At West Buckland School, we proudly stand among the leading independent schools in the UK, for boys and girls aged 3 to 18. Our ethos distinguishes us, as we prioritise shaping the school experience around each child. With a commitment to exceptional teaching, we place the child at the heart of all we do. Our ultimate goal is to empower every individual to discover their unique excellence.
Welcome to West Buckland School!
Growing up is inevitable, but how you do it is a choice. At West Buckland, we believe in nurturing our students’ growth through exploration and generosity, helping them become the leaders of tomorrow.
Learning at the Heart of Our Education
At West Buckland, learning is at the core of everything we do. Our curriculum is designed to help students discover more about their subjects, their environment, and themselves. We value who your children become during their time here, not just what they achieve. Our students are encouraged to challenge their knowledge and dreams through a variety of ambitious cultural, intellectual, sporting, outdoor, and service programmes. This holistic approach allows them to develop into balanced, accomplished individuals who can make a difference in the world.
Unlocking True Potential through core values
By embracing resilience, honesty, kindness, respect, and curiosity, we aim to unlock each student’s true potential. Our inclusive and ever-exploring community provides the perfect environment for them to flourish. We emphasize the importance of having a sense of duty, an awareness of right and wrong. We encourage our students to be ambitious, with a clear sense of purpose and a balanced view of life. They resist the temptation to play it safe or follow the crowd. Instead, they dare to blaze new trails and, through reflective appraisal, change expectations. Our students are not just preparing for jobs that have yet to be invented; they are poised to create and lead those jobs.
Visit Us
You are warmly invited to visit West Buckland School and meet the inspiring individuals who are shaping the future. We look forward to welcoming you to our community.
Described as “a gem of a school in an outstanding location” by the Good Schools Guide, West Buckland School, founded in 1858, is set on 100 acres of stunning countryside near the Atlantic coast. Recent investments of over £14 million have transformed our campus, blending traditional charm with modern facilities. This environment inspires students to excel academically, culturally, and athletically, revealing their unique excellence
♟️ Dylan A (Yr11) has won the U18 competition at the Devon Junior Chess Association (DJCA) Torquay Boys’ Junior Open on Sunday, 9th February. Facing five of the strongest U18 players in Devon, Dylan finished with 4 wins and a draw, securing 1st place! 🏆 This marks his fourth consecutive win in #DJCA events over the past 18 months. Well done, Dylan!
West Buckland School will host the DJCA Spring Championship on Saturday, 1st March. This tournament is open to players of all abilities, with categories for U18, U16, U14, U12, and U10. Participants will compete in six matches within their age group, with plenty of time to socialise between rounds. We look forward to seeing many familiar faces! For those interested in taking part, please contact Mr. Grose or visit the DJCA website:
https://devonjuniorchess.co.uk/content/djca-open-spring-tournament-2025
#wbsmiddle #DJCASpringChampionship #DevonJuniorChessAssociation
This term in RPE, Mr. Rowles’ Year 8 classes explored the fascinating religion of Sikhism!
They had the unique opportunity to participate in Q&A sessions with two inspiring Sikhs living in the UK: Kuljinder, born into the Sikh faith and now teaching RPE in Huddersfield, and Penny, a yoga teacher and chiropractor who embraced Sikhism later in life at the Golden Temple.
The students were highly engaged, asked deep and thoughtful questions, and represented the school exceptionally well.
#CulturalAwareness #globalperspective #bettertogether
Is your child turning 4? Join us for an exclusive Reception drop-in evening at West Buckland Prep School.
Meet our dedicated teachers, see our outstanding early years facilities, and discover why we offer the best start for your child’s education.
📅 Tuesday 4th March, 4pm-6.30pm
📍Symonds Building, West Buckland School, EX33 OSX
Spaces are limited, so please register your interest early. Link in bio.
We look forward to welcoming you and your little one to West Buckland School!
🌟 JOIN OUR TEAM: 🌟
West Buckland School are looking for a Personalised Learning Assistant to join this well-established independent school set in the foothills of Exmoor and the North Devon coastline.
They will be supporting pupils in classroom lessons and providing 1:1 literacy, numeracy and/or emotional literacy interventions.
💼 Further information and application process in the following link:
https://westbuckland.com/personalised-learning-assistant/
🎭 On Friday, 7th February, our talented senior school students dazzled us with an evening of Musical Theatre!
From acting, singing, to dancing, they showcased a variety of songs from beloved shows like Hairspray, Phantom of the Opera, Hamilton, Wicked, and more. The audience enjoyed delicious cheese and charcuterie platters while being serenaded by our live band.
A huge thank you to our amazing staff band (Mr. Smith, Mr. Burstow, Mr. Felton, Miss Collingham, and Mr. Carter) and a special shout-out to Mr. Carter for arranging all the music. Our Musical Theatre ECA, led by Mr. Carter and Mrs. Turner, meets every Friday lunchtime and continues to be a hit!
Also, thank you to Mrs. Varley for her stunning choreography, Mr. Wilson for the lighting, Mrs. Burrows for the costumes, and @hh_westbuckland for the scrumptious food. 🌟
Bravo to everyone involved for making this evening unforgettable! 👏
#wbsmusic #wbsdrama #CabaretNight #wbsmiddle #wbssixthform
🧮 West Buckland School pupils are celebrating after achieving excellent results in the UK Intermediate Maths Challenge where 64 pupils from years 9, 10 and 11 took part!
🥇 Well done to Ethan W, Jack W, Dylan A, Marcus L and Dylan P, who were awarded gold certificates. This year, the highest overall score was achieved by Ethan W, who had already achieved a Best in School award for his success in the Senior Kangaroo earlier this year.
A further 20 pupils earned silver certificates and 22 pupils achieved bronze certificates.
