Thornton Primary School

Birmingham · B8 2LQ

General information Junior School · 7-11 years Who goes here 473 pupils, 61.3% FSM

Parent score Rate this school No reviews yet - be the first SEN 12.5% on SEN support Behaviour 6.9% absence rate Staff 9.1% turnover Financials £7,228 per pupil Environment Buildings and facilities

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Thornton Primary School

General Information

Address: Thornton Road, Ward End, Birmingham, B8 2LQ – View on map
Phone: 01213270824
Website: Visit school website
Headteacher: Mrs Cathy Grace
Age range: 7-11 years
Demand for places (Reception, September 2016): 60 families put it first for 30 places – 20 for every 10 places. 50% of them were offered a place. No places went to families living outside the council area. Children putting it first, for every 10 places: 2014 20 · 2015 22 · 2016 20
Intake: Mixed
Religious character: Does not apply
Nursery provision: No

Who goes here

473 pupils out of 480 places At or near capacity

Pupils eligible for free school meals: 290
% eligible for free school meals: 61.3%
Pupil mix: 5 in 10 (less mixed than the Birmingham average)
English as an additional language: 93% (England 22%)

Staff

Teachers leaving each year

Teacher turnover: 9.1% a year (Birmingham 17.9%, typical in England 13.9%) Low turnover
Where they went: about 45% moved to another school, 55% 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. "Low turnover" means it's among the quarter of similar schools in England where teachers are most likely to stay.

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 Birmingham: suspensions by reason

Suspensions for sexual misconduct: 21 (0.2 per 1,000 pupils; England 0.2)
Permanent exclusions for sexual misconduct: 2
Suspensions for bullying: 38 (0.3 per 1,000 pupils; England 0.2)
Suspensions for abuse against sexual orientation or gender identity: 4 (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 Birmingham, 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: 6.9%
Persistently absent pupils: 18.9%
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: 12.5%
Pupils with an EHC Plan: 0.6%
Data year: 2025/26

Most common needs - SEN Support

Speech, language and communications needs: 26 pupils
Moderate learning difficulty: 11 pupils
Autistic spectrum disorder: 9 pupils
Social, emotional and mental health: 8 pupils
Other difficulty or disability: 1 pupil

Most common needs - EHC Plan

Autistic spectrum disorder: 3 pupils

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 2023 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: 67% (England 62%)
Reached the higher standard: 4% (England 8%)
Compared with the area: in line with the Birmingham average (65%)
Compared with schools with similar pupils: As expected (3-year average 64% against an expected 63%)
3-year average (expected standard): 64%
Expected standard by subject: Reading 76% · Writing 73% · Maths 81% · Grammar, punctuation & spelling 78%
Average test scores: reading 107, maths 107
Based on: 120 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 schoolBirmingham averageEngland→ Broadly steady No clear rise or fall since 2022/23 (changes this small are normal from one year group to the next). In 2024/25 this school was in line with the Birmingham average (65%).

Year 6 SATs: joint 116th of 264 junior and primary schools in the area

=116St Peter and St Paul RC Junior and Infant School67%
=116Stirchley Primary School67%
=116Thornton Primary School67%
=116Waverley School67%
=126Boldmere Junior School66%

