Thornton Primary School
Heys Street, Thornton-Cleveleys, FY5 4JP
- Phase
- Primary
- School type
- Community school
- Ages
- 4 to 11
- Gender
- Mixed
- Headteacher
- Mr David Ashcroft
- Nursery provision
- Has Nursery Classes
- SEN provision
- SEMH - Social, Emotional and Mental Health
- Constituency
- Blackpool North and Fleetwood
- Setting
- Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
- Capacity
- 175
- Pupils on roll
- 149
- URN
- 119148
- Local authority
- Lancashire
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 01253821128
About this school
Thornton Primary School is a community primary school in Thornton-Cleveleys. It teaches children aged 4 to 11 and has 149 pupils on roll.
You can read Ofsted's latest judgement for the school below. Where the Department for Education has published them, its results and pupil characteristics appear below. Seeing a school for yourself shows what no page can, so arrange a visit before you apply.
Ofsted judgement
Overall judgement at the last full inspection
This inspection took place under the previous framework, which gave a single overall grade. Ofsted now publishes report cards instead, so newer inspections of other schools will look different. How Ofsted report cards work
- Quality of education
- Good
- Behaviour and attitudes
- Good
- Personal development
- Outstanding
- Leadership and management
- Good
- Early years
- Good
- Safeguarding
- Effective
Exam results
Key stage 2 (end of primary school)
| Measure | 2022/23 | 2023/24 | 2024/25 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils at the end of key stage 2 | 21 | 14 | 20 |
| Met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths | 43% | 79% | 45% |
| Reached the higher standard in reading, writing and maths | 19% | 14% | 20% |
| Expected standard in reading | 52% | 86% | 70% |
| Expected standard in maths | 52% | 79% | 55% |
| Expected standard in grammar, punctuation and spelling | 52% | 93% | 70% |
| Average scaled score in reading | 102.0 | 109.0 | 103.0 |
| Average scaled score in maths | 101.0 | 105.0 | 102.0 |
| Reading progress | +0.10 | - | - |
| Writing progress | 0.00 | - | - |
| Maths progress | 0.00 | - | - |
Progress measures ended nationally after the 2022/23 school year, when the key stage 1 assessments they were based on were stopped. Blank progress figures in later years are not missing school data.
Trends over time
How Thornton Primary School has moved over recent years against the local and national picture. Every figure is shown in the table beneath its chart.
| Year | This school | Lancashire average | England average |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 43% | 58.3% | 57.9% |
| 2023/24 | 79% | 58.3% | 58.8% |
| 2024/25 | 45% | 58.8% | 60.3% |
Department for Education KS2 performance data, published school results.
| Year | This school | England average |
|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 5% | 6.8% |
| 2023/24 | 8.1% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 6.8% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 135 |
| 2023/24 | 136 |
| 2024/25 | 139 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
How Thornton Primary School compares
Thornton Primary School ranked 364th of 445 primary schools in Lancashire for KS2 results in 2024/25. Its KS2 result was higher than 16% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 28% of England schools in 2024/25.
| School | KS2 RWM (2024/25) | Absence | FSM (6 years) | Pupils | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| This school | 45% | 6.8% | 33.1% | 149 | — |
| Sacred Heart Catholic Primary School, Thornton Cleveleys | 60% | 4.8% | 21% | 186 | 0.2 miles |
| Thornton Cleveleys Royles Brook Primary School | 36% | 4.9% | 19.9% | 286 | 0.6 miles |
| Thornton Cleveleys Baines Endowed Voluntary Controlled Primary School | 52% | 4.9% | 15.1% | 200 | 0.9 miles |
| Stanah Primary School | 85% | 4.1% | 14.4% | 369 | 0.9 miles |
| Northfold Community Primary School | 59% | 4.5% | 18.7% | 209 | 1.1 miles |
Results reflect each school's cohort as much as its teaching, and free school meals share is context, not a judgement. Small gaps between neighbouring schools are rarely meaningful on their own.
School context
From the 2024/25 school census and absence figures.
- Free school meals (last 6 years)
- 33.09%
- English as an additional language
- 2.2%
- Overall absence
- 6.79%
- Persistent absence
- 16.41%
Location
Nearby schools
-
Sacred Heart Catholic Primary School, Thornton Cleveleys0.2 miles
Primary · Thornton-Cleveleys
-
Thornton Cleveleys Royles Brook Primary School0.6 miles
Primary · Thornton-Cleveleys
-
Thornton Cleveleys Baines Endowed Voluntary Controlled Primary School0.9 miles
Primary · Thornton-Cleveleys
-
Stanah Primary School0.9 miles
Primary · Thornton-Cleveleys
-
Northfold Community Primary School1.1 miles
Primary · Thornton-Cleveleys
Other schools in Thornton-Cleveleys
Thornton Primary School ranks 8th of the 10 ranked primary schools in Thornton-Cleveleys.
- Anchorsholme Primary Academy Primary
- Norbreck Primary Academy Primary
- Northfold Community Primary School Primary
- Sacred Heart Catholic Primary School, Thornton Cleveleys Primary
- St Teresa's Catholic Primary School Primary
- Stanah Primary School Primary
- Thornton Cleveleys Baines Endowed Voluntary Controlled Primary School Primary
- Thornton Cleveleys Manor Beach Primary School Primary
- Thornton Cleveleys Royles Brook Primary School Primary
- Millfield Science & Performing Arts College Secondary
- Great Arley School Special schools
Common questions
- What year groups does Thornton Primary School teach?
- Thornton Primary School teaches children aged 4 to 11. It is a primary school in Thornton-Cleveleys.
- Who is the headteacher of Thornton Primary School?
- The headteacher of Thornton Primary School is Mr David Ashcroft, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- When was Thornton Primary School last inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected Thornton Primary School, and its latest judgement is set out in the inspection section on this page, with the framework and the date it was made.
- How big is Thornton Primary School?
- Thornton Primary School has 149 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 4 to 11.
- Is Thornton Primary School full?
- Thornton Primary School has capacity for 175 pupils and 149 on roll (85%), 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 Primary School a faith school?
- No. Thornton Primary School has no designated religious character.
- Does Thornton Primary School have a nursery?
- Yes. The schools register records Thornton Primary School as having nursery classes.
- What SEN provision does Thornton Primary School have?
- The schools register lists Thornton Primary School's special educational needs provision as: SEMH - Social, Emotional and Mental Health. Contact the school to discuss how it would support a particular child.
- How have Thornton Primary School's results changed over recent years?
- Its share of pupils reaching the expected standard in reading, writing and maths was 43% in 2022/23 and 45% in 2024/25. The year-by-year figures, alongside local and national averages, are charted in the trends section on this page.
- How does Thornton Primary School rank locally?
- Thornton Primary School ranked 364th of 445 primary schools in Lancashire for key stage 2 results. Its KS2 result was higher than 16% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 28% of England schools in 2024/25. Results reflect each cohort as well as the school, so treat rankings as a starting point.
- What is Thornton Primary School's absence rate?
- Thornton Primary School's overall absence rate is 6.8% in the latest published census, above the England average of 6.2%.
- What are Thornton Primary School's exam results?
- Where the Department for Education has published them, Thornton Primary School'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 30 June 2026.