Robert Sandilands Primary School and Nursery, Newbury
Robert Sandilands Primary School and Nursery is a primary school for pupils aged 3 to 11 in Newbury. It was rated Good at its last graded Ofsted inspection, in May 2016. Ofsted's ungraded inspection in March 2025 did not change this grade. Its 2025 Key Stage 2 results were the 3rd-highest of the 21 schools in Newbury with published results, and 1,534th of 14,452 across England. For 2026 entry it had 1.5 first-choice applications for every place. It was full in 2025, at 101% of capacity.
- SATs results
- Above England average
- Ofsted
- Good (2016)
- Demand
- Oversubscribed
- Attendance
- In line with England
Reception applications for September 2027 close in 81 days
Deadline Friday 15 January 2027. Apply to West Berkshire (the council where you live). Offers on 16 April.
Data last updated 26 Oct 2026
Robert Sandilands Primary School and Nursery in detail
Results
In 2025, 93% of Year 6 pupils at Robert Sandilands Primary School and Nursery reached the expected standard in reading and 87% in maths. At the average state primary the figures were 75% and 71% in West Berkshire and 77% and 75% across England.
Results were similar in 2024 (87% in reading, 94% in maths).
With small year groups, a few pupils can move these figures by several points.
Getting a place at Robert Sandilands Primary School and Nursery
For September 2026 entry, 43 families put Robert Sandilands Primary School and Nursery as their first choice and 81 named it as one of their preferences, for 29 places offered. That is 1.5 first choices for every place. 14 families who put it first were not offered a place there.
Admissions history and your chances at Robert Sandilands Primary School and Nursery
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other state primary schools to Robert Sandilands Primary School and Nursery are Speenhamland School (0.4 miles, Good, 66% reading, 70% maths); Shaw-cum-Donnington C.E. Primary School (0.6 miles, Requires improvement, 80% reading, 60% maths); The Winchcombe School (0.7 miles, Good, 72% reading, 79% maths); and St Nicolas C.E. Junior School (0.9 miles, Good, 83% reading, 69% maths).
Robert Sandilands Primary School and Nursery's 2025 results were higher than all 4 of them.
Speenhamland SchoolShaw-cum-Donnington C.E. Primary SchoolThe Winchcombe SchoolSt Nicolas C.E. Junior School
What parents say
69 parents answered Ofsted's Parent View survey about Robert Sandilands Primary School and Nursery (as of September 2025): 96% would recommend the school, 97% say their child is happy there and 72% of those with a view say bullying is dealt with well.
The strongest agreement was that their child feels safe (99%); the weakest, that the school deals with bullying well (among parents with a view) (72%).
Staffing
Robert Sandilands Primary School and Nursery had 14 teachers in 2026, one for every 15 pupils: more teachers per pupil than a typical primary school, at about one for every 20.
Getting there
The nearest railway station is Newbury Rail Station, about 0.9 miles away in a straight line.
8 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Coxeter Road (e-bound), 110 metres away.
The area around the school
In August 2026, police recorded 220 crimes within a mile of the school, most often violence and sexual offences, anti-social behaviour and public order offences. That is well above the typical figure around schools in West Berkshire (26), as is usual near a town centre.
Suspensions and exclusions
In 2024/25, Robert Sandilands Primary School and Nursery issued 2 suspensions, 0.9 for every 100 pupils (the average state school: 6.3), and no permanent exclusions.
Secondary schools nearby
The secondary schools closest to Robert Sandilands Primary School and Nursery are Trinity School (0.8 miles) and St Bartholomew's School (1.1 miles).
Sources: DfE school performance data (averages: state mainstream schools); DfE school-level applications and offers; council admissions booklets; DfE appeals statistics; Ofsted Parent View; DfE school workforce census; NaPTAN (Department for Transport); English Indices of Deprivation 2025 (MHCLG); data.police.uk street-level crime; DfE exclusions statistics
Location
Our estimate from how close the nearest similar schools are and how oversubscribed the council's schools are. It is not a published boundary.
Key Information
DfE GIASOfsted Rating
Ofsted · 2 years agoThis judgement is from May 2016, 10 years ago, longer than Ofsted's usual 4-year cycle: the school may have changed since.
