The Bay Church of England School, Sandown
The Bay Church of England School is an all-through school for pupils aged 4 to 16 in Sandown. It has a Church of England religious character. It was rated Good at its last graded Ofsted inspection, in February 2023. Its 2026 GCSE results were the 7th-highest of the 7 schools in Isle of Wight with published results, and 3,215th of 3,298 across England. It was 85% full in 2025.
- GCSE results
- Below England average
- Ofsted
- Good (2023)
- Demand
- Every first choice offered
- Attendance
- In line with England
- Progress (2024)
- Below average
Year 7 applications for September 2027 close in 5 days
Deadline Saturday 31 October 2026. Apply to Isle of Wight (the council where you live). Offers on 1 March.
Reception applications for September 2027 close in 81 days
Deadline Friday 15 January 2027. Apply to Isle of Wight (the council where you live). Offers on 16 April.
Data last updated 26 Oct 2026
The Bay Church of England School in detail
The Bay Church of England School in its own words
From the headteacher's welcome: "I am delighted to be able to introduce myself and welcome you to The Bay CE School. Within my role, I am very privileged to work alongside our talented and committed staff team in ensuring that all pupils in our care receive a high standard of teaching, in an inclusive, safe and stimulating environment."
Headteacher's welcome (school website)
Source: The school's own website
Results
In 2026, pupils at The Bay Church of England School averaged an Attainment 8 score of 32, the average grade across their best eight GCSEs. The average state school scored 40.1 in Isle of Wight and 47 across England.
16% passed English and maths at grade 5 or above, against 35% in Isle of Wight and 47% in England.
That is down from 38.3 in 2025.
Its most recent Progress 8 score, for 2024, was -0.48: pupils made below 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 27.7, against 33.6 for other pupils at the school - a gap of 5.9 points.
Pupils sat GCSEs in 23 subjects; after English and maths, the most popular were Combined Science, Geography and Hospitality and Catering.
Getting a place at The Bay Church of England School
For September 2026 entry, 137 families put The Bay Church of England School as their first choice and 256 named it as one of their preferences, for 190 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 The Bay Church of England School
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other state secondary schools to The Bay Church of England School are Lift Ryde (4.6 miles, Good, Attainment 8 43.2); and The Island Free School (4.7 miles, Good, Attainment 8 45.8).
Each of them had higher 2026 results than The Bay Church of England School.
Where pupils go next
Of the 154 pupils who finished Year 11 in 2023/24, 85% stayed in education or training for at least two terms, including 63% to a further education college, 3% to an apprenticeship and 1% into work.
Who goes there
5.6% speak English as an additional language, against 18.8% on average, according to the 2026 school census.
The Bay Church of England School has a resourced provision for autism: 12 places, 12 pupils on roll.
Getting there
The nearest railway station is Sandown Rail Station, about 210 metres away (roughly a 3-minute walk).
14 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Station Avenue (adjacent), 140 metres away.
Suspensions and exclusions
In 2024/25, The Bay Church of England School issued 430 suspensions, 34.4 for every 100 pupils (the average state school: 6.3), and 8 permanent exclusions.
Primary schools nearby
The primary schools closest to The Bay Church of England School are Broadlea Primary School (1 mile), Gatten and Lake Primary School (1.4 miles) and Brading Church of England Controlled Primary School (1.7 miles). Admission does not depend on which primary a child attends unless the school's policy names feeder schools.
Broadlea Primary SchoolGatten and Lake Primary SchoolBrading Church of England Controlled Primary School
Sources: DfE school performance data (averages: state mainstream schools); DfE school-level applications and offers; council admissions booklets; DfE appeals statistics; DfE destination measures; DfE school census and special educational needs statistics; NaPTAN (Department for Transport); DfE exclusions statistics
Key Information
DfE GIASOfsted Rating
Ofsted · 4 years agoOverall
Quality of Education
Behaviour & Attitudes
Personal Development
Leadership & Management
Early Years
Ofsted Insights
Ofsted rated this school Good at its February 2023 inspection.
Rated Good for
Quality of education, Behaviour & attitudes, Personal development, Leadership & management, Early years.
About
The Bay Church of England School is a co-educational all-through school located in Sandown on the Isle of Wight, England.
From Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0
At a Glance
29.9%
Free School Meals
No
Boarding
No
Nursery
No
Sixth Form
Resourced provision: Autism
SEN Provision
No
Special Measures
Secondary Performance (GCSE)
Academic year 2025/26GCSE Results
2025/26 academic year
Progress 8 has declined from -0.30 to -0.48 (2023 to 2024). Attainment 8 has declined from 37.4 to 32.0 (2023 to 2026). GCSE English & Maths 5+ has declined from 28% to 16% (2023 to 2026).
