Thornden Wood Primary School

Canterbury · CT6 7RS

General information Primary School · 4-11 years Who goes here 337 pupils, 41.8% FSM

Parent score Rate this school No reviews yet - be the first SEN 21.4% on SEN support Behaviour 6.6% absence rate Staff 27.1% turnover Financials £6,545 per pupil Environment Buildings and facilities

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Thornden Wood Primary School

General Information

Address: Greenhill Road, Herne Bay, CT6 7RS – View on map
Phone: 01227373095
Website: Visit school website
Headteacher: Mrs Kate Espley
Age range: 4-11 years
Demand for places (Reception, September 2026): 42 families put it first for 60 places – 7 for every 10 places. Every one of them was offered a place. No places went to families living outside the council area. Children putting it first, for every 10 places: 2023 8 · 2024 9 · 2025 10 · 2026 7
Sixth form: No
Intake: Mixed
Religious character: Does not apply
Nursery provision: No

Who goes here

337 pupils out of 420 places

Pupils eligible for free school meals: 141
% eligible for free school meals: 41.8%
Pupil mix: 3 in 10 (less mixed than the Canterbury average)
English as an additional language: 7% (England 22%)

Staff

Teachers leaving each year

Teacher turnover: 27.1% a year (Canterbury 13.9%, typical in England 13.9%)
Where they went: about 31% moved to another school, 69% left state schools altogether (retirement, other careers, independent schools, abroad)
Data years: 2022/23 to 2024/25 (average of 3 years, DfE school workforce census)

Teachers who moved school or left state schools in the year after each November, as a share of all the school's teachers. Some turnover is healthy – retirements, promotions, moving house.

Behaviour

Awaiting Data

About this Behaviour status

We've asked this school for real behaviour figures under Freedom of Information and haven't had a response yet.

Across Kent: suspensions by reason

Suspensions for sexual misconduct: 21 (0.2 per 1,000 pupils; England 0.2)
Permanent exclusions for sexual misconduct: 1
Suspensions for bullying: 32 (0.2 per 1,000 pupils; England 0.2)
Suspensions for abuse against sexual orientation or gender identity: 1 (0.0 per 1,000 pupils; England 0.0)
Data year: 2024/25 (DfE suspensions and exclusions statistics)

These are figures for all state primary schools in Kent (the council area this school is in), not this school's own – the government doesn't publish them school by school. A suspension can have up to three reasons. Most sexual harassment between pupils never leads to a suspension, so these figures show only part of the picture.

Attendance

Overall absence: 6.6%
Persistently absent pupils: 19.2%
Data year: 2024/25

About persistent absence

A pupil is counted as "persistently absent" if they miss 10% or more of their possible school sessions - roughly one day in every two weeks. Schools and Ofsted both pay close attention to this figure specifically, since it can highlight a pattern the overall absence rate alone might hide.

SEN

No dedicated Unit or Resourced Provision

SEN Unit and Resourced Provision

Most mainstream schools don't have a dedicated SEN Unit or Resourced Provision - it isn't a mark against a school that doesn't, just a different kind of setup than one that does.

Pupils on SEN Support: 21.4%
Pupils with an EHC Plan: 1.8%
Data year: 2025/26

Most common needs - SEN Support

Autistic spectrum disorder: 21 pupils
Social, emotional and mental health: 18 pupils
SEN support but no specialist assessment of type of need: 15 pupils
Speech, language and communications needs: 8 pupils
Specific learning difficulty: 3 pupils

Most common needs - EHC Plan

Autistic spectrum disorder: 5 pupils
Moderate learning difficulty: 1 pupil

These figures show the makeup of the school.

About these SEND figures

These figures give a sense of the makeup of the school - they aren't a judgement on the quality of support provided.

Parent score - no reviews yet –

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Behaviour

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Openness

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Teaching Quality

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School Ethos

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Ability to Deal with Problems

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Headteacher Approval

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SafeguardingSafeguarding (parent rating)How parents rate the school on keeping children safe - how safe their child feels, and how well concerns are listened to and acted on. It's parents' experience, not an inspection result; Ofsted checks safeguarding separately.

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Wraparound CareWraparound Care (parent rating)How parents rate the school's breakfast and after-school clubs - availability, cost and quality. Only asked for infant, junior and primary schools, where it matters most for working parents.

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Would recommend –

Educational Attainment

Good 2024 report

About this Ofsted rating

Ofsted changed how it rates schools in the last couple of years, so ratings from different years aren't always on the same scale - that's why we show the year alongside every rating.

Year 6 SATs results

Met the expected standard in reading, writing & maths: 81% (England 62%)
Reached the higher standard: 13% (England 8%)
Compared with the area: 22 percentage points above the Canterbury average (59%)
Compared with schools with similar pupils: Above (3-year average 69% against an expected 59%)
3-year average (expected standard): 69%
Expected standard by subject: Reading 87% · Writing 81% · Maths 84% · Grammar, punctuation & spelling 87%
Average test scores: reading 109, maths 107
Based on: 31 Year 6 pupils, 2024/25

View the School Context Comparator – how this school's SATs results compare with schools teaching similar pupils.

SATs results over time

This schoolCanterbury averageEngland↗ Improving Up 24 percentage points since 2022/23. In 2024/25 this school was 22 percentage points above the Canterbury average (59%).

