Sands School, Newton Abbot
Sands School is an independent school for pupils aged 11 to 18 in Newton Abbot. It is inspected by the Independent Schools Inspectorate (ISI) rather than Ofsted; its most recent ISI inspection was a non-routine inspection in July 2025.
Data last updated 26 Oct 2026
Sands School in detail
Results
The Department for Education's GCSE measures do not count IGCSEs, which many independent schools take instead of GCSEs, so the Attainment 8 and English and maths figures it publishes for Sands School can understate its results. We do not rank or compare them; ask the school for its own GCSE and IGCSE results.
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other independent schools to Sands School are South Devon Steiner School (4.3 miles), St Christophers School (4.4 miles) and Park School (5.1 miles).
Who goes there
In 2026, 22 pupils (32.8%) received SEN support and 8 (11.9%) had an education, health and care plan.
Getting there
The nearest tram or metro stop is Buckfastleigh (South Devon Railway), about 2.4 miles away in a straight line.
7 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Memorial (opposite), 180 metres away.
Sources: DfE school performance data (averages: state mainstream schools); DfE school census and special educational needs statistics; NaPTAN (Department for Transport)
Key Information
DfE GIASISI Inspection Reports
Independent schools in England are inspected by the Independent Schools Inspectorate (ISI), not Ofsted. Ofsted last inspected this school in 1 November 2016, before the latest ISI inspection.
Non-Routine Inspection
7 July 2025
Non-Routine Inspection
4 December 2024
Routine Inspection
27 February 2024
Regulatory Compliance
27 November 2019
About
Sands School is a private democratic school in Ashburton, Devon in England.
From Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0
At a Glance
No
Boarding
No
Nursery
Yes
Sixth Form
No
Special Measures
Social & online
Keep up with Sands School
Getting There
Bus Stops
Safety and surroundings
Road collisions within 500 m (2021 to 2025)
- Collisions
- 7
- Fatal
- 0
- Serious
- 2
- Children hurt
- 0
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 7 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 2 serious and 5 slight.
No children aged 0 to 15 were among the people hurt.
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 Devon is 3 (the median across 426 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
Capacity & Demand
School Occupancy
80%
Available places
67 pupils
84 places
17 spare places
as recorded on GIAS
Area Demand Pressure - Newton Abbot
Based on MHCLG Live Table 122 (2024-25, last 5 years) for Newton Abbot
Across Devon council
Places available
7,788
Applications
7,251
Got 1st preference
93.3%
Got preferred school
98.4%
All secondary applications across Devon council (2026/27), not just this school.
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
22
SEN Support
8
EHC Plans
44.8%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Pupils by Need Type
No need-level breakdown available
Pupil Demographics
Key Indicators
67
Total Pupils
23
Boys
44
Girls
2026 academic year
Feeder Primary Schools
Primary schools that likely feed into this school, based on proximity
Sands School
Questions parents ask about Sands School
What are GCSE results like at Sands School?
The Department for Education's GCSE measures do not count IGCSEs, which many independent schools take instead of GCSEs, so the Attainment 8 and English and maths figures it publishes for Sands School can understate its results. We do not rank or compare them; ask the school for its own GCSE and IGCSE results.
When was Sands School last inspected?
Sands School is inspected by the Independent Schools Inspectorate (ISI) rather than Ofsted. Its most recent ISI inspection was a non-routine inspection in July 2025.
How many pupils go to Sands School?
Sands School has around 67 pupils on roll.
How do I apply to Sands School?
Sands School is an independent school and runs its own admissions rather than going through the local authority. Contact the school directly for entry requirements, assessment dates, fees and any bursaries.
How many road collisions happen near Sands School?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 7 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 2 serious and 5 slight. No children aged 0 to 15 were among the people hurt. 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 Devon is 3 (the median across 426 schools, same distance and years).
Where is Sands School?
Sands School is at 48 East Street, Ashburton, Newton Abbot, Devon, TQ13 7AX.
Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)