Sandringham School | Everybody can be somebody
The Ridgeway, St Albans, Hertfordshire, AL4 9NX
Telephone: 01727 799560
Absence Line: 01727 799564
Email: admin@sandringham.aat.school
Sandringham School is part of the
Alban Academies Trust
PE News
Since the start of term, thirty Year 9’s have taken part in the sports leaders module. This included learning how to deliver PE activities, and observing lessons. This week, the pupils successfully delivered football, netball and basketball lessons to Year 7’s. Well done to you all! It is great to see older students setting such a fantastic example to their younger peers and learning new leadership skills in the process.
Sandcast News
For those new to the school, we have our very own fantastic podcast with hosts Assistant Headteacher Mr Cracknell and Year 13 student Ryan D. Each episode, they interview members of staff around Sandringham School and cover the stories, news and events of the week. Our second series of podcasts has now started, with a quick check in with the hosts and we have more exciting guests lined up for the coming weeks. Previous episodes include interviews with Performance Director for Year 11 Mr Bailey, Chair of Governors Professor Cox, Director of Teaching School Hub, Ms Taylor-Paul, Deputy Headteacher Dr Creaby, ex Head Students Shiam and Maddie and acting Deputy Headteacher Mr Allday. You can find SandCAST where you get all of your other podcasts. We hope you enjoy listening.
Mr A Cracknell
Student Wellbeing News
We would like to highlight two excellent services which parents and students can access for support with their mental health and well-being.
First Steps (who work closely with CAMHS, ED and NHS links to support young people who are struggling with eating difficulties, disorders, low self-esteem and poor body image) provide an excellent variety of resources. They have recently received funding for the Hertfordshire area and can offer free support to any students who may have struggles around their eating or low self-esteem. Young people can either self-refer or can be referred by someone else through their website www.firststepsed.co.uk. This is an excellent service for those experiencing difficulties, so if you would like to find out more, please visit the website or speak to Mrs Coyne in the SLA.
The Sandbox by Mindler is also an excellent free, NHS funded service to support children and young people in Herts with their mental health and well being. It offers access to internet enabled Cognitive Behavioural therapy, one to one support from professional therapist by texts, phone, online chat or video calls. Signing up is easy and doesn’t require a referral from a professional. You can visit The Sandbox website or click here to find out more details.
Netball News
It has been a very busy week for netball with matches and tournaments galore.
We were super proud of our amazing squads who took part in the Anne Miles County Tournament this week. The U16s finished shield runners up – 6th in the county! Extremely proud to coach such talented, hard working and supportive young people. Fantastic performances from Mia O & Hannah G but POT goes to Millie W for outstanding defending! Our U19 finished Cup runners up – 2nd in the county! They won the hearts of the tournament with their semi-final performance demonstrating belief, determination and outstanding teamwork. They move on to represent Sandringham at regionals – POT – Maddie B. And the U14 PS were named winners of the shield competition – after some incredible play and interceptions at crucial points throughout the day. Coach’s POT – Ella CL
And we were very proud of the U14B Team who came 2nd in their District Tournament, having to play against many other A Teams! Well done girls! (full report on this under NETBALL NEWS 2) And a runners’ up prize for the U14 Netball team in the District Tournament! POT – Katie J
In individual matches- we saw a win for the U19 Netball Performance squad in round 1 of the county cup 39-27. POM – Alice W. And a second win of the week for our U16 girls as they took on a strong St Michaels side. Goals from Becca S & Hannah G. A huge well done to the U14 PS with a win in their county league game vs RMS! OP – Lexi K, CP – Aoife C
Miss K Wills
Sandpit Theatre – Little Shop of Horrors
Sandringham School’s Drama Faculty present their take on the deviously delicious Broadway and Hollywood sci-fi smash musical, Little Shop Of Horrors.
The meek floral assistant Seymour Krelborn stumbles across a new breed of plant he names “Audrey II” – after his coworker crush. This foul-mouthed, R&B-singing carnivore promises unending fame and fortune to the down and out Krelborn as long as he keeps feeding it BLOOD. Over time though Seymour discovers Audrey II’s out of this world origins and intent towards global domination!
Tickets are on sale here and cost £10-£12.50
MFL News
Please see below article from Henry T, one of our Alumni regarding his scholarship with the Dresden Trust. We hope that it inspire other students learning German and shows what opportunities that learning an additional language can offer.
“I absolutely loved the Dresden scholarship and I can say without any doubt that it was the best month of my life. The people, the surroundings and above all the vibrant, stunning city of Dresden were unforgettable and helped to make my stay such an incredible experience. I loved my stay with the family and going to school with Georg, everyone was so welcoming and took me in as one of their own. I really felt at home in Dresden and built up a deep affinity with the beautiful city and its whole vibe – the architecture, the people and historical buildings such as the Frauenkirche or the Semperoper, both of which I was lucky enough to visit. I have made so many memories and lifelong friendships in the past month; we all got on like a house on fire and did so many awesome activities together. From hiking in the sächsische Schweiz to day trips to Leipzig and Görlitz, we enjoyed lots of time together learning about each other and about the culture of Dresden. I am indescribably grateful to the Dresden Trust for this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity which really has changed my life and truly inspired me. Dresden is the best city I’ve ever been in and I will return as soon as I possibly can.”
Black History Month
This week’s whole school theme recognises Black History Month. October is Black History Month in the UK and this year’s theme is “Saluting our Sisters” to recognise and celebrate the work of black women throughout history. The students had an excellent whole school assembly from Director of Learning for History, Ms Constable, which asked them to reflect on how history can be re-envisioned as we re-evaluate the evidence we have about the past. She also told the stories of some prominent black women who have positively impacted British history. During October there are many events to celebrate Black History Month, across the country special classes and celebrations are arranged within schools and African and Caribbean societies at universities put on special events and lectures. Museums and art galleries have special themed exhibits, and there are also many special themed shows about Black History Month on the TV and Radio. We encourage everyone in the school community to get involved with as many events as possible.
Miss K Wills
LRC News
Our latest display in the LRC contains a selection of ‘banned books’. Launched in the US in 1982, Banned Books Week is held during the last week in September and highlights the value of free and open access to information and the freedom to seek and to express ideas. Students have been surprised to see that some very familiar titles have been the subject of censorship and heated debate over the years and this has led to their own discussions and conversations around freedom of expression. Please pop along to see our friendly librarians in the LRC to find out more.
STEM News
We promote engineering design process in our STEM education which emphasises open-ended problem solving and encourages students to learn from failure. The photo shows one of the regular meetings of student-led sixth form Engineering Clubs led by chairladies Emily D and Freya H about sustainable energy in the UK. Our students have high aspirations in engineering and will participate in further events such as tomorrow’s engineers week, STEM SMART by University of Cambridge, STEM Potential programme by Imperial College London and various other exploration events in top universities.
Ms M Holian