Primary schools3 · best KS2 results first
Photo: Ian S · CC BY-SA 2.0DSchool Grade
Schools in Thorne · DfE, Ofsted
Thorne’s state schools are in the bottom tenth: lower results than 92% of towns in England
In reading, writing and maths together, 49% of Thorne’s eleven-year-olds met the expected standard, below both South Yorkshire’s towns (62%) and towns in England (62%). 4 state-funded schools are located in Thorne’s built-up area. Thorne grades D for schools, on Department for Education Key Stage 2 and GCSE results. Ofsted is shown, not graded.
State schools
4
3 primary, 1 secondary
Reading, writing & maths
49%
meet the expected standard at 11 · 2023–25
England’s schools: 62%
Attainment 8
41.1
GCSE average across 8 subjects · 2025/26
England’s schools: 47.3
Grade 5+ English & maths
36%
a strong pass in both · 2025/26
England’s schools: 47%
Town figures are pupil-weighted across the schools the grade uses; England’s are the average school.
What stands out about Thorne’s schools
Below England at both ages
Thorne’s secondary results beat 18% of English towns; its primary results beat 7%. 49% of the town’s 11-year-olds meet the expected standard in reading, writing and maths, against 62% at the average school in England and 61% across Doncaster. Every school’s result ↓
Written from the Department for Education and Ofsted data on this page.
School Grade
Thorne grades D for schools
Against every town in England with results; Wales publishes none.
Primary: reading, writing and maths at 11 (49% meet the standard)Better than 7% of towns in England
Secondary: Attainment 8 and grade 5+ English and maths (41.1 and 36%)Better than 18% of towns in England
Each of Thorne’s 3 primaries: % meeting the expected standard in reading, writing and maths (2023–25)
England’s average schoolDoncaster’s average school
The primary figure: 3 primaries in the town, 498 pupils in results over three years. Thorne has 1 secondary of its own with GCSE results, too few to judge on, so the secondary figure uses the 1 graded secondary in and within 3 km of the town (184 pupils in results). Mainstream state schools only (grammar schools included); special schools, alternative provision, nurseries and 16–19 colleges are listed below but not graded. Each school’s results are compared with every school in England, then weighted by its pupils.
Map
Where Thorne’s 4 state schools are
Each school at its address, coloured by its own letter and sized by pupils. Open a school for its own page. The dashed shape is Thorne’s built-up area.
© OpenStreetMap contributors
PrimarySecondary (named)Special, nursery, 16–19Size: pupilsABCDNo letter
Most schools give places by distance once siblings are in, so the schools nearest a home matter more than any league table.
Results and intake
Which schools do better than their intake suggests
Schools with more pupils on free school meals tend to get lower results. The dashed line is the typical school in England for each level of free school meals; the band holds the middle two-thirds. A dot above the band is doing better than schools like it.
Primaries: KS2 reading, writing and maths against free school meals
The share of pupils on free school meals runs from 22% at Green Top to 39% at Trinity Academy. 0 of 3 primaries are above the line.
Show as a table
| School | Free school meals | Result | Typical for that intake | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brooke Primary AcademyKS2 % | 31% | 56% | 60% | −4 |
| Thorne King Edward Primary SchoolKS2 % | 32% | 54% | 60% | −6 |
| Green TopKS2 % | 22% | 39% | 62% | −23 |
Free school meals: pupils eligible now, DfE January 2026 census. The typical-school line is a straight-line fit across every graded school in England. It describes; it doesn’t grade: the School Grade uses results alone.
Getting a place
How school places work in Thorne
Doncaster Council handles applications for every state school in Thorne, academies included. You apply to the council where you live, even for a school in another area.
Secondary (starting at 11)Apply by 31 October of Year 6. Offers on 1 March.
Primary (starting in Reception)Apply by 15 January before the September your child starts. Offers on 16 April.
Moving mid-yearApply to the council for an in-year place; it tells you which schools have room.
When a school is full
Every school publishes its admissions rules. Children in care come first, then, at most schools, brothers and sisters of current pupils, then those who live nearest. 1 of Thorne’s 4 mainstream schools have a religious character; some of them give priority by church attendance, so check each school’s rules. Infant classes are limited to 30 by law. If you’re refused a place, you can appeal to an independent panel.
