Robert Peel Primary School

Robert Peel Primary School is a friendly, inclusive primary where pupils feel safe, happy and cared for. The inspection found strong pastoral support, very good behaviour and a broad, ambitious curriculum. Pupils are courteous, work hard and achieve well, including in reading and the core subjects. Personal development is exceptional, with pupils taking leadership roles and showing maturity about equality, diversity and safety. Early years provision gets children off to a good start, and SEND provision is a clear strength. The main area for improvement is the recently reviewed foundation subjects. Although curriculums are well thought through, teachers do not always break learning down carefully enough, and some staff lack the subject expertise to deliver these curriculums consistently well. This limits some pupils' progress and means they do not always achieve the intended learning outcomes. This was the school's first routine inspection since the COVID-19 pandemic, and it was a graded inspection without an overall effectiveness grade. Leadership, governance, safeguarding and attendance work are effective, and attendance is improving.

Strengths

• Highly effective pastoral support helps pupils feel safe, happy and cared for.
• Clear and consistent high expectations mean pupils behave very well and show kindness and courtesy.
• An ambitious, well-sequenced curriculum meets the needs of different groups and supports good progress in literacy and numeracy.
• Early reading and phonics are taught effectively by well-trained staff, with prompt support for pupils at risk of falling behind.
• Provision for pupils with SEND is a strength, with early identification, personalised support and modified tasks.
• Personal development is exceptional, including leadership roles and mature understanding of equality, diversity and safety.
• A wide range of clubs, visits and events enriches pupils' learning and knowledge of their local area and beyond.
• Attendance is improving because of effective work with families.
• Early years provision gives children a good start, with strong early language support and cooperative play.
• Governors are knowledgeable and challenge and support leaders effectively.
• Staff feel leaders consider their workload and well-being.
• Safeguarding arrangements are effective.

Areas for Improvement

• Teachers do not always break down learning carefully enough in recently reviewed foundation subjects, which hampers some pupils' progress.
• Some teachers lack sufficient subject expertise to deliver some foundation subject curriculums to a consistently high standard.
• Some pupils do not achieve as well as they could in foundation subjects or meet the intended learning outcomes.

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 Robert Peel Primary School attended 94.7% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 15.5% 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, 1.5% of pupils at Robert Peel Primary School were suspended at least once (nationally 1.1%). No 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 Robert Peel Primary School had 22.1 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 0.0% 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, 6.2% of pupils at Robert Peel Primary School were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 8.3% 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 Robert Peel Primary School received £7,622 and spent £7,825 for each of its 378 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £144,000 (£383 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 Sandy · Central Bedfordshire local authority: places and applications

Robert Peel Primary School is part of Pinnacle Trust, which runs 4 schools. The nearest others:

• Sandy Secondary School Sandy
• Maple Tree Primary School Sandy
• Moggerhanger Primary School Bedford

What is Robert Peel Primary School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Robert Peel Primary School is Good, from an inspection in June 2025.

When was Robert Peel Primary School last inspected by Ofsted?

Robert Peel Primary School was last inspected in June 2025.

How many pupils does Robert Peel Primary School have?

Robert Peel Primary School has 386 pupils on roll.

What age range does Robert Peel Primary School cover?

Robert Peel Primary School for pupils aged 3 to 11.

What are Robert Peel Primary School's SATs (KS2) results?

In 2025, 57% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is Robert Peel Primary School?

Robert Peel Primary School is at Dapifer Drive, Sandy, Bedfordshire, SG19 1QJ.