The Bay Church of England School
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The Bay Church of England School is a Church of England school (voluntary controlled) in Sandown for boys and girls aged 4 to 16. It has 1,232 pupils and room for 1,470. About 30 in every 100 pupils come from a low-income family, a bit more than at most schools. We give it 26 out of 100. That puts it below schools like it, ahead of 36% of the 50 schools most like it. Ofsted's last grade was good, back in 2023.
Winchester Park Road, Isle of Wight, Sandown, PO36 9BA01983 403284bayceschool.orgMr Steven Jones headteacherAll details
What Ofsted found
Ofsted's last full inspection was on 21 February 2023, back when it gave schools one overall grade. Read the report on Ofsted's website.
Good overall.
Results
GCSE results, summer 2025
158 pupils sat their GCSEs. Here is how they did against every state secondary in England.
All GCSE measures, year by year
| Measure | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2019 | Isle of Wight | England |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils at the end of Year 11 | 158 | 154 | 170 | 135 | 128 | – | – |
| Average GCSE scoreAttainment 8 | 38.3 | 38.2 | 37.4 | 38.4 | 37.9 | 42.5 | 46.8 |
| Progress from age 11Progress 8 | – | -0.48 | -0.30 | -0.64 | -0.41 | – | – |
| Strong pass in English and mathsGrade 5+ in English and maths | 27% | 33% | 28% | 23% | 21% | 38% | 46% |
| Standard pass in English and mathsGrade 4+ in English and maths | 48% | 51% | 42% | 43% | 43% | 60% | 66% |
| Core subjects scoreEBacc average point score | 3.02 | 3.19 | 3.01 | 3.12 | 2.99 | 3.65 | 4.15 |
| Taking the core subjectsEBacc entry | 11% | 40% | 16% | 29% | 16% | 39% | 41% |
| Average GCSE score: low-income pupilsAttainment 8, disadvantaged | 32.0 | 28.1 | 31.5 | 32.4 | 29.3 | – | – |
| Average GCSE score: other pupilsAttainment 8, non-disadvantaged | 40.6 | 41.9 | 41.2 | 41.3 | 42.6 | – | – |
| Average GCSE score: pupils who started behindAttainment 8, low prior attainers | – | 24.3 | 26.9 | 28.3 | 21.4 | – | – |
| Average GCSE score: pupils who started aheadAttainment 8, high prior attainers | – | 59.4 | 57.3 | 66.0 | 51.1 | – | – |
Subjects
Results came out for 14 GCSE subjects in 2025. Each figure is the share of pupils who got a grade 5 or better, next to the average for state secondaries in England.
Subjects that did worse than the England average: Biology (35% here, 82% across England), Chemistry (40% here, 81% across England), Physics (48% here, 82% across England), Combined Science (5% here, 36% across England).
The small number is how many pupils sat each subject. Subjects with fewer than six pupils aren't published.
Every subject against England, 2025
| Subject | Entries | Grades 9 to 7 | Grades 9 to 5 | Grades 9 to 4 | England 9 to 5 | Rank in England |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mathematics | 156 | 6% | 38% | 58% | 53% | 2,588 of 3,211 |
| English Literature | 155 | 7% | 37% | 54% | 58% | 2,855 of 3,202 |
| English Language | 155 | 6% | 35% | 60% | 54% | 2,847 of 3,210 |
| Combined Science | 84 | 0% | 5% | 20% | 36% | 3,061 of 3,084 |
| Geography | 75 | 7% | 21% | 41% | 51% | 2,935 of 3,116 |
| Biology | 68 | 6% | 35% | 72% | 82% | 2,522 of 2,570 |
| Chemistry | 67 | 8% | 40% | 85% | 81% | 2,435 of 2,537 |
| Physics | 67 | 8% | 48% | 82% | 82% | 2,402 of 2,546 |
| Art and Design | 53 | 13% | 30% | 45% | 58% | 2,518 of 2,818 |
| History | 43 | 16% | 40% | 58% | 52% | 2,279 of 3,126 |
| Social Studies | 38 | 13% | 47% | 71% | 54% | 659 of 1,043 |
| Spanish | 16 | 25% | 38% | 50% | 54% | – |
| Physical Education | 13 | 15% | 23% | 46% | 56% | – |
| French | 9 | 0% | 11% | 44% | 60% | – |
In combined science each pupil gets two grades and we count the lower one. Rankings only include state secondaries where 20 or more pupils sat the subject.
