School Chooser

Bude Primary Academy - Infants

Primary · ages 2-7MixedAcademy126 pupilsBudeCornwall
School Chooser Score
56
In line with
similar schools
Likely range 27 to 80, so it could be “above”
Out of 100. Better than 70% of the 50 schools most like it. Much the same over the last five years.
OfstedNo overall gradeLast Ofsted inspection, January 2025
Attendance94.3%England 94.8%
Pupils from low-income families24%About the same as most schools in England
Pupils per teacher23.6School workforce census
Pupils on roll126Census January 2026

Bude Primary Academy - Infants is a sponsored academy in Bude for boys and girls aged 2 to 7. It has 126 pupils. About 24 in every 100 pupils come from a low-income family, about the same as most schools in England. We give it 56 out of 100. That puts it in line with schools like it, ahead of 70% of the 50 schools most like it. Ofsted's last grade was inspected 2025, no overall grade.

Broadclose Hill, Bude, EX23 8EA01288 353798budeprimary.orgMiss Vanessa Holt headteacherAll details

What Ofsted found

Ofsted's last full inspection was on 21 January 2025, back when it gave schools one overall grade. Read the report on Ofsted's website.

Not judged Between September 2024 and November 2025, Ofsted graded each area but stopped giving one overall word.

TeachingOfsted calls this “quality of education”
Good
BehaviourOfsted calls this “behaviour and attitudes”
Good
WellbeingOfsted calls this “personal development”
Good
LeadershipOfsted calls this “leadership and management”
Good
Early years
Good
Safeguarding
Effective
Yes

Results

No published results yet for this school.

Getting a place

Admissions policy not published.

Plenty of spare places129 pupils for 210 places, 2024/25
61% full

81 places were empty (39% of the total), so almost everyone who applies gets in. Pupil numbers have fallen by 16% since 2021/22, so places are getting easier to find.

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 Cornwall 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.

Pupils on roll126Census January 2026
Pupils from low-income families24%24% have had free school meals at some point in the last six years
Pupils learning English6%First language is not English
Pupils getting extra support21%26 pupils with SEN support
Pupils with an EHC plan1%1 pupil with a plan
Average class size25.25 classes, January 2026; England 25.4
Classes with more than 30 pupils0%Infant classes are capped at 30 by law; England 10%
Pupils with extra funding (pupil premium)23%£46,500 extra funding in 2026/27; England 24%
Boys and girls70 / 56
White British pupils87%

The most common needs among pupils getting extra support: language and communications needs (8), emotional and mental health (7), Specific learning difficulty (3), Vision impairment (3), Physical disability (2), SEN support but no specialist assessment of type of need (2).

How the mix of pupils has changed
Census202620252024202320222021
Pupils on roll126125134130150168
Pupils from low-income familiesFree school meals24%22%25%23%27%32%
Pupils learning EnglishEnglish as an additional language6%4%5%3%4%3%
Pupils getting extra supportSEN support18%11%9%9%8%
Pupils with an EHC planEducation, health and care plans0%2%2%4%4%

Attendance and behaviour

In 2024/25 pupils were in school 94.3% of the time. Across similar schools in England it was 94.8%.

Attendance94.3%
England 94.8%
Official name: 100 minus overall absence
Pupils missing a lot of school13.3%
England 12.8%
Official name: Persistent absence
Suspensions per 100 pupils2.42024/25, no permanent exclusions
Missed without permission0.7%of school time, 2024/25
Attendance year by year
Measure2024/252023/242022/232021/222020/212018/19England
Sessions missedOverall absence5.7%6.0%6.3%7.9%5.0%6.1%5.2%
Missed with permissionAuthorised absence5.0%4.4%5.2%6.8%4.3%4.5%
Missed without permissionUnauthorised absence0.7%1.6%1.2%1.0%0.6%1.6%
Pupils missing a lot of schoolPersistent absence13.3%13.9%22.8%25.7%12.8%13.7%12.8%
SuspensionsSuspension rate2.41.50.80.00.0
Permanent exclusionsPermanent exclusions00000

Staff and money

From the government's count of school staff in November 2025 and the school's published accounts.

