School profile

Thornhill Primary School

Primary · Community school · Dunstable, LU5 5PE

Good

Map showing Thornhill Primary School

Schools
Numbers on map: pupil ages
Outstanding
Good
Requires improvement
Inadequate
Not rated

National ranking

Key stage 2 2024/25

#5,941 of 15,057

Better than 60% of schools in England

Ranked by pupils meeting the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Thornhill Primary School Ofsted rating

Ofsted four-point inspection gradesInspected 21 Jan 2025

Area360 rating
Good
Quality of education
Good
Behaviour and attitudes
Good
Personal development
Outstanding
Leadership and management
Good
Early years
Good
Safeguarding
Effective

School facts

PhasePrimary
TypeCommunity school
Ages2 to 11
Pupils516
GenderMixed
Head teacherMrs Bernice Waite
Local authorityCentral Bedfordshire
WebsiteVisit

Source: Get Information about Schools, URN 109504.

Key stage 2 results

2024/25

Year 6 results in national curriculum tests and teacher assessments. The expected standard is the level pupils should reach by the end of primary school.

MeasureThis schoolCentral BedfordshireEngland
Expected standard in reading, writing and maths68%, better than England, better than Central Bedfordshire50%63%
Higher standard in reading, writing and mathsScore of 110 or more in reading and maths, greater depth in writing.10%, similar to England, better than Central Bedfordshire3%8%
Average reading scoreScaled score from 80 to 120; 100 meets the expected standard.106, similar to England, better than Central Bedfordshire104106
Average maths scoreScaled score from 80 to 120; 100 meets the expected standard.107, better than England, better than Central Bedfordshire103105
Average grammar, punctuation and spelling scoreScaled score from 80 to 120; 100 meets the expected standard.108, better than England, better than Central Bedfordshire103105
Expected standard in reading78%, similar to England, better than Central Bedfordshire70%76%
Expected standard in writing73%, similar to England, better than Central Bedfordshire61%73%
Expected standard in maths85%, better than England, better than Central Bedfordshire66%75%
Pupils taking tests41--

Source: DfE, Compare school performance, Compare school performance 2024-2025.

Pupils

2025/26

Pupils at the January school census.

MeasureThis school
Total pupils516
Girls247
Boys269
Eligible for free school mealsPupils from low-income families who can get free school meals.16.9%
First language not English53.9%
School places2024/25Capacity, not including nursery.630
Pupils excluding nurseryPupils who take up school places.484
Unfilled placesShare of school places not taken.23.2%
SEN supportPupils with special educational needs who get extra help at school.32
EHC planEducation, health and care plan: a legal plan for pupils with more complex needs.15
Average class size27.8

Source: DfE, Schools, pupils and their characteristics and School capacity, Academic year 2025/26, published 04 Jun 2026.

Pupils ethnicity

2025/26

Share of pupils in each ethnic group, as recorded at the January school census.

Pupils ethnicity

White British
35.3%
Other White
20.7%
African
11.6%
Indian
9.1%
Other Asian
5.8%
White and Black Caribbean
3.3%
Pakistani
2.7%
Caribbean
2.3%
Other mixed
1.9%
White and Asian
1.7%

Source: DfE, Schools, pupils and their characteristics, Academic year 2025/26, published 04 Jun 2026.

Teachers and staff

2025/26

Staff numbers are full-time equivalent (FTE). Teacher turnover shows where the school's teachers were by the following year's census.

MeasureThis school
Pupils per teacher21.5
Pupils per adultAdults include teaching assistants.11.8
Teachers (FTE)23.8
Teaching assistants (FTE)18.8
Support staff (FTE)27.5
Teachers in census year (FTE)2024/2520.8
Teachers who stayed (FTE)2024/2518.8
Teachers who moved to another state school (FTE)2024/251
Teachers who left state schools (FTE)2024/251

Source: DfE, School workforce in England, Reporting year 2025, published 04 Jun 2026.

Admissions

2026/27

Applications and offers for the main entry points. Offers from oversubscribed schools depend on each school's admissions criteria; check the local authority admissions page.

