St Swithun's Church of England VC Primary School, Sandy
St Swithun's Church of England VC Primary School is a primary school for pupils aged 3 to 11 in Sandy. It has a Church of England religious character. It was rated Good at its last graded Ofsted inspection, in January 2017. Ofsted's ungraded inspection in December 2022 did not change this grade. Its 2025 Key Stage 2 results were the 7th-highest of the 7 schools in Sandy with published results, and 14,146th of 14,452 across England. It was 82% full in 2025.
- SATs results
- Below England average
- Ofsted
- Good (2017)
- Demand
- Every first choice offered
- Attendance
- In line with England
Reception applications for September 2027 close in 81 days
Deadline Friday 15 January 2027. Apply to Central Bedfordshire (the council where you live). Offers on 16 April.
Data last updated 26 Oct 2026
St Swithun's Church of England VC Primary School in detail
Results
In 2025, 50% of Year 6 pupils at St Swithun's Church of England VC Primary School reached the expected standard in reading and 42% in maths. At the average state primary the figures were 72% and 66% in Central Bedfordshire and 77% and 75% across England.
Results fell from 74% in reading and 44% in maths in 2024.
With small year groups, a few pupils can move these figures by several points.
Getting a place at St Swithun's Church of England VC Primary School
For September 2026 entry, 14 families put St Swithun's Church of England VC Primary School as their first choice and 40 named it as one of their preferences, for 14 places offered. That is one first choice for every place. Every family who put it first was offered a place there for 2026 entry.
Admissions history and your chances at St Swithun's Church of England VC Primary School
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other state primary schools to St Swithun's Church of England VC Primary School are Robert Peel Primary School (0.5 miles, Good, 72% reading, 79% maths); Laburnum Primary School (0.5 miles, 78% reading, 81% maths); Maple Tree Primary School (1.1 miles, Good, 79% reading, 71% maths); and John Donne Church of England Primary School (2 miles, Requires improvement, 59% reading, 35% maths).
Each of them had higher 2025 results than St Swithun's Church of England VC Primary School.
Robert Peel Primary SchoolLaburnum Primary SchoolMaple Tree Primary SchoolJohn Donne Church of England Primary School
Who goes there
15.7% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, well below the average state school (25%), and 2.9% speak English as an additional language, against 18.8% on average, according to the 2026 school census.
The largest ethnic groups are White British (81%) and Mixed (12%).
In 2026, 26 pupils (15.1%) received SEN support and 19 (11%) 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 autism.
St Swithun's Church of England VC Primary School has a resourced provision for autism: 8 places, 8 pupils on roll.
Staffing
St Swithun's Church of England VC Primary School had 12 teachers in 2026, one for every 14 pupils: more teachers per pupil than a typical primary school, at about one for every 20.
Getting there
The nearest railway station is Sandy Rail Station, about 290 metres away (roughly a 4-minute walk).
4 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Station Road (near), 130 metres away.
The area around the school
In August 2026, police recorded 89 crimes within a mile of the school, most often violence and sexual offences, anti-social behaviour and criminal damage and arson. That is well above the typical figure around schools in Central Bedfordshire (47), as is usual near a town centre.
Suspensions and exclusions
In 2024/25, St Swithun's Church of England VC Primary School issued 22 suspensions, 11.2 for every 100 pupils (the average state school: 6.3), and no permanent exclusions.
Sources: DfE school performance data (averages: state mainstream schools); DfE school-level applications and offers; council admissions booklets; DfE appeals statistics; DfE school census and special educational needs statistics; DfE school workforce census; 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 · 4 years agoThis judgement is from January 2017, 9 years ago, longer than Ofsted's usual 4-year cycle: the school may have changed since.
Overall
Latest (ungraded) inspection: The school remains Good.
Ofsted Insights
Ofsted rated this school Good at its January 2017 inspection - unchanged since its previous inspection.
Rated Good for
Leadership & management.
At a Glance
15.7%
Free School Meals
No
Boarding
Yes
Nursery
No
Sixth Form
Resourced provision: Autism
SEN Provision
No
Special Measures
Primary Performance (KS2)
Academic year 2024/25KS2 Results (% meeting expected standard)
Reading has declined from 74% to 50% (2024 to 2025). Maths has remained stable at around 42% (2024 to 2025). Writing has declined from 70% to 62% (2024 to 2025).
Class Sizes
18.1
Avg class size
20.0
Infant (KS1)
20.3
KS2
9
Total classes
2025/26 academic year
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 5 nearby primary schools
Keep up with St Swithun's Church of England VC Primary School
Before and after school care
Clubs on Ofsted's childcare register at or near St Swithun's Church of England VC Primary School.