Performance by Group
| Group | Progress 8 | Attainment 8 | Eng+Maths 5+ |
|---|---|---|---|
| All pupils | - | 32.0 | 15.5% |
| Disadvantaged(44) | - | 27.7 | 6.8% |
| Not known to be disadvantaged(124) | - | 33.6 | 18.5% |
| Boys(100) | - | 29.4 | 13% |
| Girls(68) | - | 35.9 | 19.1% |
Show more breakdowns (2)
| Known or believed to be other than English(6) | - | 39.8 | 50% |
| Non mobile(151) | - | 32.6 | 15.9% |
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) - 154 students
2023/24 data
Exclusions & Suspensions
8
Permanent exclusions
0.64%
Exclusion rate
430
Suspensions
34.43%
Suspension rate
108 pupils received one or more suspensions out of 1,249 pupils
2024/25 academic year
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 1 nearby all-through school
Latest from The Bay Church of England School
Year 10 and 11 End of Year Chessington Trip and Thorpe Park - Friday 18th September 2026
14 Sep 2026
GCSE Results 2026
20 Aug 2026
The Bay CE School Wins Gold at Chale Show - Again!
1 Aug 2026
Sports Highlights 2025-26
23 Jul 2026
Sports Highlights 2025-26
23 Jul 2026
Celebration of Excellence 2026
22 Jul 2026
From The Bay Church of England School's website. School Signal is not affiliated with the school.
Social & online
Keep up with The Bay Church of England School
Getting There
Train Stations
Bus Stops
Free school transport
Check free transport to The Bay Church of England School from your postcode →
You apply to the council where you live. The Bay Church of England School is in Isle of Wight; for families living there:
Apply to Isle of Wight for free school transport. Its policy is on the council's website.
Safety and surroundings
Road collisions within 500 m (2021 to 2025)
- Collisions
- 13
- Fatal
- 0
- Serious
- 5
- Children hurt
- 2
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 13 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 5 serious and 8 slight.
2 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 1 on foot and 1 in a vehicle or otherwise.
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 Isle of Wight is 10 (the median across 51 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 The Bay Church of England School
Will you get a place at The Bay Church of England School? Get the admissions report
Your home postcode, set against The Bay Church of England School's admissions figures, in one report saved to your account.
What the report includes for The Bay Church of England School:
- The straight-line distance from your home to The Bay Church of England School.
- We hold no last distance offered figures from Isle of Wight, so the report covers demand, alternatives and dates.
- Applications, first choices and offers at The Bay Church of England School for 2014 to 2026 entry.
- How many families in Isle of Wight 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
85%
Available places
1,247 pupils
1,470 places
223 spare places in 2025
2025, DfE school capacity data
Area Demand Pressure - Sandown
Based on MHCLG Live Table 122 (2024-25, last 5 years) for Sandown
Across Isle of Wight council
Places available
1,388
Applications
1,221
Got 1st preference
83.4%
Got preferred school
94.3%
All secondary applications across Isle of Wight council (2026/27), not just this school.
This school: Every first choice offered
Inspection History(4)
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
197
SEN Support
68
EHC Plans
21.5%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
The Bay Church of England School has a resourced provision for autism: 12 places, 12 pupils on roll.
Source: GIAS, Department for Education.
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
1,232
Total Pupils
609
Boys
623
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
79
Teachers
15.6:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£47,545
Mean salary
2026 data
School Funding
£6,852
Per pupil
£9319k
Total funding
£389k
Pupil premium
2025-26 financial year allocations
Pupil Absence2024/25
8.0%
Overall absence
23.2%
Persistent absence
1,288
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
The Bay Church of England School
Questions parents ask about The Bay Church of England School
What are GCSE results like at The Bay Church of England School?
In the 2026 results, pupils at The Bay Church of England School achieved an Attainment 8 score of 32. 16% passed GCSE English and maths at grade 5 or above.
What is The Bay Church of England School's Ofsted rating?
The Bay Church of England School was rated Good at its most recent Ofsted inspection in February 2023.
What is the catchment area for The Bay Church of England School?
No fixed boundary. When The Bay Church of England School is oversubscribed, Isle of Wight allocates places by its published criteria, usually ending with home-to-school distance.
Is it hard to get a place at The Bay Church of England School?
The Bay Church of England School was not full in 2025: it ran at 85% of its 1470 places.
How big are the classes at The Bay Church of England School?
Classes at The Bay Church of England School average 24.1 pupils (2025/26).
How many pupils go to The Bay Church of England School?
The Bay Church of England School has around 1232 pupils on roll. 30% are eligible for free school meals.
Does The Bay Church of England School have specialist SEN provision?
The Bay Church of England School has a resourced provision for autism: 12 places, 12 pupils on roll.
What is attendance like at The Bay Church of England School?
8% of sessions were missed at The Bay Church of England School in 2024/25. 23.2% of pupils were persistently absent (missing 10% or more of sessions).
How do I apply to The Bay Church of England School?
Apply through Isle of Wight's coordinated admissions process, naming The Bay Church of England 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. Applications for Reception places starting in September 2027 close on Friday 15 January 2027, and offers are made on Friday 16 April 2027.
How many road collisions happen near The Bay Church of England School?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 13 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 5 serious and 8 slight. 2 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 1 on foot and 1 in a vehicle or otherwise. 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 Isle of Wight is 10 (the median across 51 schools, same distance and years).
Where is The Bay Church of England School?
The Bay Church of England School is at Winchester Park Road, Isle of Wight, Sandown, Isle of Wight, PO36 9BA.
Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)