St Godrics Catholic Primary School, Thornley
Thornley Road, Wheatley Hill, Durham, DH6 3NR
- Phase
- Primary
- School type
- Academy converter
- Ages
- 4 to 11
- Gender
- Mixed
- Religious character
- Roman Catholic
- Trust
- BISHOP CHADWICK CATHOLIC EDUCATION TRUST
- Headteacher
- Mrs Julie Hill
- Diocese
- Diocese of Hexham and Newcastle
- Sponsor
- Bishop Chadwick Catholic Education Trust
- Constituency
- Easington
- Setting
- Larger rural: Nearer to a major town or city
- Capacity
- 105
- Pupils on roll
- 75
- URN
- 147928
- Local authority
- County Durham
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 01429820333
About this school
St Godrics Catholic Primary School, Thornley is a Roman Catholic primary academy in Durham. It teaches children aged 4 to 11 and has 75 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
Ofsted's most recent visit was a short inspection on 19 November 2024, where inspectors found that standards have been maintained. The school's last full inspection took place before September 2019, so its area grades are not part of Ofsted's current published data. Older reports are on the school's Ofsted page.
Exam results
Key stage 2 (end of primary school)
| Measure | 2022/23 | 2023/24 | 2024/25 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils at the end of key stage 2 | 14 | 8 | 7 |
| Met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths | 86% | 75% | 43% |
| Reached the higher standard in reading, writing and maths | 21% | 13% | 14% |
| Expected standard in reading | 86% | 88% | 57% |
| Expected standard in maths | 100% | 88% | 86% |
| Expected standard in grammar, punctuation and spelling | 100% | 88% | 71% |
| Average scaled score in reading | 107.0 | 106.0 | 103.0 |
| Average scaled score in maths | 109.0 | 105.0 | 107.0 |
| Reading progress | +1.50 | - | - |
| Writing progress | +6.00 | - | - |
| Maths progress | +4.70 | - | - |
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 St Godrics Catholic Primary School, Thornley has moved over recent years against the local and national picture. Every figure is shown in the table beneath its chart.
| Year | This school | County Durham average | England average |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 86% | 58% | 57.9% |
| 2023/24 | 75% | 58.4% | 58.8% |
| 2024/25 | 43% | 60% | 60.3% |
Department for Education KS2 performance data, published school results.
| Year | This school | England average |
|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 5.3% | 6.8% |
| 2023/24 | 5.3% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 4.8% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 70 |
| 2023/24 | 66 |
| 2024/25 | 69 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
How St Godrics Catholic Primary School, Thornley compares
St Godrics Catholic Primary School, Thornley ranked 164th of 185 primary schools in County Durham for KS2 results in 2024/25. Its KS2 result was higher than 14% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 66% of England schools in 2024/25.
| School | KS2 RWM (2024/25) | Absence | FSM (6 years) | Pupils | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| This school | 43% | 4.8% | 23.2% | 75 | — |
| Wheatley Hill Community Primary School | 68% | 7.4% | 50.8% | 445 | 0.2 miles |
| Thornley Academy | 54% | 10.4% | 42.4% | 124 | 0.9 miles |
| Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Primary School, Shotton | 71% | 6.3% | 35.1% | 156 | 1.6 miles |
| Deaf Hill Primary School | 69% | 8.3% | 56.8% | 154 | 1.6 miles |
| Ludworth Primary School | 64% | 7.2% | 59.5% | 84 | 1.7 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)
- 23.19%
- English as an additional language
- 14.5%
- Overall absence
- 4.79%
- Persistent absence
- 8.82%
Location
Nearby schools
-
Wheatley Hill Community Primary School0.2 miles
Primary · Durham
-
Thornley Academy0.9 miles
Primary · Durham
-
Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Primary School, Shotton1.6 miles
Primary · Durham
-
Deaf Hill Primary School1.6 miles
Primary · Trimdon Station
-
Ludworth Primary School1.7 miles
Primary · Durham
Other schools in Durham
St Godrics Catholic Primary School, Thornley ranks 40th of the 42 ranked primary schools in Durham.
- All Saints' Catholic Primary School, Lanchester Primary
- Bearpark Primary School Primary
- Belmont Cheveley Park Primary School Primary
- Belmont CofE (Controlled) Primary School Primary
- Blue Coat CofE (Aided) Junior School Primary
- Brandon Primary Academy Primary
- Burnhope Primary School Primary
- Cassop Primary School Primary
- Coxhoe Primary School Primary
- Durham Gilesgate Primary School Primary
- Durham Newton Hall Infants' School Primary
- Edmondsley Primary Academy Primary
Common questions
- What year groups does St Godrics Catholic Primary School, Thornley teach?
- St Godrics Catholic Primary School, Thornley teaches children aged 4 to 11. It is a primary school in Durham.
- Who is the headteacher of St Godrics Catholic Primary School, Thornley?
- The headteacher of St Godrics Catholic Primary School, Thornley is Mrs Julie Hill, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- When was St Godrics Catholic Primary School, Thornley last inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected St Godrics Catholic Primary School, Thornley, 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 St Godrics Catholic Primary School, Thornley?
- St Godrics Catholic Primary School, Thornley has 75 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 4 to 11.
- Is St Godrics Catholic Primary School, Thornley full?
- St Godrics Catholic Primary School, Thornley has capacity for 105 pupils and 75 on roll (71%), 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 St Godrics Catholic Primary School, Thornley a faith school?
- Yes. St Godrics Catholic Primary School, Thornley is designated Roman Catholic, in the Diocese of Hexham and Newcastle.
- Does St Godrics Catholic Primary School, Thornley have a nursery?
- No. The schools register records St Godrics Catholic Primary School, Thornley as having no nursery classes.
- Who runs St Godrics Catholic Primary School, Thornley?
- St Godrics Catholic Primary School, Thornley is part of BISHOP CHADWICK CATHOLIC EDUCATION TRUST. Schools in a trust or federation share leadership and governance, but each keeps its own inspection record and results.
- How have St Godrics Catholic Primary School, Thornley's results changed over recent years?
- Its share of pupils reaching the expected standard in reading, writing and maths was 86% in 2022/23 and 43% in 2024/25. The year-by-year figures, alongside local and national averages, are charted in the trends section on this page.
- How does St Godrics Catholic Primary School, Thornley rank locally?
- St Godrics Catholic Primary School, Thornley ranked 164th of 185 primary schools in County Durham for key stage 2 results. Its KS2 result was higher than 14% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 66% of England schools in 2024/25. Results reflect each cohort as well as the school, so treat rankings as a starting point.
- What is St Godrics Catholic Primary School, Thornley's absence rate?
- St Godrics Catholic Primary School, Thornley's overall absence rate is 4.8% in the latest published census, at or below the England average of 6.2%.
- What are St Godrics Catholic Primary School, Thornley's exam results?
- Where the Department for Education has published them, St Godrics Catholic Primary School, Thornley'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 10 July 2026.