Thornton Primary School
Main Street, Thornton, Coalville, LE67 1AH
- Phase
- Primary
- School type
- Academy converter
- Ages
- 4 to 11
- Gender
- Mixed
- Trust
- SYMPHONY LEARNING TRUST
- Headteacher
- Mrs Sarah Acton
- Sponsor
- Symphony Learning Trust
- Constituency
- Mid Leicestershire
- Setting
- Smaller rural: Nearer to a major town or city
- Capacity
- 140
- Pupils on roll
- 129
- URN
- 140253
- Local authority
- Leicestershire
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 01530230250
About this school
Thornton Primary School is a primary academy in Coalville. It teaches children aged 4 to 11 and has 129 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
- Good
- 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 | 19 | 15 | 20 |
| Met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths | 47% | 87% | 70% |
| Reached the higher standard in reading, writing and maths | 0% | 0% | 10% |
| Expected standard in reading | 53% | 93% | 80% |
| Expected standard in maths | 68% | 93% | 80% |
| Expected standard in grammar, punctuation and spelling | 63% | 87% | 80% |
| Average scaled score in reading | 100.0 | 105.0 | 106.0 |
| Average scaled score in maths | 99.0 | 107.0 | 105.0 |
| Reading progress | -2.00 | - | - |
| Writing progress | +1.30 | - | - |
| Maths progress | -1.90 | - | - |
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 | Leicestershire average | England average |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 47% | 60.8% | 57.9% |
| 2023/24 | 87% | 60.1% | 58.8% |
| 2024/25 | 70% | 61.4% | 60.3% |
Department for Education KS2 performance data, published school results.
| Year | This school | England average |
|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 5.5% | 6.8% |
| 2023/24 | 5% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 3.9% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 126 |
| 2023/24 | 137 |
| 2024/25 | 129 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
How Thornton Primary School compares
Thornton Primary School ranked 71st of 211 primary schools in Leicestershire for KS2 results in 2024/25. Its KS2 result was higher than 66% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 85% of England schools in 2024/25.
| School | KS2 RWM (2024/25) | Absence | FSM (6 years) | Pupils | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| This school | 70% | 3.9% | 27.9% | 129 | — |
| Stanton Under Bardon Community Primary School | 47% | 6.3% | 25.3% | 93 | 1.5 miles |
| Mercenfeld Primary School | 66% | 4.5% | 17% | 235 | 1.9 miles |
| Barlestone Church of England Primary School | 57% | 5.3% | 20.1% | 185 | 2.8 miles |
| Newbold Verdon Primary School | 31% | 6.1% | 24.3% | 220 | 2.8 miles |
| Dove Bank Primary School | 67% | 9.2% | 20.8% | 149 | 2.8 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)
- 27.91%
- English as an additional language
- 3.9%
- Overall absence
- 3.93%
- Persistent absence
- 5.88%
Location
Nearby schools
-
Stanton Under Bardon Community Primary School1.5 miles
Primary · Markfield
-
Mercenfeld Primary School1.9 miles
Primary · Markfield
-
Barlestone Church of England Primary School2.8 miles
Primary · Nuneaton
-
Newbold Verdon Primary School2.8 miles
Primary · Leicester
-
Dove Bank Primary School2.8 miles
Primary · Nuneaton
Other schools in Coalville
Thornton Primary School ranks 3rd of the 17 ranked primary schools in Coalville.
- All Saints Church of England Primary School, Coalville Primary
- Belvoirdale Community Primary School Primary
- Broom Leys School Primary
- Ellistown Community Primary School Primary
- Greenstone Primary School Primary
- Griffydam Primary School Primary
- Heather Primary School Primary
- Holy Cross School A Catholic Voluntary Academy Primary
- Hugglescote Community Primary School Primary
- New Swannington Primary School Primary
- Newbold Church of England Primary School Primary
- Newton Burgoland Primary School Primary
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 Coalville.
- Who is the headteacher of Thornton Primary School?
- The headteacher of Thornton Primary School is Mrs Sarah Acton, 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 129 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 4 to 11.
- Is Thornton Primary School full?
- Thornton Primary School has capacity for 140 pupils and 129 on roll (92%), 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?
- No. The schools register records Thornton Primary School as having no nursery classes.
- Who runs Thornton Primary School?
- Thornton Primary School is part of SYMPHONY LEARNING TRUST. Schools in a trust or federation share leadership and governance, but each keeps its own inspection record and results.
- 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 47% in 2022/23 and 70% 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 71st of 211 primary schools in Leicestershire for key stage 2 results. Its KS2 result was higher than 66% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 85% 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 3.9% in the latest published census, at or below 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 1 July 2026.