At Sandy Secondary School, we provide pupils with aspirations, opportunities and experiences that extend and challenge them beyond the limits of their circumstances. Their future success will depend not only on the knowledge they acquire, but also on their ability to apply it effectively in complex and rapidly evolving environments.
That's where Sights High comes in. This future-preparedness programme will equip you to think boldly, act responsibly and thrive, whatever the future holds. It begins in Year 11 and carries on through Sandy Sixth Form.
The most successful individuals in the future workplace will be those who develop and maintain a flexible, transferable skill set – shaping how they think, how they work, and how they relate to those around us. For each of our pupils, their Sandy Secondary School education and our Sights High programme represents the first important step on this lifelong journey.
Our Aims
To achieve this, the Sights High programme will:
Full Potential
Provide opportunities both within and beyond the classroom to support students to demonstrate their full potential.
Cultural Capital
Enable all Sights High members to develop their cultural capital.
Aspiration for All
Raise the aspirations and life chances of all Sights High members, celebrating diversity and individual ability.
Parents and Carers
Involve and encourage parents and carers in supporting the needs of their children, both within and beyond school.
The Five Sights High Pillars
Sights High stands on five pillars, each delivered through sessions, workshops and events across the year. Open a pillar to see what it covers and an example of the events it runs.
The Sandy 10 Transferable Skills
We equip pupils with transferable skills, such as critical thinking, communication and teamwork, through targeted sessions, academic courses and co-curricular activities, laying the foundations for lifelong success beyond Sandy.
The Sandy 10: adaptability, communication, leadership, problem solving, creativity and innovation, resilience and risk taking, responsibility, teamwork, critical thinking and digital literacy.
Example event: Cognitive science: resilience and the growth mindset. A Question Time style hour with industry experts.
Life Hacks
Sights High develops life skills beyond career preparation, with workshops on time management, self-awareness, networking, stress management, email etiquette and financial literacy, equipping pupils to make confident, informed decisions in adulthood.
Example event: Digital skills: Harnessing AI, a session with an industry expert in our new VR suite.
Understanding the World of Work
“I have no idea what I want to do.” “What is work?” “How do I make sure I’m employable?”
Sights High helps pupils explore and answer these questions. Each year, we offer lectures, seminars, workshops, one-to-one advice and networking opportunities with industry professionals, alumni and experts. These connections provide invaluable insights, helping pupils make informed decisions about their future careers.
Example event: Finance 101: Credit Cards to Balance Sheets, with work shadowing.
Personal Brand Development
In the digital age, personal branding is essential to career success. Sights High offers guidance on building an authentic brand, from LinkedIn profiles and CVs to networking and body language. Pupils learn to highlight their strengths and stand out in a competitive world.
At Sandy, we live by five core values: Trustworthy & Honourable, Positive & Resilient, Competitive & Driven, Courteous & Compassionate, and Aspirational & Self-Motivated. Developing a clear understanding of personal values can have a powerful impact on professional success.
Example event: Future leadership and the art of public speaking: what will your TED Talk say?
Informed Choices
Pupils with the potential to progress to Oxbridge and Russell Group universities will receive targeted support through the programme. Opportunities including debates, presentations by academics and institutions, and meetings with local business leaders and forward thinkers will broaden their aspirations and cultural capital. These experiences will strengthen pupils’ confidence in their academic direction and help them become independent thinkers who can express their interests and passions in their own voice.
Example event: Pembroke College, Cambridge, our link college: visit days, subject masterclasses and interview webinars to help pupils make successful applications to study at Oxbridge.
Benefits of Sights High Membership
Sights High members have access to:
A diverse lecture series from external and internal speakers
University and college visits
Personal statement and university application support
Support and advice on making informed choices at transition points
Interview preparation for university and apprenticeships
Subject-specific competition entry
For Parents and Carers
Sights High involves and encourages parents and carers in supporting their children, both within and beyond school. Three things make a real difference at home:
Ask about their goals, and listen.
Celebrate effort as well as results.
Explore courses and careers together.
Ask your child to show you their Sights High portfolio, where they record each Super Curriculum activity and a few sentences about what they learned. It is an easy way into a conversation about what interests them, and by Years 12 and 13 those reflections become the raw material for personal statements and interviews.
Choose a book from The 99 to read alongside them and talk about it afterwards: what they enjoyed, what surprised them and what they might read next.
Use the timeline below to see what each year brings. At each transition point, Sights High offers support and advice on making informed choices, from sixth form courses to university and apprenticeship applications and interviews, so you can weigh up the options together.
Sights High Timeline
1
Year 11: Invitation
An invitation to Sights High and an introduction to Informed Choices.
2
Year 11: Getting Involved
The opportunity to engage in Sights High lectures, competitions, The 99 and the Super Curriculum.
3
Year 12: Setting Sights High
A drive for students to set their sights high and consider university options and apprenticeships.
4
Years 12–13: Broadening Horizons
Taking part in the Sights High programme to broaden horizons.
5
Years 12–13: Applications
Application processes start, with targeted support to set students up for success.
Two key concepts come out of Sights High: the Super Curriculum and The 99.
The Super Curriculum
The Super Curriculum is different from extracurricular or enrichment activities: it takes the subjects you study further, beyond what you learn in the classroom and outside the prescription of exam board specifications and assessments. Our Super Curriculum page sets out twelve subject pathways of activities, from podcasts and books to national competitions and university courses.
Every pathway has activities at three levels. Spark activities take 15–30 minutes, such as a podcast episode or a short video, and show you whether a subject excites you. Deepen activities, such as a full book, an online course or a visit, are where you start forming your own opinions. Stretch means national competitions, essay prizes and university-level material: real evidence for applications. Record each one in your Sights High portfolio to work from a Bronze award in Year 11 to Gold in Year 13.