Overall
Latest (ungraded) inspection: The school has improved significantly.
Ofsted Insights
From Ofsted's March 2025 inspection report.
What This School Does Well
This school is highly ambitious for every child and creates a warm, nurturing environment where pupils thrive. Teachers have excellent subject knowledge and adapt teaching so all pupils can succeed, resulting in impressive test results above the national average. The school fosters strong character development through its compass values and enriches learning through plenty of trips, clubs and performances that help pupils understand their place in the community.
Key Strengths
- Rigorous and ambitious curriculum with excellent teaching and expert subject knowledge
- Exceptional pupil behaviour and positive attitudes to learning, with high attendance
- Outstanding early years provision with strong focus on communication, language and vocabulary
- Effective reading programme with well-trained phonics staff and swift support for pupils falling behind
- Excellent personal development opportunities including trips, clubs, sports competitions and musical performances
Safeguarding
Safeguarding arrangements are effective, with leaders creating an open and positive culture that puts pupils' interests first.
Extracurricular Activities
Clubs, sports competitions against local schools, musical performances, inter-house competitions, trips to local church, zoo, farm and museums, visits to local care home, shared events with other local schools
Robert Sandilands Primary School and Nursery is a highly aspirational school with an exceptionally coherent curriculum where pupils achieve impressive outcomes well above the national average. Evidence suggests the school's work has improved significantly across all areas since the previous inspection.
At a Glance
25.3%
Free School Meals
No
Boarding
Yes
Nursery
No
Sixth Form
No
Special Measures
What Parents Think
69 responsesSource: Ofsted Parent View, responses as at September 2025 - % who strongly agree or agree
Primary Performance (KS2)
Academic year 2024/25KS2 Results (% meeting expected standard)
Reading has improved from 87% to 93% (2024 to 2025). Maths has declined from 94% to 87% (2024 to 2025). Writing has remained stable at around 90% (2024 to 2025).
Class Sizes
29.7
Avg class size
29.3
Infant (KS1)
30.0
KS2
7
Total classes
1 class with more than 30 pupils
2025/26 academic year
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 5 nearby primary schools
Keep up with Robert Sandilands Primary School and Nursery
Before and after school care
Clubs on Ofsted's childcare register at or near Robert Sandilands Primary School and Nursery.
- Let Me Play @ Northcroft730m away · Not yet graded
Getting There
Bus Stops
Free school transport
Check free transport to Robert Sandilands Primary School and Nursery from your postcode →
You apply to the council where you live. Robert Sandilands Primary School and Nursery is in West Berkshire; for families living there:
Apply to West Berkshire for free school transport. Its policy is on the council's website.
Safety and surroundings
Road collisions within 500 m (2021 to 2025)
- Collisions
- 6
- Fatal
- 0
- Serious
- 1
- Children hurt
- 1
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 6 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 1 serious and 5 slight.
1 child aged 0 to 15 was hurt: 1 on a bicycle.
0 of the collisions happened on a weekday between 08:00 and 09:30 or 14:45 and 16:30, holidays included.
The typical figure for schools in West Berkshire is 3 (the median across 99 schools, same distance and years).
Serious and slight counts use the Department for Transport's severity adjustment, which allows for changes in how police forces record injuries; they are estimates, rounded to whole numbers. Distances are in a straight line. Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19), Open Government Licence v3.0.
Commute and house prices
Your chances of a place at Robert Sandilands Primary School and Nursery
Will you get a place at Robert Sandilands Primary School and Nursery? Get the admissions report
Your home postcode, set against Robert Sandilands Primary School and Nursery's admissions figures, in one report saved to your account.
What the report includes for Robert Sandilands Primary School and Nursery:
- The straight-line distance from your home to Robert Sandilands Primary School and Nursery.
- We hold no last distance offered figures from West Berkshire, so the report covers demand, alternatives and dates.
- Applications, first choices and offers at Robert Sandilands Primary School and Nursery for 2014 to 2026 entry.
- How many families in West Berkshire got their first choice, and how often appeals there succeed.