Useful: Apply for a primary place (GOV.UK) · Apply for a secondary place (GOV.UK) · How admissions criteria work
How full each school is
Pupils on roll as a share of the school’s official capacity. The black tick is 100%; 2 schools are at or over it.
Thorne King Edward incl. nursery105%
Green Top incl. nursery102%
Brooke incl. nursery88%
Trinity80%
DfE register of schools (GIAS), January 2026 census. Capacity often excludes a nursery class, so a school with a nursery can show over 100%.
The schools
4 state schools in Thorne
Each school’s own letter compares its results with every state school in England of the same phase: Key Stage 2 for primaries, GCSEs for secondaries. Open a school for its results, how its letter is worked out, Ofsted and a map.
Letters of Thorne’s schoolsA 0B 0C 3D 1
Secondary schools1 · best GCSE results first
Key result: Attainment 8 and grade 5+ English and maths (GCSEs, 2025/26 provisional) for secondaries; the share meeting the expected standard in reading, writing and maths (KS2, DfE’s three-year average) for primaries. Pupils: the January 2026 school census. No letter: an infant or first school (no KS2 tests), a new school, a small cohort DfE suppresses, or a special school, nursery or college. Independent schools aren’t included.
Ofsted
Ofsted report cards
Each school’s latest inspection; report cards replace one-word judgements as schools are re-inspected.
Good 3Report card 1
Ofsted stopped giving one-word judgements in 2024. Until a school is re-inspected, its last overall judgement is its most recent single grade; a school judged years ago may have changed a lot since.
Since November 2025 Ofsted gives each area of a school one of five grades (exceptional, strong standard, expected standard, needs attention, urgent improvement) and says whether safeguarding is met, instead of one overall word. 1 of Thorne’s 4 state schools have a report card so far; the others show their last inspection under the old framework. Ofsted is never part of the School Grade.
| School | Safeguarding | Achievement | Curriculum and teaching | Inclusion | Attendance and behaviour | Personal development and well-being | Leadership and governance | Early years |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Green TopJune 2026 | Met | Needs attention | Expected standard | Expected standard | Strong standard | Strong standard | Expected standard | Strong standard |
Who runs them
3 academy trusts and the council
Academies are state schools run by a trust rather than the council: the trust employs the staff and can set its own curriculum and term dates. Admissions still go through the council.
| Run by | Schools | Pupils | Their letters |
|---|---|---|---|
| Emmanuel Schools FoundationTrinity | 1 | 1,176 | C |
| Xp School Trust LimitedGreen Top | 1 | 426 | D |
| Venn Academy TrustBrooke | 1 | 369 | C |
| Doncaster CouncilThorne King Edward | 1 | 336 | C |
After 16
Where Thorne’s teenagers go at 16
In England young people stay in education or training until 18: a sixth form, a college, or an apprenticeship.
The state secondary in Thorne has its own sixth form. The nearest college is DN Colleges Group, a further-education college 9.3 miles away.
Secondaries with a sixth form
1 of 1
state schools in Thorne
Colleges within 12 miles
1
nearest: DN Colleges Group
Grammar schools in Doncaster
0
no selective state secondaries
Towns its size
329th of 341 English towns of 9,000 to 17,000
Ranked by School Grade, best first: the towns either side of Thorne, and the top and bottom of the group.
| # | Town | Schools | KS2 | Attainment 8 | Grade 5+ E&M |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Chorleywood Hertfordshire | A+ | 79% | 59.8 | 71% |
| … | |||||
| 325 | Sheerness Kent | D | 57% | 33.2 | 16% |
| 326 | Diss Norfolk | D | 45% | 43 | 36% |
| 327 | Whittlesey Cambridgeshire | D | 54% | 38.6 | 32% |
| 328 | Amesbury Wiltshire | D | 55% | 38.2 | 28% |
| 329 | Thorne South Yorkshire | D | 49% | 41.1 | 36% |
| 330 | Whitchurch Shropshire | D | 48% | 40.2 | 39% |
| 331 | Peacehaven East Sussex | D | 51% | 40.3 | 35% |
| 332 | South Hayling Hampshire | D | 55% | 37.5 | 25% |
| 333 | Berwick-upon-Tweed Northumberland | D | — | 39.3 | 33% |
| … | |||||
| 341 | Sandown Isle of Wight | D− | 52% | 32 | 16% |
Neighbours
Thorne and the places around it
Coloured by School Grade.
