Sandbach School, Sandbach
Sandbach School is a secondary school for boys aged 11 to 19 in Sandbach. It was rated Good at its last graded Ofsted inspection, in November 2014. Ofsted's ungraded inspection in March 2025 did not change this grade. Its 2026 GCSE results were the 14th-highest of the 21 schools in Cheshire East with published results, and 1,656th of 3,298 across England. It was full in 2025, at 103% of capacity.
- GCSE results
- In line with England
- Ofsted
- Good (2014)
- Demand
- Oversubscribed
- Attendance
- Better than England average
- Progress (2024)
- Above average
Year 7 applications for September 2027 close in 5 days
Deadline Saturday 31 October 2026. Apply to Cheshire East (the council where you live). Offers on 1 March.
Data last updated 26 Oct 2026
Sandbach School in detail
Results
In 2026, pupils at Sandbach School averaged an Attainment 8 score of 45.9, the average grade across their best eight GCSEs. The average state school scored 46.1 in Cheshire East and 47 across England.
42% passed English and maths at grade 5 or above, against 43% in Cheshire East and 47% in England.
That is down from 48.2 in 2025.
Its most recent Progress 8 score, for 2024, was 0.28: pupils made above average progress compared with pupils nationally who started secondary school at the same level. Progress 8 was not published for 2026.
Disadvantaged pupils averaged an Attainment 8 of 35.5, against 47.7 for other pupils at the school - a gap of 12.2 points.
Pupils sat GCSEs in 23 subjects; after English and maths, the most popular were Combined Science, Food Preparation and Nutrition and Business Studies.
Getting a place at Sandbach School
For September 2026 entry, 253 families put Sandbach School as their first choice and 403 named it as one of their preferences, for 236 places offered. That is 1.1 first choices for every place. 21 families who put it first were not offered a place there.
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other state secondary schools to Sandbach School are Sandbach High School and Sixth Form College (0.2 miles, Good, Attainment 8 54.3); Sir William Stanier School (3.6 miles, Requires improvement, Attainment 8 27.4); Alsager School (3.7 miles, Good, Attainment 8 48.6); and Holmes Chapel Comprehensive School (3.7 miles, Good, Attainment 8 49.4).
Sandbach School's 2026 results were higher than 1 of these 4 schools.
Sandbach High School and Sixth Form CollegeSir William Stanier SchoolAlsager SchoolHolmes Chapel Comprehensive School
What parents say
274 parents answered Ofsted's Parent View survey about Sandbach School (as of September 2025): 88% would recommend the school, 89% 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 does well at the school (90%); the weakest, that the school deals with bullying well (among parents with a view) (72%).
Where pupils go next
Of the 264 pupils who finished Year 11 in 2023/24, 89% stayed in education or training for at least two terms, including 34% to a further education college, 6% to an apprenticeship and 2% into work.
Of the 146 students who left the sixth form in 2023/24, 55% went on to university or other higher education, 13% to apprenticeships and 21% into work. 23% went to one of the most selective third of universities.
Who goes there
12.8% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, well below the average state school (25%), and 6.8% speak English as an additional language, against 18.8% on average, according to the 2026 school census.
Getting there
The nearest railway station is Sandbach Rail Station, about 1.1 miles away in a straight line.
13 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is High School for Boys (bay 1), 70 metres away.
The area around the school
Measured by the 2025 English Indices of Deprivation, the neighbourhood Sandbach School stands in is among the 20% least deprived neighbourhoods in England. This describes where the school is, not where its pupils live.
Suspensions and exclusions
In 2024/25, Sandbach School issued 212 suspensions, 14.1 for every 100 pupils (the average state school: 6.3), and 4 permanent exclusions.
Primary schools nearby
The primary schools closest to Sandbach School are Sandbach Primary Academy (0.1 miles), Offley Primary Academy (0.5 miles), Wheelock Primary School (0.6 miles) and Elworth Hall Primary School (0.7 miles). Admission does not depend on which primary a child attends unless the school's policy names feeder schools.
