Old Buckenham High School, Attleborough
Old Buckenham High School is a secondary school for pupils aged 11 to 16 in Attleborough, part of Sapientia Education Trust. It was rated Good at its last graded Ofsted inspection, in October 2015. Ofsted's ungraded inspection in March 2023 did not change this grade. Its 2026 GCSE results were the 25th-highest of the 53 schools in Norfolk with published results, and 1,794th of 3,298 across England. It was 85% full in 2025.
- GCSE results
- In line with England
- Ofsted
- Good (2015)
- Demand
- Every first choice offered
- Attendance
- In line with England
- Progress (2024)
- Average
Year 7 applications for September 2027 close in 4 days
Deadline Saturday 31 October 2026. Apply to Norfolk (the council where you live). Offers on 1 March.
Data last updated 27 Oct 2026
Old Buckenham High School in detail
Old Buckenham High School in its own words
From the headteacher's welcome: "It gives me great pleasure to welcome you to Old Buckenham High School - or OBHS, as we’re proudly known. Nestled in the heart of the beautiful and historic village of Old Buckenham in Norfolk, our school is surrounded by a rich natural landscape that inspires learning, curiosity, and a deep sense of belonging."
The school runs after-school care.
Headteacher's welcome (school website)Wraparound care (school website)
Source: The school's own website
Results
In 2026, pupils at Old Buckenham High School averaged an Attainment 8 score of 45.2, the average grade across their best eight GCSEs. The average state school scored 45 in Norfolk and 47 across England.
38% passed English and maths at grade 5 or above, against 43% in Norfolk and 47% in England.
That is up from 37.8 in 2025.
Its most recent Progress 8 score, for 2024, was 0: pupils made about 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 32.3, against 49 for other pupils at the school - a gap of 16.7 points.
Pupils sat GCSEs in 23 subjects; after English and maths, the most popular were Combined Science, History and Geography.
Getting a place at Old Buckenham High School
For September 2026 entry, 85 families put Old Buckenham High School as their first choice and 171 named it as one of their preferences, for 93 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 Old Buckenham High School
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other state secondary schools to Old Buckenham High School are Attleborough Academy (2.6 miles, Good, Attainment 8 42.8); and Wymondham College (4.2 miles, Outstanding, Attainment 8 56.7).
Old Buckenham High School's 2026 results were higher than 1 of these 2 schools.
The trust
Old Buckenham High School is one of 23 schools run by Sapientia Education Trust, an academy trust.
Across the trust's secondary schools, pupils averaged an Attainment 8 score of 45.9 in 2024/25.
Where pupils go next
Of the 108 pupils who finished Year 11 in 2023/24, 87% stayed in education or training for at least two terms, including 53% to a further education college, 3% to an apprenticeship and 3% into work.
Who goes there
6% speak English as an additional language, against 18.8% on average, according to the 2026 school census.
Getting there
The nearest railway station is Attleborough Rail Station, about 2.2 miles away in a straight line.
3 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is High School (adjacent), 110 metres away.
The area around the school
In August 2026, police recorded 1 crime within a mile of the school, most often violence and sexual offences. That is well below the typical figure around schools in Norfolk (28).
Suspensions and exclusions
In 2024/25, Old Buckenham High School issued 133 suspensions, 26.8 for every 100 pupils (the average state school: 6.3), and 2 permanent exclusions.
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); 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 · 4 years agoThis judgement is from October 2015, 11 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 October 2015 inspection - up from Requires Improvement.
Rated Good for
Leadership & management.
About
Old Buckenham High School is a co-educational secondary school located in Old Buckenham in the English county of Norfolk.
From Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0
At a Glance
25.9%
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 remained stable at around 0.00 (2023 to 2024). Attainment 8 has improved from 43.3 to 45.2 (2023 to 2026). GCSE English & Maths 5+ has remained stable at around 38% (2023 to 2026).
