Buckland Brewer Primary School, Bideford
Buckland Brewer Primary School is a primary school for pupils aged 2 to 11 in Bideford, part of Atlantic Coast Co-Operative Trust. It was rated Requires improvement at its last graded Ofsted inspection, in March 2024. Its 2025 Key Stage 2 results were the 12th-highest of the 12 schools in Bideford with published results, and 13,886th of 14,452 across England. It was 73% full in 2025.
- SATs results
- Below England average
- Ofsted
- Requires improvement (2024)
- Demand
- Every first choice offered
- Attendance
- In line with England
Reception applications for September 2027 close in 80 days
Deadline Friday 15 January 2027. Apply to Devon (the council where you live). Offers on 16 April.
Data last updated 27 Oct 2026
Buckland Brewer Primary School in detail
Results
In 2025, 50% of Year 6 pupils at Buckland Brewer Primary School reached the expected standard in reading and 50% in maths. At the average state primary the figures were 77% and 73% in Devon and 77% and 75% across England.
Results fell from 83% in reading and 83% in maths in 2024.
With small year groups, a few pupils can move these figures by several points.
Getting a place at Buckland Brewer Primary School
For September 2026 entry, 7 families put Buckland Brewer Primary School as their first choice and 9 named it as one of their preferences, for 8 places offered. It had fewer first-choice applications than places. Every family who put it first was offered a place there for 2026 entry.
Admissions history and your chances at Buckland Brewer Primary School
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other state primary schools to Buckland Brewer Primary School are Parkham Primary School (2.1 miles, Good, 63% reading, 88% maths); Monkleigh Primary School (2.2 miles, Good, 93% reading, 93% maths); Langtree Community School and Nursery Unit (3.5 miles, Good, 92% reading, 92% maths); and St Helens Church of England Academy (3.6 miles, Good, 77% reading, 73% maths).
Each of them had higher 2025 results than Buckland Brewer Primary School.
Parkham Primary SchoolMonkleigh Primary SchoolLangtree Community School and Nursery UnitSt Helens Church of England Academy
The trust
Buckland Brewer Primary School is one of 6 schools run by Atlantic Coast Co-Operative Trust, an academy trust.
Who goes there
2% speak English as an additional language, against 18.8% on average, according to the 2026 school census.
In 2026, 8 pupils (16.3%) received SEN support and 0 (0%) 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.
Staffing
Buckland Brewer Primary School had 11 teachers in 2026, one for every 5 pupils: more teachers per pupil than a typical primary school, at about one for every 20.
Getting there
There is no railway, tram or Underground station within about three miles of Buckland Brewer Primary School.
2 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Church (nw-bound), 330 metres away.
The area around the school
In August 2026, police recorded 2 crimes within a mile of the school, most often criminal damage and arson and violence and sexual offences. That is well below the typical figure around schools in Devon (16).
Suspensions and exclusions
In 2024/25, Buckland Brewer Primary School issued 2 suspensions, 3.6 for every 100 pupils (the average state school: 6.3), and no permanent exclusions.
Sources: DfE school performance data (averages: state mainstream schools); DfE school-level applications and offers; council admissions booklets; DfE appeals statistics; DfE school census and special educational needs statistics; DfE school workforce census; NaPTAN (Department for Transport); English Indices of Deprivation 2025 (MHCLG); data.police.uk street-level crime; 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 · 3 years agoOverall
Quality of Education
Behaviour & Attitudes
Personal Development
Leadership & Management
Early Years
Ofsted Insights
Ofsted rated this school Requires Improvement at its March 2024 inspection.
Rated Good for
Behaviour & attitudes, Personal development.
Areas Ofsted flagged
Quality of education (Requires Improvement), Leadership & management (Requires Improvement), Early years (Requires Improvement).
At a Glance
28.6%
Free School Meals
No
Boarding
Yes
Nursery
No
Sixth Form
No
Special Measures
Primary Performance (KS2)
Academic year 2024/25KS2 Results (% meeting expected standard)
Reading has declined from 83% to 50% (2024 to 2025). Maths has declined from 83% to 50% (2024 to 2025). Writing has declined from 67% to 50% (2024 to 2025).
