SCHOOL PROFILE

Sandgate School

Not applicable Community special school URN 112465
Open
Pupils 8,834,192 Latest school census
Capacity 160 Published school capacity
Capacity used 103.8% Pupils as a share of capacity
Age range 3 – 19 Statutory age range
OFSTED

Latest ungraded inspection

21 June 2023
Latest published outcome School remains Good
SCHOOL DETAILS

About this school

School type Community special school
Phase Not applicable
Gender Mixed
Religious character Does not apply
Local authority Westmorland and Furness
Trust Not applicable
Census date 15 January 2026
PUPIL PROFILE

School community

Latest published pupil characteristics for 2025/26.

2025/26
Total pupils 166 166 full-time · 0 part-time
Female pupils 57 34.3% of pupils
Male pupils 109 65.7% of pupils

Free school meals

Pupils eligible for free school meals.

32.5%
7.7 pts above England
School 32.5%
Westmorland and Furness 15.0%
North West 28.5%
England 24.8%

English as an additional language

Pupils whose first language is not English.

4.8%
15.5 pts below England
School 4.8%
Westmorland and Furness 5.2%
North West 18.1%
England 20.3%

Young carers

Pupils recorded as young carers.

0.0%
1.0 pts below England
School 0.0%
Westmorland and Furness 1.2%
North West 0.8%
England 1.0%

Ethnicity

Largest recorded pupil groups.

White British
86.1%
143
White and Asian
4.8%
8
Unclassified
3.6%
6
Any other White background
3.0%
5
Any other Mixed background
1.2%
2
African
0.6%
1
Council, regional and national comparisons are pupil-weighted using published school census counts.
ADDITIONAL NEEDS

Special educational needs

Pupils receiving SEN support or with an education, health and care plan.

2025/26
Pupils with SEN 100.0% 166 of 166 pupils
79.2 pts above England England: 20.8%
School 100.0%
Westmorland and Furness 22.3%
North West 22.1%
England 20.8%
SEN support 1.2% 2 pupils
England 14.8% 13.6 pts below
EHC plans 98.8% 164 pupils
England 6.0% 92.8 pts above
PRIMARY NEEDS

Most common identified needs

Pupils
Autistic spectrum disorder 59
Severe learning difficulty 30
Speech, language & communication 26
Profound & multiple learning difficulty 11
Specific learning difficulty 10
Other difficulty or disability 7

SEN comparisons are pupil-weighted using published 2025/26 Department for Education school-level data. Primary needs combine pupils receiving SEN support and pupils with EHC plans.

ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE

Key stage 4 outcomes

Published Department for Education results for 2022/23.

2022/23
ATTAINMENT 8

Average attainment score

0.5 39.5 pts below England
School 0.5
Westmorland and Furness 39.1
North West 38.6
England 40.0
English & maths grade 5+ 0.0% England 36.8% 36.8 pts below England
English & maths grade 4+ 0.0% England 52.7% 52.7 pts below England
EBacc entry 0.0% England 30.8% 30.8 pts below England
EBacc average point score 0.04 England 3.45
Progress 8 -1.53 2022/23

Comparisons are averages of published school-level results for open schools. They are not pupil-weighted official local authority attainment rates.

ATTENDANCE & ABSENCE

Attendance profile

Published Department for Education absence data for 2024/25. Lower absence rates are generally better.

2024/25
ABSENCE RATE

Overall absence

9.57%

Percentage of possible sessions missed.

3.36 pts higher than England
School 9.57%
Westmorland and Furness 5.09%
North West 6.25%
England 6.22%
ABSENCE RATE

Persistent absence

29.73%

Pupils missing 10% or more of sessions.

13.91 pts higher than England
School 29.73%
Westmorland and Furness 11.05%
North West 15.89%
England 15.82%
ABSENCE RATE

Severe absence

2.70%

Pupils missing 50% or more of sessions.

0.90 pts higher than England
School 2.70%
Westmorland and Furness 0.87%
North West 1.75%
England 1.80%
Council, regional and national comparisons are averages of published school-level percentages rather than pupil-weighted official absence rates.
HOW DOES IT COMPARE?

School context

Comparison with open not applicable schools.

CAPACITY

Capacity utilisation

103.8% 24.0 pts above England
Sandgate School
103.8%
Westmorland and Furness
85.2%
North West
82.4%
England
79.8%
Benchmarks use open schools in the same phase. Capacity utilisation is calculated from published pupil and capacity figures.
Sources: Department for Education · Get Information about Schools · Ofsted monthly management information