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The options process is due to start for all year 9 students in the coming weeks. We are in the process of changing our planned face to face information and guidance sessions to an online support format. More...

The Body Coach Returns!

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With the return of lockdown, we also have the return of Joe Wicks The Body Coach’s online PE lessons! This is a great way for students to stay fit and active during the lockdown. Joe will be streaming his lessons live...

GCSE Examinations Update

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The summer 2021 GCSE exams have been cancelled and will be replaced by a form of teacher assessment, as yet this has not been confirmed. Btec exams may go ahead in the coming weeks at the discretion of individual schools. Mrs Dodd has...

Autumn/Winter Term Review

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As we advance through what continues to be a very unorthodox school year, we take the time to look back through what our students got up to over the last term. Despite all the difficulties brought by restrictions and procedures to keep everyone safe, we still achieved a lot...

Step Up Year 7 & 8!

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During the lockdown, it is important to keep active, even if it is just going for a walk. We would like to draw your attention to the step-up Sunderland app. The app is available to download on any smartphone. It allows you to record your steps, monitor your activity levels and...

Christmas – A Time for Giving

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With the support of local businesses (Asda, Stagecoach and SCS) the generosity of our fantastic staff, we have been collecting and assembling food hampers to distribute to our local community. We have also been working with some amazing local charities, who thanks to...

Getting into the Festive Feel

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We celebrated as part of ‘National Christmas Jumper Day’ in support of the ‘Save the Children’ charity by inviting students to join us in school for a non-uniform day with suitable Christmas attire if they had any! We raised £379.51. Thank you to all who contributed. We also held...

Book Buzz Delivers

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Year 7 and 8 pupils finally got their hands on the free books they ordered as part of the ‘Book Buzz’ programme. We hope that students enjoy their free books and take the time to read them over Christmas. There are many more books available from our LRC should students wish...

Scholars Visit Hogwarts

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The latest Scholars lecture was on the topic of Harry Potter (something you can actually study at University as part of an ‘Education’ degree!) Students analysed the texts of the Harry Potter stories, looking at gender, relationships and LGBTQ+ identity. They...

Cracking Christmas Cards

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Thank you to everyone who entered our recent ‘design a Christmas card’ competition. We had some very colourful and interesting entries. The winner though, goes to Adam Bramley who produced this marvellous – and very professional looking – card for us. Well done Adam, we...

In Memory of Mr. Ken Field

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It’s with great sadness that we recently learned that Mr Field, a former Thorney Close and Sandhill View member of staff, recently passed away. Here, staff share their fond memories of him. ‘During my time at Thorney Close Ken Field was a...

Something to Keep in Mind

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Just a reminder that Washington Mind are offering students the chance to chat with their staff in order to help support wellbeing during these difficult times. Support for young people will be available remotely from Mon-Fri between 2pm-3pm....

Scholars Unravel Robin Hood

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Dr Alex Brown from Durham University delivered a lecture on Robin Hood, specifically looking at how his story can give us an insight into Medieval life. We learned about the story’s relevance to crime, religion, notions of space and place, and attitudes to the monarch.

On a Learning Journey with History

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We again examine our curriculum. This week we are taking a look at History with Mrs Southwick who discusses all the subjects and events from Key stage 3 all the way through to what is studied at GCSE. Click below to view the video.

All The Facts on Apprenticeships

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Year 11 students had the opportunity to meet with different further education, apprenticeship and training providers to explore different pathways for their future study at the end of Year 11. All students must continue in education or training until the age of 18. This does not...

Festive Fun & Fundraising

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On Friday 11th December we will be having an optional Christmas themed non-uniform day. This is in support of Save the Children, whose work aims to support children all around the world with medical care, food, education and wellbeing. We are asking for donations from any...

Mind a Chat?

30 Nov 2020

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Washington Mind are offering students the chance to chat with their staff in order to help support wellbeing during these difficult times. Support for young people will be available remotely from Mon-Fri between 2pm-3pm. Anyone who would like...

On a Learning Journey with PE

30 Nov 2020

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We return to looking at our varied curriculum with our subject leaders taking us through each stage of learning from Year 7 to Year 11. Here, Mrs. Barnes talks about our PE curriculum and what activities and sports students participate in throughout their time at Sandhill. Click...

Sandhill Scholars Attend their Virtual First Lecture

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The Scholars met Dr Adam Guy from Oxford University. The lecture looked at the links between literature and cinema, specifically how some literature takes its inspiration from cinema. Students learned about the early history of filmmaking and the Lumiere brothers, analysed some...

Make Your Mark

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Make Your Mark is the annual vote held by the UK Youth Parliament to find out the issues considered as the most important for young people. This year the vote is being held virtually and the UK Youth Parliament are encouraging as many young people as possible to take part....

Talking Road Safety

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In assemblies we discussed the importance of road safety. As the nights darken and traffic increases after lockdown, it’s important to remember to stop, look, listen and think before crossing the road. More children are killed or seriously injured on their way home from school...

