Breckland School, Brandon
Breckland School is a secondary school for pupils aged 11 to 16 in Brandon, part of Unity Schools Partnership. It was rated Good at its last graded Ofsted inspection, in September 2017. Ofsted's ungraded inspection in November 2022 did not change this grade. Its 2026 GCSE results were the 36th-highest of the 43 schools in Suffolk with published results, and 2,787th of 3,298 across England. It was full in 2025, at 101% of capacity.
- GCSE results
- Below England average
- Ofsted
- Good (2017)
- Demand
- Every first choice offered
- Attendance
- Below England average
- Progress (2024)
- Below average
Year 7 applications for September 2027 close in 4 days
Deadline Saturday 31 October 2026. Apply to Suffolk (the council where you live). Offers on 1 March.
Data last updated 27 Oct 2026
Breckland School in detail
Breckland School in its own words
In its own words: "Breckland School is a school for children aged between 11 and 16 and is located in the small market town of Brandon in West Suffolk, very close to the Norfolk Border. The historic market town of Brandon is located in the heart of Breckland, surrounded by acres of forest, which is renowned as an area of outstanding natural beauty."
From the headteacher's welcome: "Welcome to Breckland School - a proud, ambitious, and joyful community built around our BIG values: Brilliance, Integrity, and Growth. With our BIG values at the heart of everything we do - our students can and will go on to achieve BIG things. At Breckland, we are unapologetically ambitious for every student and every member of our community."
Vision and values (school website)Headteacher's welcome (school website)
Source: The school's own website
Results
In 2026, pupils at Breckland School averaged an Attainment 8 score of 38.9, the average grade across their best eight GCSEs. The average state school scored 43.4 in Suffolk and 47 across England.
31% passed English and maths at grade 5 or above, against 40% in Suffolk and 47% in England.
That is down from 42.4 in 2025.
Its most recent Progress 8 score, for 2024, was -0.34: pupils made below average progress compared with pupils nationally who started secondary school at the same level. Progress 8 was not published for 2026.
Disadvantaged pupils averaged an Attainment 8 of 29.1, against 42.6 for other pupils at the school - a gap of 13.5 points.
Pupils sat GCSEs in 21 subjects; after English and maths, the most popular were Combined Science, Physical Education and Geography.
Getting a place at Breckland School
For September 2026 entry, 95 families put Breckland School as their first choice and 131 named it as one of their preferences, for 99 places offered. It had fewer first-choice applications than places. Every family who put it first was offered a place there for 2026 entry.
The trust
Breckland School is one of 40 schools run by Unity Schools Partnership, an academy trust.
Across the trust's secondary schools, pupils averaged an Attainment 8 score of 44.3 in 2024/25.
Where pupils go next
Of the 108 pupils who finished Year 11 in 2023/24, 81% stayed in education or training for at least two terms, including 68% to a further education college, 7% to an apprenticeship and 3% into work.
Who goes there
12.4% speak English as an additional language, against 18.8% on average, according to the 2026 school census.
In 2026, 27 pupils (4.4%) received SEN support and 45 (7.3%) had an education, health and care plan, against 16.2% and 4.6% at the average state school. The most common need among them is speech, language and communication needs.
Getting there
The nearest railway station is Entrance, about 1.3 miles away in a straight line.
16 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is IES Breckland School (opposite), 100 metres away.
Suspensions and exclusions
In 2024/25, Breckland School issued 215 suspensions, 35.1 for every 100 pupils (the average state school: 6.3), and 3 permanent exclusions.
Primary schools nearby
The primary schools closest to Breckland School are Forest Academy (1 mile), Glade Academy (1.1 miles) and Weeting Church of England Primary School (1.9 miles). Admission does not depend on which primary a child attends unless the school's policy names feeder schools.
Forest AcademyGlade AcademyWeeting Church of England Primary School
Sources: DfE school performance data (averages: state mainstream schools); DfE school-level applications and offers; council admissions booklets; DfE appeals statistics; DfE multi-academy trust performance data; DfE destination measures; DfE school census and special educational needs statistics; NaPTAN (Department for Transport); DfE exclusions statistics
Location
Every family who put it first was offered a place for 2026 entry, so distance did not limit places that year.
Key Information
DfE GIASOfsted Rating
Ofsted · 4 years agoThis judgement is from September 2017, 9 years ago, longer than Ofsted's usual 4-year cycle: the school may have changed since.
Overall
Latest (ungraded) inspection: The school remains Good.
Ofsted Insights
Ofsted rated this school Good at its September 2017 inspection - up from Requires Improvement.
Rated Good for
Leadership & management.
At a Glance
25.7%
Free School Meals
No
Boarding
No
Nursery
No
Sixth Form
No
Special Measures
Secondary Performance (GCSE)
Academic year 2025/26GCSE Results
2025/26 academic year
Progress 8 has declined from -0.01 to -0.34 (2023 to 2024). Attainment 8 has declined from 42.8 to 38.9 (2023 to 2026). GCSE English & Maths 5+ has declined from 39% to 31% (2023 to 2026).
