Sandling Primary School, Maidstone
Sandling Primary School is a primary school for pupils aged 4 to 11 in Maidstone. It was rated Good at its last graded Ofsted inspection, in March 2012. Ofsted's ungraded inspection in May 2025 did not change this grade. Its 2025 Key Stage 2 results were the 22nd-highest of the 43 schools in Maidstone with published results, and 8,234th of 14,452 across England. It was 99% full in 2025.
- SATs results
- In line with England
- Ofsted
- Good (2012)
- Demand
- Every first choice offered
- Attendance
- In line with England
Reception applications for September 2027 close in 80 days
Deadline Friday 15 January 2027. Apply to Kent (the council where you live). Offers on 16 April.
Data last updated 27 Oct 2026
Sandling Primary School in detail
Sandling Primary School in its own words
In its own words: "We learn together - We achieve together - We have fun together At Sandling Primary School, we create a safe, welcoming and inclusive environment where every child is known, valued and respected as an individual. Guided by our motto, 'We learn, achieve and enjoy together,' we ensure children feel happy, confident and ready to learn each day."
Clubs and activities named on the school's website include football, netball, rugby, hockey, dance, choir, cooking, gardening, eco club and book club.
The school runs after-school care.
Vision and values (school website)Clubs (school website)Wraparound care (school website)
Source: The school's own website
Results
In 2025, 82% of Year 6 pupils at Sandling Primary School reached the expected standard in reading and 68% in maths. At the average state primary the figures were 77% and 73% in Kent and 77% and 75% across England.
Results fell from 92% in reading and 89% in maths in 2024.
Getting a place at Sandling Primary School
For September 2026 entry, 33 families put Sandling Primary School as their first choice and 107 named it as one of their preferences, for 44 places offered. It had fewer first-choice applications than places. Every family who put it first was offered a place there for 2026 entry.
Admissions history and your chances at Sandling Primary School
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other state primary schools to Sandling Primary School are St Paul's Infant School (0.5 miles, Good); North Borough Junior School (0.6 miles, Good, 75% reading, 77% maths); Valley Invicta Primary School At East Borough (1.1 miles, Good, 81% reading, 81% maths); and Brunswick House Primary School (1.4 miles, Good, 72% reading, 78% maths).
Each of them had higher 2025 results than Sandling Primary School.
St Paul's Infant SchoolNorth Borough Junior SchoolValley Invicta Primary School At East BoroughBrunswick House Primary School
What parents say
59 parents answered Ofsted's Parent View survey about Sandling Primary School (as of September 2025): 93% would recommend the school, 97% say their child is happy there and 75% of those with a view say bullying is dealt with well.
The strongest agreement was that their child is happy at the school (97%); the weakest, that the school deals with bullying well (among parents with a view) (75%).
Who goes there
10.2% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, well below the average state school (25%), according to the 2026 school census.
In 2026, 43 pupils (10.2%) received SEN support and 7 (1.7%) 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 social, emotional and mental health needs.
Getting there
The nearest railway station is Maidstone East Rail Station, about 1.1 miles away in a straight line.
3 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Woodlands Way (opposite), 290 metres away.
Suspensions and exclusions
In 2024/25, Sandling Primary School issued 28 suspensions, 6.7 for every 100 pupils (the average state school: 6.3), and no permanent exclusions.
Secondary schools nearby
The secondary schools closest to Sandling Primary School are Maidstone Grammar School for Girls (1.2 miles), Invicta Grammar School (1.2 miles), The Maplesden Noakes School (1.2 miles) and Valley Park School (1.3 miles).
Maidstone Grammar School for GirlsInvicta Grammar SchoolThe Maplesden Noakes SchoolValley Park 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 school census and special educational needs statistics; NaPTAN (Department for Transport); DfE exclusions statistics
Location
Every family who put it first was offered a place for 2026 entry, so distance did not limit places that year.
Key Information
DfE GIASOfsted Rating
Ofsted · 1 year agoThis judgement is from March 2012, 14 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
Early Years
Ofsted Insights
From Ofsted's May 2025 inspection report.
What This School Does Well
Sandling Primary School excels at creating a nurturing environment where children are happy and thriving, with parents speaking highly of the school's care and commitment to each child's development. The school offers a rich learning experience beyond the classroom, including weekly outdoor learning sessions and well-chosen extra-curricular clubs tailored to pupil interests. Teachers are expert in their subjects and skilled at explaining concepts clearly, with strong systems in place to identify and support pupils who need additional help, including those with SEND.
Key Strengths
- Highly ambitious, well-designed curriculum with detailed small steps that help all pupils, including those with SEND, achieve well -
- Expert phonics teaching and strong reading focus from Reception onwards, resulting in confident and fluent readers -
- High-quality pastoral care and strong sense of equality and justice, with pupils feeling safe, valued and listened to -
- Effective teaching strategies that check understanding and provide targeted support where needed -
- Positive staff expertise and subject knowledge that engages enthusiastic pupils in their learning
Areas for Improvement
- Mathematics teaching in Reception sometimes focuses on task completion rather than mathematical concept exploration, which may affect children's ability to apply learning as it progresses
Safeguarding
The arrangements for safeguarding are effective and the school has created an open and positive culture around safeguarding that puts pupils' interests first.
