Sandhill View Academy

About Sandhill View Academy

Sandhill View Academy’s headline Progress 8 score of -0.08 places it comfortably above the Sunderland local authority average of -0.31 for secondary schools, meaning pupils here make more academic progress than the typical student across the borough. That gap is significant: the school sits 6th out of 19 similar schools in the area, putting it in the top third locally and in the top half nationally. It’s a solid, above-average performer in a region where many schools are struggling to match the national benchmark. The school’s Attainment 8 score of 40.6 and the fact that 62.8% of pupils achieved a grade 4 or above in both English and maths (the basics measure) reinforce this picture of a school that delivers respectable results for a largely disadvantaged intake — over half of pupils (51.1%) are eligible for free school meals, well above the national average.

Digging into the subject-level Progress 8 breakdown, the school’s strengths and weaknesses become clearer. English and maths are genuine bright spots, with Progress 8 scores of +0.27 and +0.15 respectively, meaning pupils in these core subjects make progress well above the national average. The open element (which includes other academic and vocational qualifications) also comes in slightly positive at +0.06. The drag comes from the EBacc subjects — languages, humanities and computing — where the score falls to -0.62, and only 16.8% of pupils entered the EBacc suite at all. That’s a low take-up, and it’s reflected in the EBacc average point score of 3.29. Still, the overall picture is one of a school that has improved markedly since its previous Ofsted inspection in 2018, when it was rated Requires Improvement. In its most recent graded inspection in 2021, it achieved Good across every category: quality of education, behaviour and attitudes, personal development, and leadership and management.

Sandhill View is a popular school — for 2025/26 entry it received 210 applications for 147 places, with 145 families putting it as their first preference. That oversubscription ratio of 1.43 suggests strong local demand. The school runs from ages 11 to 16 with no sixth form, so pupils will need to move on after Year 11. Facilities are generous for a state school: there’s a swimming pool, tennis courts, a theatre, art studios and a library. The sports programme is broad, covering rugby, hockey, netball, cricket and dance, while clubs include the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award, coding and a gardening club. SEND provision is well-documented, with support for autistic spectrum disorder, speech and language needs, and social, emotional and mental health difficulties. Parent View responses, based on 38 respondents, are overwhelmingly positive — 92% would recommend the school, and 97% of parents agreed or strongly agreed that their child does well there. This is a school that suits families looking for solid, improving outcomes in a supportive environment, particularly for children who need extra structure and clear expectations.

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