Teachers5.4full-time equivalent, 7 people
Pupils per teacher23.6Pupils for every full-time teacher
Fully qualified teachers100%hold qualified teacher status
Teaching assistants4.9full-time equivalent
Average teacher pay£54,346
Teachers who left in the year10%2024/25, for any reason including retirement
Vacancies0
Sick days per teacher20.02024/25

Money

From the academy accounts return, year to August 2025. The per-pupil figures are compared with other primary schools in England that report their accounts the same way.

Spend per pupil£6,592England £7,128. Total £824k
Income per pupil£7,872England £7,587. Total £984k
Spent on teachers per pupil£2,520England £3,405
Money in reserve4%Not much put by: £38k, £306 per pupil. England 9%
Money in against money out+£160kit took in more than it spent this year
Where the money goes£6,592spent per pupil

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

Crimes within 500 m13812 months to June 2026, mostly violence and sexual offences
Local crime rate66 per 1,000 people27% lower than the England average
Typical house price£289,950Cornwall
Nearest bus stop190 mBude Junior School, 8 stops within 500 m

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 primary schools, nearest first. Hover over a row to see it on the map.

Well aboveAboveIn lineBelowWell belowNot scored
SchoolTypeDistancePupilsOfstedScore
Bude Primary Academy - JuniorsAcademy190 m230No overall grade 202525Compare
Stratton Primary SchoolFoundation0.7 miles340Good 202418Compare
Marhamchurch CofE AcademyAcademy1.7 miles128Requires improvement 20246Compare
Kilkhampton Junior and Infant SchoolFoundation3.7 miles148Good 202342Compare
Bridgerule Church of England Primary SchoolAcademy4.4 miles62Good 202282Compare

Compared with schools like it

Our score compares Bude Primary Academy - Infants 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.

Beats70%of schools with a similar mix of pupils
In the upper half of its group. Its score of 56 is 14 points above the typical school in the group.
0Lowest of the group 0 · middle 42 · highest 97100

How the score was worked out

The score is out of 100. A 56 means that once everything below is added up, this school comes out ahead of 56% of primary schools in England. Results bounce around from year to year, especially in small schools, so we also show a likely range: 27 to 80. That range is wide enough that the school could sit in the next band, so take the band as a rough guide rather than a verdict. 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 atHow much it countsAgainst schools like itEffect on the scoreBased on
Results over three years0%no data
Ofsted inspection20%in line
+0.03
Ofsted grade, 1.6 years old
Progress pupils make0%no data
Direction of travel over five years10%in line
+0.07
results and attendance rising year on year
Attendance and behaviour10%in line
-0.04
2024/25; 98 pupils
Results, allowing for the mix of pupils0%no data
What parents say0%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 Bude Primary Academy - Infants a good school?

It is about average. Bude Primary Academy - Infants scores 56 out of 100. That is in line with schools that take in a similar mix of pupils, and ahead of 70% of the 50 schools most like it in England. The score could fairly be anywhere from 27 to 80, so a few points either way between schools doesn't mean much.

What is Bude Primary Academy - Infants's Ofsted rating?

Ofsted rated Bude Primary Academy - Infants not judged at its last full inspection on 21 January 2025.

How many pupils does Bude Primary Academy - Infants have?

126 pupils aged 2 to 7 were on the roll in January 2026.

Is Bude Primary Academy - Infants oversubscribed?

Probably not. 81 places were empty in 2024/25 (39% of the total), so most families who apply get a place.

What is attendance like at Bude Primary Academy - Infants?

Pupils were in school 94.3% of the time in 2024/25. Similar schools in England managed 94.8%. 13% of pupils missed at least a tenth of the year.

How big are the classes at Bude Primary Academy - Infants?

The average class had 25.2 pupils in January 2026. Across England it was 25.4. No class had more than 30 pupils.

These answers come straight from the figures on this page and update when new data comes out.

Contact and details

Address
Broadclose Hill, Bude, EX23 8EA
Telephone
01288 353798
Website
www.budeprimary.org
Headteacher
Miss Vanessa Holt
Type of school
Sponsored academy (Academy sponsor led, academies)
Phase
Primary school, ages 2-7
Gender
Mixed
Multi-academy trust
ASPIRE Academy Trust (38 schools)
Local authority
Cornwall
Ward
Bude
Constituency
North Cornwall
Setting
Larger rural: Further from a major town or city
Opened
1 July 2018 (new provision)
URN
146076 · LAESTAB 9082046 · UKPRN 10068056
Formerly
Bude Infant School

Where these figures come from