Sacred Heart Catholic Primary School, Thornton Cleveleys

Sacred Heart Catholic Primary School in Thornton is performing well, demonstrating a strong standard in various areas, including safeguarding, attendance, and personal development. The school has established an effective culture of support and inclusion, helping students feel safe and valued while encouraging high aspirations among pupils and staff. Through a well-structured curriculum and committed leadership, the school fosters a positive learning environment where students excel, particularly in early education and personal well-being.

Strengths

• Strong commitment to safeguarding and pupil welfare.
• High levels of attendance and positive behaviour among pupils.
• Effective early years provision with a focus on communication and language.
• Robust personal, social, health and economic education curriculum.
• Strong leadership that fosters a culture of high expectations and inclusion.

Areas for Improvement

• Handwriting accuracy and fluency need improvement.
• Attainment in reading and mathematics should be raised to match writing standards.

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 Sacred Heart Catholic Primary School, Thornton Cleveleys attended 95.2% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 13.6% 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, 0.0% of pupils at Sacred Heart Catholic Primary School, Thornton Cleveleys 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 Sacred Heart Catholic Primary School, Thornton Cleveleys had 21.1 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 21.2% 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, 11.3% of pupils at Sacred Heart Catholic Primary School, Thornton Cleveleys were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 3.2% 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 Sacred Heart Catholic Primary School, Thornton Cleveleys received £6,504 and spent £6,653 for each of its 200 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £43,000 (£216 per pupil).

Across all 17 schools of The Blessed Edward Bamber Catholic Multi Academy Trust, income was £7,639 and spending £7,702 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 Thornton-Cleveleys · Lancashire local authority: places and applications

Sacred Heart Catholic Primary School, Thornton Cleveleys is part of The Blessed Edward Bamber Catholic Multi Academy Trust, which runs 20 schools. The nearest others:

• St Teresa's Catholic Primary School Thornton-Cleveleys
• St John's Catholic Primary School, Poulton-Le-Fylde Poulton-Le-Fylde
• St. Bernadette's Catholic Primary School Blackpool
• St Wulstan's and St Edmund's Catholic Academy Fleetwood
• St. Mary's Catholic Primary School, Fleetwood Fleetwood
• Holy Family Catholic Primary School Blackpool
• Christ The King Catholic Academy Blackpool
• St Mary's Catholic Academy Blackpool
• St Kentigern's Catholic Primary School Blackpool
• St John Vianney's Catholic Primary School, Blackpool Blackpool

What is Sacred Heart Catholic Primary School, Thornton Cleveleys's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Sacred Heart Catholic Primary School, Thornton Cleveleys is Expected standard, from an inspection in May 2026.

When was Sacred Heart Catholic Primary School, Thornton Cleveleys last inspected by Ofsted?

Sacred Heart Catholic Primary School, Thornton Cleveleys was last inspected in May 2026.

How many pupils does Sacred Heart Catholic Primary School, Thornton Cleveleys have?

Sacred Heart Catholic Primary School, Thornton Cleveleys has 186 pupils on roll.

What age range does Sacred Heart Catholic Primary School, Thornton Cleveleys cover?

Sacred Heart Catholic Primary School, Thornton Cleveleys for pupils aged 4 to 11.

What are Sacred Heart Catholic Primary School, Thornton Cleveleys's SATs (KS2) results?

In 2025, 60% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is Sacred Heart Catholic Primary School, Thornton Cleveleys?

Sacred Heart Catholic Primary School, Thornton Cleveleys is at Heys Street, Thornton, Thornton-Cleveleys, Lancashire, FY5 4HL.