SCHOOL PROFILE

Old Buckenham High School

Secondary Academy converter URN 146144
Open
Pupils 8,834,192 Latest school census
Capacity 575 Published school capacity
Capacity used 87.1% Pupils as a share of capacity
Age range 11 – 16 Statutory age range
OFSTED

Latest ungraded inspection

29 March 2023
Latest published outcome School remains Good
SCHOOL DETAILS

About this school

School type Academy converter
Phase Secondary
Gender Mixed
Religious character Does not apply
Local authority Norfolk
Trust SAPIENTIA EDUCATION TRUST
Census date 15 January 2026
PUPIL PROFILE

School community

Latest published pupil characteristics for 2025/26.

2025/26
Total pupils 501 501 full-time · 0 part-time
Female pupils 262 52.3% of pupils
Male pupils 239 47.7% of pupils

Free school meals

Pupils eligible for free school meals.

25.9%
1.1 pts above England
School 25.9%
Breckland 23.4%
East of England 19.7%
England 24.8%

English as an additional language

Pupils whose first language is not English.

6.0%
14.3 pts below England
School 6.0%
Breckland 13.5%
East of England 16.4%
England 20.3%

Young carers

Pupils recorded as young carers.

4.8%
3.8 pts above England
School 4.8%
Breckland 2.4%
East of England 1.7%
England 1.0%

Ethnicity

Largest recorded pupil groups.

White British
88.8%
445
Any other White background
4.6%
23
White and Asian
1.6%
8
Any other Mixed background
0.8%
4
Gypsy / Roma
0.8%
4
White and Black African
0.8%
4
Council, regional and national comparisons are pupil-weighted using published school census counts.
ADDITIONAL NEEDS

Special educational needs

Pupils receiving SEN support or with an education, health and care plan.

2025/26
Pupils with SEN 20.6% 103 of 501 pupils
0.3 pts below England England: 20.8%
School 20.6%
Breckland 25.3%
East of England 19.8%
England 20.8%
SEN support 16.2% 81 pupils
England 14.8% 1.4 pts above
EHC plans 4.4% 22 pupils
England 6.0% 1.6 pts below
PRIMARY NEEDS

Most common identified needs

Pupils
Social, emotional & mental health 29
Moderate learning difficulty 18
Specific learning difficulty 18
Speech, language & communication 17
Autistic spectrum disorder 12
Hearing impairment 3

SEN comparisons are pupil-weighted using published 2025/26 Department for Education school-level data. Primary needs combine pupils receiving SEN support and pupils with EHC plans.

ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE

Key stage 4 outcomes

Published Department for Education results for 2024/25.

2024/25
ATTAINMENT 8

Average attainment score

37.8 1.4 pts below England
School 37.8
Breckland 37.7
East of England 40.4
England 39.2
English & maths grade 5+ 29.3% England 36.0% 6.7 pts below England
English & maths grade 4+ 52.4% England 51.4% 1.0 pts above England
EBacc entry 56.1% England 30.6% 25.5 pts above England
EBacc average point score 3.53 England 3.41
Progress 8 Not available for 2024/25

Latest published: 0.00 · 2023/24

Comparisons are averages of published school-level results for open schools. They are not pupil-weighted official local authority attainment rates.

ATTENDANCE & ABSENCE

Attendance profile

Published Department for Education absence data for 2024/25. Lower absence rates are generally better.

2024/25
ABSENCE RATE

Overall absence

8.29%

Percentage of possible sessions missed.

2.08 pts higher than England
School 8.29%
Breckland 5.97%
East of England 6.17%
England 6.22%
ABSENCE RATE

Persistent absence

25.52%

Pupils missing 10% or more of sessions.

9.71 pts higher than England
School 25.52%
Breckland 14.47%
East of England 15.39%
England 15.82%
ABSENCE RATE

Severe absence

2.67%

Pupils missing 50% or more of sessions.

0.86 pts higher than England
School 2.67%
Breckland 1.77%
East of England 1.83%
England 1.80%
Council, regional and national comparisons are averages of published school-level percentages rather than pupil-weighted official absence rates.
HOW DOES IT COMPARE?

School context

Comparison with open secondary schools.

CAPACITY

Capacity utilisation

87.1% 5.2 pts below England
Old Buckenham High School
87.1%
Breckland
90.8%
East of England
92.9%
England
92.3%
Benchmarks use open schools in the same phase. Capacity utilisation is calculated from published pupil and capacity figures.
Sources: Department for Education · Get Information about Schools · Ofsted monthly management information