Your school guide
Sands School
Sands School’s first secondary year is Y1, for ages 11–12. A Try-Out Week and informal peer interview replace an academic entrance examination.
Independent school · Newton Abbot, Devon
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Meet the school
At a glance
Facts checked
48 East Street, Ashburton, Newton Abbot, Devon, TQ13 7AX
Plan your approach
Entry information
Sands calls its first secondary year Y1, which corresponds to Year 7 age (11–12). Applicants normally visit for a five-day Try-Out Week and have an informal peer-group interview; the pupil’s own wish to attend is part of the decision. There is no academic entrance examination. Apply early because places are limited.
Entry stage: Year 7 equivalent (Y1, ages 11–12)
The admissions process
- Contact the school and arrange a visit
- Attend a five-day Try-Out Week
- Take part in an informal interview with a group of pupils
- The school considers available space, whether it can meet the pupil’s needs and the pupil’s own choice
Read the official details: Admissions information from Sands School
Go to the source
Official links for your shortlist
Use the school’s current admissions information to check which sample papers or familiarisation materials apply to your child’s entry year.
Know what to expect
Follow the school’s assessment guidance.
Sands’ published admissions process centres on a five-day Try-Out Week, a recent school report and a pupil interview. Help your child explore the available subjects and follow the school’s guidance for the visit; the current policy does not list an entrance-paper stage.
Read the official guidance: Sands School · Sands School · School admissions authority
Keep the practical steps clear
Your application starting points
Use the official links on this page to answer these questions for your child’s entry year.
Check the entry point and eligibility
Confirm the year group, age requirements and any conditions that apply to your child.
Put the right dates in your diary
Note any published registration, assessment, application and offer-response dates that apply to your child’s route. They may be separate steps.
Follow the assessment guidance
Check what the school asks your child to do and whether it recommends any preparation. Use its own instructions and the assessment provider’s advice.
Check fees and financial support
Look at fees, bursaries and scholarships, including any separate forms, evidence and deadlines.
Picture your child’s everyday life here.
An open day is a chance to look beyond the exam. Useful questions to take with you:
- How do you help new pupils settle in and make friends?
- Who can a child turn to when they feel worried or stuck?
- How do you help pupils recover from a setback and discover their strengths?
Know where to focus
See what your child is learning.
See the topics your child has practised, revisit questions that need another look and choose a focus for the next session. Plusling helps you put your time where it can be useful.
- Topic summaries and practice history
- Choose topics in Focus Practice
- Progress to discuss with the adults helping them
A little learning, often
Build confidence one question at a time.
Explore Plusling together for everyday learning. Try five free questions and talk through the feedback.
Before you apply
- Sands calls Year 7-age entry Y1. Contact the school early to discuss spaces and the Try-Out Week.
Plusling’s guide to Sands School is independently written. The school and its admissions authority publish the official arrangements.
Contains government school-register data licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
Primary sources
- Admissions - Sands School, Ashburton Sands School
- Try-Out Week guide School admissions authority
- Sands School: school details Department for Education
- Admissions Policy, September 2026 Sands School
- Prospectus 2026–27 Sands School