Sandling Primary School

Sandling Primary School provides a rich, broad and ambitious education. The curriculum is a real strength: it is carefully designed from the early years, breaks learning into small steps and helps pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), achieve well. Reading is prioritised, with expert phonics teaching from Reception and regular checks on progress. Pupils behave very well, attend regularly and benefit from strong pastoral care, well-considered enrichment and opportunities to take on leadership roles. Leaders are ambitious, staff are well supported and governors know the school well. The main area to improve is early years mathematics. Teaching sometimes focuses on completing activities rather than developing children's understanding of mathematical concepts, which can leave weaker foundations for later mathematics learning. This was the school's first routine inspection since the COVID-19 pandemic, and it was a graded inspection without an overall effectiveness grade.

Strengths

• Highly ambitious, well-designed curriculum broken into small steps from the early years
• Pupils, including those with SEND, achieve well because needs are identified and support is targeted
• Reading is prioritised, with expert phonics teaching from Reception and regular progress monitoring
• Staff explain concepts clearly, choose effective resources and check understanding before moving pupils on
• Pupils behave very well, attend regularly and on time, and the learning environment is calm and orderly
• Strong pastoral care helps pupils feel safe, valued and listened to
• Pupils develop a strong sense of equality and justice and respect different religions, cultures and beliefs
• Well-considered enrichment, including weekly outdoor learning and extra-curricular clubs, supports wider development
• Leadership is ambitious, considers staff workload and well-being, and provides high-quality professional development
• Governors know the school well and provide effective challenge and support

Areas for Improvement

• Early years mathematics teaching sometimes focuses on task completion rather than children's understanding of mathematical concepts

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 Sandling Primary School attended 95.7% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 8.8% 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, 1.0% of pupils at Sandling 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 Sandling Primary School had 22.3 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 4.8% 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, 10.2% of pupils at Sandling Primary School were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 1.7% 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 Sandling Primary School received £5,857 and spent £5,871 for each of its 421 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £264,000 (£628 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 Maidstone · Kent local authority: places and applications

What is Sandling Primary School's Ofsted rating?

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

When was Sandling Primary School last inspected by Ofsted?

Sandling Primary School was last inspected in June 2025.

How many pupils does Sandling Primary School have?

Sandling Primary School has 421 pupils on roll.

What age range does Sandling Primary School cover?

Sandling Primary School for pupils aged 4 to 11.

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

In 2025, 67% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is Sandling Primary School?

Sandling Primary School is at Ashburnham Road, Penenden Heath, Maidstone, Kent, ME14 2JG.