Year 6 results (SATs), summer 2025
60 children took the tests. Here is how they did against every state primary in England.
All Year 6 measures, year by year
| Measure | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 | Isle of Wight | England |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils tested | 60 | 60 | 59 | 60 | 59 | 60 | – | – |
| Reached the expected level at 11Expected standard in reading, writing and maths | 57% | 50% | 56% | 67% | 51% | 52% | 51% | 63% |
| Working above the expected levelHigher standard in reading, writing and maths | 7% | 0% | 0% | 13% | 8% | 5% | 4% | 8% |
| Reading scoreReading average scaled score | 103.0 | 101.0 | 102.0 | 106.0 | 103.0 | 102.0 | 103.4 | 105.6 |
| Maths scoreMaths average scaled score | 103.0 | 102.0 | 103.0 | 106.0 | 103.0 | 102.0 | 102.2 | 104.6 |
| Grammar and spelling scoreGPS average scaled score | 103.0 | 101.0 | 101.0 | 108.0 | 105.0 | 104.0 | 102.4 | 105.2 |
| Expected level: readingReading expected standard | 75% | 65% | 69% | 72% | 68% | 62% | – | – |
| Expected level: mathsMaths expected standard | 73% | 68% | 81% | 80% | 71% | 70% | – | – |
| Expected level: writingWriting expected standard (teacher assessed) | 72% | 67% | 69% | 80% | 81% | 83% | – | – |
| Reading progressReading progress score | – | – | -1.4 | +1.2 | -1.9 | -1.5 | – | – |
| Maths progressMaths progress score | – | – | +0.5 | +0.5 | -0.5 | -1.7 | – | – |
| Expected level: low-income pupilsExpected standard, disadvantaged | 37% | 29% | 47% | 53% | 58% | 43% | – | – |
| Expected level: other pupilsExpected standard, non-disadvantaged | 66% | 57% | 60% | 73% | 48% | 57% | – | – |
There are no progress figures for 2025. That year group missed their Year 2 tests during Covid, so there was no starting point to measure from. Progress figures come back with the December 2026 results. Tests were cancelled altogether in 2020 and 2021.
Does every child do well here?
A good school does well by every child, not just on average. Each row compares two groups of pupils here. The grey marks show the same two groups across England. 3 of the 6 gaps are smaller than the gap across England. When a group has fewer than about ten pupils, its figures jump around a lot from year to year.
At GCSE, 2025
At the end of primary school, 2025
Low-income means the child has had free school meals at some point in the last six years. A group's figure isn't published when it has fewer than six pupils.
Getting a place
Admissions policy not published. As a Church of England school it may put families of that faith first. Check the school's own admissions rules.
223 places were empty (15% of the total), so almost everyone who applies gets in. Pupil numbers have stayed about the same since 2021/22.
Each council publishes its own figures on how many families applied and how far away the last child to get a place lived. We are adding councils one at a time. If you have a link to Isle of Wight council's admissions booklet, send it to us.
Who goes here
Who a school teaches matters. That is why our score compares it with schools that take in a similar mix of children, not with every school in the country.
Specialist SEND provision. Resourced provision (extra staff and funding within a mainstream school) with 12 pupils, for autism.
To get a place in the unit or resourced provision, a child normally needs an education, health and care plan (EHCP) that names the school. Other schools in Isle of Wight with autism provision.
Infant classes (Reception to Year 2) average 24.2 pupils (England 26.2); junior classes (Years 3 to 6) average 28.4 (England 28.2).
The most common needs among pupils getting extra support: Moderate learning difficulty (75), emotional and mental health (62), language and communications needs (46), Specific learning difficulty (39), Autistic spectrum disorder (28), SEN support but no specialist assessment of type of need (5).
How the mix of pupils has changed
| Census | 2026 | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils on roll | 1,232 | 1,249 | 1,290 | 1,272 | 1,255 | 1,281 |
| Pupils from low-income familiesFree school meals | 30% | 26% | 25% | 27% | 26% | 26% |
| Pupils learning EnglishEnglish as an additional language | 6% | 7% | 6% | 5% | 4% | 4% |
| Pupils getting extra supportSEN support | – | 16% | 16% | 17% | 16% | 15% |
| Pupils with an EHC planEducation, health and care plans | – | 5% | 6% | 6% | 5% | 4% |
Attendance and behaviour
In 2024/25 pupils were in school 92.0% of the time. Across similar schools in England it was 91.4%.
