Thornton College
Convent of Jesus and Mary, Thornton, Milton Keynes, MK17 0HJ
- Phase
- Independent schools
- School type
- Other independent school
- Ages
- 3 to 19
- Gender
- Girls
- Religious character
- Roman Catholic
- Head of Thornton College
- Dr Louise Shaw
- Admissions policy
- Non-selective
- Boarding
- Boarding school
- Nursery provision
- Has Nursery Classes
- Constituency
- Buckingham and Bletchley
- Setting
- Smaller rural: Nearer to a major town or city
- Capacity
- 580
- Pupils on roll
- 315
- URN
- 110549
- Local authority
- Buckinghamshire
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 01280812610
About this school
Thornton College is a Roman Catholic girls' independent school in Milton Keynes. It teaches children aged 3 to 19 and has 315 pupils on roll.
Ofsted has not yet inspected Thornton College under its current framework. Where the Department for Education has published them, its results and pupil characteristics appear below. Numbers and a report only go so far, so visit in person before you apply.
Ofsted judgement
Thornton College has not been inspected by Ofsted yet. It opened in its current form in January 1948, and new or converted schools usually wait a few years for their first inspection.
Exam results
Key stage 4 (GCSEs)
| Measure | 2022/23 | 2023/24 | 2024/25 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils at the end of key stage 4 | 50 | 52 | 46 |
| Attainment 8 score | 57.4 | 58.1 | 62.2 |
| Progress 8 score | - | - | - |
| Grade 5 or above in English and maths | 72% | 69.2% | 63% |
| Grade 4 or above in English and maths | 84% | 86.5% | 87% |
| Entered the English Baccalaureate | 20% | 25% | 34.8% |
| English Baccalaureate average point score | 4.7 | 4.9 | 5.4 |
Progress 8 is paused nationally for the 2024/25 and 2025/26 school years. Those pupils sat no key stage 2 tests during the Covid pandemic, so there is no starting point to measure progress from. A blank figure here is not missing school data.
Trends over time
How Thornton College has moved over recent years against the local and national picture. Every figure is shown in the table beneath its chart.
| Year | This school | Buckinghamshire average | England average |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 57.4 | 47.7 | 39.8 |
| 2023/24 | 58.1 | 49.4 | 39.5 |
| 2024/25 | 62.2 | 46.7 | 39 |
Department for Education KS4 performance data, published school results.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 408 |
| 2023/24 | 393 |
| 2024/25 | 358 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
School context
From the 2024/25 school census and absence figures.
- Free school meals (last 6 years)
- 0%
- Pupils with an EHC plan
- 0
- Pupils on SEN support
- 30
Location
Nearby schools
-
Akeley Wood Junior School1.3 miles
Independent schools · Northamptonshire
-
Akeley Wood Senior School3.8 miles
Independent schools
-
The Woodlands School4.0 miles
Special schools · Milton Keynes
-
University of Buckingham4.0 miles
Universities · Buckingham
-
Oakhill Secure Training Centre4.1 miles
Other types · Milton Keynes
Other schools in Milton Keynes
- Broughton Manor Preparatory School Independent schools
- Milton Keynes Preparatory School Independent schools
- Swanbourne House School Independent schools
- Knowles Nursery School Nursery
- Moorlands Centre Nursery School Nursery
- Abbeys Primary School Primary
- Ashbrook School Primary
- Barleyhurst Park Primary Primary
- Bishop Parker Catholic School Primary
- Bow Brickhill CofE VA Primary School Primary
- Bradwell Village School Primary
- Brooklands Farm Primary School Primary
Common questions
- What ages does Thornton College teach?
- Thornton College teaches children aged 3 to 19. It is an independent school in Milton Keynes.
- Who is the head of thornton college of Thornton College?
- The head of thornton college of Thornton College is Dr Louise Shaw, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- Has Thornton College been inspected?
- Ofsted has not inspected Thornton College under its current framework, so no current judgement is shown. That is common for newer schools and is not a mark against a school.
- How many pupils are at Thornton College?
- Thornton College has 315 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 3 to 19.
- Is Thornton College full?
- Thornton College has capacity for 580 pupils and 315 on roll (54%), so it has space against its published capacity. Places are allocated through the local authority's admissions process, so capacity alone does not tell you whether a place is available.
- Is Thornton College a faith school?
- Yes. Thornton College is designated Roman Catholic.
- Is Thornton College a selective school?
- No. Thornton College is recorded as non-selective in the schools register.
- How have Thornton College's results changed over recent years?
- Its Attainment 8 score was 57.4 in 2022/23 and 62.2 in 2024/25. The year-by-year figures, alongside local and national averages, are charted in the trends section on this page.
- What are Thornton College's exam results?
- Where the Department for Education has published them, Thornton College's key stage results are shown in the results section on this page, with the last three years so you can see the trend rather than a single year.
School details come from the Department for Education's Get Information About Schools register. Inspection outcomes come from Ofsted, and exam results from the Department for Education's school performance service. This page was last updated on 24 July 2026.