postcode finder tool to see which nearby venues and restaurants are taking part:

Visit summersavings.gov.uk for more information - we hope this helps you enjoy some budget-friendly family fun over the break. 

We’re Hiring

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

- Cleaner 

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.

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.

Sandridge Community Pantry 

The St Albans Community Pantry does incredible work rescuing surplus food from supermarkets and making it available to everyone in the local area.

Based at Spencer Hall in Sandridge, the pantry operates a Community Fridge and Bread Pantry. It is open to ALL, with no vouchers or referrals required. Whether you’re looking to save perfectly good food from heading to a landfill, or could use a bit of extra help stretching the weekly food shop, their doors are open.

Opening Times (Spencer Hall, Sandridge, AL4 9DD)

• Mornings: Monday to Thursday 9.00 am – 11.00 am
• Evenings: Sunday to Wednesday 9.30 pm – 10.30 pm

The pantry is entirely run by a wonderful team of unpaid volunteers and is always looking for community support:

• Pop in: Visit during their opening hours to see what food is available and help reduce waste.
• Volunteer: They are always looking for "Packing Pals" to box fresh produce, delivery drivers, and "Rescue Rangers" to collect surplus food from suppliers. Even a few hours every now and then makes a massive difference.
• Donate: Unopened food and toiletries can be dropped off during their open sessions, or you can support them online.

To find out more about what they do, look up their opening hours, or apply to volunteer, visit their website here or email them at stalbanscommunitypantry@gmail.com.

National Swimming Success

We are incredibly proud to celebrate the outstanding achievements of three of our talented swimmers: Sofia S (Yr 8), Hugo K (Yr 8), and Jasmine S (Yr 10).

Following brilliant performances at the Regional Championships, all three have qualified for both the Swim England National Summer Meet and the highly prestigious Aquatics GB Next Gen Championships (formerly the British Championships) taking place this month. The Next Gen event is strictly invitation-only, open exclusively to the National Top 20 swimmers in each age group.

Here is what they will be racing:

• Sofia: 4 x 200m Freestyle Relay (Next Gen) & 400m Freestyle (National Summer Meet)
• Hugo: 200m Breaststroke (Next Gen) & 100m Breaststroke (National Summer Meet)
• Jasmine: 200m Butterfly & 4 x 200m Freestyle Relay (Next Gen) 200m Freestyle, 50m & 100m Butterfly (National Summer Meet)

Elite swimming demands year-round dedication, gruelling weekend competitions, and early Monday morning training before school.

As a wonderful bonus, the families wanted to share this news as a special tribute to Mr Gray ahead of his retirement. He has always shared his dream of seeing a Sandringham student become an Olympian - and with dedication like this, that dream feels like it's getting closer.

Good luck to Sofia, Hugo, and Jasmine - The Sandringham community will be cheering you on!

FOSS Pre-Loved Uniform Sale

A massive thank you to everyone who supported the FOSS Pre-Loved Uniform sale last weekend. Thanks to your purchases, and the hard work of our volunteers, we raised a grand total of £3,302.13.

It may have been a bit frantic at times, but it is an absolutely fantastic fundraiser that goes directly toward supporting our students and school.

Thank you again to Emma and the entire FOSS team for organising the event.

ParentPay Reminder: Check Your Account is Up-to-Date

A reminder for everyone - we kindly ask all parents to check their ParentPay accounts to ensure that payments are up-to-date before we break up for the Summer. Please also ensure that canteen accounts are cleared and topped up to avoid any issues. Keeping balances in check helps us continue to provide a smooth service for all students.

Parent Pay Instructions - End of academic year & Clearing Accounts Instructions:

1. Login to your account.
2. Navigate to the Dashboard.
3. Click Pay for Meals.
4. Enter the amount you want to pay.
5. Use One-Click Payment to complete the transaction instantly.
6. You can also set up Autopayment: When your balance falls below a threshold (£1.00 min to £50.00 max), your account will automatically top up by a selected amount (£2.50 to £100.00).
7. Store your bank card securely for easy One-Click Payments and Autopay setup.