Sandbach Primary AcademyOffley Primary AcademyWheelock Primary SchoolElworth Hall Primary School
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 destination measures; DfE school census and special educational needs statistics; NaPTAN (Department for Transport); English Indices of Deprivation 2025 (MHCLG); data.police.uk street-level crime; DfE exclusions statistics
Key Information
DfE GIASOfsted Rating
Ofsted · 2 years agoThis judgement is from November 2014, 11 years ago, longer than Ofsted's usual 4-year cycle: the school may have changed since.
Overall
Quality of Education
Behaviour & Attitudes
Personal Development
Leadership & Management
Sixth Form
Ofsted Insights
From Ofsted's March 2025 inspection report.
What This School Does Well
Sandbach School excels at preparing sixth-form students for their futures with outstanding support and teaching. Teachers are knowledgeable and create engaging lessons where pupils develop strong knowledge across many subjects. The school values kindness and respect, with pupils and staff building positive relationships in a calm, orderly environment.
Key Strengths
- Sixth-form provision is outstanding, with students exceptionally well prepared for their futures
- Teachers demonstrate strong subject knowledge and pupils develop rich knowledge across the curriculum
- School has created an inclusive culture where pupils are kind, polite, and proud to support anti-bullying, anti-racist and anti-misogynistic values
- Pupils with SEND receive expert support with effective learning strategies
- Well-designed personal development programme with excellent careers education and diverse clubs and activities
Areas for Improvement
- In some subjects, teachers do not routinely check for misconceptions or gaps in learning, so some pupils move on before ready
- Systems to identify gaps in reading knowledge are not robust enough, meaning some struggling readers miss tailored support
- Assessment strategies in a small number of subjects do not accurately show what pupils know or can do
Safeguarding
Safeguarding arrangements are effective with a positive culture that puts pupils' interests first.
Extracurricular Activities
Sporting activities, performing arts clubs, Combined Cadet Force, house darts competition, SENATE and house captain leadership roles, community technological support
Sandbach School is a secondary comprehensive academy where pupils and sixth-form students are well supported and behave respectfully. The school has a broad, ambitious curriculum with strong teaching, though some assessment processes need refining to better identify learning gaps.
About
Sandbach School is an 11–18 boys free school in Sandbach, Cheshire, north-west England. It was established in 1677 by local philanthropists, including Richard Lea, who donated the land for the school, and Francis Welles, who helped to fund the schoolhouse.
From Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0
At a Glance
12.8%
Free School Meals
No
Boarding
No
Nursery
Yes
Sixth Form
No
Special Measures
What Parents Think
274 responsesSource: Ofsted Parent View, responses as at September 2025 - % who strongly agree or agree
Secondary Performance (GCSE)
Academic year 2025/26GCSE Results
2025/26 academic year
Progress 8 has improved from -0.03 to 0.28 (2023 to 2024). Attainment 8 has declined from 48.7 to 45.9 (2023 to 2026). GCSE English & Maths 5+ has declined from 49% to 42% (2023 to 2026).
Performance by Group
| Group | Progress 8 | Attainment 8 | Eng+Maths 5+ |
|---|---|---|---|
| All pupils | - | 45.9 | 41.5% |
| Disadvantaged(39) | - | 35.5 | 25.6% |
| Not known to be disadvantaged(221) | - | 47.7 | 44.3% |
| Boys(260) | - | 45.9 | 41.5% |
Show more breakdowns (2)
| Known or believed to be other than English(21) | - | 54.5 | 57.1% |
| Non mobile(253) | - | 46.2 | 42.3% |
2025/26 academic year - DfE performance tables data
GCSE Subjects Offered
+ 3 more subjects
2025/26 academic year - entries by number of pupils
After GCSEs - Leaver Destinations
After GCSEs (Year 11) - 264 students
2023/24 data
Exclusions & Suspensions
4
Permanent exclusions
0.27%
Exclusion rate
212
Suspensions
14.14%
Suspension rate
80 pupils received one or more suspensions out of 1,499 pupils
2024/25 academic year
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 5 nearby secondary schools
Keep up with Sandbach School
Term dates
Sandbach School is a free school, so it sets its own term dates: check the school's website. As a guide, see Cheshire East's term dates for its community schools.
