Sandbrook Community Primary School, Rochdale

Ofsted's report card from its 17 March 2026 inspection grades Sandbrook Community Primary School on 7 areas: 7 needs attention. Report cards replaced single-word judgements in November 2025, on a five-point scale from exceptional to urgent improvement.

Achievement - Needs attention. "The published results of national assessments at key stage 2 are below the national average."

Attendance and behaviour - Needs attention. "Pupils' overall attendance is below the national average."

Curriculum and teaching - Needs attention. "The curriculum is not taught in line with leaders' expectations across all year groups."

Early years - Needs attention. "The quality of teaching across the early years is inconsistent."

Inclusion - Needs attention. "Support for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) does not consistently match their needs across all classrooms."

Leadership and governance - Needs attention. "Leaders' evaluation of the school's effectiveness is not precise enough."

Personal development and wellbeing - Needs attention. "The impact of the personal development programme on pupils is variable."

Safeguarding standards were met.

Ofsted's next steps for the school: "Leaders should ensure that teaching across all year groups is effective so that pupils build knowledge and skills securely, gaps are closed quickly and pupils achieve more highly"; "Leaders should ensure that pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities and disadvantaged pupils receive teaching that reliably reduces barriers to their learning"; "Leaders should strengthen their attendance strategy so that persistent absence reduces at a faster rate and overall rates of attendance increase as a result"; "Leaders should ensure that the early years curriculum is consistently implemented well so that children are well prepared for Year 1"; "Leaders should ensure that high expectations for behaviour are understood and applied by all staff"; "Leaders should continue to remove barriers to participation so that all pupils, particularly those who are disadvantaged, benefit equally from the school's personal development offer"; "Leaders and governors should strengthen their strategic oversight so that self-evaluation is accurate, improvement actions are measured and governors are equipped to provide meaningful challenge and support".

Coming up: an open evening on Monday 16 November 2026 and an open evening on Thursday 19 November 2026. Check the school's website before you go, as dates can change.

In 2025, 66% of Year 6 pupils at Sandbrook Community Primary School reached the expected standard in reading and 65% in maths. At the average state primary the figures were 74% and 73% in Rochdale and 77% and 75% across England.

Results were similar in 2024 (64% in reading, 66% in maths).

For September 2026 entry, 57 families put Sandbrook Community Primary School as their first choice and 135 named it as one of their preferences, for 60 places offered. It had fewer first-choice applications than places. Every family who put it first was offered a place there for 2026 entry.

The nearest other state primary schools to Sandbrook Community Primary School are Ashfield Valley Primary School (0.4 miles, Good, 90% reading, 97% maths); Holy Family Roman Catholic Primary School, a Voluntary Academy (0.4 miles); St Mary's Church of England Primary School, Balderstone (0.5 miles); and Brimrod Community Primary School (0.7 miles, Good, 81% reading, 87% maths).

Each of them had higher 2025 results than Sandbrook Community Primary School.

Sandbrook Community Primary School is one of 9 schools run by Watergrove Trust, an academy trust.

Across the trust's primary schools, 68% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths in 2024/25.

34 parents answered Ofsted's Parent View survey about Sandbrook Community Primary School (as of April 2026): 56% would recommend the school, 62% say their child is happy there and 24% of those with a view say bullying is dealt with well.

The strongest agreement was that their child is happy at the school (62%); the weakest, that the school deals with bullying well (among parents with a view) (24%).

61.9% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, well above the average state school (25%), and 41.5% speak English as an additional language, against 18.8% on average, according to the 2026 school census.

The largest ethnic groups are White British (37%), Asian (33%) and Black (15%).

In 2026, 119 pupils (20.4%) received SEN support and 17 (2.9%) had an education, health and care plan, against 16.2% and 4.6% at the average state school. The most common need among them is speech, language and communication needs.

The nearest railway station is Rochdale Rail Station, about 0.8 miles away in a straight line.

15 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Hartley Lane (near), 120 metres away.

Measured by the 2025 English Indices of Deprivation, the neighbourhood Sandbrook Community Primary School stands in is among the 10% most deprived neighbourhoods in England. This describes where the school is, not where its pupils live.

In 2024/25, Sandbrook Community Primary School issued 33 suspensions, 5.5 for every 100 pupils (the average state school: 6.3), and 2 permanent exclusions.

The secondary schools closest to Sandbrook Community Primary School are Kingsway Park High School (0.9 miles); St Cuthbert's Roman Catholic High School, a Voluntary Academy (1 mile); and Matthew Moss High School (1.3 miles).