Thorn Grove Primary School, Cheadle
Thorn Grove Primary School is a primary school for pupils aged 3 to 11 in Cheadle. It was rated Good at its last graded Ofsted inspection, in May 2015. Ofsted's ungraded inspection in July 2024 did not change this grade. Its 2025 Key Stage 2 results were the 10th-highest of the 12 schools in Cheadle with published results, and 3,694th of 14,452 across England. It was 89% full in 2025.
- SATs results
- Above England average
- Ofsted
- Good (2015)
- Demand
- Every first choice offered
- Attendance
- Better than England average
Reception applications for September 2027 close in 80 days
Deadline Friday 15 January 2027. Apply to Stockport (the council where you live). Offers on 16 April.
Data last updated 27 Oct 2026
Thorn Grove Primary School in detail
Thorn Grove Primary School in its own words
In its own words: "Our school vision is ' Together we nurture curious, respectful, aspirational individuals '. This vision is the DNA of our school and is underpinned by our Head, Heart and Hands Curriculum."
The school runs a breakfast club from 6:25am and after-school care.
Vision and values (school website)Wraparound care (school website)
Source: The school's own website
Results
In 2025, 86% of Year 6 pupils at Thorn Grove Primary School reached the expected standard in reading and 83% in maths. At the average state primary the figures were 79% and 79% in Stockport and 77% and 75% across England.
Results fell from 88% in reading and 88% in maths in 2024.
With small year groups, a few pupils can move these figures by several points.
Getting a place at Thorn Grove Primary School
For September 2026 entry, 23 families put Thorn Grove Primary School as their first choice and 78 named it as one of their preferences, for 28 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 Thorn Grove Primary School
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other state primary schools to Thorn Grove Primary School are Hursthead Infant School (0.5 miles, Good); Hursthead Junior School (0.5 miles, Good, 88% reading, 88% maths); Moss Hey Primary School (0.7 miles, Good, 94% reading, 94% maths); and Bradshaw Hall Primary School (0.9 miles, Outstanding, 100% reading, 98% maths).
Each of them had higher 2025 results than Thorn Grove Primary School.
Hursthead Infant SchoolHursthead Junior SchoolMoss Hey Primary SchoolBradshaw Hall Primary School
Who goes there
38.8% speak English as an additional language, against 18.8% on average, according to the 2026 school census.
The largest ethnic groups are White British (50%), Mixed (14%) and Asian (13%).
In 2026, 20 pupils (9.3%) received SEN support and 10 (4.7%) 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 hearing impairment.
Thorn Grove Primary School has a SEN unit for hearing impairment: 16 places, 14 pupils on roll.
Staffing
Thorn Grove Primary School had 13 teachers in 2026, one for every 14 pupils: more teachers per pupil than a typical primary school, at about one for every 20.
Getting there
The nearest railway station is Cheadle Hulme Rail Station, about 0.9 miles away in a straight line.
5 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Pingate Lane (opposite), 80 metres away.
Suspensions and exclusions
Thorn Grove Primary School recorded no suspensions or permanent exclusions in 2024/25.
Secondary schools nearby
The secondary schools closest to Thorn Grove Primary School are Cheadle Hulme High School (0.3 miles) and St James' Catholic High School (0.3 miles).
Sources: DfE school performance data (averages: state mainstream schools); DfE school-level applications and offers; council admissions booklets; DfE appeals statistics; DfE school census and special educational needs statistics; DfE school workforce census; NaPTAN (Department for Transport); 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 · 2 years agoThis judgement is from May 2015, 11 years ago, longer than Ofsted's usual 4-year cycle: the school may have changed since.
Overall
Latest (ungraded) inspection: The school remains Good.
Ofsted Insights
From Ofsted's July 2024 inspection report.
What This School Does Well
Thorn Grove is a welcoming school where pupils feel happy and cared for, with staff they can trust. The school prepares children well for the future through a broad range of experiences including trips to galleries and museums, and it actively involves pupils in making school decisions. Strong behaviour and attendance, combined with tailored support for children with additional needs, means most pupils progress well in their learning.
Key Strengths
- Strong phonics teaching in Reception and Key Stage 1, with many pupils becoming fluent readers by the end of Year 2
- Effective support for pupils with special educational needs through well-chosen resources and careful identification of needs
- Clear rules and routines that create calm, focused learning environments with positive pupil behaviour
- High-quality professional training for teachers that helps them deepen pupils' knowledge
- Effective systems for identifying and addressing attendance concerns
Areas for Improvement
- Some subjects lack clear curriculum thinking about which knowledge pupils should learn and when, making it harder for teachers to prioritise and creating gaps in pupils' knowledge
- Need to refine curriculum plans in one or two subjects so teachers can design learning that builds deep knowledge
Safeguarding
Safeguarding arrangements are effective with an open, positive culture that puts pupils' interests first.
Extracurricular Activities
Rounders, ukulele, British Sign Language clubs, trips to galleries and museums, residential trips, charity fundraising activities including cake sales and sponsored events
Thorn Grove Primary School continues to be a good school where pupils make a positive start to their education supported by high ambition for their learning and development. Many pupils, including those with special educational needs, achieve well across much of the curriculum.
At a Glance
16.8%
Free School Meals
No
Boarding
Yes
Nursery
No
Sixth Form
SEN unit: Hearing
SEN Provision
No
Special Measures
Primary Performance (KS2)
Academic year 2024/25KS2 Results (% meeting expected standard)
Reading has remained stable at around 86% (2024 to 2025). Maths has declined from 88% to 83% (2024 to 2025). Writing has remained stable at around 86% (2024 to 2025).
