Thornford CofE Primary School
Primary · Academy converter · Mixed · Dorset
Boot Lane, Sherborne, DT9 6QY
64
headline score
Ranking (England)
—
No ranked results
Ofsted
Not judged
Graded 26/11/2024
Application demand
86%
1st preference success · Not oversubscribed
Attendance
96.5%
3.4% persistently absent
At a glance
Pupils on roll
104
Capacity used
Nearly full99%
105 places
GCSE rank (England)
—
KS2 rank (England)
—
Application demand
Primary entry · official council applications and offers
86%
1st preference success rate
12 of 14 families who put it first got an offer
14
Places offered
35
Total applications
2.5
Applications per place
| Preference (Sept 2025 entry) | Applications | Offers | Success |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1st preference | 14 | 12 | ● 86% |
| 2nd preference | 15 | 2 | ● 13% |
| 3rd preference | 6 | 0 | ● 0% |
| Total | 35 | 14 | 40% |
1st preference success by year
Dorset lets families list 3 preferences. 7 applications came from outside the council area (2 offered). Source: Department for Education, school-level applications and offers. Offers are made on each school's admissions criteria (e.g. siblings, distance, faith), so check the school's policy.
Details
- Type
- Academy converter
- Phase
- Primary
- Age range
- 4–11
- Gender
- Mixed
- Religious character
- Church of England
- Sixth form
- No
- Nursery
- No Nursery Classes
- Boarding
- No boarders
- Headteacher
- Kirsty Blencowe
- Address
- Boot Lane, Thornford, Sherborne, DT9 6QY
- Phone
- 01935872706
- Local authority
- Dorset
- Ward / constituency
- Sherborne Rural · West Dorset
- Area
- Smaller rural: Further from a major town or city
- URN
- 144415
Pupils
| Measure | School | LA | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Free school meals | 8% | — | — |
| English as additional language | 0% | — | — |
| SEN support | 10% | — | — |
Local deprivation (IDACI quintile 2 of 5)
1 = least deprived area, 5 = most deprived. Context only.
Academy trust: SHERBORNE AREA SCHOOLS' TRUST
104 pupils · 105 places. Intake figures describe the school's community — they aren't good or bad.
Ofsted inspections
- 24
26 November 2024
Full graded inspection
Not judged overall effectivenessEarly years Good Personal development Outstanding Quality of education Good Safeguarding effective Yes Behaviour and attitudes Outstanding Leadership and management Good
Attendance
2024/2025 school year · 89 pupils
Attendance
96.5%
Share of sessions attended · England 94.5%
Overall absence
3.5%
Sessions missed, any reason · England 5.5%
Persistent absence
3.4%
Pupils missing 10%+ of school · England 14.6%
Severe absence
0.0%
Pupils missing 50%+ of school · England 2.3%
Unauthorised absence
0.5%
Absences the school didn't approve
Persistent absence by year
Source: Department for Education, pupil absence by school (pupils aged 5–15). Lower absence is better. England figures are approximate 2023/24 averages.
Primary results (Key Stage 2)
| Measure | School | LA | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Expected standard in reading, writing & maths | 64% | — | — |
| Higher standard | 21% | — | — |
| Reading progress | — | — | 0.0 |
| Writing progress | — | — | 0.0 |
| Maths progress | — | — | 0.0 |
Primary results by subject (SATs)
Year 6 pupils meeting each standard, against England
Reading, writing & maths combined
Reading
Writing
Maths
Grammar, punctuation & spelling
Science
England average · Scaled scores run 80–120 (100 = expected standard).
Primary results over time
Expected standard (RWM) by year (2020 and 2021 exams were cancelled)
| Result | School | England (approx.) |
|---|---|---|
| Expected standard (RWM) | 53% | 61% |
| Higher standard | 7% | 8% |
House prices near the school
Typical sold prices (Land Registry) within 1 km, last 12 months.
Loading prices…
Key application dates
National deadlines in England. Apply through Dorset council, not the school.
| Entry | Deadline | Offer day |
|---|---|---|
| Reception (primary) | 15 January | 16 April (or next working day) |
Source: Get Information About Schools and the DfE school and college performance tables (2023-2024); Oxbridge figures from the University of Cambridge's admissions by UCAS apply centre (Oxford doesn't publish per-school figures). Read the method.