Performance by Group
| Group | Progress 8 | Attainment 8 | Eng+Maths 5+ |
|---|---|---|---|
| All pupils | - | 45.2 | 37.6% |
| Disadvantaged(25) | - | 32.3 | 12% |
| Not known to be disadvantaged(84) | - | 49.0 | 45.2% |
| Boys(47) | - | 44.5 | 38.3% |
| Girls(62) | - | 45.7 | 37.1% |
Show more breakdowns (2)
| Known or believed to be other than English(10) | - | 51.4 | 50% |
| Non mobile(106) | - | 45.7 | 38.7% |
2025/26 academic year - DfE performance tables data
GCSE Subjects Offered
+ 3 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
2
Permanent exclusions
0.40%
Exclusion rate
133
Suspensions
26.76%
Suspension rate
43 pupils received one or more suspensions out of 497 pupils
2024/25 academic year
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 2 nearby secondary schools
Keep up with Old Buckenham High School
Getting There
Bus Stops
Free school transport
Check free transport to Old Buckenham High School from your postcode →
You apply to the council where you live. Old Buckenham High School is in Norfolk; for families living there:
Apply to Norfolk for free school transport. Its policy is on the council's website.
Safety and surroundings
Road collisions within 500 m (2021 to 2025)
- Collisions
- 2
- Fatal
- 0
- Serious
- 1
- Children hurt
- 1
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 2 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 1 serious and 1 slight.
1 child aged 0 to 15 was hurt: 1 on foot.
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 Norfolk is 4 (the median across 462 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 Old Buckenham High School
Will you get a place at Old Buckenham High School? Get the admissions report
Your home postcode, set against Old Buckenham High School's admissions figures, in one report saved to your account.
What the report includes for Old Buckenham High School:
- The straight-line distance from your home to Old Buckenham High School.
- We hold no last distance offered figures from Norfolk, so the report covers demand, alternatives and dates.
- Applications, first choices and offers at Old Buckenham High School for 2019 to 2026 entry.
- How many families in Norfolk 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
85%
Available places
490 pupils
575 places
85 spare places in 2025
2025, DfE school capacity data
Area Demand Pressure - Attleborough
Based on MHCLG Live Table 122 (2024-25, last 5 years) for Attleborough
Across Norfolk council
Places available
9,559
Applications
8,625
Got 1st preference
94.1%
Got preferred school
98.3%
All secondary applications across Norfolk council (2026/27), not just this school.
This school: Every first choice offered
Inspection History(2)
Ungraded inspection: The school remains Good.
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
81
SEN Support
22
EHC Plans
20.6%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
501
Total Pupils
239
Boys
262
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
30
Teachers
16.7:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£54,160
Mean salary
2026 data
School Funding
£6,911
Per pupil
£3690k
Total funding
£126k
Pupil premium
2025-26 financial year allocations
Pupil Absence2024/25
8.3%
Overall absence
25.5%
Persistent absence
525
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
Old Buckenham High School
Questions parents ask about Old Buckenham High School
What are GCSE results like at Old Buckenham High School?
In the 2026 results, pupils at Old Buckenham High School achieved an Attainment 8 score of 45.2. 38% passed GCSE English and maths at grade 5 or above.
What is Old Buckenham High School's Ofsted rating?
Old Buckenham High School's most recent Ofsted inspection, in March 2023, was ungraded, so it gave no overall grade. At its last graded inspection, in October 2015, it was rated Good.
What is the catchment area for Old Buckenham High School?
No fixed boundary. When Old Buckenham High School is oversubscribed, Norfolk allocates places by its published criteria, usually ending with home-to-school distance.
Is it hard to get a place at Old Buckenham High School?
Old Buckenham High School was not full in 2025: it ran at 85% of its 575 places.
How big are the classes at Old Buckenham High School?
Classes at Old Buckenham High School average 24.2 pupils (2025/26).
How many pupils go to Old Buckenham High School?
Old Buckenham High School has around 501 pupils on roll. 26% are eligible for free school meals.
What is attendance like at Old Buckenham High School?
8.3% of sessions were missed at Old Buckenham High School in 2024/25. 25.5% of pupils were persistently absent (missing 10% or more of sessions).
How do I apply to Old Buckenham High School?
Apply through Norfolk's coordinated admissions process, naming Old Buckenham High 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 Old Buckenham High School?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 2 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 1 serious and 1 slight. 1 child aged 0 to 15 was hurt: 1 on foot. 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 Norfolk is 4 (the median across 462 schools, same distance and years).
Where is Old Buckenham High School?
Old Buckenham High School is at Abbey Road, Old Buckenham, Attleborough, Norfolk, NR17 1RL.
Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)