A report of our recent Geography field trip to Preston Montford by Ayaan J in Year 11.

" From the 25-27th September, we went to Preston Montford as part of our Geography GCSE fieldwork. On the first day, we looked at congestion in Shrewsbury Central Business District. Our first study was counting parking spaces at Oxon Park and Ride to see how many people use this service to reduce congestion in the city centre. We thought that there would be less congestion but actually, less people used it than we thought, although this could have been due the terrible weather. We also counted how many vehicles passed by our site in the centre of the central business district at a certain time. At my site we found more bikes than cars passed through which showed that congestion was reduced to a certain extent. On Day 2 we went to Carding Mill Valley to measure characteristics of a river.  We found that as you went downstream, the velocity, depth and width of the river increased in line with the Bradshaw Model. We took data and analysed why and how the river had these characteristics and found that lateral erosion had increased the width of the river as we went downstream. As we went from the lower to upper course of the river we were able to take in the beautiful scenery from the waterfall at the top. I enjoyed being out in nature and it was helpful to visualise the content that we are learning in lessons, in real life. It was also nice to spend time with friends outside the classroom. Thank you to Mr Miller and Miss Pratley for organising such a beneficial trip. 

We are currently looking for a Sixth Form Learning Mentor to join our fantastic school. More information is available on our website here.

Please share with friends who may be interested.

A huge congratulations to our Dancer of the Week, Maddie G, 10H. Keep up the brilliant work! 

On Friday lunchtime, students across the whole school took part in Sandringham’s very own escape room. This year’s Whole School Read is ‘Escape Room’ by Christopher Edge, so of course we had to host our own! 

There were four challenges, all themed around AI and its capabilities. It was fantastic to see so many students involved, working together in house teams. Congratulations to Sebastian C, Dylan S, Harvey S in 9H for escaping in the fastest time! Read what some students who took part had to say about the experience! 

“The experience was interesting. It was nice to see the LRC so bustling with activity and the prompts were enlightening about the progressive impact of Global Climate Change.” Riley O’B, Year 12

“During the Escape Room event we worked in teams to complete different challenging and entertaining puzzles that I found enjoyable. It was my pleasure to spend my time in the library and doing interesting questions such as going through a maze and decoding a message. Thank you to all the teachers that helped organise the event and I had such a great time!” Joanne F, Year 9

This week we feature Jacob C in 8S who recently recorded a podcast on Bullying for Bupa health. You can find the video here.

"I was asked to go on a Podcast about bullying through Bupa and thought it sounded like a good opportunity to talk about my experiences and help others. The hosts were really nice and it was good as I got the chance to talk with other people about things that had happened to them. I hope that people watching it don't feel as lonely if they have bullied, as they will hear that other people have gone through it too and I hope that other people watching it perhaps think more about how their words come across and how they affect people. 

Amazing work Jacob! We do hope that people watch the video and are encouraged to think about the impact that their words may have on others. 

If you would like to nominate someone for the Student Spotlight, please email holianm@sandringham.aetrust.uk with any details and/or photographs.

This week’s whole school theme recognises Black History Month. October is Black History Month in the UK and this year's theme is “Reclaiming Narratives” and recognises the importance of telling black stories. The students had an excellent whole school assembly from Director of Learning for History, Ms Edwards, which encouraged them to reflect on the narratives we have about past events, and consider the impact that black people may have made to them. 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 TV and Radio. We encourage everyone in the school community to get involved with as many events as possible.

From Mrs Brearley

We would be grateful if you could spare a couple of minutes to respond to our short survey in order to help us improve our digital content. Thank you! Digital Content Survey . 

As mentioned last week, this Saturday there is a fantastic initiative from local charity, St Albans Community Pantry - a great way to buy/sell unwanted children and teen clothing sustainably and there's also a raffle. It's a cause close to our hearts as a lot of Sandringham parents volunteer there. We hope you are able to go along and support this event.

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 scan the QR code and fill out the google form.  Good luck! Why not play at home and see who is the quickest to get the answer?

Free School Meals (FSM) is a government initiative which provides children with a daily meal at the school canteen during term time. Students who qualify for Free School Meals can also take advantage of Pupil Premium funding, which supports families with school uniform and equipment (including a Chromebook device), school trips and other educational benefits. You can apply for free school meals if your child is in full time education and you receive any of the following benefits:

• Universal Credit (provided you have an annual net earned income of no more than £7,400 as assessed by earnings from up to three of your most recent assessment periods)
• Child Tax Credit (provided you’re not also entitled to Working Tax Credit and have an annual gross income of no more than £16,190)
• Income Support, Income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance and Income-related Employment and Support Allowance and more.

To check if you qualify please go to Herts.Gov the process takes no more than 5 minutes and usually gives an immediate answer. For further information contact Gemma Lovett, Pupil Premium Coordinator at admin@sandringham.aetrust.uk.

