Thornden Wood Primary School

Briary Primary School is demonstrating a good overall performance, characterized by a strong sense of community and high expectations for academic success. Pupils are thriving in an inclusive and nurturing environment where respect and kindness are evident. They display confidence, articulate their thoughts well, and engage positively in their learning. The school has effectively adapted its curriculum, with a structured approach to ensure that key knowledge is prioritized and sequenced logically. The inclusion of strong support for pupils with special educational needs further highlights the school's commitment to ensuring that all students achieve well.

Strengths

• Pupils thrive in an inclusive and nurturing environment.
• High expectations for academic success are maintained.
• Strong relationships exist between pupils and staff.
• Effective support for pupils with special educational needs.
• Excellent early years provision fostering independence and curiosity.
• Teachers provide clear explanations and model key skills.
• A love of reading is actively promoted throughout the school.

Areas for Improvement

• Inconsistencies in assessing pupils' understanding in curriculum areas.
• Some pupils are not attending school regularly enough.

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 Thornden Wood Primary School attended 93.4% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 19.2% of pupils were persistently absent, missing at least one session in ten (nationally 13.0%).

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, 1.3% of pupils at Thornden Wood Primary School were suspended at least once (nationally 1.1%). 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 Thornden Wood Primary School had 20.0 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 33.6% were no longer at the school a year later (nationally 15.7%).

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, 21.4% of pupils at Thornden Wood Primary School were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 1.8% had an education, health and care (EHC) plan (nationally 4.1%).

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 primary schools. Counts are as published, with small numbers not hidden.

In 2024–25 Thornden Wood Primary School received £6,795 and spent £6,718 for each of its 301 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £253,000 (£839 per pupil).

Across all 9 schools of Ekc Schools Trust Limited, income was £7,396 and spending £7,195 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 Herne Bay · Kent local authority: places and applications

Thornden Wood Primary School is part of Ekc Schools Trust Limited, which runs 12 schools. The nearest others:

• Monkton Church of England Primary School Ramsgate
• Minster Church of England Primary School Ramsgate
• Aylesham Primary School Canterbury
• Bysing Wood Primary School Faversham
• Teynham Parochial Church of England Primary School Sittingbourne
• Palm Bay Primary School Margate
• EKC Sheppey Secondary Sheerness
• Queenborough School and Nursery Queenborough
• The Churchill School Folkestone
• East Stour Primary School Ashford

What is Thornden Wood Primary School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Thornden Wood Primary School is Good, from an inspection in March 2024.

When was Thornden Wood Primary School last inspected by Ofsted?

Thornden Wood Primary School was last inspected in March 2024.

How many pupils does Thornden Wood Primary School have?

Thornden Wood Primary School has 337 pupils on roll.

What age range does Thornden Wood Primary School cover?

Thornden Wood Primary School for pupils aged 4 to 11.

What are Thornden Wood Primary School's SATs (KS2) results?

In 2025, 81% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is Thornden Wood Primary School?

Thornden Wood Primary School is at Greenhill Road, Herne Bay, Kent, CT6 7RS.