Thorns Collegiate Academy, Brierley Hill
Thorns Collegiate Academy is a secondary school for pupils aged 11 to 16 in Brierley Hill, part of Shireland Collegiate Academy Trust. It was rated Requires improvement at its last graded Ofsted inspection, in March 2024. Its 2026 GCSE results were the 17th-highest of the 19 schools in Dudley with published results, and 2,927th of 3,298 across England. It was 73% full in 2025.
- GCSE results
- Below England average
- Ofsted
- Requires improvement (2024)
- Demand
- Every first choice offered
- Attendance
- In line with England
- Progress (2024)
- Well below average
Year 7 applications for September 2027 close in 5 days
Deadline Saturday 31 October 2026. Apply to Dudley (the council where you live). Offers on 1 March.
Data last updated 26 Oct 2026
Thorns Collegiate Academy in detail
Results
In 2026, pupils at Thorns Collegiate Academy averaged an Attainment 8 score of 37.6, the average grade across their best eight GCSEs. The average state school scored 44.1 in Dudley and 47 across England.
30% passed English and maths at grade 5 or above, against 43% in Dudley and 47% in England.
That is down from 38.7 in 2025.
Its most recent Progress 8 score, for 2024, was -0.52: pupils made well below average progress compared with pupils nationally who started secondary school at the same level. Progress 8 was not published for 2026.
Disadvantaged pupils averaged an Attainment 8 of 27.1, against 41.4 for other pupils at the school - a gap of 14.3 points.
Pupils sat GCSEs in 20 subjects; after English and maths, the most popular were Combined Science, Design and Technology and History.
Getting a place at Thorns Collegiate Academy
For September 2026 entry, 124 families put Thorns Collegiate Academy as their first choice and 261 named it as one of their preferences, for 147 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 Thorns Collegiate Academy
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other state secondary schools to Thorns Collegiate Academy are The Pedmore High School (1.3 miles, Good, Attainment 8 35.5); Redhill School (1.3 miles, Good, Attainment 8 48); The Wordsley School (1.6 miles, Attainment 8 36.9); and Old Swinford Hospital (1.6 miles, Good, Attainment 8 57.9).
Thorns Collegiate Academy's 2026 results were higher than 2 of these 4 schools.
The Pedmore High SchoolRedhill SchoolThe Wordsley SchoolOld Swinford Hospital
The trust
Thorns Collegiate Academy is one of 12 schools run by Shireland Collegiate Academy Trust, an academy trust.
Across the trust's secondary schools, pupils averaged an Attainment 8 score of 43 in 2024/25.
Where pupils go next
Of the 205 pupils who finished Year 11 in 2023/24, 83% stayed in education or training for at least two terms, including 69% to a further education college, 4% to an apprenticeship and 2% into work.
Who goes there
37% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, well above the average state school (25%), and 7.7% speak English as an additional language, against 18.8% on average, according to the 2026 school census.
The largest ethnic groups are White British (76%), Mixed (7%) and Asian (5%).
In 2026, 150 pupils (17.4%) received SEN support and 17 (2%) 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 a moderate learning difficulty.
Getting there
The nearest railway station is Lye (West Midlands) Rail Station, about 880 metres away (roughly a 11-minute walk).
8 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Thorns Primary School (adjacent), 210 metres away.
Suspensions and exclusions
In 2024/25, Thorns Collegiate Academy issued 204 suspensions, 22.8 for every 100 pupils (the average state school: 6.3), and 7 permanent exclusions.
Primary schools nearby
The primary schools closest to Thorns Collegiate Academy are Thorns Primary School (0.1 miles), Mount Pleasant Primary School (0.4 miles), Withymoor Primary School (0.5 miles) and St Mary's RC Primary School (0.6 miles). Admission does not depend on which primary a child attends unless the school's policy names feeder schools.
Thorns Primary SchoolMount Pleasant Primary SchoolWithymoor Primary SchoolSt Mary's RC Primary School
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 destination measures; DfE school census and special educational needs statistics; 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 · 3 years agoOverall
Quality of Education
Behaviour & Attitudes
Personal Development
Leadership & Management
Ofsted Insights
Ofsted rated this school Requires Improvement at its March 2024 inspection.
Rated Good for
Personal development, Leadership & management.
Areas Ofsted flagged
Quality of education (Requires Improvement), Behaviour & attitudes (Requires Improvement).
At a Glance
37.0%
Free School Meals
No
Boarding
No
Nursery
No
Sixth Form
No
Special Measures
Secondary Performance (GCSE)
Academic year 2025/26GCSE Results
2025/26 academic year
Progress 8 has declined from -0.25 to -0.52 (2023 to 2024). Attainment 8 has declined from 40.9 to 37.6 (2023 to 2026). GCSE English & Maths 5+ has declined from 33% to 30% (2023 to 2026).