Attendance year by year
| Measure | 2024/25 | 2023/24 | 2022/23 | 2021/22 | 2020/21 | 2018/19 | England |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sessions missedOverall absence | 8.0% | 7.4% | 8.5% | 8.1% | 4.5% | 5.3% | 8.6% |
| Missed with permissionAuthorised absence | 6.1% | 4.4% | 4.3% | 4.6% | 2.9% | 2.9% | – |
| Missed without permissionUnauthorised absence | 1.9% | 3.0% | 4.2% | 3.5% | 1.7% | 2.5% | – |
| Pupils missing a lot of schoolPersistent absence | 23.2% | 21.5% | 25.0% | 25.1% | 12.3% | 14.4% | 23.9% |
| SuspensionsSuspension rate | 34.4 | 31.3 | 22.6 | 19.8 | 17.5 | – | – |
| Permanent exclusionsPermanent exclusions | 8 | 8 | 2 | 0 | 0 | – | – |
What pupils do next
After GCSEs
Where the 170 pupils who left in 2022/23 were a year later.
Among pupils from low-income families it was 83%, compared with 97% for everyone else.
Earlier years
| Destination | 2022/23 leavers | 2021/22 leavers | 2020/21 leavers | 2019/20 leavers |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Still in education, work or training | 92% | 93% | 95% | 93% |
| Education | 89% | 87% | 86% | 91% |
| Apprenticeship | 0% | 2% | 4% | 1% |
| Work | 3% | 4% | 5% | 1% |
| Not in education, work or training | 7% | 6% | 4% | 5% |
Staff and money
From the government's count of school staff in November 2025 and the school's published accounts.
Money
From the council school accounts, year to March 2025. The per-pupil figures are compared with other secondary schools in England that report their accounts the same way.
Reserves are the money left over at the end of the year, kept back for emergencies and big projects. Being in the red year after year is a warning sign. Very large reserves can mean money sitting in the bank instead of being spent on today's pupils. Academy figures are rounded to the nearest £1,000 and include a share of any money the trust holds centrally.
The area around the school
Crime figures come from police.uk. The police record each crime at the nearest of a fixed set of map points rather than the exact spot, so “within 500 m” is only rough. House prices are from HM Land Registry sales nearby over the last two years.
Nearby schools
The closest secondary schools, nearest first. Hover over a row to see it on the map.
| School | Type | Distance | Pupils | Ofsted | Score | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Forest Edge School | Independent | 830 m | 8 | Not inspected | – | Compare |
| Broadlea Primary School | Council | 1.0 miles | 242 | Good 2021 | 8 | Compare |
| Gatten and Lake Primary School | Council | 1.4 miles | 195 | Good 2022 | 41 | Compare |
| Brading Church of England Controlled Primary School | Church of England | 1.7 miles | 96 | Not inspected | 3 | Compare |
| Newchurch Primary School | Council | 2.1 miles | 209 | Good 2024 | 39 | Compare |
| St Blasius Shanklin CofE Primary Academy | Academy | 2.2 miles | 181 | Good 2023 | 21 | Compare |
| St Helens Primary School | Council | 3.6 miles | 96 | Good 2023 | 21 | Compare |
| Bembridge Church of England Primary School | Church of England | 3.9 miles | 186 | Good 2019 | 27 | Compare |
Compared with schools like it
Our score compares The Bay Church of England School with the 50 schools in England whose pupils are most like its own. We match on family income, how many children are learning English, special needs, the neighbourhood, the size of the school and how it admits pupils. Those 50 schools are dotted all over the country, so we don't list them. What matters is where this school sits among them.
How the score was worked out
The score is out of 100. A 26 means that once everything below is added up, this school comes out ahead of 26% of secondary schools in England. Results bounce around from year to year, especially in small schools, so we also show a likely range: 20 to 35. Every part is judged against schools with a similar mix of pupils. For small schools we pull each part towards the group average, so one unusual year can't swing the score too far.
| What we looked at | How much it counts | Against schools like it | Effect on the score | Based on |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Results over three years | 20% | below | -0.19 | 2025, 2024 and 2023 results; 158 pupils |
| Ofsted inspection | 19% (normally 20%, cut because the inspection is old) | in line | +0.02 | Ofsted grade, 3.6 years old |
| Progress pupils make | 20% | below | -0.17 | DfE progress measure; 158 pupils |
| Direction of travel over five years | 10% | above | +0.06 | results and attendance rising year on year |
| Attendance and behaviour | 10% | in line | 0.00 | 2024/25; 1,288 pupils |
| Results, allowing for the mix of pupils | 10% | well below | -0.11 | Attainment relative to schools with a similar intake; 158 pupils |
| What pupils do next | 5% | in line | 0.00 | 170 pupils |
| What parents say | 0% | no data | – |
Worked out on 13 September 2026 (method v1). Read how the score works, including every weight and the checks we run. Think a number is wrong? Tell us.
