Thurstable School

Thurstable School is performing well overall, with inspectors finding strong provision across education quality, behaviour, personal development, leadership and the sixth form. The school has improved since its previous inspection: pupils follow a broad, ambitious and well-sequenced curriculum, teaching is consistently strong, pupils with SEND are well supported, and reading and oracy are promoted effectively. Pupils’ behaviour has improved, and they benefit from a wide range of clubs, trips and opportunities to develop character and citizenship. Safeguarding is effective. Leaders have managed significant challenges, including disruption from RAAC, while improving provision and supporting staff well. Pupils are increasingly prepared for their next steps, although published GCSE and A-level outcomes do not yet reflect the current quality of education. The sixth form is closing at the end of this academic year. The main areas for improvement are attendance and attitudes for some pupils, and ensuring all pupils consistently get enough high-quality opportunities to practise and apply what they have learned. A minority of pupils do not attend well enough or show positive attitudes to learning, which at times can interrupt others. When practice and application are limited, some pupils do not develop the depth of knowledge and understanding needed to achieve highly.

Strengths

• Broad and ambitious curriculum carefully sequenced across subjects
• Teaching is consistently strong, with regular recap and effective checks for understanding
• Pupils with SEND are identified and supported well so they can access the curriculum
• Reading, literacy and oracy are promoted effectively, with precise support for pupils who need it
• Behaviour has improved and pupils usually treat each other with kindness and respect
• Personal development is prioritised through leadership, citizenship, clubs, trips and workshops
• The Endeavour centre provides very effective support for pupils who struggle to attend
• Safeguarding arrangements are effective
• Leaders rigorously check the quality of work and provide high-quality staff training and support
• Pupils are well prepared for their next steps through encounters with employers and education providers
• Sixth-form students learn about personal finance, apprenticeships and higher education

Areas for Improvement

• Some pupils do not attend school well enough
• A minority of pupils do not have sufficiently positive attitudes to learning and can interrupt others
• Pupils do not consistently get enough high-quality opportunities to practise and apply their learning
• Limited practice and application can leave some pupils without the depth of knowledge and understanding they need
• Published GCSE and A-level outcomes do not yet reflect the current quality of provision

Admissions: local authority offers data from the Department for Education. A school is oversubscribed when at least 5% of the families who put it first were not offered a place, and undersubscribed when everyone who put it first got in but 10% or more of its places were unfilled in the Department's school capacity survey (the latest survey is used for entry years it does not cover). Places: Department for Education, School capacity, from local authorities' annual survey as at 1 May. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024–25); the survey was not run in 2020. Places include sixth form places. Forecasts are the local authority's own for the school's planning area, an area it uses to plan places that is not the school's catchment area. The forecast starts from a head count in 2025; the dashed line is the Department's estimate of places in that area, including those the authority has firm plans for. Planned places are cumulative, and only those with firm plans are counted.

In 2024–25 pupils at Thurstable School attended 90.8% of sessions (the national figure for secondary schools was 91.6%). 24.2% of pupils were persistently absent, missing at least one session in ten (nationally 23.4%).

Sessions missed

Pupils persistently absent

Source: Department for Education, Pupil absence in schools in England. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024/25). Persistent absence means missing 10% or more of sessions; severe absence means 50% or more. No figures were published for 2019/20.

In 2024–25, 7.6% of pupils at Thurstable School were suspended at least once (nationally 7.3%). No pupils were permanently excluded.

Pupils suspended at least once

Source: Department for Education, Suspensions and permanent exclusions in England. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024/25). A pupil can be suspended more than once, so suspensions per 100 pupils can be higher than the share of pupils suspended. Very small numbers are hidden by the DfE. Exclusion figures dropped in 2020 and 2021 because of school closures.

In 2025–26 Thurstable School had 19.2 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for secondary schools was 16.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 19.4% were no longer at the school a year later (nationally 14.1%).

Pupils per teacher

Teachers who left the school within a year

Source: Department for Education, School workforce in England. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024/25). Pupils per teacher counts full-time-equivalent pupils and teachers. Turnover is the share of a year's teachers (full-time equivalent) who were not at the school the following year, whether they moved to another school or left state-funded teaching. Turnover and sickness figures run one year behind the ratios. Sick leave is the share of teachers who took at least one day in the year, so it swings widely at small schools, where a few teachers can make it 0% or 100%. The national figures are for all state schools of the same type.

In 2025–26, 16.2% of pupils at Thurstable School were on SEN support (nationally 14.1%) and 3.2% had an education, health and care (EHC) plan (nationally 3.5%).

Pupils by main type of need

Source: Department for Education, Special educational needs in England (the 2025–26 school census). SEN support is extra help in school without an EHC plan. National figures are for all state-funded secondary schools. Counts are as published, with small numbers not hidden.

In 2024–25 Thurstable School received £7,936 and spent £8,096 for each of its 1,036 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £525,000 (£507 per pupil).

Income per pupil

Spending per pupil

Source: Department for Education, Financial Benchmarking and Insights Tool. Each year is the one the financial year ends in (2024 is 2023–24). Academy figures include a share of the trust's central services, shared out by pupil numbers, and are rounded to the nearest £1,000. Premises costs were defined differently from 2024, so compare them across that gap with care.

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What is Thurstable School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Thurstable School is Good, from an inspection in June 2025.

When was Thurstable School last inspected by Ofsted?

Thurstable School was last inspected in June 2025.

How many pupils does Thurstable School have?

Thurstable School has 932 pupils on roll.

What age range does Thurstable School cover?

Thurstable School for pupils aged 11 to 16.

What are Thurstable School's GCSE results?

In 2026 its average Attainment 8 score was 46.5, and 52% of pupils achieved grade 5 or above in both English and maths GCSE.

Where is Thurstable School?

Thurstable School is at Maypole Road, Tiptree, Colchester, Essex, CO5 0EW.