Glastonbury Thorn School, Milton Keynes
Glastonbury Thorn School is a primary school for pupils aged 4 to 7 in Milton Keynes. It was rated Outstanding at its last graded Ofsted inspection, in January 2015. Ofsted's ungraded inspection in June 2025 did not change this grade. It was 84% full in 2025.
- Ofsted
- Outstanding (2015)
- Demand
- Every first choice offered
- Attendance
- In line with England
Reception applications for September 2027 close in 81 days
Deadline Friday 15 January 2027. Apply to Milton Keynes (the council where you live). Offers on 16 April.
Data last updated 26 Oct 2026
Glastonbury Thorn School in detail
Glastonbury Thorn School in its own words
From the headteacher's welcome: "I would like to introduce myself as the Headteacher and to take this opportunity to say a very warm welcome to all parents, friends and family of Glastonbury Thorn School. It is a privilege to be entrusted with the role of leading Glastonbury Thorn and I am very much looking forward to working with your child."
The school runs after-school care.
Headteacher's welcome (school website)Wraparound care (school website)
Source: The school's own website
Getting a place at Glastonbury Thorn School
For September 2026 entry, 28 families put Glastonbury Thorn School as their first choice and 90 named it as one of their preferences, for 29 places offered. It had fewer first-choice applications than places. Every family who put it first was offered a place there for 2026 entry.
Admissions history and your chances at Glastonbury Thorn School
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other state primary schools to Glastonbury Thorn School are Loughton School (0.5 miles, Good, 84% reading, 82% maths); Caroline Haslett Primary School (0.5 miles, Outstanding, 93% reading, 88% maths); Loughton Manor First School (0.7 miles, Good); and Long Meadow School (0.9 miles, Good, 80% reading, 80% maths).
Loughton SchoolCaroline Haslett Primary SchoolLoughton Manor First SchoolLong Meadow School
What parents say
56 parents answered Ofsted's Parent View survey about Glastonbury Thorn School (as of September 2025): 100% would recommend the school, 100% say their child is happy there and 92% of those with a view say bullying is dealt with well.
The strongest agreement was that they are kept well informed about progress (100%); the weakest, that the school deals with bullying well (among parents with a view) (92%).
Who goes there
13.2% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, well below the average state school (25%), and 29.4% speak English as an additional language, against 18.8% on average, according to the 2026 school census.
The largest ethnic groups are Asian (32%), White British (31%) and Mixed (13%).
In 2026, 11 pupils (8.1%) received SEN support and 1 (0.7%) had an education, health and care plan, against 16.2% and 4.6% at the average state school. The most common need among them is autism.
Getting there
The nearest railway station is Milton Keynes Central Rail Station, about 1 mile away in a straight line.
14 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Fortescue Drive, 100 metres away.
The area around the school
Measured by the 2025 English Indices of Deprivation, the neighbourhood Glastonbury Thorn School stands in is among the 10% least deprived neighbourhoods in England. This describes where the school is, not where its pupils live.
Suspensions and exclusions
Glastonbury Thorn School recorded no suspensions or permanent exclusions in 2024/25.
Secondary schools nearby
The secondary schools closest to Glastonbury Thorn School are Denbigh School (0.4 miles), Shenley Brook End School (1 mile), The Hazeley Academy (1.2 miles) and Oakhill Secure Training Centre (1.2 miles).
Denbigh SchoolShenley Brook End SchoolThe Hazeley AcademyOakhill Secure Training Centre
Sources: DfE school-level applications and offers; council admissions booklets; DfE appeals statistics; Ofsted Parent View; DfE school census and special educational needs statistics; NaPTAN (Department for Transport); English Indices of Deprivation 2025 (MHCLG); data.police.uk street-level crime; DfE exclusions statistics
Location
Every family who put it first was offered a place for 2026 entry, so distance did not limit places that year.
Key Information
DfE GIASOfsted Rating
Ofsted · 1 year agoThis judgement is from January 2015, 11 years ago, longer than Ofsted's usual 4-year cycle: the school may have changed since.
Overall
Quality of Education
Behaviour & Attitudes
Personal Development
Leadership & Management
Early Years
Ofsted Insights
From Ofsted's June 2025 inspection report.
What This School Does Well
This school excels at creating a warm, nurturing environment where children thrive. Teachers use strong subject knowledge to deliver engaging lessons, and the school is resolute in supporting all pupils to achieve well, including those with additional needs. Children develop into confident, well-rounded individuals who are proud of their work and understand how to stay safe.
Key Strengths
- Strong culture of kindness and belonging with respectful relationships between pupils and staff
- Excellent promotion of reading with diverse texts and engaging spaces throughout school
- Well-structured curriculum with clear knowledge progression across all subjects
- Quick identification and effective support for pupils with SEND
- Strong early years provision with focus on language, communication and independence
Areas for Improvement
- Teachers sometimes move on to new learning before checking pupils have understood key knowledge, particularly in phonics
- Staff need better training in using assessment to adapt teaching and support to help all pupils secure important knowledge
Safeguarding
Safeguarding arrangements are effective with a positive culture that prioritizes pupil safety and wellbeing.
Extracurricular Activities
Multi-sports club, singing club, gymnastics club, trips to farm and train station, community volunteering activities, environmental projects
Glastonbury Thorn School is an infant school in Milton Keynes rated Good across all key areas. The school creates a kind and supportive environment where pupils respond positively to high expectations and achieve well across the curriculum.