Questions parents ask
Is The Bay Church of England School a good school?
The figures are weak. The Bay Church of England School scores 26 out of 100. That is below schools that take in a similar mix of pupils, and ahead of 36% of the 50 schools most like it in England. The score could fairly be anywhere from 20 to 35, so a few points either way between schools doesn't mean much.
What is The Bay Church of England School's Ofsted rating?
Ofsted rated The Bay Church of England School good at its last full inspection on 21 February 2023.
How good are The Bay Church of England School's GCSE results?
In summer 2025, 27% of pupils got a grade 5 or better in both English and maths. Across England it was 46%. Its Attainment 8 score, which is the average grade across a pupil's best eight subjects times ten, was 38.3, against 46.8 for England. In each subject, pupils here finished about half a grade behind children across England who started secondary school at the same level.
How good are The Bay Church of England School's SATs results?
In summer 2025, 57% of Year 6 children reached the expected level in reading, writing and maths. Across England it was 63%. 7% went further and reached the higher level.
How many pupils does The Bay Church of England School have?
1,232 pupils aged 4 to 16 were on the roll in January 2026. It has 1,470 places, so it is 84% full.
Is The Bay Church of England School oversubscribed?
Probably not. 223 places were empty in 2024/25 (15% of the total), so most families who apply get a place.
What is attendance like at The Bay Church of England School?
Pupils were in school 92.0% of the time in 2024/25. Similar schools in England managed 91.4%. 23% of pupils missed at least a tenth of the year.
How big are the classes at The Bay Church of England School?
The average class had 24.1 pupils in January 2026. Across England it was 22.8. 6% of classes had more than 30 pupils.
Does The Bay Church of England School have specialist SEND provision?
Yes. It has resourced provision (extra staff and funding within a mainstream school) for autism. To get a place there, a child normally needs an education, health and care plan (EHCP) that names the school.
Does The Bay Church of England School have a sixth form?
No. Pupils leave after Year 11 for a sixth form elsewhere, a college or an apprenticeship; 92% of 2022/23 leavers were still in education, work or training six months on.
These answers come straight from the figures on this page and update when new data comes out.
Contact and details
- Address
- Winchester Park Road, Isle of Wight, Sandown, PO36 9BA
- Telephone
- 01983 403284
- Website
- www.bayceschool.org
- Headteacher
- Mr Steven Jones
- Type of school
- Church of England school (voluntary controlled) (Voluntary controlled school, local authority maintained schools)
- Phase
- All-through school, ages 4-16
- Gender
- Mixed
- Religious character
- Church of England, Diocese of Portsmouth (ce)
- Local authority
- Isle of Wight
- Ward
- Sandown North
- Constituency
- Isle of Wight East
- Setting
- Urban: Further from a major town or city
- Opened
- 1 September 2010 (result of amalgamation)
- URN
- 136013 · LAESTAB 9212044 · UKPRN 10072313
- Formerly
- Sandown Church of England Primary School, St John's Church of England Primary School Sandown
Recent changes
- New KS4 results for 2024/25
Where these figures come from
- School details: Department for Education, Get Information About Schools, refreshed daily (this page rebuilt 13 September 2026).
- Inspections: Ofsted management information, monthly; latest publication in our data 27 August 2026.
- GCSE results: DfE key stage 4 performance tables, 2024/25 final.
- Year 6 results: DfE key stage 2 tables, 2024/25.
- Attendance: DfE pupil absence in schools in England, 2024/25 full year.
- Pupil characteristics: DfE school census, January 2026.
- Staff: DfE school workforce census, November 2025.
- Class sizes: DfE schools, pupils and their characteristics, January 2026.
- Pupil premium: DfE allocations and conditions of grant, 2026 to 2027.
- Money: DfE financial benchmarking and insights tool, consistent financial reporting 2024/25.
- Neighbourhood: police.uk street-level crime, HM Land Registry price paid data, NaPTAN bus stops, English Indices of Deprivation 2025.
- All under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Full list and update calendar.