Class Sizes
25.1
Avg class size
21.0
Infant (KS1)
30.7
KS2
7
Total classes
1 class with more than 30 pupils
2025/26 academic year
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 5 nearby primary schools
Latest from Thorn Grove Primary School
Thorn Grove Gazette 02.10.26
2 Oct 2026
Thorn Grove Gazette - 25.9.26
25 Sep 2026
Thorn Grove Gazette - 18.9.26
18 Sep 2026
Thorn Grove Gazette - 11.9.26
11 Sep 2026
Thorn Grove Gazette - 4.9.26
4 Sep 2026
Thorn Grove Gazette - 24.7.26
24 Jul 2026
From Thorn Grove Primary School's website. School Signal is not affiliated with the school.
Keep up with Thorn Grove Primary School
Before and after school care
Clubs on Ofsted's childcare register at or near Thorn Grove Primary School.
- LSC @ Thorn Grove Primary SchoolAt the school · Not yet graded
Getting There
Bus Stops
Free school transport
Check free transport to Thorn Grove Primary School from your postcode →
You apply to the council where you live. Thorn Grove Primary School is in Stockport; for families living there:
Apply to Stockport for free school transport. Its policy is on the council's website.
Safety and surroundings
Road collisions within 500 m (2021 to 2025)
- Collisions
- 6
- Fatal
- 0
- Serious
- 2
- Children hurt
- 1
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 6 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 2 serious and 4 slight.
1 child aged 0 to 15 was hurt: 1 on foot.
2 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 Stockport is 8 (the median across 135 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 Thorn Grove Primary School
Will you get a place at Thorn Grove Primary School? Get the admissions report
Your home postcode, set against Thorn Grove Primary School's admissions figures, in one report saved to your account.
What the report includes for Thorn Grove Primary School:
- The straight-line distance from your home to Thorn Grove Primary School.
- We hold no last distance offered figures from Stockport, so the report covers demand, alternatives and dates.
- Applications, first choices and offers at Thorn Grove Primary School for 2014 to 2026 entry.
- How many families in Stockport 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
89%
Available places
187 pupils
210 places
23 spare places in 2025
2025, DfE school capacity data
Area Demand Pressure - Cheadle
Based on MHCLG Live Table 122 (2024-25, last 5 years) for Cheadle
Across Stockport council
Places available
3,643
Applications
2,886
Got 1st preference
94.1%
Got preferred school
99.3%
All primary applications across Stockport council (2026/27), not just this school.
This school: Every first choice offered
Inspection History(7)
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
20
SEN Support
10
EHC Plans
14.0%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Thorn Grove Primary School has a SEN unit for hearing impairment: 16 places, 14 pupils on roll.
Source: GIAS, Department for Education.
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
214
Total Pupils
109
Boys
105
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
13
Teachers
16.5:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£48,493
Mean salary
2026 data
School Funding
£5,537
Per pupil
£1150k
Total funding
£56k
Pupil premium
2025-26 financial year allocations
Pupil Absence2024/25
3.4%
Overall absence
4.1%
Persistent absence
172
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
Thorn Grove Primary School
Questions parents ask about Thorn Grove Primary School
What are SATs results like at Thorn Grove Primary School?
Of the pupils at Thorn Grove Primary School who took the 2025 Key Stage 2 assessments, 86% reached the expected standard in reading and 83% did so in maths.
What is Thorn Grove Primary School's Ofsted rating?
Thorn Grove Primary School's most recent Ofsted inspection, in July 2024, was ungraded, so it gave no overall grade. At its last graded inspection, in May 2015, it was rated Good.
What is the catchment area for Thorn Grove Primary School?
No fixed boundary. When Thorn Grove Primary School is oversubscribed, Stockport allocates places by its published criteria, usually ending with home-to-school distance.
Is it hard to get a place at Thorn Grove Primary School?
Thorn Grove Primary School was not full in 2025: it ran at 89% of its 210 places.
How big are the classes at Thorn Grove Primary School?
Classes at Thorn Grove Primary School average 25.1 pupils (2025/26). 1 class has more than 30 pupils - infant classes are capped at 30 by law, with limited exceptions.
How many pupils go to Thorn Grove Primary School?
Thorn Grove Primary School has around 214 pupils on roll. 17% are eligible for free school meals.
Does Thorn Grove Primary School have specialist SEN provision?
Thorn Grove Primary School has a SEN unit for hearing impairment: 16 places, 14 pupils on roll.
What is attendance like at Thorn Grove Primary School?
3.4% of sessions were missed at Thorn Grove Primary School in 2024/25. 4.1% of pupils were persistently absent (missing 10% or more of sessions).
How do I apply to Thorn Grove Primary School?
Apply through Stockport's coordinated admissions process, naming Thorn Grove Primary 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 Thorn Grove Primary School have a breakfast club or after-school club?
Ofsted's childcare register lists an out-of-school club at the school: LSC @ Thorn Grove Primary School (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 Thorn Grove Primary School?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 6 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 2 serious and 4 slight. 1 child aged 0 to 15 was hurt: 1 on foot. 2 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 Stockport is 8 (the median across 135 schools, same distance and years).
Where is Thorn Grove Primary School?
Thorn Grove Primary School is at Woodstock Avenue, Cheadle Hulme, Cheadle, Cheshire, SK8 7LD.
Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)