Thornbury Primary Leadership Academy, Bradford
Thornbury Primary Leadership Academy is a primary school for pupils aged 3 to 11 in Bradford, part of Star Academies. It was rated Good at its last graded Ofsted inspection, in September 2022. Its 2025 Key Stage 2 results were the 19th-highest of the 110 schools in Bradford with published results, and 4,096th of 14,452 across England. It was 73% full in 2025.
- SATs results
- Above England average
- Ofsted
- Good (2022)
- Demand
- Every first choice offered
- Attendance
- In line with England
Reception applications for September 2027 close in 80 days
Deadline Friday 15 January 2027. Apply to Bradford (the council where you live). Offers on 16 April.
Data last updated 27 Oct 2026
Thornbury Primary Leadership Academy in detail
Thornbury Primary Leadership Academy in its own words
From the headteacher's welcome: "I am delighted to welcome you to Thornbury Primary Leadership Academy, proud to be part of Star Academies. Thornbury is located just three miles from Bradford City Centre, and we are proud to serve a vibrant and diverse community. Our children speak over 25 languages and our families originate from all over the world."
Clubs and activities named on the school's website include football, rugby, cricket, tennis, gymnastics, dance, drama, STEM, cooking and gardening.
Coming up: an open day on Wednesday 18 November 2026 at 3.30pm. Check the school's website before you go, as dates can change.
All school open days in Bradford
Headteacher's welcome (school website)Clubs (school website)Open days on the school's site (school website)
Source: The school's own website
Results
In 2025, 85% of Year 6 pupils at Thornbury Primary Leadership Academy reached the expected standard in reading and 82% in maths. At the average state primary the figures were 74% and 73% in Bradford and 77% and 75% across England.
Results were similar in 2024 (88% in reading, 83% in maths).
Getting a place at Thornbury Primary Leadership Academy
For September 2026 entry, 58 families put Thornbury Primary Leadership Academy as their first choice and 92 named it as one of their preferences, for 60 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 Thornbury Primary Leadership Academy
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other state primary schools to Thornbury Primary Leadership Academy are Dixons Marchbank Primary (0.6 miles, Outstanding, 90% reading, 85% maths); Co-op Academy Beckfield (0.6 miles, Requires improvement, 75% reading, 75% maths); Pudsey Bolton Royd Primary School (0.6 miles, Good, 78% reading, 82% maths); and Meadow Bank Community School (0.6 miles, 45% reading, 49% maths).
Thornbury Primary Leadership Academy's 2025 results were higher than 3 of these 4 schools.
Dixons Marchbank PrimaryCo-op Academy BeckfieldPudsey Bolton Royd Primary SchoolMeadow Bank Community School
The trust
Thornbury Primary Leadership Academy is one of 36 schools run by Star Academies, an academy trust.
Across the trust's primary schools, 85% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths in 2024/25.
Who goes there
52.1% speak English as an additional language, against 18.8% on average, according to the 2026 school census.
The largest ethnic groups are Asian (81%) and Mixed (7%).
Getting there
The nearest railway station is New Pudsey Station, about 1.3 miles away in a straight line.
9 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Lower Rushton Road, 120 metres away.
The area around the school
Measured by the 2025 English Indices of Deprivation, the neighbourhood Thornbury Primary Leadership Academy stands in is among the 10% most deprived neighbourhoods in England. This describes where the school is, not where its pupils live.
Suspensions and exclusions
In 2024/25, Thornbury Primary Leadership Academy issued 4 suspensions, 0.8 for every 100 pupils (the average state school: 6.3), and no permanent exclusions.
Secondary schools nearby
The secondary schools closest to Thornbury Primary Leadership Academy are Laisterdyke Leadership Academy (0.2 miles) and Co-op Academy Priesthorpe (1.3 miles).
Sources: DfE school performance data (averages: state mainstream schools); DfE school-level applications and offers; council admissions booklets; DfE appeals statistics; DfE multi-academy trust performance data; 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 · 4 years agoOverall
Quality of Education
Behaviour & Attitudes
Personal Development
Leadership & Management
Early Years
Ofsted Insights
Ofsted rated this school Good at its September 2022 inspection.
Rated Outstanding for
Personal development, Early years.
Rated Good for
Quality of education, Behaviour & attitudes, Leadership & management.
At a Glance
29.1%
Free School Meals
No
Boarding
Yes
Nursery
No
Sixth Form
No
Special Measures
Primary Performance (KS2)
Academic year 2024/25KS2 Results (% meeting expected standard)
Reading has remained stable at around 85% (2024 to 2025). Maths has remained stable at around 82% (2024 to 2025). Writing has remained stable at around 85% (2024 to 2025).
Class Sizes
30.6
Avg class size
29.3
Infant (KS1)
29.8
KS2
16
Total classes
2 classes with more than 30 pupils
2025/26 academic year
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 5 nearby primary schools
Latest from Thornbury Primary Leadership Academy
Raising the roof with Rocksteady’s next generation of young musicians
23 Sep 2026
Fabulous fiction and fantastic fun bring Roald Dahl Day to life
15 Sep 2026
Reception pupils make a splash with outdoor learning
1 Jul 2026
Igniting pupils’ cosmic curiosity through the Star Innovators Challenge
16 Mar 2026
Curiosity, creativity and a week of wonders at Thornbury Primary Leadership Academy
3 Mar 2026
Gritter glory for Thornbury as pupils take on Bradford Council’s naming challenge
16 Feb 2026
From Thornbury Primary Leadership Academy's website. School Signal is not affiliated with the school.