- The nearest state schools to your home, with Ofsted rating, demand and last distance offered where published.
- Key dates for September 2027 entry and how to apply.
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Capacity & Demand
School Occupancy
101%
Over capacity
213 pupils
210 places
3 pupils over capacity in 2025
2025, DfE school capacity data
Area Demand Pressure - Newbury
Based on MHCLG Live Table 122 (2024-25, last 5 years) for Newbury
Across West Berkshire council
Places available
2,024
Applications
1,547
Got 1st preference
90.8%
Got preferred school
98.3%
All primary applications across West Berkshire council (2026/27), not just this school.
This school: Oversubscribed
Inspection History(9)
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
42
SEN Support
7
EHC Plans
22.2%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
221
Total Pupils
115
Boys
106
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
14
Teachers
15.8:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£51,225
Mean salary
2026 data
School Funding
£5,753
Per pupil
£1381k
Total funding
£94k
Pupil premium
2025-26 financial year allocations
Pupil Absence2024/25
4.9%
Overall absence
13.0%
Persistent absence
185
Enrolments
Absence trend
Source: DfE pupil absence statistics. Persistent absence = pupils missing 10%+ sessions.
Secondary Schools Nearby
Secondary schools pupils are likely to move to
Robert Sandilands Primary School and Nursery
Questions parents ask about Robert Sandilands Primary School and Nursery
What are SATs results like at Robert Sandilands Primary School and Nursery?
Of the pupils at Robert Sandilands Primary School and Nursery who took the 2025 Key Stage 2 assessments, 93% reached the expected standard in reading and 87% did so in maths.
What is Robert Sandilands Primary School and Nursery's Ofsted rating?
Robert Sandilands Primary School and Nursery's most recent Ofsted inspection, in March 2025, was ungraded, so it gave no overall grade. At its last graded inspection, in May 2016, it was rated Good.
What is the catchment area for Robert Sandilands Primary School and Nursery?
No fixed boundary. When Robert Sandilands Primary School and Nursery is oversubscribed, West Berkshire allocates places by its published criteria, usually ending with home-to-school distance.
Is it hard to get a place at Robert Sandilands Primary School and Nursery?
Robert Sandilands Primary School and Nursery was full in 2025, at 101% of its capacity, so places are allocated on the oversubscription criteria.
How big are the classes at Robert Sandilands Primary School and Nursery?
Classes at Robert Sandilands Primary School and Nursery average 29.7 pupils (2025/26). 1 class has more than 30 pupils - infant classes are capped at 30 by law, with limited exceptions.
How many pupils go to Robert Sandilands Primary School and Nursery?
Robert Sandilands Primary School and Nursery has around 221 pupils on roll. 25% are eligible for free school meals.
What is attendance like at Robert Sandilands Primary School and Nursery?
4.9% of sessions were missed at Robert Sandilands Primary School and Nursery in 2024/25. 13% of pupils were persistently absent (missing 10% or more of sessions).
How do I apply to Robert Sandilands Primary School and Nursery?
Apply through West Berkshire's coordinated admissions process, naming Robert Sandilands Primary School and Nursery on your application. Applications for Reception places starting in September 2027 close on Friday 15 January 2027, and offers are made on Friday 16 April 2027.
Does Robert Sandilands Primary School and Nursery have a breakfast club or after-school club?
Ofsted's childcare register lists an out-of-school club within a kilometre of Robert Sandilands Primary School and Nursery: Let Me Play @ Northcroft (730m away, registered, not yet graded). The school may also run its own clubs, which don't have to register with Ofsted.
How many road collisions happen near Robert Sandilands Primary School and Nursery?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 6 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 1 serious and 5 slight. 1 child aged 0 to 15 was hurt: 1 on a bicycle. 0 of the collisions happened on a weekday between 08:00 and 09:30 or 14:45 and 16:30, holidays included. The typical figure for schools in West Berkshire is 3 (the median across 99 schools, same distance and years).
Where is Robert Sandilands Primary School and Nursery?
Robert Sandilands Primary School and Nursery is at Digby Road, Speen, Newbury, Berkshire, RG14 1TS.
Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)