Sandbrook Community Primary School

What Ofsted said

From the inspection on 17 March 2026

Pupils at Sandbrook are keen to learn and enjoy coming to school. However, their attendance, overall, is not high enough. Some pupils miss school too often and do not benefit fully from lessons or wider activities. This affects how well they learn over time. Pupils start the day settled and ready to learn. The breakfast club supports a calm and purposeful start to the school day. Staff greet pupils personally each day and know them well. Pupils know clearly whom to speak to if they have a concern. Staff support them well when difficulties arise. Pupils feel cared for and safe. Children in the early years settle happily and build confidence from the start. Pupils generally enjoy their lessons and respond well to the support that staff provide. However, teaching does not consistently help pupils enough to build on what they already know. This is particularly the case in writing and mathematics. As a result, some pupils find it difficult to move on to more complex work. Some pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) do not receive the support they need. In some classes, staff adapt their teaching well and pupils with SEND make progress. This is not the case in all classes and some pupils do not access the curriculum as much as they should. Pupils behave well around the school. Leaders are visible at the start and end of the day. Pupils are polite, respectful and welcoming. Relationships between staff and pupils are warm. When bullying concerns arise, staff respond appropriately. Discrimination is not tolerated. Pupils benefit from a wide range of experiences beyond the classroom. These help them develop confidence and an understanding of the wider world. However, some pupils leave school without the knowledge and skills they need to take their next steps.

What the school should improve

• Leaders should ensure that teaching across all year groups is effective so that pupils build knowledge and skills securely, gaps are closed quickly and pupils achieve more highly.
• Leaders should ensure that pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities and disadvantaged pupils receive teaching that reliably reduces barriers to their learning.
• Leaders should strengthen their attendance strategy so that persistent absence reduces at a faster rate and overall rates of attendance increase as a result.
• Leaders should ensure that the early years curriculum is consistently implemented well so that children are well prepared for Year 1.
• Leaders should ensure that high expectations for behaviour are understood and applied by all staff.
• Leaders should continue to remove barriers to participation so that all pupils, particularly those who are disadvantaged, benefit equally from the school's personal development offer.
• Leaders and governors should strengthen their strategic oversight so that self-evaluation is accurate, improvement actions are measured and governors are equipped to provide meaningful challenge and support.

Read the full Ofsted report (opens in a new tab)