Thornford CofE Primary School

School overview

Thornford CofE Primary School is a primary school serving Sherborne, Dorset, classified by the DfE as a converter academy with a Church of England religious character. It has 99 pupils aged 4 to 11 on roll. 53% of its pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths at the end of Key Stage 2, below the national average (national figure: 61%). The proportion reaching the expected standard has fallen by 11.0 percentage points compared with the previous year, though small year groups can make these figures swing sharply from year to year. On our composite score, which combines the DfE attainment measures above, this places it in the lower half of primary schools nationally.

Pupils achieved an average scaled score of 104 in reading and 103 in maths (national averages are about 105 and 104). 7% reached the higher standard across all three subjects (around 8% do so nationally). Thornford CofE Primary School is oversubscribed: about 8 in 10 of the families who made it their first choice were offered a Reception place for September 2026, with 17 first choices for 15 places. Overall pupil absence was 4.0%. There are about 20.3 pupils per teacher. Its intake is relatively advantaged, with around 9% of pupils eligible for free school meals in the last six years versus about 24% nationally. Thornford CofE Primary School does not currently have a recent graded Ofsted judgement on record (often the case for newer or recently converted schools), so it is worth asking when its next inspection is expected. This overview is generated automatically from the latest published DfE performance tables and Ofsted data; figures are rounded, and you can check the originals via the official links above.