At a Glance
13.2%
Free School Meals
No
Boarding
No
Nursery
No
Sixth Form
No
Special Measures
What Parents Think
56 responsesSource: Ofsted Parent View, responses as at September 2025 - % who strongly agree or agree
Class Sizes
26.7
Avg class size
27.0
Infant (KS1)
3
Total classes
2025/26 academic year
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 5 nearby primary schools
Keep up with Glastonbury Thorn School
Before and after school care
Clubs on Ofsted's childcare register at or near Glastonbury Thorn School.
- Tree top childcare MK730m away · Not yet graded
Getting There
Bus Stops
Free school transport
Check free transport to Glastonbury Thorn School from your postcode →
You apply to the council where you live. Glastonbury Thorn School is in Milton Keynes; for families living there:
- Milton Keynes's school travel policy: School Travel Support Policy
Safety and surroundings
Road collisions within 500 m (2021 to 2025)
- Collisions
- 12
- Fatal
- 0
- Serious
- 3
- Children hurt
- 1
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 12 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 3 serious and 9 slight.
1 child aged 0 to 15 was hurt.
3 of the collisions happened on a weekday between 08:00 and 09:30 or 14:45 and 16:30, holidays included.
The typical figure for schools in Milton Keynes is 8 (the median across 125 schools, same distance and years).
Serious and slight counts use the Department for Transport's severity adjustment, which allows for changes in how police forces record injuries; they are estimates, rounded to whole numbers. Distances are in a straight line. Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19), Open Government Licence v3.0.
Commute and house prices
Your chances of a place at Glastonbury Thorn School
Will you get a place at Glastonbury Thorn School? Get the admissions report
Your home postcode, set against Glastonbury Thorn School's admissions figures, in one report saved to your account.
What the report includes for Glastonbury Thorn School:
- The straight-line distance from your home to Glastonbury Thorn School.
- Milton Keynes publishes last distance offered figures, but none for Glastonbury Thorn School that we hold, so the report covers demand, alternatives and dates.
- Applications, first choices and offers at Glastonbury Thorn School for 2014 to 2026 entry.
- How many families in Milton Keynes got their first choice, and how often appeals there succeed.
- The nearest state schools to your home, with Ofsted rating, demand and last distance offered where published.
- Key dates for September 2027 entry and how to apply.
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Capacity & Demand
School Occupancy
84%
Available places
147 pupils
174 places
27 spare places in 2025
2025, DfE school capacity data
Area Demand Pressure - Milton Keynes
Based on MHCLG Live Table 122 (2024-25, last 5 years) for Milton Keynes
Across Milton Keynes council
Places available
4,130
Applications
3,155
Got 1st preference
95.0%
Got preferred school
99.4%
All primary applications across Milton Keynes council (2026/27), not just this school.
This school: Every first choice offered
Inspection History(6)
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
11
SEN Support
1
EHC Plans
8.8%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
136
Total Pupils
81
Boys
55
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
9
Teachers
15.1:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£51,313
Mean salary
2026 data
School Funding
£5,825
Per pupil
£962k
Total funding
£21k
Pupil premium
2025-26 financial year allocations
Pupil Absence2024/25
5.0%
Overall absence
16.0%
Persistent absence
119
Enrolments
Absence trend
Source: DfE pupil absence statistics. Persistent absence = pupils missing 10%+ sessions.
Secondary Schools Nearby
Secondary schools pupils are likely to move to
Questions parents ask about Glastonbury Thorn School
What is Glastonbury Thorn School's Ofsted rating?
Glastonbury Thorn School's most recent Ofsted inspection, in June 2025, was ungraded, so it gave no overall grade. At its last graded inspection, in January 2015, it was rated Outstanding.
What is the catchment area for Glastonbury Thorn School?
No fixed boundary. When Glastonbury Thorn School is oversubscribed, Milton Keynes allocates places by its published criteria, usually ending with home-to-school distance.
Is it hard to get a place at Glastonbury Thorn School?
Glastonbury Thorn School was not full in 2025: it ran at 84% of its 174 places.
How big are the classes at Glastonbury Thorn School?
Classes at Glastonbury Thorn School average 26.7 pupils (2025/26).
How many pupils go to Glastonbury Thorn School?
Glastonbury Thorn School has around 136 pupils on roll. 13% are eligible for free school meals.
What is attendance like at Glastonbury Thorn School?
5% of sessions were missed at Glastonbury Thorn School in 2024/25. 16% of pupils were persistently absent (missing 10% or more of sessions).
How do I apply to Glastonbury Thorn School?
Apply through Milton Keynes's coordinated admissions process, naming Glastonbury Thorn School on your application. Applications for Reception places starting in September 2027 close on Friday 15 January 2027, and offers are made on Friday 16 April 2027.
Does Glastonbury Thorn School have a breakfast club or after-school club?
Ofsted's childcare register lists an out-of-school club within a kilometre of Glastonbury Thorn School: Tree top childcare MK (730m away, registered, not yet graded). The school may also run its own clubs, which don't have to register with Ofsted.
How many road collisions happen near Glastonbury Thorn School?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 12 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 3 serious and 9 slight. 1 child aged 0 to 15 was hurt. 3 of the collisions happened on a weekday between 08:00 and 09:30 or 14:45 and 16:30, holidays included. The typical figure for schools in Milton Keynes is 8 (the median across 125 schools, same distance and years).
Where is Glastonbury Thorn School?
Glastonbury Thorn School is at Pigott Drive, Shenley Church End, Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire, MK5 6BX.
Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)