SCHOOL PROFILE

Thornton Primary School

Primary Community school URN 119148
Open
Pupils 8,834,192 Latest school census
Capacity 175 Published school capacity
Capacity used 85.1% Pupils as a share of capacity
Age range 4 – 11 Statutory age range
OFSTED

Latest graded inspection

22 February 2023
Latest published outcome Good
OEIF
Quality of education Good
Behaviour & attitudes Good
Personal development Outstanding
Leadership & management Good
SCHOOL DETAILS

About this school

School type Community school
Phase Primary
Gender Mixed
Religious character Does not apply
Local authority Lancashire
Trust Not applicable
Census date 15 January 2026
PUPIL PROFILE

School community

Latest published pupil characteristics for 2025/26.

2025/26
Total pupils 149 149 full-time · 0 part-time
Female pupils 66 44.3% of pupils
Male pupils 83 55.7% of pupils

Free school meals

Pupils eligible for free school meals.

38.9%
14.1 pts above England
School 38.9%
Wyre 24.8%
North West 28.5%
England 24.8%

English as an additional language

Pupils whose first language is not English.

2.7%
17.6 pts below England
School 2.7%
Wyre 2.2%
North West 18.1%
England 20.3%

Young carers

Pupils recorded as young carers.

0.0%
1.0 pts below England
School 0.0%
Wyre 0.2%
North West 0.8%
England 1.0%

Ethnicity

Largest recorded pupil groups.

White British
90.6%
135
Any other Mixed background
2.7%
4
White and Asian
2.0%
3
Any other Asian background
1.3%
2
Any other ethnic group
1.3%
2
African
0.7%
1
Council, regional and national comparisons are pupil-weighted using published school census counts.
ADDITIONAL NEEDS

Special educational needs

Pupils receiving SEN support or with an education, health and care plan.

2025/26
Pupils with SEN 38.9% 58 of 149 pupils
18.1 pts above England England: 20.8%
School 38.9%
Wyre 19.0%
North West 22.1%
England 20.8%
SEN support 28.2% 42 pupils
England 14.8% 13.4 pts above
EHC plans 10.7% 16 pupils
England 6.0% 4.7 pts above
PRIMARY NEEDS

Most common identified needs

Pupils
Other difficulty or disability 22
Social, emotional & mental health 22
Speech, language & communication 9
Specific learning difficulty 2
Moderate learning difficulty 1
Physical disability 1

SEN comparisons are pupil-weighted using published 2025/26 Department for Education school-level data. Primary needs combine pupils receiving SEN support and pupils with EHC plans.

ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE

Key stage 2 outcomes

Published Department for Education results for 2024/25.

2024/25
EXPECTED STANDARD

Reading, writing & maths

45.0% 15.4 pts below England
School 45.0%
Wyre 60.1%
North West 59.1%
England 60.4%
EXPECTED STANDARD

Reading

70.0%

3.8 pts below England

School 70.0%
Wyre 75.6%
North West 73.2%
England 73.8%
EXPECTED STANDARD

Writing

65.0%

5.3 pts below England

School 65.0%
Wyre 69.9%
North West 69.2%
England 70.3%
EXPECTED STANDARD

Maths

55.0%

17.0 pts below England

School 55.0%
Wyre 72.9%
North West 71.7%
England 72.0%
School results show the percentage of pupils meeting the expected standard. Council, regional and national comparisons are averages of published school-level percentages and are not pupil-weighted official attainment rates.
ATTENDANCE & ABSENCE

Attendance profile

Published Department for Education absence data for 2024/25. Lower absence rates are generally better.

2024/25
ABSENCE RATE

Overall absence

6.79%

Percentage of possible sessions missed.

0.57 pts higher than England
School 6.79%
Wyre 5.80%
North West 6.25%
England 6.22%
ABSENCE RATE

Persistent absence

16.41%

Pupils missing 10% or more of sessions.

0.59 pts higher than England
School 16.41%
Wyre 14.44%
North West 15.89%
England 15.82%
ABSENCE RATE

Severe absence

2.34%

Pupils missing 50% or more of sessions.

0.54 pts higher than England
School 2.34%
Wyre 1.70%
North West 1.75%
England 1.80%
Council, regional and national comparisons are averages of published school-level percentages rather than pupil-weighted official absence rates.
HOW DOES IT COMPARE?

School context

Comparison with open primary schools.

CAPACITY

Capacity utilisation

85.1% 3.0 pts below England
Thornton Primary School
85.1%
Wyre
88.5%
North West
90.6%
England
88.2%
Benchmarks use open schools in the same phase. Capacity utilisation is calculated from published pupil and capacity figures.
Sources: Department for Education · Get Information about Schools · Ofsted monthly management information