Case Study: Small Budget - West Buckland School

West Buckland School won the Small Budget IMPACT Award with Mini-Minds Meet, a programme of free, informal toddler and parent sessions. The North Devon school faced falling nursery numbers, a rise in home schooling and a rural location that put families off visiting. Rather than advertise, it made visiting easy and enjoyable. Free school-run minibuses, sessions on the days childcare is hardest to find and outdoor activities turned the countryside into a selling point. Nursery enrolment rose 55% in one term, three previously home-schooled families joined, and September 2026 applications already match last year’s with two recruitment terms still to run. The school spent nothing on advertising.