Performance by Group
| Group | Progress 8 | Attainment 8 | Eng+Maths 5+ |
|---|---|---|---|
| All pupils | - | 37.6 | 30.2% |
| Disadvantaged(43) | - | 27.1 | 9.3% |
| Not known to be disadvantaged(119) | - | 41.4 | 37.8% |
| Boys(79) | - | 33.1 | 20.3% |
| Girls(83) | - | 41.9 | 39.8% |
Show more breakdowns (2)
| Known or believed to be other than English(8) | - | 24.8 | 25% |
| Non mobile(160) | - | 38.1 | 30.6% |
2025/26 academic year - DfE performance tables data
GCSE Subjects Offered
2025/26 academic year - entries by number of pupils
After GCSEs - Leaver Destinations
After GCSEs (Year 11) - 205 students
2023/24 data
Exclusions & Suspensions
7
Permanent exclusions
0.78%
Exclusion rate
204
Suspensions
22.79%
Suspension rate
109 pupils received one or more suspensions out of 895 pupils
2024/25 academic year
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 5 nearby secondary schools
Keep up with Thorns Collegiate Academy
Term dates
Thorns Collegiate Academy is an academy, so it sets its own term dates: check the school's website. As a guide, see Dudley's term dates for its community schools.
Getting There
Train Stations
Bus Stops
Free school transport
Check free transport to Thorns Collegiate Academy from your postcode →
You apply to the council where you live. Thorns Collegiate Academy is in Dudley; for families living there:
- How to apply: Apply for Education Travel Support
Safety and surroundings
Road collisions within 500 m (2021 to 2025)
- Collisions
- 21
- Fatal
- 2
- Serious
- 5
- Children hurt
- 7
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 21 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: 2 fatal, 5 serious and 14 slight.
7 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 5 on foot, 1 on a bicycle and 1 in a vehicle or otherwise.
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 Dudley is 18 (the median across 118 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 Thorns Collegiate Academy
Will you get a place at Thorns Collegiate Academy? Get the admissions report
Your home postcode, set against Thorns Collegiate Academy's admissions figures, in one report saved to your account.
What the report includes for Thorns Collegiate Academy:
- The straight-line distance from your home to Thorns Collegiate Academy.
- Dudley publishes last distance offered figures, but none for Thorns Collegiate Academy that we hold, so the report covers demand, alternatives and dates.
- Applications, first choices and offers at Thorns Collegiate Academy for 2018 to 2026 entry.
- How many families in Dudley 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
881 pupils
1,209 places
328 spare places in 2025
2025, DfE school capacity data
Area Demand Pressure - Brierley Hill
Based on MHCLG Live Table 122 (2024-25, last 5 years) for Brierley Hill
Across Dudley council
Places available
3,620
Applications
3,570
Got 1st preference
87.1%
Got preferred school
98.0%
All secondary applications across Dudley council (2026/27), not just this school.
This school: Every first choice offered
Inspection History(6)
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
150
SEN Support
17
EHC Plans
19.4%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
861
Total Pupils
447
Boys
414
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
56
Teachers
15.4:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£52,545
Mean salary
2026 data
School Funding
£7,426
Per pupil
£7181k
Total funding
£329k
Pupil premium
2025-26 financial year allocations
Pupil Absence2024/25
9.3%
Overall absence
28.2%
Persistent absence
953
Enrolments
Absence trend
Source: DfE pupil absence statistics. Persistent absence = pupils missing 10%+ sessions.
Feeder Primary Schools
Primary schools that likely feed into this school, based on proximity
Thorns Collegiate Academy
Showing 10 of 15 linked schools
Questions parents ask about Thorns Collegiate Academy
What are GCSE results like at Thorns Collegiate Academy?
In the 2026 results, pupils at Thorns Collegiate Academy achieved an Attainment 8 score of 37.6. 30% passed GCSE English and maths at grade 5 or above.
What is Thorns Collegiate Academy's Ofsted rating?
Thorns Collegiate Academy was rated Requires Improvement at its most recent Ofsted inspection in March 2024. At its previous graded inspection in 2022 it was rated Inadequate.
What is the catchment area for Thorns Collegiate Academy?
No fixed boundary. When Thorns Collegiate Academy is oversubscribed, Dudley allocates places by its published criteria, usually ending with home-to-school distance.
Is it hard to get a place at Thorns Collegiate Academy?
Thorns Collegiate Academy was not full in 2025: it ran at 73% of its 1209 places.
How big are the classes at Thorns Collegiate Academy?
Classes at Thorns Collegiate Academy average 24.7 pupils (2025/26).
How many pupils go to Thorns Collegiate Academy?
Thorns Collegiate Academy has around 861 pupils on roll. 37% are eligible for free school meals.
What is attendance like at Thorns Collegiate Academy?
9.3% of sessions were missed at Thorns Collegiate Academy in 2024/25. 28.2% of pupils were persistently absent (missing 10% or more of sessions).
How do I apply to Thorns Collegiate Academy?
Apply through Dudley's coordinated admissions process, naming Thorns Collegiate Academy on your application. Applications for Year 7 places starting in September 2027 close on Saturday 31 October 2026, and offers are made on Monday 1 March 2027.
How many road collisions happen near Thorns Collegiate Academy?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 21 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: 2 fatal, 5 serious and 14 slight. 7 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 5 on foot, 1 on a bicycle and 1 in a vehicle or otherwise. 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 Dudley is 18 (the median across 118 schools, same distance and years).
Where is Thorns Collegiate Academy?
Thorns Collegiate Academy is at Stockwell Avenue, Brierley Hill, West Midlands, DY5 2NU.
Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)