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

=1Cromwell Junior and Infant School97%
=1The Olive School, Small Heath97%
=3Four Oaks Primary School93%
=3St James Catholic Primary School93%
#5Coppice Primary School92%
#6Bordesley Village Primary School91%
#7St Joseph's Catholic Primary School90%
=8Little Sutton Primary School88%
=8The Olive School, Birmingham88%
#10The Shirestone Academy87%
#11Lift Percy Shurmer86%
#12Ark Victoria Academy85%
=13Lift Lea Forest84%
=13Nishkam Primary School Birmingham84%
=13Penns Primary School84%
=13St Catherine of Siena Catholic Primary School84%
=13St Mary's Catholic Primary School84%
=13Wylde Green Primary School84%
=19Jervoise School83%
=19Lift Montgomery83%
=19Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Primary School83%
=19Princethorpe Junior School83%
=19St Matthew's CofE Primary School83%
#24Moor Hall Primary School82%
=25Chilcote Primary School81%
=25St Dunstan's Catholic Primary School81%
=27Christ The King Catholic Primary School80%
=27Moseley Church of England Primary School80%
=27St Columba's Catholic Primary School80%
=27St Gerard's Catholic Primary School80%
=27St Peter's Catholic Primary School80%
=32Bournville Village Primary79%
=32Colmore Junior School79%
=32Prince Albert Junior and Infant School79%
=32St Jude's Catholic Primary School79%
=32Whitehouse Common Primary School79%
=37Acocks Green Primary School78%
=37Al-Furqan Primary School78%
=37Arden Primary School78%
=37Ark Tindal Primary Academy78%
=37Hill West Primary School78%
=37Lift Four Dwellings Primary78%
=37Oasis Academy Short Heath78%
=37Starbank School78%
=45Chad Vale Primary School77%
=45Lozells Junior and Infant School and Nursery77%
=45Our Lady of Fatima Catholic Primary School77%
=45St Alban's Catholic Primary School77%
=45St Michael's CofE Primary Academy, Handsworth77%
=50Heathfield Primary School76%
=50Pegasus Primary School76%
=50St Anne's Catholic Primary School76%
=53Corpus Christi Catholic Primary School75%
=53Dorrington Academy75%
=53Hall Green Junior School75%
=53Maney Hill Primary School75%
=53Northfield Manor Primary Academy75%
=53Slade Primary School75%
=53The Deanery Church of England Primary School75%
=53Twickenham Primary School75%
=53Warren Farm Primary School75%
=53Water Mill Primary School75%
=53Woodhouse Primary Academy75%
=64Brownmead Primary Academy74%
=64Chivenor Primary School74%
=64Tiverton Academy74%
=67Aston Tower Community Primary School73%
=67Bells Farm Primary School73%
=67Billesley Primary School73%
=67Cherry Orchard Primary School73%
=67Holy Cross Catholic Primary School73%
=67Lakey Lane Primary School73%
=67SS John and Monica Catholic Primary School73%
=67St Brigid's Catholic Primary School73%
=67St Mary's Church of England Primary School73%
=67St Saviour's C of E Primary School73%
=67Westminster Primary School73%
=78Birchfield Primary School72%
=78Chilwell Croft Academy72%
=78Nelson Primary School72%
=78Parkfield Community School72%
=78St Bernard's Catholic Primary School72%
=78St Margaret Mary RC Junior and Infant School72%
=78St Peters CofE Primary School72%
=78Sutton Park Primary72%
=86Barr View Primary & Nursery Academy71%
=86Oasis Academy Blakenhale Junior71%
=86St Francis Church of England Aided Primary School and Nursery71%
=86St James Church of England Primary School, Handsworth71%
=86The Orchards Primary Academy71%
=86Walmley Junior School71%
=92Audley Primary School70%
=92Colmers Farm Primary School70%
=92Gilbertstone Primary School70%
=92Moor Green Primary Academy70%
=92Oasis Academy Hobmoor70%
=92Shaw Hill Primary School70%
=92Somerville Primary (NC) School70%
=92St John's & St Peter's CofE Primary70%
=100Ark Kings Academy69%
=100City Road Primary School69%
=100Fairway Primary Academy69%
=100Heath Mount Primary School69%
=100Holy Family Catholic Primary School69%
=100Manor Park Primary Academy69%
=100Regents Park Community Primary School69%
=100Stanville Primary School69%
=100Ward End Primary School69%
=109Adderley Primary School68%
=109Clifton Primary School68%
=109Cotteridge Primary School68%
=109Green Meadow Primary School68%
=109Hawthorn Primary School68%
=109Merritts Brook Primary E-ACT Academy68%
=109William Murdoch Primary School68%
=116Canterbury Cross Primary School67%
=116Hawkesley Church Primary Academy67%
=116Ladypool Primary School67%
=116Oasis Academy Boulton67%
=116Park Hill Primary School67%
=116St John Fisher Catholic Primary School67%
=116St Peter and St Paul RC Junior and Infant School67%
=116Stirchley Primary School67%
=116Thornton Primary School67%
=116Waverley School67%
=126Boldmere Junior School66%
=126Calshot Primary School66%
=126Colebourne Primary School66%
=126Hillstone Primary School66%
=126Hollyfield Primary School66%
=126Kings Heath Primary School66%
=126New Hall Primary School66%
=126Quinton Church Primary School66%