Keep the Cards Coming

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We’re still running our Sandhill View Christmas card competition. There is a Christmas prize for the best entry along with a donation of £25 to a charity of your choice. Deadline Thursday 26th November. Please give entries to your form tutor who will...

Sandhill Scholars Return

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We saw the return of the very successful Scholars programme. The newly appointed group of pupils will take part in the year-long programme which will include a series of guest lectures, exclusive trips to universities and in-house events from archaeology and skeleton...

Odd Socks in Support

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The theme for Anti-Bullying Week 2020 is: United Against Bullying. Anti-Bullying Week will happen from Monday 16th – Friday 20th November. Whether it is verbal, physical, online or in-person, bullying has a significant impact on a child’s life well into adulthood....

Virtual Winners

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We have welcomed the first two winners of transition prizes from our virtual open evening. Congratulations to Phoenix Wilson who won the art challenge with her coke can inspired by the work of Lora Zombie, and Jenna Gibson who produced our winning DT...

Together We Can

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This year has been tough on everyone, so Children in Need are making mental wellbeing their number one priority. To show support for this they wanted everyone to ‘come as themselves’. This is all about students embracing their identities and wearing whatever makes...

Sandhill in Remembrance

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Every year group took part in our Remembrance Day commemorations. Our students took the time to reflect on why we mark Remembrance Day alongside an impeccably observed two-minute silence alongside the rest of the nation at 11:00am. Though times might be difficult now, and we are...

Helping Out with Home Learning

09 Nov 2020

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We have taken delivery of 150 new laptops to help support the learning of those students who may have to work from home due to isolation. As remote learning becomes more and more important over the course of this pandemic, we have invested into making sure that no child misses...

Children in Need 2020

09 Nov 2020

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Findings from recent research shows that right now, the coronavirus pandemic is having a huge impact on the mental health and wellbeing of children in the UK, and for those who were already facing disadvantages, life has become incredibly difficult. It has never...

Festive Fun in Lockdown

09 Nov 2020

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Keep busy during lockdown 2 by designing this years Sandhill View Christmas card with your household. There is a Christmas prize for the best entry along with a donation of £25 to a charity of your choice. Deadline Thursday 26th November. Please give entries to your form...

School Council Elected

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We elected our brand-new student council for the rest of the academic year. Form classes had the chance to vote for their representatives to join the council which will meet regularly (in a suitably socially distanced setting) to discuss important issues and ideas brought up by...

Parent Survey 2020

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We are always looking for ways to improve our academy. We are very keen to continue to foster an environment that our children enjoy being in as they learn and grow into young adults. To that end, we are asking for your feedback in our latest parent survey. If you could...

Tintastic Harvest Collections

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In support of Sunderland Foodbank and their Pennywell branch, we gave students the chance to take part in an optional non-uniform day today. Instead of a monetary contribution to take part, we instead asked pupils to bring with them at least one item of tinned or dried...

Supporting our Careers Programme

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We are always looking for businesses and employers to support our Careers Education programme at both Academies. We realise that at the moment this will be more challenging for businesses currently; however, we are still very keen for our students to experience as...

Non Uniform Day Supporting Sunderland Foodbank

13 Oct 2020

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In support of Sunderland Foodbank and their Pennywell branch, we are giving students the chance to take part in an optional non-uniform day this Friday 16th October. To take part pupils should bring with them at least one item of tinned or dried food that we will then collect and...

Book Buzz Begins

12 Oct 2020

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We presented our students with the choice from a range of books as part of the ‘Book Buzz’ programme. Pupils had the chance to read the synopsis of each title, discuss some of them in class with their peers and then make their choice. Pupils will receive their free books within...

Hello Yellow!

12 Oct 2020

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We asked our students to join us in supporting World Mental Health Day by wearing adding a splash of yellow to their school uniform as part of the in #HelloYellow campaign. Lockdown is having a devastating effect on children and young people’s mental health. It’s been...

On a Learning Journey with Maths

12 Oct 2020

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This week we take a learning journey with our Maths Department. Maths is a core subject, every student receives several maths lessons every week and there is much importance placed on Maths grades at GCSE, with many further education providers, apprenticeships and employers...

Student Council Members Wanted!

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Students in all year groups will be choosing their tutor groups representative for the student council. In the spirit of democracy, candidates will put themselves forward and then the group will vote with the majority vote taking the place on the council. This year we will have a...

National Poetry Day

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For National Poetry Day our KS3 classes were encouraged to draft their own poems based on this year’s theme of “vision”. We are running this as a poetry writing competition with Waterstones vouchers as prizes. Students can take their work from class home...

World Mental Health Day

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On Friday 9 October, we will be joining thousands of schools, offices and community groups across the UK to take part in #HelloYellow, to support young people’s mental health on World Mental Health Day. Lockdown is having a devastating effect on children and young people’s...

National Skills Day Draws Near