Thorneyholme Roman Catholic Primary School, Dunsop Bridge, Clitheroe
Thorneyholme Roman Catholic Primary School, Dunsop Bridge is a primary school for pupils aged 3 to 11 in Clitheroe. It has a Roman Catholic religious character. It was rated Good at its last graded Ofsted inspection, in May 2015. Ofsted's ungraded inspection in March 2025 did not change this grade. It was 23% full in 2025.
- Ofsted
- Good (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 Lancashire (the council where you live). Offers on 16 April.
Data last updated 26 Oct 2026
Thorneyholme Roman Catholic Primary School, Dunsop Bridge in detail
Thorneyholme Roman Catholic Primary School, Dunsop Bridge in its own words
From the headteacher's welcome: "Welcome to Thorneyholme R.C. Our school is situated in the small rural village of Dunsop Bridge (just 20 minutes from Clitheroe), nestled within the Forest of Bowland and surrounded by beautiful scenery. We are blessed to be able to use our location to enrich our curriculum with outdoor teaching and learning."
Headteacher's welcome (school website)
Source: The school's own website
Getting a place at Thorneyholme Roman Catholic Primary School, Dunsop Bridge
For September 2026 entry, 6 families put Thorneyholme Roman Catholic Primary School, Dunsop Bridge as their first choice and 7 named it as one of their preferences, for 6 places offered. That is one first choice for every place. Every family who put it first was offered a place there for 2026 entry.
Admissions history and your chances at Thorneyholme Roman Catholic Primary School, Dunsop Bridge
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other state primary schools to Thorneyholme Roman Catholic Primary School, Dunsop Bridge are Slaidburn Brennands Endowed Primary School (3.6 miles, Good); Brabins Endowed School (4.8 miles, Outstanding, 100% reading, 100% maths); and St Mary's Roman Catholic Primary School, Chipping (4.8 miles, Good).
Slaidburn Brennands Endowed Primary SchoolBrabins Endowed SchoolSt Mary's Roman Catholic Primary School, Chipping
What parents say
14 parents answered Ofsted's Parent View survey about Thorneyholme Roman Catholic Primary School, Dunsop Bridge (as of September 2025): 100% would recommend the school, 100% say their child is happy there and 100% of those with a view say bullying is dealt with well.
The strongest agreement was that the school deals with bullying well (among parents with a view) (100%); the weakest, that their child is happy at the school (100%).
Who goes there
4% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, well below the average state school (25%), and 0% speak English as an additional language, against 18.8% on average, according to the 2026 school census.
In 2026, 6 pupils (24%) received SEN support and 1 (4%) 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 social, emotional and mental health needs.
Staffing
Thorneyholme Roman Catholic Primary School, Dunsop Bridge had 3 teachers in 2026, one for every 5 pupils: more teachers per pupil than a typical primary school, at about one for every 20.
Getting there
There is no railway, tram or Underground station within about three miles of Thorneyholme Roman Catholic Primary School, Dunsop Bridge.
2 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is War Memorial (by), 270 metres away.
The area around the school
In August 2026, police recorded 1 crime within a mile of the school, most often vehicle crime. That is well below the typical figure around schools in Lancashire (109).
Suspensions and exclusions
Thorneyholme Roman Catholic Primary School, Dunsop Bridge recorded no suspensions or permanent exclusions in 2024/25.
Sources: DfE school-level applications and offers; council admissions booklets; DfE appeals statistics; Ofsted Parent View; DfE school census and special educational needs statistics; DfE school workforce census; NaPTAN (Department for Transport); English Indices of Deprivation 2025 (MHCLG); data.police.uk street-level crime; DfE exclusions statistics
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: Standards have been maintained.
Ofsted Insights
From Ofsted's March 2025 inspection report.
What This School Does Well
This school creates a happy, welcoming community where pupils thrive both academically and personally. Teachers provide thoughtful, caring support tailored to each child's needs, with particular strength in helping pupils with SEND build confidence and independence. The school embraces its unique rural location, offering engaging learning experiences like wildlife projects and community involvement that help children develop resilience and discover activities that support their wellbeing.
Key Strengths
- Strong support for pupils with SEND, with teachers skilled at adapting learning to build confidence and independence
- High priority given to reading, with most older pupils becoming proficient readers who access the wider curriculum with ease
- Positive behavior and relationships throughout the school, with pupils playing cooperatively and engaging well in learning
- Thoughtful personal development opportunities including residential trips, writing competitions, and community events
- Engaging outdoor learning environment where pupils solve problems and develop resilience through forest activities
Areas for Improvement
- Recent curriculum changes (phonics, handwriting programs) not fully embedded, causing inconsistency in how well teachers deliver learning
- Teachers sometimes miss identifying and addressing gaps in pupils' learning and misconceptions, including letter formation and reading fluency issues
- Variable progress in early reading, particularly in early years and Years 1-2, affecting some pupils' reading fluency
- Curriculum leadership systems still developing, making it difficult to pinpoint improvement priorities or evaluate impact effectively
- Substantial curriculum changes introduced without fully considering impact on teachers' workload
Safeguarding
Safeguarding arrangements are effective, with strong safeguarding culture and systems in place.
Extracurricular Activities
Residential trips, writing competitions, mass singing events, curlew ambassador program tracking bird migration, outdoor forest area activities
Thorneyholme Roman Catholic Primary School is a small, welcoming school where pupils are happy and achieve well. The school has maintained good standards since its last inspection, though recent curriculum changes need better embedding.