After every activity, write three or four sentences in your portfolio about what you learned and what you want to explore next. Your tutor signs off each award level, and every award earns you Proud points. By Years 12 and 13, those reflections become the raw material for your UCAS personal statement and interviews, while programmes such as university summer schools and our link college, Pembroke College, Cambridge, take your interests further still.
From Year 7 to the sixth form, we challenge every pupil to read all 99 books during their time at Sandy.
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Challenge: read them all
The 99 Reading List
We encourage you to read widely, thoughtfully and with curiosity. The 99 is our recommended reading list: a carefully chosen collection designed to broaden horizons, spark imagination and deepen understanding. From classics that have stood the test of time to contemporary voices that challenge and inspire, these books explore what it means to be human, in all its complexity, beauty and struggle. Every title can be borrowed from the school library. Some deal with mature themes, so each title's catalogue entry carries content advisory notes.
The 99 books sit in eleven categories of nine, from biography, non-fiction and STEM to classic fiction, fantasy, sci-fi and poetry, so there is something for every reader. They range from Born a Crime by Trevor Noah and Humble Pi by Matt Parker to Frankenstein, Piranesi and Noughts and Crosses. Download the list below and tick each book off as you go. Every one you finish also counts as a Deepen activity in the Super Curriculum. As Ms Asante-Ansong puts it: “Each book you read will add to your understanding of the world around you. Take the first step and visit the library today!”
Sights High starts in Year 11 and leads naturally into Sandy Sixth Form, the choice for ambitious students aiming for STEM, Law, Oxbridge and Russell Group courses.
Sights High Set Your Sights High At Sandy Secondary School, we provide pupils with aspirations, opportunities and experiences that extend and challenge them beyond the limits of their circumstances. Their future success will depend not only on the knowledge they acquire, but also on their ability to apply it effectively in complex and rapidly evolving environments. That's where Sights High comes in. This future-preparedness programme will equip you to think boldly, act responsibly and thrive, whatever the future holds. It begins in Year 11 and carries on through Sandy Sixth Form. Our Aims To achieve this, the Sights High programme will: The Five Sights High Pillars Sights High stands on five pillars, each delivered through sessions, workshops and events across the year. Open a pillar to see what it covers and an example of the events it runs. The Sandy 10 Transferable Skills Life Hacks Understanding the World of Work Personal Brand Development Informed Choices Year 10 students in a college quad at Oxford University Benefits of Sights High Membership Sights High members have access to: A diverse lecture series from external and internal speakers University and college visits Personal statement and university application support Support and advice on making informed choices at transition points Engagement with a rich Super Curriculum Work experience support Interview preparation for university and apprenticeships Subject-specific competition entry For Parents and Carers Sights High involves and encourages parents and carers in supporting their children, both within and beyond school. Three things make a real difference at home: Ask your child to show you their Sights High portfolio, where they record each Super Curriculum activity and a few sentences about what they learned. It is an easy way into a conversation about what interests them, and by Years 12 and 13 those reflections become the raw material for personal statements and interviews. Choose a book from The 99 to read alongside them and talk about it afterwards: what they enjoyed, what surprised them and what they might read next. Use the timeline below to see what each year brings. At each transition point, Sights High offers support and advice on making informed choices, from sixth form courses to university and apprenticeship applications and interviews, so you can weigh up the options together. A member of staff working alongside a pupil in a lesson Sights High Timeline Two key concepts come out of Sights High: the Super Curriculum and The 99. The Super Curriculum The Super Curriculum is different from extracurricular or enrichment activities: it takes the subjects you study further, beyond what you learn in the classroom and outside the prescription of exam board specifications and assessments. Our Super Curriculum page sets out twelve subject pathways of activities, from podcasts and books to national competitions and university courses. Every pathway has activities at three levels. Spark activities take 15–30 minutes, such as a podcast episode or a short video, and show you whether a subject excites you. Deepen activities, such as a full book, an online course or a visit, are where you start forming your own opinions. Stretch means national competitions, essay prizes and university-level material: real evidence for applications. Record each one in your Sights High portfolio to work from a Bronze award in Year 11 to Gold in Year 13. After every activity, write three or four sentences in your portfolio about what you learned and what you want to explore next. Your tutor signs off each award level, and every award earns you Proud points. By Years 12 and 13, those reflections become the raw material for your UCAS personal statement and interviews, while programmes such as university summer schools and our link college, Pembroke College, Cambridge, take your interests further still. Students in safety goggles carrying out an experiment with a Bunsen burner The 99 Challenge From Year 7 to the sixth form, we challenge every pupil to read all 99 books during their time at Sandy. The 99 Reading List We encourage you to read widely, thoughtfully and with curiosity. The 99 is our recommended reading list: a carefully chosen collection designed to broaden horizons, spark imagination and deepen understanding. From classics that have stood the test of time to contemporary voices that challenge and inspire, these books explore what it means to be human, in all its complexity, beauty and struggle. Every title can be borrowed from the school library. Some deal with mature themes, so each title's catalogue entry carries content advisory notes. The 99 books sit in eleven categories of nine, from biography, non-fiction and STEM to classic fiction, fantasy, sci-fi and poetry, so there is something for every reader. They range from Born a Crime by Trevor Noah and Humble Pi by Matt Parker to Frankenstein, Piranesi and Noughts and Crosses. Download the list below and tick each book off as you go. Every one you finish also counts as a Deepen activity in the Super Curriculum. As Ms Asante-Ansong puts it: “Each book you read will add to your understanding of the world around you. Take the first step and visit the library today!” Pupils at their desks during an English lesson
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