Sands School
48 East Street, Ashburton, Newton Abbot, TQ13 7AX
- Phase
- Independent schools
- School type
- Other independent school
- Ages
- 11 to 18
- Gender
- Mixed
- Religious character
- None
- Administrator
- Mr Sean Bellamy
- Admissions policy
- Non-selective
- Constituency
- Central Devon
- Setting
- Larger rural: Nearer to a major town or city
- Capacity
- 84
- Pupils on roll
- 67
- URN
- 113619
- Local authority
- Devon
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 01364653666
About this school
Sands School is an independent school in Newton Abbot. It teaches children aged 11 to 18 and has 67 pupils on roll.
Ofsted has not yet inspected Sands School under its current framework. Where the Department for Education has published them, its results and pupil characteristics appear below. Seeing a school for yourself shows what no page can, so arrange a visit before you apply.
Ofsted judgement
Sands School has not been inspected by Ofsted yet. It opened in its current form in October 1987, and new or converted schools usually wait a few years for their first inspection.
Exam results
Key stage 4 (GCSEs)
| Measure | 2022/23 | 2023/24 | 2024/25 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils at the end of key stage 4 | 15 | 25 | 20 |
| Attainment 8 score | 18.3 | 11.7 | 14.3 |
| Progress 8 score | - | - | - |
| Grade 5 or above in English and maths | 0% | 0% | 0% |
| Grade 4 or above in English and maths | 0% | 0% | 0% |
| Entered the English Baccalaureate | 0% | 0% | 0% |
| English Baccalaureate average point score | 1.1 | 0.7 | 0.8 |
Progress 8 is paused nationally for the 2024/25 and 2025/26 school years. Those pupils sat no key stage 2 tests during the Covid pandemic, so there is no starting point to measure progress from. A blank figure here is not missing school data.
Trends over time
How Sands School has moved over recent years against the local and national picture. Every figure is shown in the table beneath its chart.
| Year | This school | Devon average | England average |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 18.3 | 36.5 | 39.8 |
| 2023/24 | 11.7 | 36.1 | 39.5 |
| 2024/25 | 14.3 | 33.6 | 39 |
Department for Education KS4 performance data, published school results.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 73 |
| 2023/24 | 73 |
| 2024/25 | 73 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
School context
From the 2024/25 school census and absence figures.
- Free school meals (last 6 years)
- 0%
- Pupils with an EHC plan
- 8
- Pupils on SEN support
- 22
Location
Nearby schools
-
Beyond Creative Education0.2 miles
Special schools · Newton Abbot
-
South Devon Steiner School4.3 miles
Independent schools
-
St Christophers School4.4 miles
Independent schools · Totnes
-
Phoenix Bay School4.7 miles
Special schools · Torquay
-
Redwood River School4.9 miles
Special schools · Totnes
Other schools in Newton Abbot
- Stover School Independent schools
- Abbotskerswell Primary School Primary
- All Saints Marsh CofE Academy Primary
- Ashburton Primary School Primary
- Bearnes Voluntary Primary School Primary
- Blackpool Church of England Primary School Primary
- Bovey Tracey Academy Primary
- Bradley Barton Primary School and Nursery Unit Primary
- Canada Hill Community Primary School Primary
- Chagford Church of England Primary School Primary
- Chudleigh Church of England Community Primary School Primary
- Chudleigh Knighton Church of England Primary School Primary
Common questions
- What year groups does Sands School teach?
- Sands School teaches children aged 11 to 18. It is an independent school in Newton Abbot.
- Who is the administrator of Sands School?
- The administrator of Sands School is Mr Sean Bellamy, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- Has Sands School been inspected?
- Ofsted has not inspected Sands School under its current framework, so no current judgement is shown. That is common for newer schools and is not a mark against a school.
- How big is Sands School?
- Sands School has 67 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 11 to 18.
- Is Sands School full?
- Sands School has capacity for 84 pupils and 67 on roll (80%), so it has space against its published capacity. Places are allocated through the local authority's admissions process, so capacity alone does not tell you whether a place is available.
- Is Sands School a faith school?
- No. Sands School has no designated religious character.
- Is Sands School a selective school?
- No. Sands School is recorded as non-selective in the schools register.
- How have Sands School's results changed over recent years?
- Its Attainment 8 score was 18.3 in 2022/23 and 14.3 in 2024/25. The year-by-year figures, alongside local and national averages, are charted in the trends section on this page.
- What are Sands School's exam results?
- Where the Department for Education has published them, Sands School's key stage results are shown in the results section on this page, with the last three years so you can see the trend rather than a single year.
School details come from the Department for Education's Get Information About Schools register. Inspection outcomes come from Ofsted, and exam results from the Department for Education's school performance service. This page was last updated on 24 July 2026.