Thornton Primary School: admissions history
How many families applied, how many places there were, and how far the last place went - every year we hold.
For September 2026 entry, 27 families put Thornton Primary School as their first choice and 64 named it as one of their preferences, for 19 places offered. That is 1.4 first choices for every place. 10 families who put it first were not offered a place there.
First-choice demand has risen from 22 in 2021 to 27 in 2026, while places went from 20 to 19.
Across Lancashire, 91% of families were offered their first-choice primary school for 2026 entry, and 98% were offered one of the schools they named.
In 2025, families in Lancashire lodged 670 appeals against primary school offers; 473 reached a hearing and 126 succeeded (26.6% of those heard).
Applications and offers by year
| Entry year | Places offered | First choices | Named at all | First choices per place | First choices not offered |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 19 | 27 | 64 | 1.4 | 10 |
| 2025 | 21 | 25 | 61 | 1.2 | 4 |
| 2024 | 20 | 21 | 45 | 1.1 | 1 |
| 2023 | 20 | 17 | 51 | 0.8 | 0 |
| 2022 | 14 | 14 | 40 | 1.0 | 0 |
| 2021 | 20 | 22 | 58 | 1.1 | 2 |
| 2020 | 20 | 22 | 57 | 1.1 | 2 |
| 2019 | 20 | 15 | 53 | 0.8 | 1 |
| 2018 | 14 | 10 | 35 | 0.7 | 0 |
| 2017 | 5 | 4 | 15 | 0.8 | 0 |
| 2016 | 12 | 10 | 32 | 0.8 | 0 |
| 2015 | 18 | 13 | 31 | 0.7 | 0 |
| 2014 | 16 | 15 | 31 | 0.9 | 0 |
Source: DfE, Primary and secondary school applications and offers (school-level file). "Places offered" is the number of offers made on national offer day, which can differ from the school's published admission number.