West Buckland School

Independent school · All-through, ages 3 to 18 · Mixed · Christian · Nursery class · Sixth form · Boarding

West Buckland, Barnstaple, EX32 0SX

01598 760000 · School website · Map and directions

Inspected byISIIndependent Schools Inspectorate
A level exams graded A* or A37%England 26% · 2024/25
Pupils499Room for 933 Pupil numbers in January of each year: 617 in 2019, 645 in 2021, 666 in 2022, 657 in 2023, 627 in 2024, 603 in 2025. Across England, secondary state school pupil numbers were up 10% from 2019 to 2025.

Ofsted inspection

This independent school is inspected by the Independent Schools Inspectorate (ISI), not Ofsted. ISI doesn't publish its judgements as open data, so we can't show them here. You can read its reports on the ISI website.

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Results

We show A level results only. DfE's GCSE figures leave out the IGCSEs many independent schools use, so they can look far lower than pupils' real results. The IB Diploma and Pre-U aren't included in the A level figures either. DfE doesn't publish where independent school students go after sixth form.

A levels (16 to 18), 2024/25

76 A level students in this year group.

MeasureThis schoolDevonEngland
Average A level grade B C+ B-
A level exams graded A* or A 37% 29% 26%
A level exams graded A* to B 66% 55% 53%
Average points per A level entryAn A* is 60 points, an A is 50, a B is 40, and so on down to 10 for an E. 39.6 34.5 35
Average points per A level entry, over time
30 35 40 45 England 2022/23: 34.2England 2023/24: 34.4England 2024/25: 35 This school 2022/23: 39.2This school 2023/24: 37.8This school 2024/25: 39.6 This school England 35 2022/23 39.2 2023/24 37.8 2024/25 39.6

A level subjects, 2024/25

21 subjects, 177 exams. England figures are for state-funded schools and colleges.

SubjectExamsA*A* or AEngland A* or A
Chemistry 20 10% 35% 30%
Biology 19 16% 32% 27%
Business Studies:Single 19 5% 11% 16%
Mathematics 19 21% 63% 40%
Psychology 19 16% 26% 19%
Art and Design (Fine Art) 14 21% 43% 38%
English Literature 10 20% 40% 23%
Religious Studies 9 22% 44% 22%
Physics 8 13% 25% 31%
Chinese 6 0% 83% –
Spanish 6 0% 50% 34%

Also taken, with too few exams for DfE to publish grades: Design and Technology (Product Design), Drama and Theatre Studies, French, Mathematics (Further), Music, English Language, Arabic, Economics, Geography, History.

Source: DfE 16 to 18 qualification and subject data, 2024/25.

Source: DfE 16 to 18 performance tables, 2024/25. England figures are for state-funded schools.

Admissions

Independent schools run their own admissions and set their own fees. Contact the school directly.

Pupils, staff and SEND

PupilsThis schoolDevonEngland
Eligible for free school meals in the last 6 years 0.0% 22.5%* 28.9%
With an education, health and care plan 0.7% 4.5%* 3.1%
Receiving special educational needs support 31.5% 15.6%* 13.4%
English as an additional language Not published 5.7%* 19.2%

Comparisons are with secondary schools. Scales run from lower (left) to higher (right) figures. For absence and suspensions lower is better, so their scales run green to red; blue scales describe the school's pupils and staff and aren't good or bad. * Calculated by SchoolScores from the council's or England's schools, weighted by pupils (or teachers, for turnover); other figures are published by DfE. Sources: DfE school census 2024/25.

Questions parents ask

How did West Buckland School do in its A levels?

In 2024/25, 37% of A level exams were graded A* or A, 11 points above the England average of 26%.

Sources

Spotted a mistake? Report it and we'll check it against the source.

Page updated 26 September 2026.