Thank you for your support and have a great Summer!

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).

Silver Qualifying Expedition to Peak District

Last Thursday 10 groups of Year 11 students left school to embark on their qualifying expedition to the Peak District. It has been several months since their practice to the South Downs and this was a great way to finish off Year 11. We were very lucky with fabulous weather throughout - not too hot, not too cold and virtually no rain (one or two drops on the final day as we were loading the van!)

Half of our groups starting their expedition in the village of Baslow and were lucky enough to walk through the grounds of Chatsworth House. The other half started a few miles away in the small hamlet of Hassop. They followed pre-planned routes through the undulating countryside, over hills, along valleys and through woodland. The check point at Rowlsey marked the mid way point on the day and all the groups continued to journey south towards Barn Farm campsite with most of the groups travelling over Stanton Moor with its ancient stone circle and spectacular views over the Matlock valley.

Barn Farm is a lovely campsite and we had sole use of one of their DofE camping pitches. As well as a campsite, it is a working farm and so the dawn chorus of  birds, cows and the resident peacocks and peahens meant an early start to day 2.

Day 2 saw the groups completing a circular route heading west to Friden and then east back to Barn Farm. The groups were set off in alternate directions which meant they could all get going on their long day with the added bonus of meeting each other along the way. Some groups chose to follow the river path near Youlgreve while others did a cross country route. Almost all the groups walked along Gratton Dale and Long Dale at some point in their day, two dry bottomed valleys which are picturesque in very different ways.  This was the hottest day of the three and the participants were relieved to reach the campsite in the evening.

Day 3 was another early start with the added incentive of reaching the finish point in time for the coach. The groups travelled south, passing through  pretty villages such as Winster which was festooned with bunting for their annual carnival. Lots of groups walked on sections of the Limestone Way which is a long distance footpath. They saw lots of evidence of the industrial history of the area with disused mine works and quarries. The checkpoint in Bonsall gave the opportunity for a rest and for some participants their first experience of seeing cow wrangling with a herd being moved from one field to another through the middle of the village. Onwards to the finish point at Middleton Top which is on the High Peak trail, a converted railway which offered some easy navigation at the end of the three days,

As always, we are immensely proud of our students who were fabulous ambassadors for the Award and the school.

Massive thanks to Mrs Gibson, Mrs Ellis, Mr Smith, Mr Beach and Mr Nieddu for giving their time, energy and expertise to support our students.

International Dance Success

We are thrilled to shine the spotlight on Eliza P in Year 10, who has achieved an incredible milestone in her dance career - later this month, Eliza will be travelling to Ireland to represent England at the highly prestigious Dance World Cup. She will be competing in the classical ballet group category, taking the stage alongside eight of her talented teammates from the Bovingdon Dance Academy.

The Dance World Cup is a massive international event, and qualifying to represent the country is a testament to Eliza's dedication, hard work, and passion for ballet. Eliza and her team are incredibly excited for the competition ahead and are looking forward to performing on the world stage.

We wish you and the Bovingdon Dance Academy team the very best of luck in Ireland - we hope you bring home a well deserved medal!

Reading Challenge Success 

Congratulations to Nathan R in Year 7 who is one of our first students to complete the six week reading challenge bookmark! Nathan has enjoyed setting aside ten minutes each day to read and has managed to finish a couple of books since starting the challenge. 

The six week reading challenge aims to encourage a regular reading for pleasure routine. Students are encouraged to take a bookmark from the LRC and to check the boxes for each ten-minute period they read either to themselves or to others. As the holidays approach it’s a great time to consider taking on the challenge! Our librarians are happy to provide some tailored reading suggestions to help students complete their bookmark.