Extracurricular Activities
Extra-curricular clubs, weekly outdoor learning sessions, anti-bullying ambassadors, peer mediators, leadership opportunities
Sandling Primary School provides pupils with a rich and broad learning experience, prioritising both formal curriculum and wider development through well-considered enrichment opportunities. The school maintains good standards across all areas of education, behaviour, personal development, and leadership.
At a Glance
10.2%
Free School Meals
No
Boarding
No
Nursery
No
Sixth Form
No
Special Measures
What Parents Think
59 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 declined from 92% to 82% (2024 to 2025). Maths has declined from 89% to 68% (2024 to 2025). Writing has remained stable at around 87% (2024 to 2025).
Class Sizes
30.1
Avg class size
29.6
Infant (KS1)
30.4
KS2
13
Total classes
4 classes with more than 30 pupils
2025/26 academic year
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 5 nearby primary schools
Social & online
Keep up with Sandling Primary School
Before and after school care
Clubs on Ofsted's childcare register at or near Sandling Primary School.
- Busy Bodies OSCAt the school · Not yet graded
Getting There
Bus Stops
Free school transport
Check free transport to Sandling Primary School from your postcode →
You apply to the council where you live. Sandling Primary School is in Kent; for families living there:
Apply to Kent for free school transport. Its policy is on the council's website.
Safety and surroundings
Road collisions within 500 m (2021 to 2025)
- Collisions
- 17
- Fatal
- 0
- Serious
- 3
- Children hurt
- 2
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 17 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 3 serious and 14 slight.
2 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt.
5 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 Kent is 11 (the median across 711 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 Sandling Primary School
Will you get a place at Sandling Primary School? Get the admissions report
Your home postcode, set against Sandling Primary School's admissions figures, in one report saved to your account.
What the report includes for Sandling Primary School:
- The straight-line distance from your home to Sandling Primary School.
- We hold no last distance offered figures from Kent, so the report covers demand, alternatives and dates.
- Applications, first choices and offers at Sandling Primary School for 2014 to 2026 entry.
- How many families in Kent 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
99%
Near capacity
417 pupils
420 places
3 spare places in 2025
2025, DfE school capacity data
Area Demand Pressure - Maidstone
Based on MHCLG Live Table 122 (2024-25, last 5 years) for Maidstone
Across Kent council
Places available
18,893
Applications
16,593
Got 1st preference
89.7%
Got preferred school
98.2%
All primary applications across Kent council (2026/27), not just this school.
This school: Every first choice offered
Inspection History(8)
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
43
SEN Support
7
EHC Plans
11.9%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
421
Total Pupils
219
Boys
202
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
20
Teachers
21.1:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£47,388
Mean salary
2026 data
School Funding
£4,991
Per pupil
£2218k
Total funding
£41k
Pupil premium
2025-26 financial year allocations
Pupil Absence2024/25
4.3%
Overall absence
8.8%
Persistent absence
374
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
Questions parents ask about Sandling Primary School
What are SATs results like at Sandling Primary School?
Of the pupils at Sandling Primary School who took the 2025 Key Stage 2 assessments, 82% reached the expected standard in reading and 68% did so in maths.
What is Sandling Primary School's Ofsted rating?
Sandling Primary School's most recent Ofsted inspection, in May 2025, was ungraded, so it gave no overall grade. At its last graded inspection, in March 2012, it was rated Good.
What is the catchment area for Sandling Primary School?
No fixed boundary. When Sandling Primary School is oversubscribed, Kent allocates places by its published criteria, usually ending with home-to-school distance.
Is it hard to get a place at Sandling Primary School?
Sandling Primary School was close to full in 2025, at 99% of its capacity.
How big are the classes at Sandling Primary School?
Classes at Sandling Primary School average 30.1 pupils (2025/26). 4 classes have more than 30 pupils - infant classes are capped at 30 by law, with limited exceptions.
How many pupils go to Sandling Primary School?
Sandling Primary School has around 421 pupils on roll. 10% are eligible for free school meals.
What is attendance like at Sandling Primary School?
4.3% of sessions were missed at Sandling Primary School in 2024/25. 8.8% of pupils were persistently absent (missing 10% or more of sessions).
How do I apply to Sandling Primary School?
Apply through Kent's coordinated admissions process, naming Sandling Primary School 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 Sandling Primary School have a breakfast club or after-school club?
Ofsted's childcare register lists an out-of-school club at the school: Busy Bodies OSC (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 Sandling Primary School?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 17 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 3 serious and 14 slight. 2 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt. 5 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 Kent is 11 (the median across 711 schools, same distance and years).
Where is Sandling Primary School?
Sandling Primary School is at Ashburnham Road, Penenden Heath, Maidstone, Kent, ME14 2JG.
Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)