Class Sizes
15.0
Avg class size
23.0
KS2
3
Total classes
2025/26 academic year
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 5 nearby primary schools
Keep up with Buckland Brewer Primary School
Getting There
Bus Stops
Free school transport
Check free transport to Buckland Brewer Primary School from your postcode →
You apply to the council where you live. Buckland Brewer Primary School is in Devon; for families living there:
- Devon's school travel policy: Free school transport
- How to apply: Apply for free school transport
Safety and surroundings
Road collisions within 500 m (2021 to 2025)
- Collisions
- 1
- Fatal
- 0
- Serious
- 0
- Children hurt
- 0
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 1 road collision in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 0 serious and 1 slight.
No children aged 0 to 15 were among the people hurt.
0 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 Devon is 3 (the median across 426 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 Buckland Brewer Primary School
Will you get a place at Buckland Brewer Primary School? Get the admissions report
Your home postcode, set against Buckland Brewer Primary School's admissions figures, in one report saved to your account.
What the report includes for Buckland Brewer Primary School:
- The straight-line distance from your home to Buckland Brewer Primary School.
- We hold no last distance offered figures from Devon, so the report covers demand, alternatives and dates.
- Applications, first choices and offers at Buckland Brewer Primary School for 2014 to 2026 entry.
- How many families in Devon 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
73%
Available places
51 pupils
70 places
19 spare places in 2025
2025, DfE school capacity data
Area Demand Pressure - Bideford
Based on MHCLG Live Table 122 (2024-25, last 5 years) for Bideford
Across Devon council
Places available
9,014
Applications
6,494
Got 1st preference
96.5%
Got preferred school
99.1%
All primary applications across Devon council (2026/27), not just this school.
This school: Every first choice offered
Inspection History(6)
Ungraded inspection: The school remains Good, but Ofsted raised concerns; its next inspection will be a full graded one.
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
8
SEN Support
0
EHC Plans
16.3%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
49
Total Pupils
21
Boys
28
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
11
Teachers
4.5:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£47,227
Mean salary
2026 data
School Funding
£8,870
Per pupil
£506k
Total funding
£23k
Pupil premium
2025-26 financial year allocations
Pupil Absence2024/25
4.7%
Overall absence
8.9%
Persistent absence
45
Enrolments
Absence trend
Source: DfE pupil absence statistics. Persistent absence = pupils missing 10%+ sessions.
Questions parents ask about Buckland Brewer Primary School
What are SATs results like at Buckland Brewer Primary School?
Of the pupils at Buckland Brewer Primary School who took the 2025 Key Stage 2 assessments, 50% reached the expected standard in reading and 50% did so in maths.
What is Buckland Brewer Primary School's Ofsted rating?
Buckland Brewer Primary School was rated Requires Improvement at its most recent Ofsted inspection in March 2024. At its previous graded inspection in 2012 it was rated Good.
What is the catchment area for Buckland Brewer Primary School?
No fixed boundary. When Buckland Brewer Primary School is oversubscribed, Devon allocates places by its published criteria, usually ending with home-to-school distance.
Is it hard to get a place at Buckland Brewer Primary School?
Buckland Brewer Primary School was not full in 2025: it ran at 73% of its 70 places.
How big are the classes at Buckland Brewer Primary School?
Classes at Buckland Brewer Primary School average 15 pupils (2025/26).
How many pupils go to Buckland Brewer Primary School?
Buckland Brewer Primary School has around 49 pupils on roll. 29% are eligible for free school meals.
What is attendance like at Buckland Brewer Primary School?
4.7% of sessions were missed at Buckland Brewer Primary School in 2024/25. 8.9% of pupils were persistently absent (missing 10% or more of sessions).
How do I apply to Buckland Brewer Primary School?
Apply through Devon's coordinated admissions process, naming Buckland Brewer Primary School on your application. Applications for Reception places starting in September 2027 close on Friday 15 January 2027, and offers are made on Friday 16 April 2027.
How many road collisions happen near Buckland Brewer Primary School?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 1 road collision in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 0 serious and 1 slight. No children aged 0 to 15 were among the people hurt. 0 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 Devon is 3 (the median across 426 schools, same distance and years).
Where is Buckland Brewer Primary School?
Buckland Brewer Primary School is at Buckland Brewer, Bideford, Devon, EX39 5LX.
Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)