- St Swithun's Play Active ClubAt the school · Not yet graded
- Laburnum Play Active Club730m away · Not yet graded
Getting There
Train Stations
Bus Stops
Free school transport
Check free transport to St Swithun's Church of England VC Primary School from your postcode →
You apply to the council where you live. St Swithun's Church of England VC Primary School is in Central Bedfordshire; for families living there:
- Central Bedfordshire's school travel policy: Apply for school transport
Safety and surroundings
Road collisions within 500 m (2021 to 2025)
- Collisions
- 8
- Fatal
- 0
- Serious
- 1
- Children hurt
- 0
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 8 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 1 serious and 7 slight.
No children aged 0 to 15 were among the people hurt.
3 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 Central Bedfordshire is 6 (the median across 135 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 St Swithun's Church of England VC Primary School
Will you get a place at St Swithun's Church of England VC Primary School? Get the admissions report
Your home postcode, set against St Swithun's Church of England VC Primary School's admissions figures, in one report saved to your account.
What the report includes for St Swithun's Church of England VC Primary School:
- The straight-line distance from your home to St Swithun's Church of England VC Primary School.
- We hold no last distance offered figures from Central Bedfordshire, so the report covers demand, alternatives and dates.
- Applications, first choices and offers at St Swithun's Church of England VC Primary School for 2014 to 2026 entry.
- How many families in Central Bedfordshire 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
82%
Available places
172 pupils
210 places
38 spare places in 2025
2025, DfE school capacity data
Area Demand Pressure - Sandy
Based on MHCLG Live Table 122 (2024-25, last 5 years) for Sandy
Across Central Bedfordshire council
Places available
4,158
Applications
3,678
Got 1st preference
90.3%
Got preferred school
97.7%
All primary applications across Central Bedfordshire council (2026/27), not just this school.
This school: Every first choice offered
Inspection History(6)
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
26
SEN Support
19
EHC Plans
26.2%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
St Swithun's Church of England VC Primary School has a resourced provision for autism: 8 places, 8 pupils on roll.
Source: GIAS, Department for Education.
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
172
Total Pupils
96
Boys
76
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
12
Teachers
14.3:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£55,251
Mean salary
2026 data
School Funding
£5,463
Per pupil
£1140k
Total funding
£52k
Pupil premium
2025-26 financial year allocations
Pupil Absence2024/25
5.8%
Overall absence
11.4%
Persistent absence
166
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
St Swithun's Church of England VC Primary School
Questions parents ask about St Swithun's Church of England VC Primary School
What are SATs results like at St Swithun's Church of England VC Primary School?
Of the pupils at St Swithun's Church of England VC Primary School who took the 2025 Key Stage 2 assessments, 50% reached the expected standard in reading and 42% did so in maths.
What is St Swithun's Church of England VC Primary School's Ofsted rating?
St Swithun's Church of England VC Primary School's most recent Ofsted inspection, in December 2022, was ungraded, so it gave no overall grade. At its last graded inspection, in January 2017, it was rated Good.
What is the catchment area for St Swithun's Church of England VC Primary School?
No fixed boundary. When St Swithun's Church of England VC Primary School is oversubscribed, Central Bedfordshire allocates places by its published criteria, usually ending with home-to-school distance.
Is it hard to get a place at St Swithun's Church of England VC Primary School?
St Swithun's Church of England VC Primary School was not full in 2025: it ran at 82% of its 210 places.
How big are the classes at St Swithun's Church of England VC Primary School?
Classes at St Swithun's Church of England VC Primary School average 18.1 pupils (2025/26).
How many pupils go to St Swithun's Church of England VC Primary School?
St Swithun's Church of England VC Primary School has around 172 pupils on roll. 16% are eligible for free school meals.
Does St Swithun's Church of England VC Primary School have specialist SEN provision?
St Swithun's Church of England VC Primary School has a resourced provision for autism: 8 places, 8 pupils on roll.
What is attendance like at St Swithun's Church of England VC Primary School?
5.8% of sessions were missed at St Swithun's Church of England VC Primary School in 2024/25. 11.4% of pupils were persistently absent (missing 10% or more of sessions).
How do I apply to St Swithun's Church of England VC Primary School?
Apply through Central Bedfordshire's coordinated admissions process, naming St Swithun's Church of England VC 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 St Swithun's Church of England VC Primary School have a breakfast club or after-school club?
Ofsted's childcare register lists an out-of-school club at the school: St Swithun's Play Active Club (registered, not yet graded). There is another within a kilometre. The school may also run its own clubs, which don't have to register with Ofsted.
How many road collisions happen near St Swithun's Church of England VC Primary School?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 8 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 1 serious and 7 slight. No children aged 0 to 15 were among the people hurt. 3 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 Central Bedfordshire is 6 (the median across 135 schools, same distance and years).
Where is St Swithun's Church of England VC Primary School?
St Swithun's Church of England VC Primary School is at Ivel Road, Sandy, Bedfordshire, SG19 1AX.
Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)