MeasureThis school
Offers made (Reception)Places offered on national offer day.89
Applications (Reception)Includes every preference parents listed.188
First preference applications (Reception)Families who put this school as their first choice.93
First preference offers (Reception)First-choice applicants who were offered a place.86
Applications from another local authority (Reception)5

Source: DfE, Primary and secondary school applications and offers, Academic year 2026/27, published 18 Jun 2026.

Attendance

2025/26

Share of possible sessions missed.

MeasureThis schoolCentral BedfordshireEngland
Overall absence4.6%, better than England, similar to Central Bedfordshire4.8%5.1%
Persistent absencePupils missing 10% or more of sessions.9.6%, better than England, similar to Central Bedfordshire11.5%13.2%
Severe absencePupils missing 50% or more of sessions.0.5%, better than England, better than Central Bedfordshire1.1%1%

Source: DfE, Pupil absence in schools in England, Autumn and spring term 2025/26, published 15 Oct 2026.

Suspensions and exclusions

2024/25

Suspension rate is the number of suspensions per 100 pupils, so one pupil can be counted more than once. A permanently excluded pupil is removed from the school roll.

MeasureThis school
Suspension rate0%
Pupils with one or more suspensions0%
Permanent exclusion rate0%
Permanent exclusions0

Source: DfE, Suspensions and permanent exclusions in England, Academic year 2024/25, published 09 Jul 2026.

Nearby schools

Ratings include official Ofsted judgements and Area360 summaries of inspection grades. Open a school’s profile for its inspection grades and results.

Schools near Thornhill Primary School
DistancePhaseNameTypeRatingLinks
0.4 miSecondaryHoustone SchoolFree schools
Good
0.4 miPrimaryLime Tree Primary AcademyAcademy sponsor led
Good
0.6 miPrimarySt Vincent's Catholic Primary SchoolAcademy converter
Good
0.7 miPrimaryTithe Farm Primary SchoolCommunity school
Good
0.8 miPrimaryChalton Lower SchoolCommunity school
Good
0.9 miPrimaryThomas Whitehead Church of England AcademyAcademy sponsor led
Good
1.2 miPrimaryHoughton Regis Primary SchoolCommunity school
Requires improvement
1.3 miPrimarySouthfield Primary AcademyAcademy converter
Good
1.3 miPrimaryChantry Primary AcademyAcademy converter
Good
1.4 miNurseryPastures Way Nursery SchoolLocal authority nursery school
Good

Frequently asked questions about Thornhill Primary School

What is Thornhill Primary School's Ofsted rating?

Thornhill Primary School is rated Good, last inspected on 21 Jan 2025. Recent Ofsted inspections have no single overall grade, so Area360 summarises the inspection grades.

How does Thornhill Primary School rank in England?

Thornhill Primary School ranks 5,941 of 15,057 schools in England for Key stage 2 2024/25 (better than 60% of schools).

What are Thornhill Primary School's SATs results?

In 2024/25, 68% of pupils at Thornhill Primary School met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths (England 63%).

How hard is it to get into Thornhill Primary School?

For Reception entry in 2026/27, Thornhill Primary School made 89 offers from 188 applications (2.1 per offer), and 86 of 93 first-preference applicants got a place. Applications include every preference parents listed.

How many pupils attend Thornhill Primary School?

Thornhill Primary School has 516 pupils aged 2 to 11.

What is the capacity of Thornhill Primary School?

Thornhill Primary School had 630 school places in 2024/25.

How big are classes at Thornhill Primary School?

At Thornhill Primary School, the average class had 27.8 pupils in 2025/26, and there were 21.5 pupils per teacher.

What is attendance like at Thornhill Primary School?

In 2025/26, pupils at Thornhill Primary School missed 4.6% of sessions (England 5.1%), and 9.6% were persistently absent, missing 10% or more of sessions (England 13.2%).

Figures are the latest published by the Department for Education for each measure. Small numbers are suppressed by the publisher to protect pupils' privacy. Read how Area360 school ratings and rankings work.