Year 6 SATs: joint 1st of 29 junior and primary schools in the area

=1Herne Church of England Junior School81%
=1Thornden Wood Primary School81%
=3Blean Primary School80%
=3St Thomas' Catholic Primary School, Canterbury80%

Click to see the full ranking

Year 6 SATs ranking

Junior and primary schools in this area, ranked by the % of Year 6 pupils meeting the expected standard in reading, writing and maths (official DfE results, 2024/25). Schools with the same result share a place (shown as =). In small schools one or two children can move a school several places, so treat close positions as roughly equal.

Rank School Score

=1Herne Church of England Junior School81%
=1Thornden Wood Primary School81%
=3Blean Primary School80%
=3St Thomas' Catholic Primary School, Canterbury80%
#5Sturry Church of England Primary School78%
#6Adisham Church of England Primary School75%
#7Bridge and Patrixbourne Church of England Primary School74%
#8Whitstable and Seasalter Endowed Church of England Junior School73%
=9Hoath Primary School71%
=9Water Meadows Primary School71%
=11St Mary's Catholic Primary School, Whitstable68%
=11Whitstable Junior School68%
#13Petham Primary School67%
#14Wincheap Foundation Primary School66%
=15Chartham Primary School63%
=15St Peter's Methodist Primary School63%
#17Reculver Church of England Primary School59%
=18Barham Church of England Primary School58%
=18Joy Lane Primary Foundation School58%
#20Swalecliffe Community Primary School52%
#21The Canterbury Primary School51%
#22Hampton Primary School50%
=23Chislet Church of England Primary School47%
=23Littlebourne Church of England Primary School47%
=25Pilgrims' Way Primary School44%
=25St Stephen's Junior School44%
#27St Johns Church of England Primary School38%
#28Herne Bay Junior School34%
#29Parkside Community Foundation Primary School23%

View full Ofsted inspection report

18th of 20 primary schools in Canterbury for Ofsted rating

#16Swalecliffe Community Primary SchoolGood
#17The Canterbury Primary SchoolGood
#18Thornden Wood Primary SchoolGood
#19Water Meadows Primary SchoolGood
#20Wincheap Foundation Primary SchoolGood

Click to see the full ranking

Ofsted Rating ranking

Based on real Ofsted ratings (via official DfE data) for schools on the same four-word grading scale.

Rank School Score

#1Blean Primary SchoolOutstanding
#2Reculver Church of England Primary SchoolOutstanding
#3Barham Church of England Primary SchoolGood
#4Bridge and Patrixbourne Church of England Primary SchoolGood
#5Chartham Primary SchoolGood
#6Chislet Church of England Primary SchoolGood
#7Joy Lane Primary Foundation SchoolGood
#8Littlebourne Church of England Primary SchoolGood
#9Parkside Community Foundation Primary SchoolGood
#10Petham Primary SchoolGood
#11Pilgrims' Way Primary SchoolGood
#12St Johns Church of England Primary SchoolGood
#13St Mary's Catholic Primary School, WhitstableGood
#14St Peter's Methodist Primary SchoolGood
#15St Thomas' Catholic Primary School, CanterburyGood
#16Swalecliffe Community Primary SchoolGood
#17The Canterbury Primary SchoolGood
#18Thornden Wood Primary SchoolGood
#19Water Meadows Primary SchoolGood
#20Wincheap Foundation Primary SchoolGood

Financials

Spending per pupil: £6,545 (2024-25)

About this spending figure

A higher or lower position here isn't a sign of a better or worse school - schools have different needs and circumstances - but it can help reassure you that a school has sufficient funding behind your child's education.

14th of 23 primary schools in Canterbury for spending per pupil

#12Water Meadows Primary School£6,804
#13Reculver Church of England Primary School£6,738
#14Thornden Wood Primary School£6,545
#15Pilgrims' Way Primary School£6,527
#16Hampton Primary School£6,446

Click to see the full ranking

Spending Per Pupil ranking

Based on official DfE financial return data (Consistent Financial Reporting / Academies Accounts Return) - not a ranking of school quality.

Rank School Score

#1Parkside Community Foundation Primary School£8,911
#2Joy Lane Primary Foundation School£8,192
#3Hoath Primary School£7,805
#4Chislet Church of England Primary School£7,708
#5St Johns Church of England Primary School£7,672
#6Adisham Church of England Primary School£7,480
#7Littlebourne Church of England Primary School£7,442
#8Petham Primary School£7,340
#9Wincheap Foundation Primary School£7,098
#10St Peter's Methodist Primary School£7,070
#11Swalecliffe Community Primary School£6,856
#12Water Meadows Primary School£6,804
#13Reculver Church of England Primary School£6,738
#14Thornden Wood Primary School£6,545
#15Pilgrims' Way Primary School£6,527
#16Hampton Primary School£6,446
#17Blean Primary School£6,369
#18Bridge and Patrixbourne Church of England Primary School£6,166
#19Barham Church of England Primary School£6,106
#20St Thomas' Catholic Primary School, Canterbury£5,855
#21Sturry Church of England Primary School£5,831
#22The Canterbury Primary School£5,692
#23St Mary's Catholic Primary School, Whitstable£3,273

View on the Financial Benchmarking and Insights Tool (GOV.UK)

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