At a Glance
4.0%
Free School Meals
No
Boarding
Yes
Nursery
No
Sixth Form
No
Special Measures
What Parents Think
14 responsesSource: Ofsted Parent View, responses as at September 2025 - % who strongly agree or agree
Class Sizes
12.5
Avg class size
2
Total classes
2025/26 academic year
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 4 nearby primary schools
Keep up with Thorneyholme Roman Catholic Primary School, Dunsop Bridge
Term dates
Thorneyholme Roman Catholic Primary School, Dunsop Bridge is a voluntary aided school, so it sets its own term dates: check the school's website. As a guide, see Lancashire's term dates for its community schools.
Getting There
Bus Stops
Free school transport
You apply to the council where you live. Thorneyholme Roman Catholic Primary School, Dunsop Bridge is in Lancashire; for families living there:
- Lancashire's school travel policy: school transport policies
- How to apply: Apply for free home to school transport assistance
Safety and surroundings
Road collisions within 500 m (2021 to 2025)
- Collisions
- 1
- Fatal
- 0
- Serious
- 0
- Children hurt
- 0
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 1 road collision in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 0 serious and 1 slight.
No children aged 0 to 15 were among the people hurt.
0 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 Lancashire is 12 (the median across 707 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 Thorneyholme Roman Catholic Primary School, Dunsop Bridge
Will you get a place at Thorneyholme Roman Catholic Primary School, Dunsop Bridge? Get the admissions report
Your home postcode, set against Thorneyholme Roman Catholic Primary School, Dunsop Bridge's admissions figures, in one report saved to your account.
What the report includes for Thorneyholme Roman Catholic Primary School, Dunsop Bridge:
- The straight-line distance from your home to Thorneyholme Roman Catholic Primary School, Dunsop Bridge.
- We hold no last distance offered figures from Lancashire, so the report covers demand, alternatives and dates.
- Applications, first choices and offers at Thorneyholme Roman Catholic Primary School, Dunsop Bridge for 2014 to 2026 entry.
- How many families in Lancashire 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
23%
Available places
16 pupils
70 places
54 spare places in 2025
2025, DfE school capacity data
Area Demand Pressure - Clitheroe
Based on MHCLG Live Table 122 (2024-25, last 5 years) for Clitheroe
Across Lancashire council
Places available
15,442
Applications
12,122
Got 1st preference
91.3%
Got preferred school
98.3%
All primary applications across Lancashire council (2026/27), not just this school.
This school: Every first choice offered
Inspection History(7)
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
6
SEN Support
1
EHC Plans
28.0%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
25
Total Pupils
13
Boys
12
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
3
Teachers
8.3:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£46,398
Mean salary
2026 data
School Funding
£17,944
Per pupil
£290k
Total funding
2025-26 financial year allocations
Pupil Absence2024/25
4.6%
Overall absence
7.1%
Persistent absence
14
Enrolments
Absence trend
Source: DfE pupil absence statistics. Persistent absence = pupils missing 10%+ sessions.
Questions parents ask about Thorneyholme Roman Catholic Primary School, Dunsop Bridge
What is Thorneyholme Roman Catholic Primary School, Dunsop Bridge's Ofsted rating?
Thorneyholme Roman Catholic Primary School, Dunsop Bridge's most recent Ofsted inspection, in March 2025, 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 Thorneyholme Roman Catholic Primary School, Dunsop Bridge?
No fixed boundary. When Thorneyholme Roman Catholic Primary School, Dunsop Bridge is oversubscribed, Lancashire allocates places by its published criteria, usually ending with home-to-school distance.
Is it hard to get a place at Thorneyholme Roman Catholic Primary School, Dunsop Bridge?
Thorneyholme Roman Catholic Primary School, Dunsop Bridge was not full in 2025: it ran at 23% of its 70 places.
How big are the classes at Thorneyholme Roman Catholic Primary School, Dunsop Bridge?
Classes at Thorneyholme Roman Catholic Primary School, Dunsop Bridge average 12.5 pupils (2025/26).
How many pupils go to Thorneyholme Roman Catholic Primary School, Dunsop Bridge?
Thorneyholme Roman Catholic Primary School, Dunsop Bridge has around 25 pupils on roll. 4% are eligible for free school meals.
What is attendance like at Thorneyholme Roman Catholic Primary School, Dunsop Bridge?
4.6% of sessions were missed at Thorneyholme Roman Catholic Primary School, Dunsop Bridge in 2024/25. 7.1% of pupils were persistently absent (missing 10% or more of sessions).
How do I apply to Thorneyholme Roman Catholic Primary School, Dunsop Bridge?
Apply through Lancashire's coordinated admissions process, naming Thorneyholme Roman Catholic Primary School, Dunsop Bridge 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.
How many road collisions happen near Thorneyholme Roman Catholic Primary School, Dunsop Bridge?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 1 road collision in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 0 serious and 1 slight. No children aged 0 to 15 were among the people hurt. 0 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 Lancashire is 12 (the median across 707 schools, same distance and years).
Where is Thorneyholme Roman Catholic Primary School, Dunsop Bridge?
Thorneyholme Roman Catholic Primary School, Dunsop Bridge is at Trough Road, Dunsop Bridge, Clitheroe, Lancashire, BB7 3BG.
Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)