Buckland St Mary Church of England Primary School
Fairend Lane, Buckland St Mary, Chard, TA20 3SJ
- Phase
- Primary
- School type
- Academy sponsor led
- Ages
- 2 to 11
- Gender
- Mixed
- Religious character
- Church of England
- Trust
- THE ACADEMIES FOR CHARACTER AND EXCELLENCE
- Headteacher
- Mrs Ethne Staniland
- Diocese
- Diocese of Bath and Wells
- Nursery provision
- Has Nursery Classes
- Sponsor
- The Academy for Character and Excellence
- Constituency
- Yeovil
- Setting
- Smaller rural: Further from a major town or city
- Capacity
- 90
- Pupils on roll
- 54
- URN
- 150638
- Local authority
- Somerset
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 01460234251
About this school
Buckland St Mary Church of England Primary School is a Church of England primary academy in Chard. It teaches children aged 2 to 11 and has 54 pupils on roll.
You can read Ofsted's latest judgement for the school below. Where the Department for Education has published them, its results and pupil characteristics appear below. Numbers and a report only go so far, so visit in person 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
- Requires improvement
- Behaviour and attitudes
- Good
- Personal development
- Good
- Leadership and management
- Requires improvement
- Early years
- Requires improvement
- Safeguarding
- Effective
This inspection took place when the school was registered as Buckland St Mary Church of England Primary School (URN 141740).
Exam results
Key stage 2 (end of primary school)
| Measure | 2024/25 |
|---|---|
| Pupils at the end of key stage 2 | 7 |
| Met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths | 71% |
| Reached the higher standard in reading, writing and maths | 0% |
| Expected standard in reading | 71% |
| Expected standard in maths | 71% |
| Expected standard in grammar, punctuation and spelling | 57% |
| Average scaled score in reading | 106.0 |
| Average scaled score in maths | 103.0 |
Trends over time
How Buckland St Mary Church of England Primary 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 | England average |
|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | — | 6.8% |
| 2023/24 | 5.9% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 3.9% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2023/24 | 68 |
| 2024/25 | 62 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
How Buckland St Mary Church of England Primary School compares
Buckland St Mary Church of England Primary School ranked 40th of 155 primary schools in Somerset for KS2 results in 2024/25. Its KS2 result was higher than 68% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 87% of England schools in 2024/25.
| School | KS2 RWM (2024/25) | Absence | FSM (6 years) | Pupils | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| This school | 71% | 3.9% | 16% | 54 | — |
| Combe St Nicholas Church of England VA Primary School | 67% | 5.3% | 10.8% | 117 | 2.4 miles |
| Neroche Primary School | 76% | 5% | 6.2% | 233 | 3.7 miles |
| Ashill Community Primary School | 67% | 8% | 11.1% | 34 | 4.0 miles |
| The Redstart Primary School | 67% | 5.2% | 22.3% | 444 | 4.0 miles |
| Manor Court Community Primary School | 75% | 5.8% | 33.1% | 448 | 4.5 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.
School context
From the 2024/25 school census and absence figures.
- Free school meals (last 6 years)
- 16%
- English as an additional language
- 1.6%
- Overall absence
- 3.88%
- Persistent absence
- 5.13%
Location
Nearby schools
-
Combe St Nicholas Church of England VA Primary School2.4 miles
Primary · Chard
-
Neroche Primary School3.7 miles
Primary · Ilminster
-
Ashill Community Primary School4.0 miles
Primary · Ilminster
-
The Redstart Primary School4.0 miles
Primary · Chard
-
Manor Court Community Primary School4.5 miles
Primary · Chard
Other schools in Chard
Buckland St Mary Church of England Primary School ranks 2nd of the 6 ranked primary schools in Chard.
- Avishayes Community Primary School Primary
- Combe St Nicholas Church of England VA Primary School Primary
- Manor Court Community Primary School Primary
- Tatworth Primary School Primary
- The Redstart Primary School Primary
- Holyrood Academy Secondary
- 3 Dimensions Special schools
- Chard School Independent schools
Common questions
- What year groups does Buckland St Mary Church of England Primary School teach?
- Buckland St Mary Church of England Primary School teaches children aged 2 to 11. It is a primary school in Chard.
- Who is the headteacher of Buckland St Mary Church of England Primary School?
- The headteacher of Buckland St Mary Church of England Primary School is Mrs Ethne Staniland, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- When was Buckland St Mary Church of England Primary School last inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected Buckland St Mary Church of England Primary 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 big is Buckland St Mary Church of England Primary School?
- Buckland St Mary Church of England Primary School has 54 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 2 to 11.
- Is Buckland St Mary Church of England Primary School full?
- Buckland St Mary Church of England Primary School has capacity for 90 pupils and 54 on roll (60%), 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 Buckland St Mary Church of England Primary School a faith school?
- Yes. Buckland St Mary Church of England Primary School is designated Church of England, in the Diocese of Bath and Wells.
- Does Buckland St Mary Church of England Primary School have a nursery?
- Yes. The schools register records Buckland St Mary Church of England Primary School as having nursery classes.
- Who runs Buckland St Mary Church of England Primary School?
- Buckland St Mary Church of England Primary School is part of THE ACADEMIES FOR CHARACTER AND EXCELLENCE. Schools in a trust or federation share leadership and governance, but each keeps its own inspection record and results.
- How does Buckland St Mary Church of England Primary School rank locally?
- Buckland St Mary Church of England Primary School ranked 40th of 155 primary schools in Somerset for key stage 2 results. Its KS2 result was higher than 68% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 87% of England schools in 2024/25. Results reflect each cohort as well as the school, so treat rankings as a starting point.
- What is Buckland St Mary Church of England Primary School's absence rate?
- Buckland St Mary Church of England Primary School's overall absence rate is 3.9% in the latest published census, at or below the England average of 6.2%.
- What are Buckland St Mary Church of England Primary School's exam results?
- Where the Department for Education has published them, Buckland St Mary Church of England Primary 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 10 July 2026.