Thorns Collegiate Academy

Thorns Collegiate Academy is making strides towards improvement, transitioning from its previous inadequate rating to a current overall effectiveness grade of requires improvement. Many pupils are actively engaged in the school community, discovering a sense of pride and involvement as they participate in various initiatives. Staff demonstrate a commitment to high standards and pupil well-being, although some older students continue to struggle with behavior and respect for school values. The support for these students has not been fully effective, impacting their learning outcomes.

Strengths

• Pupils are engaged in wider school life through various initiatives.
• Staff care about pupils’ well-being and set high standards.
• The school supports pupils with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) effectively.
• Pupils benefit from a well-planned personal, health, and social education curriculum.
• The school encourages all pupils to read with well-structured support.

Areas for Improvement

• Not all pupils share the school’s values, leading to behavioral issues.
• Some pupils do not receive adequate support to improve their behavior.
• Inconsistencies in the implementation of the curriculum hinder pupil learning.
• Lack of focus on disadvantaged pupils' needs affects their educational progress.

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 Thorns Collegiate Academy attended 90.7% of sessions (the national figure for secondary schools was 91.6%). 28.2% 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, 12.2% of pupils at Thorns Collegiate Academy were suspended at least once (nationally 7.3%). 7 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 Thorns Collegiate Academy had 16.2 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for secondary schools was 16.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 19.2% 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, 17.4% of pupils at Thorns Collegiate Academy were on SEN support (nationally 14.1%) and 2.0% 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 Thorns Collegiate Academy received £8,783 and spent £8,790 for each of its 899 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £61,000 (£67 per pupil).

Across all 12 schools of Shireland Collegiate Academy Trust, income was £8,510 and spending £8,348 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.

• Primary Schools
• Secondary Schools

All schools in Brierley Hill · Dudley local authority: places and applications

Thorns Collegiate Academy is part of Shireland Collegiate Academy Trust, which runs 12 schools. The nearest others:

• Newfield Park Primary Academy Halesowen
• Lightwoods Primary Academy Oldbury, Sandwell
• Wallbrook Primary Academy Bilston
• West Bromwich Collegiate Academy West Bromwich
• Shireland Biomedical Utc West Bromwich
• Shireland CBSO Academy West Bromwich
• Shireland Collegiate Academy Smethwick
• Shireland Technology Primary Smethwick
• Holyhead Primary Academy Wednesbury
• Tameside Primary Academy Wednesbury

What is Thorns Collegiate Academy's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Thorns Collegiate Academy is Requires Improvement, from an inspection in May 2024.

When was Thorns Collegiate Academy last inspected by Ofsted?

Thorns Collegiate Academy was last inspected in May 2024.

How many pupils does Thorns Collegiate Academy have?

Thorns Collegiate Academy has 861 pupils on roll.

What age range does Thorns Collegiate Academy cover?

Thorns Collegiate Academy for pupils aged 11 to 16.

What are Thorns Collegiate Academy's GCSE results?

In 2026 its average Attainment 8 score was 37.6, and 30% of pupils achieved grade 5 or above in both English and maths GCSE.

Where is Thorns Collegiate Academy?

Thorns Collegiate Academy is at STOCKWELL AVENUE, QUARRY BANK, BRIERLEY HILL, WEST MIDLANDS, DY5 2NU.