West Buckland School
West Buckland School is an independent school in Barnstaple for boys and girls aged 3 to 18. It has 499 pupils and room for 933.
West Buckland, Barnstaple, EX32 0SX01598 760000westbuckland.comMrs Helen Lowe headteacherAll details
Inspection
This private school is inspected by the Independent Schools Inspectorate, not Ofsted. Its reports are at isi.net.
Results
GCSE results, summer 2025
81 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 | 2018 | Devon | England |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils at the end of Year 11 | 81 | 87 | 82 | 89 | 74 | 66 | – | – |
| Average GCSE scoreAttainment 8 | 54.1 | 52.3 | 53.2 | 52.4 | 60.1 | 60.9 | 45.9 | 46.8 |
| Strong pass in English and mathsGrade 5+ in English and maths | 69% | 59% | 51% | 55% | 74% | 53% | 46% | 46% |
| Standard pass in English and mathsGrade 4+ in English and maths | 78% | 78% | 68% | 75% | 88% | 82% | 67% | 66% |
| Core subjects scoreEBacc average point score | 3.80 | 3.78 | 3.77 | 3.67 | 3.86 | 3.78 | 4.08 | 4.15 |
| Taking the core subjectsEBacc entry | 9% | 5% | 4% | 7% | 3% | 0% | 38% | 41% |
Subjects
Results came out for 17 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.
Strongest subjects
Subjects that did worse than the England average: Chemistry (67% here, 81% 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 | 75 | 43% | 85% | 96% | 53% | – |
| English Literature | 68 | 34% | 81% | 91% | 58% | – |
| English Language | 68 | 46% | 85% | 96% | 54% | – |
| Biology | 58 | 40% | 76% | 90% | 82% | – |
| Chemistry | 54 | 41% | 67% | 89% | 81% | – |
| Physics | 42 | 48% | 93% | 98% | 82% | – |
| Geography | 40 | 55% | 83% | 93% | 51% | – |
| Business | 37 | 49% | 92% | 92% | 51% | – |
| Religious Studies | 24 | 42% | 92% | 96% | 60% | – |
| Spanish | 21 | 48% | 71% | 86% | 54% | – |
| Physical Education | 20 | 40% | 75% | 80% | 56% | – |
| Drama | 19 | 42% | 95% | 95% | 60% | – |
| Art and Design | 16 | 63% | 94% | 100% | 58% | – |
| French | 14 | 50% | 71% | 86% | 60% | – |
| Music | 10 | 30% | 90% | 100% | 61% | – |
| Computer Science | 7 | 71% | 100% | 100% | 56% | – |
| Other Modern Languages | 7 | 100% | 100% | 100% | 49% | – |
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.
A level and sixth-form results, 2025
91 students finished sixth-form courses.
All sixth-form measures, year by year
| Measure | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2019 | 2018 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students | 91 | 80 | 91 | 80 | 128 | 118 |
| Average A level points per entryA level APS per entry | 39.64 | 37.83 | 39.20 | 39.44 | 41.09 | 40.63 |
| Average A level grade | B | B- | B | B | B | B |
| Best three A levelsBest 3 A levels APS | 40.38 | 37.81 | 39.69 | 41.05 | 39.24 | 34.28 |
| AAB or better in subjects universities likeAAB+ in two facilitating subjects | 29% | 26% | 40% | 37% | 34% | 26% |
| A level progressA level value added | +0.22 | -0.06 | – | – | +0.30 | +0.26 |
| Applied general courses: points per entry | 36.92 | 39.41 | 36.84 | 39.09 | – | – |
A level subjects
13 A level subjects had results in 2025. Each figure is the share of students who got an A* to B, next to the average for state sixth forms in England. When only a handful of students take a subject, its figures jump around from year to year.
Strongest A levels
Every A level subject against England, 2025
A levels only. BTECs, T levels and other courses are in the table above. Subjects with fewer than five students aren't published.
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. None of the gaps is 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
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 Christian school it may put families of that faith first. Check the school's own admissions rules.
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 Devon council's admissions booklet, send it to us.
Who goes here
Who the school teaches, from the latest school census.
How the mix of pupils has changed
| Census | 2026 | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils on roll | 499 | 603 | 627 | 657 | 666 | 645 |
| Pupils from low-income familiesFree school meals | – | – | – | – | 0% | 0% |
| Pupils learning EnglishEnglish as an additional language | – | – | – | – | 0% | 0% |
| Pupils getting extra supportSEN support | – | 32% | 31% | 30% | 21% | 21% |
| Pupils with an EHC planEducation, health and care plans | – | 1% | 1% | 0% | 0% | 1% |
What pupils do next
After sixth form
Where the 89 pupils who left in 2022/23 were a year later.
Earlier years
| Destination | 2022/23 leavers | 2021/22 leavers | 2020/21 leavers |
|---|---|---|---|
| Still in education, work or training | 82% | 76% | 78% |
| Education | 54% | 54% | 59% |
| Apprenticeship | 5% | 1% | 4% |
| Work | 24% | 21% | 16% |
| Not in education, work or training | 8% | 10% | 7% |
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 schools, nearest first. Hover over a row to see it on the map.
| School | Type | Distance | Pupils | Ofsted | Score | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Filleigh Community Primary School | Foundation | 2.2 miles | 61 | No overall grade 2024 | 25 | Compare |
| Brayford Academy | Academy | 2.5 miles | 32 | Good 2023 | 20 | Compare |
| Swimbridge Church of England Primary School | Church of England | 3.2 miles | 79 | Good 2024 | 62 | Compare |
| Bratton Fleming Community Primary School | Academy | 4.1 miles | 70 | Good 2022 | 80 | Compare |
| South Molton Community Primary School | Academy | 4.3 miles | 242 | Good 2023 | – | Compare |
| North Molton Primary School | Academy | 4.3 miles | 124 | Good 2023 | 22 | Compare |
| Goodleigh Church of England Primary School | Church of England | 4.6 miles | 90 | Good 2022 | 22 | Compare |
| Landkey Community Primary Academy | Academy | 4.6 miles | 178 | Good 2022 | 31 | Compare |
Questions parents ask
Is West Buckland School a good school?
We don't have enough published data to score West Buckland School yet.
How good are West Buckland School's GCSE results?
In summer 2025, 69% 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 54.1, against 46.8 for England.
How many pupils does West Buckland School have?
499 pupils aged 3 to 18 were on the roll in January 2024. It has 933 places, so it is 53% full.
Does West Buckland School have a sixth form?
Yes. The average A level grade in 2025 was B. 13 A level subjects had results in 2025; the full list is in the results section.
These answers come straight from the figures on this page and update when new data comes out.
Contact and details
- Address
- West Buckland, Barnstaple, EX32 0SX
- Telephone
- 01598 760000
- Website
- www.westbuckland.com
- Headteacher
- Mrs Helen Lowe
- Type of school
- Independent school (Other independent school, independent schools)
- Phase
- Independent school, ages 3-18, with nursery, with sixth form
- Gender
- Mixed
- Religious character
- Christian
- Local authority
- Devon
- Ward
- North Molton
- Constituency
- North Devon
- Setting
- Smaller rural: Further from a major town or city
- Opened
- 30 September 1980
- URN
- 113606 · LAESTAB 8786032 · UKPRN 10007406
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.
- Pupil characteristics: DfE school census, January 2026.
- A level subjects: DfE A level and other 16 to 18 results, subject entries and grades, 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.