Photo: Donama · CC BY-SA 3.0Thurston’s state schools outscore 72% of towns in England
At Thurston’s secondaries, 50% of pupils reach grade 5 in both English and maths, above both Suffolk’s towns (40%) and towns in England (45%). 1 state-funded school is located in Thurston’s built-up area. Thurston grades B+ for schools, on Department for Education Key Stage 2 and GCSE results: #2 of 34 in Suffolk. Ofsted is shown, not graded.
Town figures are pupil-weighted across the schools the grade uses; England’s are the average school.
Thurston grades B+ for schools
Against every town in England with results; Wales publishes none.
Thurston has no primaries of its own with KS2 results, so the primary figure uses the 4 graded primaries in and within 3 km of the town (427 pupils in results). Thurston has 1 secondary of its own with GCSE results, too few to judge on, so the secondary figure uses the 2 graded secondaries in and within 3 km of the town (376 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.
Where Thurston’s state school is
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 Thurston’s built-up area.
Most schools give places by distance once siblings are in, so the schools nearest a home matter more than any league table.
How school places work in Thurston
Suffolk County Council handles applications for every state school in Thurston, academies included. You apply to the council where you live, even for a school in another area.
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. 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
1 state school in Thurston
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.
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 inspections
Each school’s latest inspection; report cards replace one-word judgements as schools are re-inspected.
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. 0 of Thurston’s 1 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.
Where Thurston’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 Thurston has its own sixth form. The nearest college is West Suffolk College, a further-education college 4.6 miles away.
114th of 457 English towns of 2,500 to 4,000
Ranked by School Grade, best first: the towns either side of Thurston, and the top and bottom of the group.
| # | Town | Schools | KS2 | Attainment 8 | Grade 5+ E&M |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Collingham Nottinghamshire | A+ | 82% | — | — |
| … | |||||
| 110 | Stoke Mandeville Buckinghamshire | B+ | 60% | 57.4 | 65% |
| 111 | Holton le Clay Lincolnshire | B+ | 65% | 48.2 | 49% |
| 112 | Pegswood Northumberland | B+ | 62% | 51.1 | 57% |
| 113 | Cliffe Kent | B+ | 65% | — | — |
| 114 | Thurston Suffolk | B+ | 65% | 48.1 | 50% |
| 115 | Burnopfield County Durham | B+ | 65% | — | — |
| 116 | Whalley Lancashire | B+ | 78% | 45 | 39% |
| 117 | Sherburn County Durham | B+ | 65% | 48.6 | 48% |
| 118 | Shelley West Yorkshire | B+ | 61% | 51.8 | 59% |
| … | |||||
| 457 | Watchet Somerset | D− | 29% | — | — |
Thurston and the places around it
Coloured by School Grade.
| Town | Schools | KS2 | Att. 8 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Thurston 1 school | B+ | 65% | 48.1 |
| Great Barton 1 school · uses schools within 3 km · 2 mi | A− | 69% | 48.1 |
| Ixworth 2 schools · uses schools within 3 km · 3.4 mi | D− | 42% | 39.7 |
| Woolpit 1 school · uses schools within 3 km · 4 mi | B+ | 64% | — |
| Bury St Edmunds 19 schools · 4.1 mi | C | 57% | 45.7 |
| Elmswell 1 school · uses schools within 3 km · 4.6 mi | B− | 62% | — |
| Stanton 1 school · uses schools within 3 km · 6 mi | C− | 57% | — |
| Walsham le Willows 1 school · uses schools within 3 km · 6.6 mi | C− | 57% | — |
Great Barton has the best-graded schools nearby (A−). Small places often use the schools within 3 km, so neighbours can share schools.
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.
- 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 Thurston
Are schools in Thurston good?
Thurston’s state schools earn a B+ against schools across England: primary results beat 68% of towns in England; secondary results beat 67% of towns in England, on Department for Education Key Stage 2 and GCSE results. School places are handled by Suffolk council.
Do Thurston secondary schools have sixth forms?
Yes, it has one.
How do I apply for a school place in Thurston?
Through Suffolk County 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 state schools are in Thurston?
1 open state-funded school is located in Thurston’s built-up area: 0 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.