Getting There
Bus Stops
Free school transport
Check free transport to Sandbach School from your postcode →
You apply to the council where you live. Sandbach School is in Cheshire East; for families living there:
- Cheshire East's school travel policy: Compulsory school age travel policy
Safety and surroundings
Road collisions within 500 m (2021 to 2025)
- Collisions
- 25
- Fatal
- 0
- Serious
- 5
- Children hurt
- 7
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 25 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 5 serious and 20 slight.
7 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 3 on foot, 3 on a bicycle and 1 in a vehicle or otherwise.
7 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 Cheshire East is 6 (the median across 180 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 Sandbach School
Will you get a place at Sandbach School? Get the admissions report
Your home postcode, set against Sandbach School's admissions figures, in one report saved to your account.
What the report includes for Sandbach School:
- The straight-line distance from your home to Sandbach School.
- We hold no last distance offered figures from Cheshire East, so the report covers demand, alternatives and dates.
- Applications, first choices and offers at Sandbach School for 2014 to 2026 entry.
- How many families in Cheshire East 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.
£9.99 once
One school, inc. VAT. Or £19.99 for up to three schools.
Pro £9 a month, every report included, cancel any time
A report for any school, plus everything else in Pro.
Capacity & Demand
School Occupancy
103%
Over capacity
1,500 pupils
1,450 places
50 pupils over capacity in 2025
2025, DfE school capacity data
Area Demand Pressure - Sandbach
Based on MHCLG Live Table 122 (2024-25, last 5 years) for Sandbach
Across Cheshire East council
Places available
4,404
Applications
4,072
Got 1st preference
93.1%
Got preferred school
98.2%
All secondary applications across Cheshire East council (2026/27), not just this school.
This school: Oversubscribed
Inspection History(6)
Ungraded inspection: The school remains Good, but Ofsted raised concerns; its next inspection will be a full graded one.
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
228
SEN Support
57
EHC Plans
18.6%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
1,534
Total Pupils
1,439
Boys
95
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
104
Teachers
14.8:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£45,213
Mean salary
2026 data
School Funding
£6,615
Per pupil
£8351k
Total funding
£194k
Pupil premium
2025-26 financial year allocations
Pupil Absence2024/25
7.4%
Overall absence
18.3%
Persistent absence
1,226
Enrolments
Absence trend
Source: DfE pupil absence statistics. Persistent absence = pupils missing 10%+ sessions.
Feeder Primary Schools
Primary schools that likely feed into this school, based on proximity
Questions parents ask about Sandbach School
What are GCSE results like at Sandbach School?
In the 2026 results, pupils at Sandbach School achieved an Attainment 8 score of 45.9. 42% passed GCSE English and maths at grade 5 or above.
What is Sandbach School's Ofsted rating?
Sandbach School's most recent Ofsted inspection, in March 2025, was ungraded, so it gave no overall grade. At its last graded inspection, in November 2014, it was rated Good.
What is the catchment area for Sandbach School?
No fixed boundary. When Sandbach School is oversubscribed, Cheshire East allocates places by its published criteria, usually ending with home-to-school distance.
Is it hard to get a place at Sandbach School?
Sandbach School was full in 2025, at 103% of its capacity, so places are allocated on the oversubscription criteria.
How big are the classes at Sandbach School?
Classes at Sandbach School average 21.3 pupils (2025/26).
How many pupils go to Sandbach School?
Sandbach School has around 1534 pupils on roll. 13% are eligible for free school meals.
What is attendance like at Sandbach School?
7.4% of sessions were missed at Sandbach School in 2024/25. 18.3% of pupils were persistently absent (missing 10% or more of sessions).
How do I apply to Sandbach School?
Apply through Cheshire East's coordinated admissions process, naming Sandbach School on your application. Applications for Year 7 places starting in September 2027 close on Saturday 31 October 2026, and offers are made on Monday 1 March 2027.
How many road collisions happen near Sandbach School?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 25 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 5 serious and 20 slight. 7 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 3 on foot, 3 on a bicycle and 1 in a vehicle or otherwise. 7 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 Cheshire East is 6 (the median across 180 schools, same distance and years).
Where is Sandbach School?
Sandbach School is at Crewe Road, Sandbach, Cheshire, CW11 3NS.
Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)