Wadebridge School, Wadebridge
Wadebridge School is a secondary school for pupils aged 11 to 16 in Wadebridge. It was rated Good at its last graded Ofsted inspection, in December 2019. Ofsted's ungraded inspection in April 2025 did not change this grade. Its 2026 GCSE results were the 7th-highest of the 31 schools in Cornwall with published results, and 1,214th of 3,298 across England. It was full in 2025, at 101% of capacity.
- GCSE results
- In line with England
- Ofsted
- Good (2019)
- 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 Cornwall (the council where you live). Offers on 1 March.
Data last updated 27 Oct 2026
Wadebridge School in detail
Wadebridge School in its own words
Clubs and activities named on the school's website include drama and philosophy.
Source: The school's own website
Results
In 2026, pupils at Wadebridge School averaged an Attainment 8 score of 48.5, the average grade across their best eight GCSEs. The average state school scored 44.7 in Cornwall and 47 across England.
47% passed English and maths at grade 5 or above, against 42% in Cornwall and 47% in England.
That is up from 44.7 in 2025.
Its most recent Progress 8 score, for 2024, was 0.05: 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 33.8, against 53 for other pupils at the school - a gap of 19.2 points.
Pupils sat GCSEs in 25 subjects; after English and maths, the most popular were Religious Studies, Combined Science and Geography.
Getting a place at Wadebridge School
For September 2026 entry, 189 families put Wadebridge School as their first choice and 326 named it as one of their preferences, for 191 places offered. It had fewer first-choice applications than places. Every family who put it first was offered a place there for 2026 entry.
What parents say
247 parents answered Ofsted's Parent View survey about Wadebridge School (as of September 2025): 84% would recommend the school, 86% say their child is happy there and 70% of those with a view say bullying is dealt with well.
The strongest agreement was that their child feels safe (90%); the weakest, that the school deals with bullying well (among parents with a view) (70%).
Where pupils go next
Of the 214 pupils who finished Year 11 in 2023/24, 83% stayed in education or training for at least two terms, including 36% to a further education college, 5% to an apprenticeship and 2% into work.
Who goes there
2.3% speak English as an additional language, against 18.8% on average, according to the 2026 school census.
In 2026, 147 pupils (14.4%) received SEN support and 21 (2.1%) 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 a specific learning difficulty such as dyslexia.
Getting there
There is no railway, tram or Underground station within about three miles of Wadebridge School.
9 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Wadebridge Sch Gonvena Hill Ent (ne-bound), 60 metres away.
The area around the school
In August 2026, police recorded 28 crimes within a mile of the school, most often violence and sexual offences, anti-social behaviour and criminal damage and arson. That is well above the typical figure around schools in Cornwall (14), as is usual near a town centre.
Suspensions and exclusions
In 2024/25, Wadebridge School issued 267 suspensions, 25.4 for every 100 pupils (the average state school: 6.3), and 7 permanent exclusions.
Primary schools nearby
The primary schools closest to Wadebridge School are Wadebridge Primary Academy (under 0.1 miles) and St Breock Primary School (0.7 miles). Admission does not depend on which primary a child attends unless the school's policy names feeder schools.
Sources: DfE school performance data (averages: state mainstream schools); DfE school-level applications and offers; council admissions booklets; DfE appeals statistics; Ofsted Parent View; 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 · 2 years agoThis judgement is from December 2019, 6 years ago, longer than Ofsted's usual 4-year cycle: the school may have changed since.
Overall
Quality of Education
Behaviour & Attitudes
Personal Development
Leadership & Management
Sixth Form
Latest (ungraded) inspection: Standards have been maintained.
Ofsted Insights
From Ofsted's April 2025 inspection report.
What This School Does Well
Wadebridge School offers a well-rounded education where pupils feel safe, proud, and supported. The school provides a broad curriculum with strong emphasis on reading, career preparation, and personal development. Your child will benefit from numerous enrichment opportunities and nationally recognised sports provision.
Key Strengths
- Strong behaviour and safety culture with calm, orderly lessons and social times
- Ambitious curriculum review ensuring pupils study a broad range of subjects and are well-prepared for next steps
- Excellent personal, social and health education, with strong links to local businesses for work experience
- High-quality sports provision that has been nationally recognised
- Effective action taken to improve pupil attendance
Areas for Improvement
- Teaching approaches are not implemented consistently - some teachers do not always check pupil understanding before moving on
- Lesson activities sometimes lack focus on deepening pupil understanding
- Systems for supporting pupils with SEND lack clarity and rigour, with information provided to teachers not always helpful
Safeguarding
Safeguarding arrangements are effective and the school has created a positive culture around keeping pupils safe.
Extracurricular Activities
Duke of Edinburgh's Award, music lessons, sports clubs and competitions, school trips, work experience with local businesses
Wadebridge School has maintained good standards following its previous inspection. The school has undergone significant changes in leadership and curriculum, with pupils responding positively and achieving well.
About
Wadebridge School is a coeducational secondary school with academy status, located in the town of Wadebridge, Cornwall, England. It has 1,235 pupils.
From Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0
At a Glance
25.0%
Free School Meals
No
Boarding
No
Nursery
No
Sixth Form
No
Special Measures
What Parents Think
247 responsesSource: Ofsted Parent View, responses as at September 2025 - % who strongly agree or agree
Secondary Performance (GCSE)
Academic year 2025/26GCSE Results
2025/26 academic year
Progress 8 has remained stable at around 0.05 (2023 to 2024). Attainment 8 has improved from 46.1 to 48.5 (2023 to 2026). GCSE English & Maths 5+ has improved from 43% to 47% (2023 to 2026).
Performance by Group
| Group | Progress 8 | Attainment 8 | Eng+Maths 5+ |
|---|---|---|---|
| All pupils | - | 48.5 | 47.3% |
| Disadvantaged(47) | - | 33.8 | 10.6% |
| Not known to be disadvantaged(154) | - | 53.0 | 58.4% |
| Boys(111) | - | 47.1 | 42.3% |
| Girls(90) | - | 50.2 | 53.3% |
Show more breakdowns (1)
| Non mobile(199) | - | 48.9 | 47.7% |
2025/26 academic year - DfE performance tables data
GCSE Subjects Offered
+ 5 more subjects
2025/26 academic year - entries by number of pupils
After GCSEs - Leaver Destinations
After GCSEs (Year 11) - 214 students
2023/24 data
Exclusions & Suspensions
7
Permanent exclusions
0.67%
Exclusion rate
267
Suspensions
25.43%
Suspension rate
106 pupils received one or more suspensions out of 1,050 pupils
2024/25 academic year
Keep up with Wadebridge School
Term dates
Wadebridge School is an academy, so it sets its own term dates: check the school's website. As a guide, see Cornwall's term dates for its community schools.
Getting There
Bus Stops
Free school transport
Check free transport to Wadebridge School from your postcode →
You apply to the council where you live. Wadebridge School is in Cornwall; for families living there:
- Cornwall's school travel policy: Home to School Travel Assistance Policy 2026/27
Safety and surroundings
Road collisions within 500 m (2021 to 2025)
- Collisions
- 5
- Fatal
- 0
- Serious
- 1
- Children hurt
- 0
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 5 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 1 serious and 4 slight.
No children aged 0 to 15 were among the people 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 Cornwall is 3 (the median across 299 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 Wadebridge School
Will you get a place at Wadebridge School? Get the admissions report
Your home postcode, set against Wadebridge School's admissions figures, in one report saved to your account.
What the report includes for Wadebridge School:
- The straight-line distance from your home to Wadebridge School.
- We hold no last distance offered figures from Cornwall, so the report covers demand, alternatives and dates.
- Applications, first choices and offers at Wadebridge School for 2014 to 2026 entry.
- How many families in Cornwall 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
1,052 pupils
1,050 places
2 pupils over capacity in 2025
2025, DfE school capacity data
Area Demand Pressure - Wadebridge
Based on MHCLG Live Table 122 (2024-25, last 5 years) for Wadebridge
Across Cornwall council
Places available
6,387
Applications
5,542
Got 1st preference
97.4%
Got preferred school
99.3%
All secondary applications across Cornwall council (2026/27), not just this school.
This school: Every first choice offered
Inspection History(5)
Ungraded inspection: Standards have been maintained.
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
147
SEN Support
21
EHC Plans
16.5%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
1,018
Total Pupils
509
Boys
509
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
68
Teachers
15.0:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£53,990
Mean salary
2026 data
School Funding
£6,816
Per pupil
£7665k
Total funding
£266k
Pupil premium
2025-26 financial year allocations
Pupil Absence2024/25
8.9%
Overall absence
27.0%
Persistent absence
1,087
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
Wadebridge School
Questions parents ask about Wadebridge School
What are GCSE results like at Wadebridge School?
In the 2026 results, pupils at Wadebridge School achieved an Attainment 8 score of 48.5. 47% passed GCSE English and maths at grade 5 or above.
What is Wadebridge School's Ofsted rating?
Wadebridge School's most recent Ofsted inspection, in April 2025, was ungraded, so it gave no overall grade. At its last graded inspection, in December 2019, it was rated Good.
What is the catchment area for Wadebridge School?
No fixed boundary. When Wadebridge School is oversubscribed, Cornwall allocates places by its published criteria, usually ending with home-to-school distance.
Is it hard to get a place at Wadebridge School?
Wadebridge School was full in 2025, at 100% of its capacity, so places are allocated on the oversubscription criteria.
How big are the classes at Wadebridge School?
Classes at Wadebridge School average 23.1 pupils (2025/26).
How many pupils go to Wadebridge School?
Wadebridge School has around 1018 pupils on roll. 25% are eligible for free school meals.
What is attendance like at Wadebridge School?
8.9% of sessions were missed at Wadebridge School in 2024/25. 27% of pupils were persistently absent (missing 10% or more of sessions).
How do I apply to Wadebridge School?
Apply through Cornwall's coordinated admissions process, naming Wadebridge 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 Wadebridge School?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 5 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 1 serious and 4 slight. No children aged 0 to 15 were among the people 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 Cornwall is 3 (the median across 299 schools, same distance and years).
Where is Wadebridge School?
Wadebridge School is at Gonvena Hill, Wadebridge, Cornwall, PL27 6BU.
Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)