Thorns Primary School, Brierley Hill
Thorns Primary School is a primary school for pupils aged 5 to 11 in Brierley Hill, part of Excelsior Multi Academy Trust. Its 2025 Key Stage 2 results were the 10th-highest of the 11 schools in Brierley Hill with published results, and 12,633rd of 14,452 across England. It was 94% full in 2025.
- SATs results
- Below England average
- 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 Dudley (the council where you live). Offers on 16 April.
Data last updated 26 Oct 2026
Thorns Primary School in detail
Thorns Primary School in its own words
Clubs and activities named on the school's website include football, dance, choir, STEM and forest school.
The school runs a breakfast club from 7:40am and after-school care.
Coming up: an open day on Friday 30 October 2026, an open day on Monday 2 November 2026, an open day on Wednesday 4 November 2026 at 9.15am and an open day on Thursday 5 November 2026. Check the school's website before you go, as dates can change.
All school open days in Dudley
Clubs (school website)Open days on the school's site (school website)
Source: The school's own website
Results
In 2025, 58% of Year 6 pupils at Thorns Primary School reached the expected standard in reading and 65% in maths. At the average state primary the figures were 76% and 75% in Dudley and 77% and 75% across England.
With small year groups, a few pupils can move these figures by several points.
Getting a place at Thorns Primary School
For September 2026 entry, 23 families put Thorns Primary School as their first choice and 61 named it as one of their preferences, for 24 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 Primary School
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other state primary schools to Thorns Primary School are Mount Pleasant Primary School (0.4 miles, Good, 61% reading, 63% maths); Withymoor Primary School (0.5 miles, 77% reading, 80% maths); St Mary's RC Primary School (0.6 miles, Good, 72% reading, 45% maths); and Quarry Bank Primary School (0.7 miles, Good, 77% reading, 72% maths).
Thorns Primary School's 2025 results were higher than 1 of these 4 schools.
Mount Pleasant Primary SchoolWithymoor Primary SchoolSt Mary's RC Primary SchoolQuarry Bank Primary School
The trust
Thorns Primary School is one of 8 schools run by Excelsior Multi Academy Trust, an academy trust.
Across the trust's primary schools, 68% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths in 2024/25.
Who goes there
46.8% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, well above the average state school (25%), and 9.5% speak English as an additional language, against 18.8% on average, according to the 2026 school census.
The largest ethnic groups are White British (75%), Mixed (11%) and Asian (6%).
Getting there
The nearest railway station is Lye (West Midlands) Rail Station, about 830 metres away (roughly a 10-minute walk).
7 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Thorns Primary School (adjacent), 50 metres away.
Suspensions and exclusions
In 2024/25, Thorns Primary School issued 21 suspensions, 10.8 for every 100 pupils (the average state school: 6.3), and no permanent exclusions.
Secondary schools nearby
The secondary schools closest to Thorns Primary School are Thorns Collegiate Academy (0.1 miles), The Pedmore High School (1.3 miles), Redhill School (1.4 miles) and Old Swinford Hospital (1.7 miles).
Thorns Collegiate AcademyThe Pedmore High SchoolRedhill SchoolOld Swinford Hospital
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); 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
Thorns Primary School has not been inspected by Ofsted since it took its current form in January 2024. Before that, as Thorns Primary School (URN 103787), it was rated Good in April 2023.
At a Glance
46.8%
Free School Meals
No
Boarding
No
Nursery
No
Sixth Form
No
Special Measures
Primary Performance (KS2)
Academic year 2024/25KS2 Results (% meeting expected standard)
2024/25 academic year
Class Sizes
27.1
Avg class size
24.7
Infant (KS1)
29.0
KS2
7
Total classes
2025/26 academic year
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 5 nearby primary schools
Keep up with Thorns Primary School
Before and after school care
Clubs on Ofsted's childcare register at or near Thorns Primary School.
- RB Active Care Mount Pleasant720m away · Not yet graded
- Withymoor Stay and Play870m away · Not yet graded
Term dates
Thorns Primary School 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 Primary School from your postcode →
You apply to the council where you live. Thorns Primary School 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
- 17
- Fatal
- 2
- Serious
- 4
- Children hurt
- 6
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 17 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: 2 fatal, 4 serious and 11 slight.
6 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 4 on foot, 1 on a bicycle and 1 in a vehicle or otherwise.
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 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 Primary School
Will you get a place at Thorns Primary School? Get the admissions report
Your home postcode, set against Thorns Primary School's admissions figures, in one report saved to your account.
What the report includes for Thorns Primary School:
- The straight-line distance from your home to Thorns Primary School.
- Dudley publishes last distance offered figures, but none for Thorns Primary School that we hold, so the report covers demand, alternatives and dates.
- Applications, first choices and offers at Thorns Primary School for 2024 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
94%
Near capacity
198 pupils
210 places
12 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
3,812
Applications
3,314
Got 1st preference
92.0%
Got preferred school
98.5%
All primary applications across Dudley council (2026/27), not just this school.
This school: Every first choice offered
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
30
SEN Support
10
EHC Plans
21.1%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
190
Total Pupils
110
Boys
80
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
9
Teachers
21.1:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£55,560
Mean salary
2026 data
School Funding
£6,117
Per pupil
£1390k
Total funding
£121k
Pupil premium
2025-26 financial year allocations
Pupil Absence2024/25
5.6%
Overall absence
15.8%
Persistent absence
184
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 Thorns Primary School
What are SATs results like at Thorns Primary School?
Of the pupils at Thorns Primary School who took the 2025 Key Stage 2 assessments, 58% reached the expected standard in reading and 65% did so in maths.
What is Thorns Primary School's Ofsted rating?
Thorns Primary School has not been inspected by Ofsted since it took its current form in January 2024. Before that, as Thorns Primary School (URN 103787), it was rated Good in April 2023.
What is the catchment area for Thorns Primary School?
No fixed boundary. When Thorns Primary School 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 Primary School?
Thorns Primary School was not full in 2025: it ran at 94% of its 210 places.
How big are the classes at Thorns Primary School?
Classes at Thorns Primary School average 27.1 pupils (2025/26).
How many pupils go to Thorns Primary School?
Thorns Primary School has around 190 pupils on roll. 47% are eligible for free school meals.
What is attendance like at Thorns Primary School?
5.6% of sessions were missed at Thorns Primary School in 2024/25. 15.8% of pupils were persistently absent (missing 10% or more of sessions).
How do I apply to Thorns Primary School?
Apply through Dudley's coordinated admissions process, naming Thorns 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 Thorns Primary School have a breakfast club or after-school club?
Ofsted's childcare register lists 2 out-of-school clubs within a kilometre of Thorns Primary School: RB Active Care Mount Pleasant (720m away, registered, not yet graded) and Withymoor Stay and Play (870m 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 Thorns Primary School?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 17 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: 2 fatal, 4 serious and 11 slight. 6 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 4 on foot, 1 on a bicycle and 1 in a vehicle or otherwise. 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 Dudley is 18 (the median across 118 schools, same distance and years).
Where is Thorns Primary School?
Thorns Primary School is at Thorns Road, Quarry Bank, Brierley Hill, West Midlands, DY5 2JY.
Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)