=126St Chad's Catholic Primary School66%
=135Brookvale Primary School65%
=135Greenholm Primary School65%
=135Highters Heath Community School65%
=135Kingsland Primary School (NC)65%
=135Raddlebarn Primary School65%
=135St Paul's Catholic Primary School65%
=135The Oval School65%
=142Featherstone Primary School64%
=142Highfield Junior and Infant School64%
=142Mere Green Primary School64%
=142West Heath Primary School64%
=146Abbey Catholic Primary School63%
=146Beeches Primary School63%
=146Christ Church CofE Controlled Primary School and Nursery63%
=146Erdington Hall Primary School63%
=146Gossey Lane Academy63%
=146Kings Rise Academy63%
=146Leigh Primary School63%
=146Mapledene Primary School63%
=146Minworth Junior and Infant School63%
=155Albert Bradbeer Primary Academy62%
=155Heathlands Primary Academy62%
=155Holy Souls Catholic Primary School62%
=155King David Primary School62%
=155Oasis Academy Foundry62%
=155St George's Church of England Primary School62%
=155The Oaklands Primary School62%
=155Yenton Primary School62%
=163English Martyrs' Catholic Primary School61%
=163Grestone Academy61%
=163Nansen Primary School61%
=163Reaside Academy61%
=163Severne Junior Infant and Nursery School61%
=163St Martin de Porres Catholic Primary School61%
=163World's End Junior School61%
=163Yew Tree Community Junior and Infant School (NC)61%
=171Chandos Primary School60%
=171Cofton Primary School60%
=171Elms Farm Community Primary School60%
=171Nelson Mandela School60%
=171St Joseph's Catholic Primary School60%
=171St Mark's Catholic Primary School60%
=171St Nicholas Catholic Primary School60%
=171Timberley Academy60%
=171Yardley Primary School60%
=180Alston Primary School59%
=180Barford Primary School59%
=180Kings Norton Primary School59%
=180Redhill Primary School59%
=180Tame Valley Academy59%
=180Turves Green Primary School59%
=180Wheelers Lane Primary School59%
=187Grendon Primary School58%
=187Sacred Heart Catholic School58%
=187St Bernadette's Catholic Primary School58%
=187St Edward's Catholic Primary School58%
=187Stechford Primary School58%
=187The Oaks Primary School58%
=187Welford Primary School58%
=187Yarnfield Primary School58%
=195Bellfield Junior School57%
=195Glenmead Primary School57%
=195Oasis Academy Woodview57%
=195Saint Barnabas Church of England Primary School57%
=195SS Mary & John Catholic Primary School57%
=195St Joseph's Catholic Primary School57%
=195St Marys C of E Primary and Nursery, Academy, Handsworth57%
=202Anderton Park Primary School56%
=202Brookfields Primary School56%
=202Lyndon Green Junior School56%
=202Paganel Primary School56%
=202Washwood Heath Academy56%
=207Greet Primary School55%
=207Hodge Hill Primary School55%
=207Our Lady's Catholic Primary School55%
=207St John's CofE Primary School55%
=207Star King Solomon Academy55%
=212Bournville School54%
=212Conway Primary School54%
=212James Watt Primary School54%
=212St Thomas Church of England Primary School54%
=216Grove School53%
=216Holy Trinity CE Primary Academy (Handsworth)53%
=216Kitwell Primary School53%
=216Rookery School53%
=216Springfield Primary Academy53%
=221Kingsthorne Primary School52%
=221Nonsuch Primary School52%
=221St Cuthbert's RC Junior and Infant (NC) School52%
=221St Patrick and St Edmund's Catholic Primary School52%
=225Birches Green Primary School51%
=225Hollywood Primary School51%
=227E-ACT Nechells Academy50%
=227Harper Bell Seventh-day Adventist School50%
=227Our Lady and St Rose of Lima Catholic Primary School50%
=227Wychall Primary School50%
=231Anglesey Primary School49%
=231Rednal Hill Junior School49%
=231The Rosary Catholic Primary School49%
=234Deykin Avenue Junior and Infant School48%
=234Firs Primary School48%
=234Paget Primary School48%
=234Robin Hood Academy48%
=238Bordesley Green Primary School46%
=238St Michael's Church of England Primary School46%
=240Allens Croft Primary School45%
=240Osborne Primary School45%
=240Woodcock Hill Primary School45%
=243Mansfield Green E-ACT Academy44%
=243Marsh Hill Primary School44%
=243Wyndcliffe Primary School44%
=246Blakesley Hall Primary School43%
=246Gunter Primary School43%
=246Sundridge Primary School43%
#249St Thomas More Catholic Primary School42%
=250Guardian Angels Catholic Primary School41%
=250Summerfield Primary School41%
=252Court Farm Primary School40%
=252St George's Church of England Academy, Newtown40%
#254St Clement's Church of England Academy38%
=255Woodgate Primary School37%
=255Yardley Wood Community Primary School37%
#257Cedars Academy36%
#258Marlborough Primary School35%
#259St Wilfrid's Catholic Junior and Infant School34%
#260Welsh House Farm Community School and Special Needs Resources Base32%
#261George Dixon Primary School26%
#262St Benedict's Primary School24%
#263Topcliffe Primary School20%
#264Forestdale Primary School15%

