SCHOOL PROFILE

Sandside Lodge School

Not applicable Community special school URN 112466
Open
Pupils 8,834,192 Latest school census
Capacity 92 Published school capacity
Capacity used 113.0% Pupils as a share of capacity
Age range 4 – 19 Statutory age range
OFSTED

Latest ungraded inspection

27 June 2024
Latest published outcome School remains Good (Improving) - S5 Next
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 104 104 full-time · 0 part-time
Female pupils 43 41.3% of pupils
Male pupils 61 58.7% of pupils

Free school meals

Pupils eligible for free school meals.

34.6%
9.8 pts above England
School 34.6%
Westmorland and Furness 15.0%
North West 28.5%
England 24.8%

English as an additional language

Pupils whose first language is not English.

6.7%
13.6 pts below England
School 6.7%
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
96.2%
100
Any other Mixed background
1.9%
2
Unclassified
1.9%
2
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% 104 of 104 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 0.0% 0 pupils
England 14.8% 14.8 pts below
EHC plans 100.0% 104 pupils
England 6.0% 94.0 pts above
PRIMARY NEEDS

Most common identified needs

Pupils
Autistic spectrum disorder 49
Severe learning difficulty 14
Physical disability 11
Speech, language & communication 10
Specific learning difficulty 8
Profound & multiple learning difficulty 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 2 outcomes

Published Department for Education results for 2024/25.

2024/25
EXPECTED STANDARD

Reading, writing & maths

0.0% 60.4 pts below England
School 0.0%
Westmorland and Furness 56.5%
North West 59.1%
England 60.4%
EXPECTED STANDARD

Reading

0.0%

73.8 pts below England

School 0.0%
Westmorland and Furness 72.0%
North West 73.2%
England 73.8%
EXPECTED STANDARD

Writing

0.0%

70.3 pts below England

School 0.0%
Westmorland and Furness 68.2%
North West 69.2%
England 70.3%
EXPECTED STANDARD

Maths

0.0%

72.0 pts below England

School 0.0%
Westmorland and Furness 71.0%
North West 71.7%
England 72.0%
School results show the percentage of pupils meeting the expected standard. Council, regional and national comparisons are averages of published school-level percentages and are not pupil-weighted official 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

8.57%

Percentage of possible sessions missed.

2.35 pts higher than England
School 8.57%
Westmorland and Furness 5.09%
North West 6.25%
England 6.22%
ABSENCE RATE

Persistent absence

26.25%

Pupils missing 10% or more of sessions.

10.43 pts higher than England
School 26.25%
Westmorland and Furness 11.05%
North West 15.89%
England 15.82%
ABSENCE RATE

Severe absence

1.25%

Pupils missing 50% or more of sessions.

0.55 pts lower than England
School 1.25%
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

113.0% 33.3 pts above England
Sandside Lodge School
113.0%
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