Budehaven Community School
Valley Road, Bude, EX23 8DQ
- Phase
- Secondary
- School type
- Foundation school
- Ages
- 11 to 18
- Gender
- Mixed
- Trust
- The Bude Communities' Schools' Trust
- Headteacher
- Mr Dominic Wilkes
- Admissions policy
- Non-selective
- Constituency
- North Cornwall
- Setting
- Larger rural: Further from a major town or city
- Capacity
- 1,516
- Pupils on roll
- 1,145
- URN
- 112045
- Local authority
- Cornwall
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 01288353271
About this school
Budehaven Community School is a foundation secondary school in Bude. It teaches children aged 11 to 18 and has 1,145 pupils on roll.
Ofsted has inspected Budehaven Community School, and its latest judgement is set out below. Where the Department for Education has published them, its results and pupil characteristics appear below. Seeing a school for yourself shows what no page can, so arrange a visit before you apply.
Ofsted judgement
Overall judgement at the last full inspection
This inspection took place under the previous framework, which gave a single overall grade. Ofsted now publishes report cards instead, so newer inspections of other schools will look different. How Ofsted report cards work
- Quality of education
- Good
- Behaviour and attitudes
- Good
- Personal development
- Good
- Leadership and management
- Good
- Sixth form
- Good
- Safeguarding
- Effective
Exam results
Key stage 4 (GCSEs)
| Measure | 2022/23 | 2023/24 | 2024/25 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils at the end of key stage 4 | 215 | 199 | 177 |
| Attainment 8 score | 45.7 | 43.0 | 45.4 |
| Progress 8 score | -0.09 -0.28 to +0.10 | -0.22 -0.42 to -0.02 | - |
| Grade 5 or above in English and maths | 44% | 35.7% | 35.6% |
| Grade 4 or above in English and maths | 65% | 62.8% | 62.1% |
| Entered the English Baccalaureate | 25% | 24.1% | 22% |
| English Baccalaureate average point score | 3.8 | 3.6 | 3.8 |
Progress 8 is paused nationally for the 2024/25 and 2025/26 school years. Those pupils sat no key stage 2 tests during the Covid pandemic, so there is no starting point to measure progress from. A blank figure here is not missing school data.
Trends over time
How Budehaven Community School has moved over recent years against the local and national picture. Every figure is shown in the table beneath its chart.
| Year | This school | Cornwall average | England average |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 45.7 | 41.8 | 39.8 |
| 2023/24 | 43 | 41.5 | 39.5 |
| 2024/25 | 45.4 | 41.7 | 39 |
Department for Education KS4 performance data, published school results.
| Year | This school | England average |
|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 11.1% | 6.8% |
| 2023/24 | 12.2% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 10.9% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 1,161 |
| 2023/24 | 1,139 |
| 2024/25 | 1,140 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
How Budehaven Community School compares
Budehaven Community School ranked 13th of 31 secondary schools in Cornwall for Attainment 8 in 2024/25. Its Attainment 8 score was higher than 59% of England secondary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 5% of England schools in 2024/25.
| School | Attainment 8 (2024/25) | Absence | FSM (6 years) | Pupils | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| This school | 45.4 | 10.9% | 24.1% | 1,145 | — |
| Holsworthy Community College | 39.9 | 12.4% | 30.3% | 551 | 7.9 miles |
| Bude Primary Academy - Infants | — | 5.7% | 22.4% | 126 | 0.3 miles |
| Bude Primary Academy - Juniors | — | 6.8% | 36.9% | 230 | 0.3 miles |
| Stratton Primary School | — | 6.2% | 21% | 340 | 0.8 miles |
| Marhamchurch CofE Academy | — | 4.9% | 10.9% | 128 | 1.4 miles |
Results reflect each school's cohort as much as its teaching, and free school meals share is context, not a judgement. Small gaps between neighbouring schools are rarely meaningful on their own.
Inspection history
- 30 April 2024
-
Ungraded inspection report17 May 2023
School context
From the 2024/25 school census and absence figures.
- Free school meals (last 6 years)
- 24.08%
- English as an additional language
- 1.8%
- Overall absence
- 10.9%
- Persistent absence
- 29.97%
Location
Nearby schools
-
Holsworthy Community College7.9 miles
Secondary · Holsworthy
-
Bude Primary Academy - Infants0.3 miles
Primary · Bude
-
Bude Primary Academy - Juniors0.3 miles
Primary · Bude
-
Stratton Primary School0.8 miles
Primary · Bude
-
Marhamchurch CofE Academy1.4 miles
Primary · Bude
Other schools in Bude
- Bude Primary Academy - Infants Primary
- Bude Primary Academy - Juniors Primary
- Jacobstow Community Academy Primary
- Kilkhampton Junior and Infant School Primary
- Marhamchurch CofE Academy Primary
- St Mark's CofE Academy Primary
- Stratton Primary School Primary
Common questions
- What ages does Budehaven Community School teach?
- Budehaven Community School teaches children aged 11 to 18. It is a secondary school in Bude.
- Who is the headteacher of Budehaven Community School?
- The headteacher of Budehaven Community School is Mr Dominic Wilkes, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- Has Budehaven Community School been inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected Budehaven Community School, and its latest judgement is set out in the inspection section on this page, with the framework and the date it was made.
- How many pupils are at Budehaven Community School?
- Budehaven Community School has 1,145 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 11 to 18.
- Is Budehaven Community School full?
- Budehaven Community School has capacity for 1,516 pupils and 1,145 on roll (76%), so it has space against its published capacity. Places are allocated through the local authority's admissions process, so capacity alone does not tell you whether a place is available.
- Is Budehaven Community School a faith school?
- No. Budehaven Community School has no designated religious character.
- Is Budehaven Community School a selective school?
- No. Budehaven Community School is recorded as non-selective in the schools register.
- Is Budehaven Community School part of an academy trust?
- Budehaven Community School is part of The Bude Communities' Schools' Trust. Schools in a trust or federation share leadership and governance, but each keeps its own inspection record and results.
- How have Budehaven Community School's results changed over recent years?
- Its Attainment 8 score was 45.7 in 2022/23 and 45.4 in 2024/25. The year-by-year figures, alongside local and national averages, are charted in the trends section on this page.
- How does Budehaven Community School compare with other schools in Cornwall?
- Budehaven Community School ranked 13th of 31 secondary schools in Cornwall for Attainment 8. Its Attainment 8 score was higher than 59% of England secondary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 5% of England schools in 2024/25. Results reflect each cohort as well as the school, so treat rankings as a starting point.
- What is Budehaven Community School's absence rate?
- Budehaven Community School's overall absence rate is 10.9% in the latest published census, above the England average of 6.2%.
- What are Budehaven Community School's exam results?
- Where the Department for Education has published them, Budehaven Community School's key stage results are shown in the results section on this page, with the last three years so you can see the trend rather than a single year.
School details come from the Department for Education's Get Information About Schools register. Inspection outcomes come from Ofsted, and exam results from the Department for Education's school performance service. This page was last updated on 29 June 2026.