Social & online
Keep up with Thornbury Primary Leadership Academy
Before and after school care
Thornbury Primary Leadership Academy is on the Department for Education's free breakfast clubs programme (list updated July 2026), which pays for a free breakfast club for pupils before school. Source: Free breakfast clubs: schools on the programme, Department for Education Free breakfast clubs in Bradford
Clubs on Ofsted's childcare register at or near Thornbury Primary Leadership Academy.
- Raising Explorers530m away · Not yet graded
- Brilliant Minds Tuition Centre800m away · Not yet graded
Getting There
Bus Stops
Free school transport
Check free transport to Thornbury Primary Leadership Academy from your postcode →
You apply to the council where you live. Thornbury Primary Leadership Academy is in Bradford; for families living there:
- Bradford's school travel policy: Home to school travel and transport policy for children of compulsory school age
Safety and surroundings
Road collisions within 500 m (2021 to 2025)
- Collisions
- 47
- Fatal
- 1
- Serious
- 10
- Children hurt
- 11
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 47 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: 1 fatal, 10 serious and 36 slight.
11 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 5 on foot and 6 in a vehicle or otherwise.
9 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 Bradford is 30 (the median across 233 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 Thornbury Primary Leadership Academy
Will you get a place at Thornbury Primary Leadership Academy? Get the admissions report
Your home postcode, set against Thornbury Primary Leadership Academy's admissions figures, in one report saved to your account.
What the report includes for Thornbury Primary Leadership Academy:
- The straight-line distance from your home to Thornbury Primary Leadership Academy.
- Bradford publishes last distance offered figures, but none for Thornbury Primary Leadership Academy that we hold, so the report covers demand, alternatives and dates.
- Applications, first choices and offers at Thornbury Primary Leadership Academy for 2018 to 2026 entry.
- How many families in Bradford 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
73%
Available places
457 pupils
630 places
173 spare places in 2025
2025, DfE school capacity data
Area Demand Pressure - Bradford
Based on MHCLG Live Table 122 (2024-25, last 5 years) for Bradford
Across Bradford council
Places available
7,475
Applications
6,301
Got 1st preference
92.3%
Got preferred school
98.6%
All primary applications across Bradford council (2026/27), not just this school.
This school: Every first choice offered
Inspection History(2)
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
68
SEN Support
20
EHC Plans
17.8%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
495
Total Pupils
246
Boys
249
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
25
Teachers
19.8:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£50,426
Mean salary
2026 data
School Funding
£5,532
Per pupil
£2857k
Total funding
£201k
Pupil premium
2025-26 financial year allocations
Pupil Absence2024/25
5.5%
Overall absence
14.1%
Persistent absence
405
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
Thornbury Primary Leadership Academy
Questions parents ask about Thornbury Primary Leadership Academy
What are SATs results like at Thornbury Primary Leadership Academy?
Of the pupils at Thornbury Primary Leadership Academy who took the 2025 Key Stage 2 assessments, 85% reached the expected standard in reading and 82% did so in maths.
What is Thornbury Primary Leadership Academy's Ofsted rating?
Thornbury Primary Leadership Academy was rated Good at its most recent Ofsted inspection in September 2022. At its previous graded inspection in 2014 it was rated Requires Improvement.
What is the catchment area for Thornbury Primary Leadership Academy?
No fixed boundary. When Thornbury Primary Leadership Academy is oversubscribed, Bradford allocates places by its published criteria, usually ending with home-to-school distance.
Is it hard to get a place at Thornbury Primary Leadership Academy?
Thornbury Primary Leadership Academy was not full in 2025: it ran at 73% of its 630 places.
How big are the classes at Thornbury Primary Leadership Academy?
Classes at Thornbury Primary Leadership Academy average 30.6 pupils (2025/26). 2 classes have more than 30 pupils - infant classes are capped at 30 by law, with limited exceptions.
How many pupils go to Thornbury Primary Leadership Academy?
Thornbury Primary Leadership Academy has around 495 pupils on roll. 29% are eligible for free school meals.
What is attendance like at Thornbury Primary Leadership Academy?
5.5% of sessions were missed at Thornbury Primary Leadership Academy in 2024/25. 14.1% of pupils were persistently absent (missing 10% or more of sessions).
How do I apply to Thornbury Primary Leadership Academy?
Apply through Bradford's coordinated admissions process, naming Thornbury Primary Leadership Academy 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 Thornbury Primary Leadership Academy have a breakfast club or after-school club?
Thornbury Primary Leadership Academy is on the Department for Education's free breakfast clubs programme (list updated July 2026), which pays for a free breakfast club for pupils before school. Ofsted's childcare register lists 2 out-of-school clubs within a kilometre of Thornbury Primary Leadership Academy: Raising Explorers (530m away, registered, not yet graded) and Brilliant Minds Tuition Centre (800m away, registered, not yet graded).
How many road collisions happen near Thornbury Primary Leadership Academy?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 47 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: 1 fatal, 10 serious and 36 slight. 11 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 5 on foot and 6 in a vehicle or otherwise. 9 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 Bradford is 30 (the median across 233 schools, same distance and years).
Where is Thornbury Primary Leadership Academy?
Thornbury Primary Leadership Academy is at Dick Lane, Thornbury, Bradford, West Yorkshire, BD3 7AU.
Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)