Summer Reading For All 

Have you got your summer reading planned? Here in the LRC, we’ve created a fantastic Summer Reading Display to inspire you to keep up with your reading this summer. Many of our students find they have more time to read over the holidays and really enjoy relaxing off-screen with a good book. Staying at home or planning a trip, make sure you have a book to hand for the longer days and evenings. Whether you’re looking for a light-hearted rom-com, an exciting adventure story, a summer thriller or an immersive classic, we’ve got plenty of books for you to choose from. Please ask a librarian if you require any help choosing or would like a recommendation. A reminder that students and staff can browse our catalogue under Accessit Library on Mysandstorm.

Thank you to Mrs Posner for designing our eye-catching display!

French: agile

German: flink

Spanish: ágil

Thinking Question: If you could learn any language in the world, which one would you choose and why?

Cosima Unfortunate Steals a Star by Laura Noakes

Cosima Unfortunate has spent all her life at the Home for Unfortunate Girls -- a school where any disabled children, or children deemed different, are sent, whether their families want it or not. It is there that she meets her friends -- Pearl, Mary and Diya -- and they start to practice mini heists involving the theft of cakes, biscuits and other sweet goodies. But when Cos finds out that Lord Francis Fitzroy, the explorer behind the Empire Exhibition, is planning to adopt them, she and her friends plot the biggest heist of their life. Instead of fondant fancies, they're going to steal Fitzroy's prized tiara, containing the legendary Star Diamond of India! But, as they start preparing for the day, Cosima finds herself drawing ever closer to discovering the one secret she's always wanted to know -- the truth about her parents… 

Reviewed by Theo S, Year 9

"Cosima, the unfortunate steals a star, is a great book that follows a 12-year-old girl called Cos and her group of friends who are deemed unfit in a Victorian society due to their disabilities. This book is exhilarating and keeps you hooked."

N is for… nimble [adjective]

Definition:  Quick and light in movement or action; agile

Example: The gymnast was incredibly nimble on the balance beam

Synonyms: Agile, Lively, Spry

Antonyms: Clumsy, Sluggish, Inflexible

Etymology: From Old English nǣmel, meaning “quick to grasp”

National Bronze Medallist

Huge congratulations to Luke C on an incredible performance at the U20 English Championships last weekend. 

Stepping up to compete at the senior height 400m Hurdles for the very first time, Luke absolutely smashed it - running a massive new Personal Best of 54.17 seconds to secure the Bronze medal.

Luke continues to go from strength to strength, and we are incredibly proud of his hard work and dedication. What an achievement!

Golfing Champions 

The second Sandringham KS3 Golf Championships took place on Wednesday at Wheathampstead Golf Village. 40 students who have been taking part in the golf society all term, demonstrated what they had learnt in our end of season competition. This included our first female competitors, Izzy and Yan from YR7. The students were a credit to the school, playing well and behaving wonderfully in very warm conditions.

At the end of the day the winners were as follows:

YR7 Champion – Conner I

YR8 Champion – Oscar R (Lowest overall score)

YR9 Champion – Olly H (Closest to the pin)

Well done to all involved.

ESAA Track & Field National Finals 

Our incredible Inter Girls have finished 4th in the COUNTRY!

What an unbelievable achievement! After making Sandringham history by qualifying for the National Finals for the very first time, the girls went one step further and produced an outstanding performance against the very best schools in England.

We couldn’t be prouder of everything these girls have achieved this year. It has been an absolute privilege to coach them, watch them grow, and see them excel at the very highest level of school athletics. They fully deserved their moment this term and should be proud of their efforts. An inspiring group of girls who will pave the way for more athletics success in the future.

A huge congratulations to Parmiters School for also making the final, and representing Hertfordshire schools so well. 

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

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.

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

Keep Dancing...

A heartfelt celebration of family, friendship, and 46 years of Dance Unlimited.

Through music and theatre, our young performers share the joy of friendship, reminding us that life is always a little brighter and a little better when we’re dancing together.

Sunday 19th July 2:30pm.

To book your tickets visit the Sandpit website.