• Sands says the child's voice sits at the heart of the school.
• The school emphasises democratic education, responsibility, community participation and learning that grows from choice as well as teaching.
• The school is principled, unconventional and strongly student-centred.

• A compelling option for families who actively want democratic education and a school where student voice is genuinely structural, not decorative.
• The freedom and self-management on offer will feel liberating to some young people and unsuitable for others.
• This is a school to choose positively for its philosophy, not just because it is smaller.

Sands is a democratic senior school, so admissions are as much about whether a young person wants this kind of education as about whether the school wants them. Published guidance emphasises inclusivity, visiting the school and deciding whether the student can use the freedom of the community responsibly and without undermining others' learning.

Sands does not present a conventional scholarship scheme, but it does offer a small number of means-tested bursaries. That is consistent with a school whose public identity is about democratic access and fit rather than competitive awards.

• No entry-point-specific bursary route has been verified ; ask about Year 7, Year 9, sixth form or in-year entry as relevant.
• No public award range, remission percentage or fund size is published.
• Families should contact admissions or the finance team directly to ask what fee assistance is available, whether it is means-tested and whether support is reviewed annually.

The school site summarises regular ISI inspection activity since joining the Independent Schools Association, with a full ISI inspection in 2024 and a further progress or material-change report in 2025. Public inspection material gives families regulatory assurance while the school continues to present itself as a deliberately unusual alternative to mainstream schooling.