Sandal Castle VA Community Primary School

Sandal Castle VA Community Primary School is a welcoming, friendly primary where pupils are happy and safe, and safeguarding is effective. The school has experienced significant turbulence since its last inspection, but the new leadership team has brought rapid and sustained change, and leadership and management are now good. The curriculum has been recently reviewed and is clearly sequenced, pupils with SEND are identified quickly and supported well, and phonics is improving. Staff and governors are well supported, and most parents recognise the improvements. However, the quality of education, behaviour and attitudes, personal development and early years provision all require improvement. Recent curriculum changes are not yet fully embedded, and assessment is not used consistently enough to close gaps. Reading beyond Year 1 does not build well enough on phonics, writing basics are not taught systematically from the early years, and early years outdoor learning is not planned with enough purpose. Behaviour in lessons is good, but expectations at unstructured times are inconsistent, and some pupils experience unkind behaviour that is not always addressed promptly. Personal development has gaps from previous work, although new provision is being introduced. Inspectors concluded that the school needs to strengthen assessment, reading, writing and behaviour consistency. The report recognises the school's capacity to improve, with effective leadership, committed staff and clear awareness of priorities.

Strengths

• Pupils are happy, safe and feel cared for in a welcoming school.
• Leaders have driven rapid and sustained improvement across all areas.
• The curriculum has been recently reviewed and is clearly sequenced in all subjects.
• Pupils with SEND are identified quickly and access an ambitious curriculum with effective support.
• The quality of phonics learning has improved, with higher expectations and targeted support.
• Pupils behave well in lessons and respond positively to rewards and consequences.
• Pupils benefit from extracurricular clubs, trips and newly introduced leadership roles.
• Safeguarding arrangements are effective.
• Staff are extremely positive about leader support, and governors provide appropriate challenge.

Areas for Improvement

• Assessment systems do not consistently identify and address gaps or misconceptions in pupils' learning.
• Reading beyond Year 1 does not build well on phonics, limiting fluency and comprehension, especially for disadvantaged pupils.
• The writing curriculum does not teach basic skills such as letter formation systematically from the early years.
• Early years outdoor learning is not planned purposefully enough to match children's needs and the curriculum.
• Behaviour at unstructured times is inconsistent, and some unkind behaviour is not dealt with promptly.
• Personal development has gaps from previous work, though improvements have begun.
• Not all pupils achieve as well as they should in all subjects because curriculum changes are very recent.

Admissions: local authority offers data from the Department for Education. A school is oversubscribed when at least 5% of the families who put it first were not offered a place, and undersubscribed when everyone who put it first got in but 10% or more of its places were unfilled in the Department's school capacity survey (the latest survey is used for entry years it does not cover). Places: Department for Education, School capacity, from local authorities' annual survey as at 1 May. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024–25); the survey was not run in 2020. Places include sixth form places. Forecasts are the local authority's own for the school's planning area, an area it uses to plan places that is not the school's catchment area. The forecast starts from a head count in 2025; the dashed line is the Department's estimate of places in that area, including those the authority has firm plans for. Planned places are cumulative, and only those with firm plans are counted.

In 2024–25 pupils at Sandal Castle VA Community Primary School attended 94.6% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 13.7% of pupils were persistently absent, missing at least one session in ten (nationally 13.0%).

Sessions missed

Pupils persistently absent

Source: Department for Education, Pupil absence in schools in England. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024/25). Persistent absence means missing 10% or more of sessions; severe absence means 50% or more. No figures were published for 2019/20.

In 2024–25, 1.1% of pupils at Sandal Castle VA Community Primary School were suspended at least once (nationally 1.1%). 2 pupils were permanently excluded.

Pupils suspended at least once

Source: Department for Education, Suspensions and permanent exclusions in England. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024/25). A pupil can be suspended more than once, so suspensions per 100 pupils can be higher than the share of pupils suspended. Very small numbers are hidden by the DfE. Exclusion figures dropped in 2020 and 2021 because of school closures.

In 2025–26 Sandal Castle VA Community Primary School had 23.9 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 9.0% were no longer at the school a year later (nationally 15.7%).

Pupils per teacher

Teachers who left the school within a year

Source: Department for Education, School workforce in England. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024/25). Pupils per teacher counts full-time-equivalent pupils and teachers. Turnover is the share of a year's teachers (full-time equivalent) who were not at the school the following year, whether they moved to another school or left state-funded teaching. Turnover and sickness figures run one year behind the ratios. Sick leave is the share of teachers who took at least one day in the year, so it swings widely at small schools, where a few teachers can make it 0% or 100%. The national figures are for all state schools of the same type.

In 2025–26, 21.4% of pupils at Sandal Castle VA Community Primary School were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 3.5% had an education, health and care (EHC) plan (nationally 4.1%).

Pupils by main type of need

Source: Department for Education, Special educational needs in England (the 2025–26 school census). SEN support is extra help in school without an EHC plan. National figures are for all state-funded primary schools. Counts are as published, with small numbers not hidden.

In 2025–26 Sandal Castle VA Community Primary School received £6,400 and spent £6,356 for each of its 608 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £231,000 (£380 per pupil).

Income per pupil

Spending per pupil

Source: Department for Education, Financial Benchmarking and Insights Tool. Each year is the one the financial year ends in (2024 is 2023–24).

• Primary Schools
• Secondary Schools

All schools in Wakefield · Wakefield local authority: places and applications

What is Sandal Castle VA Community Primary School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Sandal Castle VA Community Primary School is Requires Improvement, from an inspection in February 2025.

When was Sandal Castle VA Community Primary School last inspected by Ofsted?

Sandal Castle VA Community Primary School was last inspected in February 2025.

How many pupils does Sandal Castle VA Community Primary School have?

Sandal Castle VA Community Primary School has 608 pupils on roll.

What age range does Sandal Castle VA Community Primary School cover?

Sandal Castle VA Community Primary School for pupils aged 4 to 11.

What are Sandal Castle VA Community Primary School's SATs (KS2) results?

In 2025, 45% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is Sandal Castle VA Community Primary School?

Sandal Castle VA Community Primary School is at Barnsley Road, Wakefield, WF2 6AS.