Performance by Group
| Group | Progress 8 | Attainment 8 | Eng+Maths 5+ |
|---|---|---|---|
| All pupils | - | 38.9 | 30.7% |
| Disadvantaged(31) | - | 29.1 | 9.7% |
| Not known to be disadvantaged(83) | - | 42.6 | 38.6% |
| Boys(57) | - | 35.5 | 22.8% |
| Girls(57) | - | 42.4 | 38.6% |
Show more breakdowns (2)
| Known or believed to be other than English(10) | - | 39.6 | 30% |
| Non mobile(107) | - | 40.1 | 32.7% |
2025/26 academic year - DfE performance tables data
GCSE Subjects Offered
+ 1 more subjects
2025/26 academic year - entries by number of pupils
After GCSEs - Leaver Destinations
After GCSEs (Year 11) - 108 students
2023/24 data
Exclusions & Suspensions
3
Permanent exclusions
0.49%
Exclusion rate
215
Suspensions
35.07%
Suspension rate
51 pupils received one or more suspensions out of 613 pupils
2024/25 academic year
Latest from Breckland School
Family Bulletin - 25th September 2026
25 Sep 2026
Family Bulletin - 11th September 2026
11 Sep 2026
Excitement and pride for GCSE students
20 Aug 2026
Summer Newsletter - July 2026
17 Jul 2026
Family Bulletin - 25th June 2026
25 Jun 2026
Family Bulletin - 12th June 2026
12 Jun 2026
From Breckland School's website. School Signal is not affiliated with the school.
Social & online
Keep up with Breckland School
Term dates
Breckland School is a free school, so it sets its own term dates: check the school's website. As a guide, see Suffolk's term dates for its community schools.
Getting There
Bus Stops
Free school transport
Check free transport to Breckland School from your postcode →
You apply to the council where you live. Breckland School is in Suffolk; for families living there:
Apply to Suffolk for free school transport. Its policy is on the council's website.
Safety and surroundings
Road collisions within 500 m (2021 to 2025)
- Collisions
- 4
- Fatal
- 0
- Serious
- 1
- Children hurt
- 1
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 4 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 1 serious and 3 slight.
1 child aged 0 to 15 was hurt.
2 of the collisions happened on a weekday between 08:00 and 09:30 or 14:45 and 16:30, holidays included.
The typical figure for schools in Suffolk is 4 (the median across 365 schools, same distance and years).
Serious and slight counts use the Department for Transport's severity adjustment, which allows for changes in how police forces record injuries; they are estimates, rounded to whole numbers. Distances are in a straight line. Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19), Open Government Licence v3.0.
Commute and house prices
Your chances of a place at Breckland School
Will you get a place at Breckland School? Get the admissions report
Your home postcode, set against Breckland School's admissions figures, in one report saved to your account.
What the report includes for Breckland School:
- The straight-line distance from your home to Breckland School.
- We hold no last distance offered figures from Suffolk, so the report covers demand, alternatives and dates.
- Applications, first choices and offers at Breckland School for 2014 to 2026 entry.
- How many families in Suffolk got their first choice, and how often appeals there succeed.
- The nearest state schools to your home, with Ofsted rating, demand and last distance offered where published.
- Key dates for September 2027 entry and how to apply.
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Capacity & Demand
School Occupancy
101%
Over capacity
606 pupils
600 places
6 pupils over capacity in 2025
2025, DfE school capacity data
Area Demand Pressure - Brandon
Based on MHCLG Live Table 122 (2024-25, last 5 years) for Brandon
Across Suffolk council
Places available
8,475
Applications
7,204
Got 1st preference
92.7%
Got preferred school
97.7%
All secondary applications across Suffolk council (2026/27), not just this school.
This school: Every first choice offered
Inspection History(9)
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
27
SEN Support
45
EHC Plans
11.7%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
615
Total Pupils
313
Boys
302
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
34
Teachers
18.1:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£56,878
Mean salary
2026 data
School Funding
£6,891
Per pupil
£4485k
Total funding
£162k
Pupil premium
2025-26 financial year allocations
Pupil Absence2024/25
9.8%
Overall absence
29.1%
Persistent absence
643
Enrolments
Absence trend
Source: DfE pupil absence statistics. Persistent absence = pupils missing 10%+ sessions.
Feeder Primary Schools
Primary schools that likely feed into this school, based on proximity
Breckland School
Questions parents ask about Breckland School
What are GCSE results like at Breckland School?
In the 2026 results, pupils at Breckland School achieved an Attainment 8 score of 38.9. 31% passed GCSE English and maths at grade 5 or above.
What is Breckland School's Ofsted rating?
Breckland School's most recent Ofsted inspection, in November 2022, was ungraded, so it gave no overall grade. At its last graded inspection, in September 2017, it was rated Good.
What is the catchment area for Breckland School?
No fixed boundary. When Breckland School is oversubscribed, Suffolk allocates places by its published criteria, usually ending with home-to-school distance.
Is it hard to get a place at Breckland School?
Breckland School was full in 2025, at 101% of its capacity, so places are allocated on the oversubscription criteria.
How big are the classes at Breckland School?
Classes at Breckland School average 25.7 pupils (2025/26).
How many pupils go to Breckland School?
Breckland School has around 615 pupils on roll. 26% are eligible for free school meals.
What is attendance like at Breckland School?
9.8% of sessions were missed at Breckland School in 2024/25. 29.1% of pupils were persistently absent (missing 10% or more of sessions).
How do I apply to Breckland School?
Apply through Suffolk's coordinated admissions process, naming Breckland School on your application. Applications for Year 7 places starting in September 2027 close on Saturday 31 October 2026, and offers are made on Monday 1 March 2027.
How many road collisions happen near Breckland School?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 4 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 1 serious and 3 slight. 1 child aged 0 to 15 was hurt. 2 of the collisions happened on a weekday between 08:00 and 09:30 or 14:45 and 16:30, holidays included. The typical figure for schools in Suffolk is 4 (the median across 365 schools, same distance and years).
Where is Breckland School?
Breckland School is at Crown Street, Brandon, Suffolk, IP27 0PE.
Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)