Budehaven Community School
Bude, EX23 8DQ · Cornwall · secondary school
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18th of 31 secondary schools in Cornwall we can score. Local and same-phase on purpose: a national table mostly measures who attends.
Its results hold up when the comparison narrows to schools whose pupils have similar backgrounds — 3.5/10 against 878 of them, against 3.6/10 nationally. So this is not simply a reflection of who attends. Both figures are results only, without the inspection grade. A lower figure here means a stronger comparison group, not a weaker school.
How this is worked out
| Measure | Percentile | Weight | Adds |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ofsted | 52 | 35% | 1.84 |
| Grade 5+ English & maths 2025/26 | 40.3 · 38 | 30% | 1.15 |
| Progress 8 2023/24 | -0.22 · 33 | 25% | 0.83 |
| Attainment 8 2025/26 | 43.7 · 38 | 10% | 0.38 |
Each measure is read as a position among comparable schools, so a school in the middle of the country scores 5. Full method.
Budehaven Community School overview
How it's doing
The school is rated Good by Ofsted following an inspection in 2024. In 2024/25, 35.6% of pupils achieved Grade 5 or above in English and maths. Attainment 8 was 45.4, compared to the national median of 44.6. Progress 8 was -0.22 in 2023/24, indicating pupils did slightly worse than those nationally who started from the same place. Its results are much the same when the comparison narrows to schools whose pupils have similar backgrounds, so the gap is not explained by intake (3.0 out of 10 against similar schools, 3.4 out of 10 against all schools).
Getting in
The published school roll is 1,145 pupils against a stated capacity of 1,516. These whole-school figures do not establish entry-year vacancies or the likelihood of an offer. Confirm entry-year availability and admissions criteria with the school or local authority.
Worth asking on a visit
How does the school support pupils to improve their Progress 8 scores? What specific support is available for students aiming to raise their Attainment 8?
What Ofsted said about Budehaven Community School
Overview
Budehaven Community School is described as a “true community school” where pupils are “proud to be a pupil here” and many parents describe their child’s experience as ‘thriving’. The inspection found that the school provides a “good quality of education” with a “broad curriculum that is well planned and carefully sequenced”. Leaders are “aspirational for what pupils have the potential to achieve”, and staff maintain “high standards for pupils’ behaviour”.
Strengths
- Pupils benefit from “many opportunities beyond the academic curriculum”, including trips, extra-curricular activities, and leadership roles such as sports ambassador or prefect.
- Support for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) has improved, with needs identified quickly and a new provision, ‘The Haven’, helping to increase attendance and engagement.
- Reading is “at the centre of the school’s curriculum”, with bespoke support for those who struggle and vocabulary teaching built into subject expectations.
- Staff demonstrate “expert knowledge of their subjects” and present new information clearly, while governors actively support staff wellbeing and workload management.
- Pupils receive “high-quality careers advice and guidance” and develop a “mature understanding of the protected characteristics” and fundamental British Values.
Areas to improve
- Assessment checks in some subjects are “not precise enough”, leading to gaps in knowledge or persistent misconceptions; the school must ensure assessments “carefully check what pupils know and remember over time”.
- Overall attendance remains insufficient, particularly for disadvantaged pupils; the school should “continue to build on and embed the approaches that are starting to show some success in improving pupils’ attendance”.
Safeguarding
The report states that “the arrangements for safeguarding are effective”.
Results over time
Attainment 8, the years we hold.
| Year | Attainment 8 |
|---|---|
| 2023/24 | 43.0 |
| 2024/25 | 45.4 |
| 2025/26 | 43.7 |
| England | 44.9 |
Source: DfE Explore Education Statistics. “England” is the median of the 3,682 state schools in England we hold a 2025/26 figure for — a school-level median, not the DfE's pupil-weighted national figure.
Your offer chance
—Based on official applications/offers, distance and catchment where we have it. Bands only — never a percentage.
Sibling, faith, looked-after and other criteria can override distance. Always confirm with the school or local authority.
Next dates
- Secondary application deadline31 Oct 2026
- Secondary National Offer Day1 Mar 2027
- Secondary application deadline31 Oct 2027
- Secondary National Offer Day1 Mar 2028
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