The Intermediate Maths Challenge is aimed at the top third of pupils in Year 11 or below in England in Wales. The top 40% of students national receive gold, silver or bronze certificates.
📐 Well done to all of the pupils who took part, and we wish Ethan, Dylan, Dylan and Jack the best of luck in the Kangaroo round on Thursday 20th March!
#wbsmiddle #intermediatemathschallenge2025
🌐 Over the past two weeks, our IB CP (International Baccalaureate Career-related Programme) Anthropology Year 12 students have been diving into fieldwork in the virtual world of #SecondLife using our modern media suite, The Loft. 🖥️
Second Life - a longstanding virtual world since 2003 and the subject of the book “Coming of Age in Second Life” by Tom Boellstorff - has provided a unique platform for our students to hone their ethnographic research skills. Through observation and interviews, they discovered that avatars in this virtual realm grapple with many of the same issues as in the real world.
"However, it seemed possible to get into deeper conversations more rapidly than would be usual in ‘real world contact’," explains our Head of #Economics Mr. Wilson. "Nevertheless, its striking how much physical, material appearances still matter in this virtual society, even as many interviewees spoke to the students about the greater freedom that they feel in Second Life."
#wbssixthform #theloft #InternationalBaccalaureateCareerrelatedProgramme
🎭 Ready to showcase your talent?
We are launching our 150 Drama Festival which is open to all our students in Year 4-13!
For more information and to submit your entry, go to the link below:
🔗 https://westbuckland.com/DramaFestival2025
🌅 On Sunday, 13 boarders set off from West Buckland on a sunny morning to visit the iconic Stonehenge. By the time they arrived, the clouds had rolled in and temperatures dropped to a chilly 5°C!
Afterwards, they headed to Salisbury for lunch and shopping. Despite a foggy detour on the way back, we made it safely in time for tea!
#wbsboarding #stonehengeuk #westbucklandschool
🏏 Good Luck, Devon Cricket! 🏏
West Buckland School wishes Issie (Yr11) and everyone in the Devon Cricket - U15 Girls Sri Lanka Tour the best of luck!
From February 9th to 21st, they’ll be flying to Sri Lanka to compete in some thrilling matches at six separate grounds:
- Navy Ground, Welisara
- LRDC Grounds, Nawala
- Foundation Of Goodness Ground, Ambalangoda
- Aaron’s Country Club Ground
- Tyrone Fernando International Cricket Stadium, Moratuwa
- Panadura Sports Club Ground
Congratulations to Issie on this outstanding achievement of selection. We would also like to recognise the huge commitment from both Issie and her whole family for the commitment and work involved in supporting a young sportsperson at this level.
Well done to all and we look forward to updates from the tour! 🏆
#DevonCricketFoundation #U15GirlsCricket #devonsrilankatour #wbssport
🎨 Join us for the OWBA Careers Dinner - Creative Industry!
Join us for an evening of networking, inspiring speeches, and dinner with industry leaders in the creative field. We have some fantastic speakers (from Artists to Film Producers) lined up to guide students on this exciting and varied industry!
To find out more and book tickets, please visit this link:
https://owba.westbuckland.com/event/owba-careers-dinner-creative-industry
📅 Date: Friday, 28th February 2025
🕖 Time: 7:00 PM - 10:30 PM
📍 Venue: Karslake Hall, West Buckland School
#OWBACareersDinner #CreativeIndustry #Networking #wbssixthform
🏅 Great racing from Nyla (Year 10) in her first year in Inters! She had a fabulous race, finishing 10th in the South West at Newquay. What an amazing achievement!
Well done to Nyla, and everyone who took part in the South West Cross Country Championships! 🏃♀️🏃♂️
Were you also part of the South West Cross Country Championships?
Let us know! We’d love to hear about your experience.
#wbssport #southwestcrosscountry #Resilience
🌅 As the sun rises over West Buckland School, the calm and serenity might lead you to think it is all quiet at this time of day.
🏋️♂️ Our Sports Development students are in their Strength and Conditioning session with Mr. Carr.
🍽️ Boarders are heading to breakfast.
👩🏫 Teachers and staff are arriving, gearing up for another exciting day.
🚌 Students are on their way, whether by our extensive bus network or with parents by car.
🎾 Our tennis coach is prepping for early morning sessions with our Tennis Academy students.
It’s always a hive of activity at West Buckland School, with enrichment happening throughout the day. But for now, let’s enjoy the beautiful sunrise and the calm of the early morning.
Photo by Sarah, our early morning photographer! 📸
#wbsmiddle #westbucklandschool #morningroutine
🏞️ 35 of our incredible pupils took on the rugged beauty of Dartmoor!
Our Gold Duke of Edinburgh (DofE) participants successfully completed their Hill Skills course with Mountain Training, showcasing their determination and resilience.
🥾 Meanwhile, our Ten Tors teams (35 and 45 miles) demonstrated outstanding teamwork and endurance.
#WestBucklandSchool #DofE #TenTors #OutdoorAdventure
🏉 We are incredibly proud of Will B`s (Year 13) performance at the Coventry Butts Park Arena, playing for The Lambs RFC. It was a thrilling game, and although they were narrowly defeated by Coventry Academy in the second half (38-19), Will’s performance was outstanding.
Well done, Will! Keep up the great work! 👏
#wbssport #TheLambsRFC #RugbyPride
🌍 With the help of the International Society team, Ben W (Year 12) has organized a 24-hour squash marathon to raise money for West Buckland’s partner school, Agoro Oyombe, in Kenya
A thriving coeducational independent day and boarding school in Devon for boys and girls aged 3-18, located on a beautiful rural campus between Barnstaple and Exmoor.