Sandy Secondary SchoolLongsands Academy
Inspection, results, pupils and attendance side by side.
Summary of the comparison
Sandy Secondary School and Longsands Academy are secondary schools.
Sandy Secondary School scores 54 out of 100 (grade D, below average) and Longsands Academy scores 60 out of 100 (grade C, average). Longsands Academy is ahead on our composite score.
Sandy Secondary School was judged the expected standard and Longsands Academy was judged Good.
On GCSE Attainment 8, the latest published figures are 41.4 for Sandy Secondary School and 48.2 for Longsands Academy.
GCSE Attainment 8 has held broadly level at Sandy Secondary School (41.9 in 2021-22, 41.4 in 2025-26) and has fallen at Longsands Academy (52.1 in 2021-22, 48.2 in 2025-26).
Side-by-side comparison
| Measure | SandySandy Secondary School | St NeotsLongsands Academy | England average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overview | |||
| Our score | D54/100 | C60/100Stronger figure | |
| Local ranking | 10th of 26 in Central Bedfordshire | 20th of 34 in Cambridgeshire | |
| Inspection | Ofsted: Good | Ofsted: Good | |
| School type | Foundation school | Academy converter | |
| Phase | Secondary | Secondary | |
| Age range | 11-18 | 11-18 | |
| Gender | Mixed | Mixed | |
| Pupils on roll | 1,259 | 1,412 | |
| Capacity | 1,095 | 1,838 | |
| Location | Sandy, SG19 1BL | St Neots, PE19 1LQ | |
| GCSE results | |||
| Attainment 8 | 41.4 | 48.2 Stronger figure | 46.2 |
| Grade 5+ in English & maths | 35.7% | 50.9% Stronger figure | 46.3% |
| Grade 4+ in English & maths | 59.9% | 70.6% Stronger figure | 64.8% |
| Cohort | 207 | 269 | |
| A-level results | |||
| A-level entries | 48 | 95 | |
| A-level average points | 31.6 | 32.3 Stronger figure | 35.0 |
| A-level average grade | C | C+ | |
| Best 3 A-levels points | 34.9 Stronger figure | 32.8 | 35.8 |
| AAB+ incl. facilitating subjects | 12.5% | 16.0% Stronger figure | 17.5% |
| Pupils | |||
| Pupils in the census | 1,214 | 1,554 | |
| Free school meals (ever 6) | 20.2% | 23.3% | |
| English as an additional language | 2.3% | 9.7% | |
| SEN support | 23.1% | 10.9% | |
| SEN with an EHC plan | 7.1% | 2.2% | |
| Attendance | |||
| Overall absence | 8.0% Stronger figure | 10.1% | 6.2% |
| Persistent absence | 24.5% | 22.3% Stronger figure | 15.8% |
marks the stronger figure on measures with a clear direction. Rows describing a school's intake, such as free school meals, English as an additional language and SEN, carry no marker: they describe who a school serves, not how well it serves them.
Historical trends
Each solid line is one school; the dashed line is the national average.
GCSE Attainment 8
GCSE Progress 8
A-level average points
Overall absence
Free school meal eligibility (ever 6)
Pupils on roll
Ethnicity over time
One panel per school: the largest groups across this comparison, one colour per group, on a shared scale.
Sandy Secondary School
Longsands Academy
Full profiles: Sandy Secondary School · Longsands Academy