MoorendsStainforthDunscroft and HatfieldHatfield WoodhouseCrowleKirk Sandall and EdenthorpeRawcliffeThorne
| Town | Schools | KS2 | Att. 8 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Thorne 4 schools | D | 49% | 41.1 |
| Moorends 2 schools · uses schools within 3 km · 1.3 mi | B− | 67% | 41.1 |
| Stainforth 2 schools · uses schools within 3 km · 3.1 mi | B− | 50% | 52.2 |
| Dunscroft and Hatfield 7 schools · uses schools within 3 km · 3.5 mi | A | 69% | 49.9 |
| Hatfield Woodhouse 0 schools · uses schools within 3 km · 4.7 mi | A+ | 83% | — |
| Crowle 3 schools · uses schools within 3 km · 5.1 mi | C+ | 63% | 40.1 |
| Kirk Sandall and Edenthorpe 7 schools · uses schools within 3 km · 5.6 mi | A− | 66% | 48.4 |
| Rawcliffe 1 school · uses schools within 3 km · 6 mi | D− | 49% | — |
Hatfield Woodhouse has the best-graded schools nearby (A+). Small places often use the schools within 3 km, so neighbours can share schools.
How to read these numbers
What this data can and can’t tell you
- Expected standard at Key Stage 2. The share of 11-year-olds who reach the expected standard in reading, writing and maths together, in tests and teacher assessment at the end of primary school. We use DfE’s three-year average (2023–2025) to steady small schools.
- Higher standard. The share working at greater depth in all three. In Thorne: 4% (England’s average school: 8%).
- Attainment 8. A pupil’s GCSE grades across eight subjects, with English and maths counted twice, added up. 50 is roughly a grade 5 in every subject.
- Grade 5+ in English and maths. A strong pass in both. Grade 4 is a standard pass.
- Provisional. 2025/26 GCSE figures are DfE’s first release; revised figures follow in February, usually within a point.
- Progress 8. Not shown: there is none for 2025/26, because these pupils sat no KS2 tests in 2020 (Covid).
- Free school meals. Pupils eligible for free school meals now, from the January census: the usual measure of how many pupils come from low-income homes.
- Independent schools. Not included: they publish no results comparable with state schools’.
Questions about schools in Thorne
Are schools in Thorne good?
Thorne’s state schools earn a D against schools across England: primary results beat 7% of towns in England; secondary results beat 18% of towns in England, on Department for Education Key Stage 2 and GCSE results. School places are handled by Doncaster council.
What is the best primary school in Thorne?
On Key Stage 2 results over 2023–25, Brooke Primary Academy: 56% of pupils meet the expected standard in reading, writing and maths, against 62% at the average school in England.
Do Thorne secondary schools have sixth forms?
Yes, it has one.
How do I apply for a school place in Thorne?
Through Doncaster Council, for every state school including academies. Secondary applications close on 31 October (offers 1 March); primary on 15 January (offers 16 April).
How many schools in Thorne are full?
2 of 4 mainstream schools have at least as many pupils as places, on DfE’s January 2026 census. A full school still admits by its rules, usually distance after siblings.
How many state schools are in Thorne?
4 open state-funded schools are located in Thorne’s built-up area: 3 primary, 1 secondary and 0 other (special schools, alternative provision, nurseries and 16–19). Independent schools aren’t included.
Sources: DfE Get Information about Schools (16 October 2026), Key Stage 2 performance tables (2023–2025, three-year average) and Key Stage 4 (2025/26, provisional); Ofsted state-funded school inspections as at 30 September 2026 · DfE Get Information about Schools (16 October 2026), further-education and sixth-form colleges · TownRatings grades: our own summary of the data, ranked against UK towns only. All under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Contains HM Land Registry data © Crown copyright and database right 2026. Contains OS data © Crown copyright and database right 2026 (ONS boundaries). Northern Ireland: Source: NISRA; contains Land & Property Services data and Ordnance Survey of Northern Ireland information, © Crown copyright, licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Scotland: contains National Records of Scotland data, Registers of Scotland data and SEPA data, © Crown copyright / © SEPA 2025, licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.