Sandford St Martin's Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School
Sandford, Wareham, BH20 7BN
- Phase
- Primary
- School type
- Voluntary aided school
- Ages
- 4 to 11
- Gender
- Mixed
- Religious character
- Church of England
- Headteacher
- Mrs Emma Roberts
- Diocese
- Diocese of Salisbury
- Constituency
- Mid Dorset and North Poole
- Setting
- Larger rural: Nearer to a major town or city
- Capacity
- 432
- Pupils on roll
- 342
- URN
- 113818
- Local authority
- Dorset
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 01929552949
About this school
Sandford St Martin's Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School is a Church of England voluntary aided primary school in Wareham. It teaches children aged 4 to 11 and has 342 pupils on roll.
Ofsted has inspected Sandford St Martin's Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School, and its latest judgement is set out below. 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
Overall judgement at the last full inspection
This inspection took place under the previous framework, which gave a single overall grade. Ofsted now publishes report cards instead, so newer inspections of other schools will look different. How Ofsted report cards work
- Quality of education
- Good
- Behaviour and attitudes
- Outstanding
- Personal development
- Good
- Leadership and management
- Good
- Early years
- Good
- Safeguarding
- Effective
Exam results
Key stage 2 (end of primary school)
| Measure | 2022/23 | 2023/24 | 2024/25 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils at the end of key stage 2 | 61 | 57 | 61 |
| Met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths | 49% | 39% | 54% |
| Reached the higher standard in reading, writing and maths | 5% | 2% | 5% |
| Expected standard in reading | 64% | 65% | 69% |
| Expected standard in maths | 74% | 53% | 74% |
| Expected standard in grammar, punctuation and spelling | 57% | 54% | 64% |
| Average scaled score in reading | 104.0 | 103.0 | 104.0 |
| Average scaled score in maths | 104.0 | 100.0 | 104.0 |
| Reading progress | -1.60 | - | - |
| Writing progress | -3.80 | - | - |
| Maths progress | -0.90 | - | - |
Progress measures ended nationally after the 2022/23 school year, when the key stage 1 assessments they were based on were stopped. Blank progress figures in later years are not missing school data.
Trends over time
How Sandford St Martin's Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary 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 | Dorset average | England average |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 49% | 53.5% | 57.9% |
| 2023/24 | 39% | 53.3% | 58.8% |
| 2024/25 | 54% | 54.4% | 60.3% |
Department for Education KS2 performance data, published school results.
| Year | This school | England average |
|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 6.4% | 6.8% |
| 2023/24 | 6.1% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 5.7% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 365 |
| 2023/24 | 358 |
| 2024/25 | 366 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
How Sandford St Martin's Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School compares
Sandford St Martin's Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School ranked 48th of 89 primary schools in Dorset for KS2 results in 2024/25. Its KS2 result was higher than 28% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 45% of England schools in 2024/25.
| School | KS2 RWM (2024/25) | Absence | FSM (6 years) | Pupils | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| This school | 54% | 5.7% | 18.6% | 342 | — |
| Wareham St Mary Church of England Primary School | 50% | 6.6% | 32.6% | 165 | 1.9 miles |
| Stoborough Church of England Primary School | 56% | 4.9% | 7.4% | 195 | 2.4 miles |
| Lytchett Matravers Primary School | 68% | 5.3% | 10.1% | 484 | 3.0 miles |
| Upton Junior School | 47% | 6% | 26.1% | 351 | 3.2 miles |
| Bayside Academy | 60% | 5.8% | 52.3% | 180 | 3.2 miles |
Results reflect each school's cohort as much as its teaching, and free school meals share is context, not a judgement. Small gaps between neighbouring schools are rarely meaningful on their own.
School context
From the 2024/25 school census and absence figures.
- Free school meals (last 6 years)
- 18.58%
- English as an additional language
- 3%
- Overall absence
- 5.66%
- Persistent absence
- 13.77%
Location
Nearby schools
-
Wareham St Mary Church of England Primary School1.9 miles
Primary · Wareham
-
Stoborough Church of England Primary School2.4 miles
Primary · Wareham
-
Lytchett Matravers Primary School3.0 miles
Primary · Poole
-
Upton Junior School3.2 miles
Primary · Poole
-
Bayside Academy3.2 miles
Primary · Poole
Other schools in Wareham
Sandford St Martin's Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School ranks 4th of the 9 ranked primary schools in Wareham.
- Bere Regis Primary and Preschool Primary
- Bovington Academy Primary
- Corfe Castle Church of England Primary School Primary
- Lulworth and Winfrith CofE Primary School Primary
- St Mary & St Joseph's Catholic Primary School Primary
- Stoborough Church of England Primary School Primary
- Wareham St Mary Church of England Primary School Primary
- Wool Church of England Primary School Primary
- The Purbeck School Secondary
Common questions
- What ages does Sandford St Martin's Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School teach?
- Sandford St Martin's Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School teaches children aged 4 to 11. It is a primary school in Wareham.
- Who is the headteacher of Sandford St Martin's Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School?
- The headteacher of Sandford St Martin's Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School is Mrs Emma Roberts, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- Has Sandford St Martin's Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School been inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected Sandford St Martin's Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School, and its latest judgement is set out in the inspection section on this page, with the framework and the date it was made.
- How many pupils are at Sandford St Martin's Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School?
- Sandford St Martin's Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School has 342 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 4 to 11.
- Is Sandford St Martin's Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School full?
- Sandford St Martin's Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School has capacity for 432 pupils and 342 on roll (79%), 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 Sandford St Martin's Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School a faith school?
- Yes. Sandford St Martin's Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School is designated Church of England, in the Diocese of Salisbury.
- Does Sandford St Martin's Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School have a nursery?
- No. The schools register records Sandford St Martin's Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School as having no nursery classes.
- How have Sandford St Martin's Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School's results changed over recent years?
- Its share of pupils reaching the expected standard in reading, writing and maths was 49% in 2022/23 and 54% in 2024/25. The year-by-year figures, alongside local and national averages, are charted in the trends section on this page.
- How does Sandford St Martin's Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School compare with other schools in Dorset?
- Sandford St Martin's Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School ranked 48th of 89 primary schools in Dorset for key stage 2 results. Its KS2 result was higher than 28% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 45% of England schools in 2024/25. Results reflect each cohort as well as the school, so treat rankings as a starting point.
- What is Sandford St Martin's Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School's absence rate?
- Sandford St Martin's Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School's overall absence rate is 5.7% in the latest published census, at or below the England average of 6.2%.
- What are Sandford St Martin's Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School's exam results?
- Where the Department for Education has published them, Sandford St Martin's Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary 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 29 June 2026.