School profile

Sandy Secondary School

Secondary · Foundation school · Sandy, SG19 1BL

Good

Map showing Sandy Secondary School

Schools
Numbers on map: pupil ages
Outstanding
Good
Requires improvement
Inadequate
Not rated

National ranking

GCSE 2025/26

#2,450 of 3,312

Worse than 73% of schools in England

Ranked by Attainment 8 score, state-funded mainstream schools.

A-level 2024/25

#1,588 of 2,536

Worse than 62% of schools in England

Ranked by average points per A-level entry.

Sandy Secondary School Ofsted rating

Ofsted four-point inspection gradesInspected 24 Jun 2025

Area360 rating
Good
Quality of education
Good
Behaviour and attitudes
Good
Personal development
Good
Leadership and management
Good
Sixth form provision
Good
Safeguarding
Effective

School facts

PhaseSecondary
TypeFoundation school
Ages11 to 18
Pupils1,259 of 1,614 places
GenderMixed
Admissions policyNon-selective
Head teacherMiss Karen Hayward
TrustPinnacle Trust
Local authorityCentral Bedfordshire
Opened01 Jan 1900
WebsiteVisit

Source: Get Information about Schools, URN 109669.

GCSE results

2025/26

GCSE and equivalent results at the end of year 11. Attainment 8 averages results across 8 subjects.

MeasureThis schoolCentral BedfordshireEngland
Attainment 8 score41.443.246.2
Grade 4 or above in English and maths59.9%61.7%64.8%
Grade 5 or above in English and maths35.7%41.2%46.3%
Grade 7 or above in English and maths5.8%10%14.2%
5 or more GCSEs at grade 9-4, including English and maths52.7%55.5%60.2%
Pupils at the end of key stage 4207--

Source: DfE, Key stage 4 performance, Academic year 2025/26, published 15 Oct 2026.

A-level results

2024/25

Results for students at the end of 16 to 18 study.

MeasureThis schoolCentral BedfordshireEngland
Average points per A-level entry31.6432.6835
Average A-level gradeC--
Average points, best three A-levels34.8634.2535.78
Average grade, best three A-levelsC+--
AAB or better12.5%14.4%17.5%
A-level progress score-0.02--
A-level progressAverage--
Students at the end of 16 to 18 study64--
Average applied general gradeMerit+--

Source: DfE, 16 to 19 performance, Academic year 2024/25, published 23 Apr 2026.

Pupils

2025/26
MeasureThis school
Pupils1,259
Girls622
Boys637
Eligible for free school meals20.5%
First language not English2.5%
SEN support271
EHC plan104
Average class size19.8

Source: DfE, Schools, pupils and their characteristics, Academic year 2025/26, published 04 Jun 2026.

Pupils ethnicity

2025/26

Pupils ethnicity

White British
84.4%
Other White
3.2%
White and Black Caribbean
2.6%
White and Asian
2.1%
African
1.7%
Other mixed
1.5%
White and Black African
0.9%
Gypsy/Roma
0.6%
Caribbean
0.6%
Other Asian
0.4%

Source: DfE, Schools, pupils and their characteristics, Academic year 2025/26, published 04 Jun 2026.

Attendance

2025/26

Share of possible sessions missed. Persistent absence means missing 10% or more of sessions; severe absence means missing 50% or more.

MeasureThis schoolCentral BedfordshireEngland
Overall absence8%7.2%8%
Persistent absence23.5%18.7%21.6%
Severe absence2.9%3%3.6%

Source: DfE, Pupil absence in schools in England, Autumn and spring term 2025/26, published 15 Oct 2026.

Admissions

2026/27

Applications and offers for the main entry points. Offers from oversubscribed schools depend on each school's admissions criteria; check the local authority admissions page.

MeasureThis school
Offers made (Year 7)191
Applications (Year 7)252
First preference applications (Year 7)185
First preference offers (Year 7)185
Applications from another local authority (Year 7)39
Offers made (Year 9)2025/2625
Applications (Year 9)2025/2630
First preference applications (Year 9)2025/2626
First preference offers (Year 9)2025/2623
Applications from another local authority (Year 9)2025/2630

Source: DfE, Primary and secondary school applications and offers, Academic year 2026/27, published 18 Jun 2026.

Capacity

2024/25
MeasureThis school
School places1,614
Pupils on roll1,209
Unfilled places25.1%
Sixth form places240
Sixth form pupils on roll119

Source: DfE, School capacity, Academic year 2024/25, published 19 Mar 2026.

Teachers and staff

2025/26
MeasureThis school
Pupils per teacher14.5
Pupils per adult10
Teachers (FTE)86.68
Teaching assistants (FTE)20.99
Support staff (FTE)59.97
Teachers in census year (FTE)2024/2587.9
Teachers who stayed (FTE)2024/2577.7
Teachers who moved to another state school (FTE)2024/254
Teachers who left state schools (FTE)2024/256.2

Source: DfE, School workforce in England, Reporting year 2025, published 04 Jun 2026.

Suspensions and exclusions

2024/25
MeasureThis school
Suspension rate8.7%
Pupils with one or more suspensions4.2%
Permanent exclusion rate0%
Permanent exclusions0

Source: DfE, Suspensions and permanent exclusions in England, Academic year 2024/25, published 09 Jul 2026.

Destinations after GCSEs

2023/24

Where pupils went after year 11, sustained for at least two terms.

MeasureThis school
Sustained destination88.3%
Staying in education82.1%
Further education45.4%
School sixth form36.2%
Not sustained8.2%
Employment4.6%
Apprenticeship1.5%
Sixth form college0%

Source: DfE, Key stage 4 destination measures, Academic year 2024/25, published 15 Oct 2026.

Destinations after A-levels

2023/24

Where students went after 16 to 18 study, sustained for at least two terms.

MeasureThis school
Sustained destination80%
Employment41.8%
Higher education30.9%
Not sustained14.5%
Further education3.6%
Apprenticeship3.6%

Source: DfE, 16 to 18 destination measures, Academic year 2024/25, published 15 Oct 2026.

Nearby schools

Ratings include official Ofsted judgements and Area360 summaries of inspection grades. Open a school’s profile for its inspection grades and results.

Schools near Sandy Secondary School
DistancePhaseNameTypeRatingLinks
0.3 miPrimaryMaple Tree Primary SchoolFoundation school
Good
0.4 miPrimaryRobert Peel Primary SchoolFoundation school
Good
0.6 miPrimaryLaburnum Primary SchoolAcademy sponsor led
Good
0.8 miPrimarySt Swithun's Church of England VC Primary SchoolVoluntary controlled school
Good
1.3 miPrimaryJohn Donne Church of England Primary SchoolVoluntary aided school
Requires improvement
1.8 miPrimaryMoggerhanger Primary SchoolFoundation school
Good

Frequently asked questions about Sandy Secondary School

What is Sandy Secondary School's Ofsted rating?

Sandy Secondary School is rated Good, last inspected on 24 Jun 2025. Recent Ofsted inspections have no single overall grade, so Area360 summarises the inspection grades.

How does Sandy Secondary School rank in England?

Sandy Secondary School ranks 2,450 of 3,312 schools in England for GCSE 2025/26 (worse than 73% of schools) and 1,588 of 2,536 schools in England for A-level 2024/25 (worse than 62% of schools).

How many pupils attend Sandy Secondary School?

Sandy Secondary School has 1,259 pupils aged 11 to 18, with capacity for 1,614.

Figures are the latest published by the Department for Education for each measure. Small numbers are suppressed by the publisher to protect pupils' privacy. Read how Area360 school ratings and rankings work.