A write up of the Spanish Exchange by Georgia M in 10T.

"We have just spent a week hosting students from Europa School in Seville and it was great. After texting all summer, it was nice finally meet our exchanges and spend time with them. On Friday, we went to the Cathedral and learnt all about the history of St Albans and then took part in a scavenger hunt across town which was fun. At the weekend, we went into London and spent an exciting day seeing some of the famous sights such as Big Ben and Buckingham Palace. For the rest of the weekend, we met up in groups and it was nice to socialise with people outside of school and with our exchange students. On Monday, they joined us for English and DT lessons, having the chance to experience life at Sandringham, and on Tuesday we visited Harry Potter World which was great to see behind the scenes especially because some of us are in the Whole School Show and we had all watched one of the movies the night before. It was sad to see them leave on Wednesday as they are all really lovely and it has been a great chance to get to know fellow Sandringham students better as well. I have learnt so much more conversational Spanish and also some local words to Saville. Thank you to Ms Unsain and the other teachers for organising and I am really looking forward to visiting my exchange partner in March."

Well done to Hepworth who maintain their lead with 3786 house points. Turing and Austen battle it out for second and third with a close 3518 and 3506 points respectively. 

Alfie L (10S) gets the badge for most house points this week with an impressive 15. And congratulations to 7A for the highest average points in a tutor group (33) and Fanya P (8T) who leads with the highest house points in the school (56)

Coming up we have Austen and Elgar's movie night tonight and on the 21st October, there will be the Year 7 and 8 House Netball (see above for or more details). Year 9 &10 combined competition to take place after half term.

OTHER UPCOMING EVENTS   

• Friday 18th October - Last Form Standing
• Monday 21st October - Year 7 & 8 House Netball
• After half term – Year 9 & 10 House Netball
• After half term – House Rugby (Year 7-10)
• Year 8 Spelling Bee – TBC

A reminder to send all expressions of interest by today for students in Year 9 and 10 who are native speakers wishing to sit a GCSE or an A-Level in an additional language in Summer 2025.

Please email admin@sandringham.aetrust.uk for the attention of David Williams and the Exams office, clearly stating the student name, tutor group, the language they are studying which they wish to be examined in and whether it is an entry for a GCSE or an A-Level exam.

After today we will not be able to investigate entries for Summer 2025. Once we have all the requests, we will work with families to see if we can accommodate them. Thank you.

As mentioned in the Headlines, our recital at St Peter's Church took place on Wednesday. Alex S, Year 13 had the following to say about the event.

"On Wednesday, the A Level musicians took part in a concert at St Peter's Church which was open for the public. It was a lovely afternoon, including 3 violin solos, a piano solo, two singers, a cello and double bass duet, a guitar solo, a double bass solo and three of the Year 13 students performing an arrangement from The Girl from Ipanema. It was great opportunity to be able to play in such a high profile concert and it certainly helped increase all of confidence in playing to larger audiences. It was also good to listen to fellow musicians as we don't always get the chance to do this when studying. Everyone performed brilliantly and the audience really enjoyed the afternoon. Thank you to the Music teachers for organising such an enjoyable and enriching experience. 

On Monday, Mrs Hardacre accompanied our Spanish exchange students (with some members of our HPCC cast) on a wickedly wonderful trip to Harry Potter Studios Tour to see all things backstage. With just over a month until our production of Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, it was a very special day out. What an incredible honour it is to be one very small part of the HP world. 

Our Year 8 students have been busy designing and creating their own board games, and testing their prototypes, playing each other’s games and giving valuable feedback. There are always amazing creative opportunities in our D&T lessons so it is lovely to see all of their ideas coming to fruition. Keep up the great work.

Thank you to everyone who came to our Year 8 presentation evening this week. If you were unable to attend, all of details can be found here.

Important dates for the year ahead are as follows:

• 14-16th November: Whole School Show
• 27 - 28th November: Pastoral Review Day
• 29th November: School Closed
• 2nd December: Charity Week
• 7th December: Foss Christmas Fair
• 20th December: Charity Day
• 8th January: HPV Jab
• 23rd January: ELD 2
• 3rd February Week: Velocity Dance Show
• 13-14th February Week: Inset Day
• 4th March: ELD
• 11th March: Careers Assembly
• 13th May: Careers assembly
• 5th June: Year 8 into 9 modules
• Week of 16th June: E-Week
• 2nd July: Sports Day
• 4th July: Charity Run
• 18th July: Last Day

This week’s Book of the Week is one for fans of Lemony Snicket’s ‘A Series of Unfortunate Events’. It features talented orphans, a scheming villain and lots of puzzles to solve!

 The Mysterious Benedict Society is about Reynie, Kate, Sticky and Constance - four unusual children who meet in the most exceptional circumstances. They have three things in common : they are all orphans, all remarkably talented and all honest. Their mission is a secret. To accomplish it they will have to go undercover at the Learning Institute for the Very Enlightened where the only rule is that there are no rules.