View full Ofsted inspection report

10th of 11 junior schools in Birmingham for Ofsted rating

#8Rednal Hill Junior SchoolGood
#9St Laurence Church Junior SchoolGood
#10Thornton Primary SchoolGood
#11World's End Junior 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

#1Bellfield Junior SchoolGood
#2Broadmeadow Junior SchoolGood
#3Colmore Junior SchoolGood
#4Lyndon Green Junior SchoolGood
#5Oasis Academy Blakenhale JuniorGood
#6Princethorpe Junior SchoolGood
#7Reaside AcademyGood
#8Rednal Hill Junior SchoolGood
#9St Laurence Church Junior SchoolGood
#10Thornton Primary SchoolGood
#11World's End Junior SchoolGood

Financials

Spending per pupil: £7,228 (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.

6th of 14 junior schools in Birmingham for spending per pupil

#4Princethorpe Junior School£7,576
#5Reaside Academy£7,320
#6Thornton Primary School£7,228
#7Cedars Academy£7,148
#8Lyndon Green Junior School£7,131

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

#1Bellfield Junior School£9,736
#2Rednal Hill Junior School£8,199
#3World's End Junior School£7,889
#4Princethorpe Junior School£7,576
#5Reaside Academy£7,320
#6Thornton Primary School£7,228
#7Cedars Academy£7,148
#8Lyndon Green Junior School£7,131
#9Hall Green Junior School£6,862
#10Boldmere Junior School£6,851
#11Colmore Junior School£6,847
#12Oasis Academy Blakenhale Junior£6,576
#13Walmley Junior School£6,304
#14Broadmeadow Junior School£1,067

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

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