Theo S in year 8 has recently read the book and provided the following review: “I liked how the characters journey took place….This book is very interactive and shows how a group of ordinary children could save the world from Mr Curtain.’

FRENCH: Le mot de la semaine: hargneux

GERMAN: Das Wort der Woche: zänkisch

SPANISH: La palabra de la semana:  díscolo

Thinking Question:

• How do the translations of the word 'fractious' in German, French and Spanish reflect cultural attitudes towards conflict and temperament in those languages?

F is for ... fractious [adjective]

Definition: Irritable and quarrelsome;  difficult to control.

Example: They fight and squabble like fractious children.    King Malcolm struggled to unite his fractious kingdom.

Synonyms: Irritable, Unmanageable, Unruly

Antonyms: Happy, Obedient, Agreeable

Etymology: Fraction stems from the Latin word ‘frangere’ which means "to break (something) in pieces, shatter.

Well done to our three teams who took to the pool last Friday for the ESSA competition. Some great swimming with our seniors taking the highest position of 12th.

Please see above for our upcoming sports fixtures. Good luck to all our teams!

This week our u13 Table Tennis team represented the school for the first time in a District Competition. They have all shown great commitment and although there were no County qualifiers, our two teams played well and had some valuable playing time.

It was fantastic to see over 50 netballers take part in games vs Berkhamsted this week. Despite the rain the girls all played superbly and represented the school so well. Congratulations to our U14A & U12C on their wins.

Another busy week for our football teams! 

The Y7 boys' football team bowed out of the ESFA on Monday. After leading 3-1 with goals from Seb and Rasmus, a late Robert Barclay surge took the game to penalties where the home side ran out victorious. We now go again tonight at the County Cup game vs Longdean.

The Y8 football team gave a valiant effort to attempt a come back from 3 goals down vs NBS, but unfortunately time run out and the game ended in a 3-2 loss. Plenty of improvements from the last game however, so positive steps have been made.

Our Year 10 team had more success, making it 4 from 4 with a 6-1 win against Freman College last Friday and another 5-3 win the National cup V Aylesbury Grammar school this week.

Despite putting in a courageous performance, our Year 11 boys lost 1-0 against a very strong St Columbus side. The winner came in the last few minutes but the boys should be proud of their efforts. MOM - Rhys H

Finally a huge congratulations to the U12G football team for winning the 1st round of the national cup against Beaumont 5-0. The girls played some very nice football and should be very proud. Goals scored by: Isla K x3 Anna D x2 OPM: Anna D.

Our senior boys had two exciting games this week with two impressive wins. After going 22-14 down in the first half vs Samuel Ryder, the team stepped it up and produced some good rugby, to end up with a 49-22 win for Sandringham.

They have also progressed through R1 of the country cup with an excellent performance vs Rickmansworth School. Goals from Noah, Jonah, Tommy, Ben, Harry & Chimena.

Some impressive performances this week as the District Cross Country competition comes to end. Our fixture this week included 20 runners in total with special mentions to Beckie C & Guy R-J for winning their age groups. Lots of pleasing runs from our teams. 

Danny K in Year 7 wrote the following about his experience:

"It has been fun to represent the school for cross country! It is often challenging as the conditions are not always great and there are sometimes nerves before a race but it is always really rewarding. I have taken part in five events for the school so far and gone from 5th to 4th to 3rd, improving on my technique and coping with the nerves better. It is good as well to travel with students from other years and get to know them/learn from their experience. I look forward to the next competition."

Time for dancing, drinking and the search for true love. The club's getting hot but out in the cold the Bouncers are ready for anything. Meet Ralph, Judd, Les and Lucky Eric as they relive a night in a London disco in the 80s in an outrageous celebration of the UK nightclub scene.

This production of John Godber’s ‘Bouncers’ has seen huge success at multiple Drama festivals across the UK. Most recently at the UK’s largest festival, the National Drama Festival in Coventry. Previously, the show has seen multiple awards at the Welwyn Youth Drama Festival, placing first and winning multiple awards for elements of the show, as well as sold out performances across Hertfordshire. Now, the Bouncers are on their way to St Albans.

Tickets are on sale here and cost from £12.50

Following the fantastic success of ‘Hansel and Gretel’ & ‘Rapunzel’ our creative team are back with a Brand New pantomime adventure based on the classic tale.

 Puss In Boots and the Pea Green detective agency are ready to save Pantoland from a terrible threat!

The Hickory Dickory Dock clock has been stolen and someone is messing with the pantomime timeline. The police are struggling to sniff out a suspect and things are getting stranger by the hour! Join Puss In Boots on their epic quest to bring the time thief to justice. This sword-swinging, paw-scratching, time-stopping pantomime is an action packed treat for all ages!

Tickets are on sale here and cost from £10.00