Thurston Community College, Bury St Edmunds
Thurston Community College is a secondary school for pupils aged 11 to 18 in Bury St Edmunds. It was rated Good at its last graded Ofsted inspection, in March 2018. Ofsted's ungraded inspection in March 2024 did not change this grade. Its 2026 GCSE results were the 15th-highest of the 43 schools in Suffolk with published results, and 1,656th of 3,298 across England. It was 71% full in 2025.
- GCSE results
- In line with England
- Ofsted
- Good (2018)
- Demand
- Every first choice offered
- Attendance
- In line with England
- Progress (2024)
- Below average
Year 7 applications for September 2027 close in 5 days
Deadline Saturday 31 October 2026. Apply to Suffolk (the council where you live). Offers on 1 March.
Data last updated 26 Oct 2026
Thurston Community College in detail
Results
In 2026, pupils at Thurston Community College averaged an Attainment 8 score of 45.9, the average grade across their best eight GCSEs. The average state school scored 43.4 in Suffolk and 47 across England.
45% passed English and maths at grade 5 or above, against 40% in Suffolk and 47% in England.
That is down from 46.9 in 2025.
Its most recent Progress 8 score, for 2024, was -0.16: pupils made 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 35.5, against 48.4 for other pupils at the school - a gap of 12.9 points.
Pupils sat GCSEs in 25 subjects; after English and maths, the most popular were Geography, Combined Science and Social Studies.
Getting a place at Thurston Community College
For September 2026 entry, 271 families put Thurston Community College as their first choice and 403 named it as one of their preferences, for 277 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 Thurston Community College
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other state secondary schools to Thurston Community College are Sybil Andrews Academy (2.3 miles, Good, Attainment 8 52.6); Ixworth High School (3.5 miles, Good, Attainment 8 39.7); Learning Support, Western Area Education Office (3.8 miles); and King Edward VI CEVC School (4.5 miles, Good, Attainment 8 42.4).
Thurston Community College's 2026 results were higher than 2 of these 3 schools.
Sybil Andrews AcademyIxworth High SchoolLearning Support, Western Area Education OfficeKing Edward VI CEVC School
Where pupils go next
Of the 265 pupils who finished Year 11 in 2023/24, 92% stayed in education or training for at least two terms, including 55% to a further education college, 4% to an apprenticeship and 2% into work.
Of the 83 students who left the sixth form in 2023/24, 48% went on to university or other higher education, 7% to apprenticeships and 28% into work. 18% went to one of the most selective third of universities.
Who goes there
2.4% speak English as an additional language, against 18.8% on average, according to the 2026 school census.
Getting there
The nearest railway station is Entrance, about 520 metres away (roughly a 7-minute walk).
14 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Community College (in), 100 metres away.
Suspensions and exclusions
In 2024/25, Thurston Community College issued 471 suspensions, 31.7 for every 100 pupils (the average state school: 6.3), and 3 permanent exclusions.
Sources: DfE school performance data (averages: state mainstream schools); DfE school-level applications and offers; council admissions booklets; DfE appeals statistics; 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 agoThis judgement is from March 2018, 8 years ago, longer than Ofsted's usual 4-year cycle: the school may have changed since.
Overall
Latest (ungraded) inspection: The school remains Good.
Ofsted Insights
Ofsted rated this school Good at its March 2018 inspection - unchanged since its previous inspection.
Rated Good for
Leadership & management.
About
Thurston Community College is a co-educational secondary school and sixth form located in Thurston, Suffolk, England. As of 2018, it had 1,733 students aged 11–18 drawn from the local village and surrounding rural communities.
From Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0
At a Glance
17.9%
Free School Meals
No
Boarding
No
Nursery
Yes
Sixth Form
No
Special Measures
Secondary Performance (GCSE)
Academic year 2025/26GCSE Results
2025/26 academic year
Progress 8 has remained stable at around -0.16 (2023 to 2024). Attainment 8 has improved from 45.8 to 45.9 (2023 to 2026). GCSE English & Maths 5+ has remained stable at around 45% (2023 to 2026).
Performance by Group
| Group | Progress 8 | Attainment 8 | Eng+Maths 5+ |
|---|---|---|---|
| All pupils | - | 45.9 | 45.2% |
| Disadvantaged(48) | - | 35.5 | 27.1% |
| Not known to be disadvantaged(202) | - | 48.4 | 49.5% |
| Boys(125) | - | 45.5 | 49.6% |
| Girls(125) | - | 46.4 | 40.8% |
Show more breakdowns (2)
| Known or believed to be other than English(6) | - | 49.5 | 16.7% |
| Non mobile(236) | - | 47.4 | 47.5% |
2025/26 academic year - DfE performance tables data
GCSE Subjects Offered
+ 5 more subjects
2025/26 academic year - entries by number of pupils
After GCSEs - Leaver Destinations
After GCSEs (Year 11) - 265 students
2023/24 data
Exclusions & Suspensions
3
Permanent exclusions
0.20%
Exclusion rate
471
Suspensions
31.74%
Suspension rate
132 pupils received one or more suspensions out of 1,484 pupils
2024/25 academic year
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 5 nearby secondary schools
Keep up with Thurston Community College
Term dates
Thurston Community College is a community school, so its term dates are set by Suffolk. Training (INSET) days, when pupils are not in school, vary by school: check the school's own calendar.
2026 to 2027
- Autumn term: Tuesday 1 September to Friday 18 December 2026 (half term Monday 26 October to Friday 30 October 2026)
- Spring term: Monday 4 January to Thursday 25 March 2027 (half term Monday 15 February to Friday 19 February 2027)
- Summer term: Monday 12 April to Wednesday 21 July 2027 (half term Monday 31 May to Friday 4 June 2027)
2027 to 2028
- Autumn term: Wednesday 1 September to Friday 17 December 2027 (half term Monday 25 October to Friday 29 October 2027)
- Spring term: Tuesday 4 January to Friday 31 March 2028 (half term Monday 14 February to Friday 18 February 2028)
- Summer term: Tuesday 18 April to Friday 21 July 2028 (half term Monday 29 May to Friday 2 June 2028)
Getting There
Train Stations
Bus Stops
Free school transport
Check free transport to Thurston Community College from your postcode →
You apply to the council where you live. Thurston Community College is in Suffolk; for families living there:
Apply to Suffolk for free school transport. Its policy is on the council's website.
Safety and surroundings
Road collisions within 500 m (2021 to 2025)
- Collisions
- 3
- Fatal
- 0
- Serious
- 0
- Children hurt
- 0
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 3 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 0 serious and 3 slight.
No children aged 0 to 15 were among the people hurt.
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 Suffolk is 4 (the median across 365 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 Thurston Community College
Will you get a place at Thurston Community College? Get the admissions report
Your home postcode, set against Thurston Community College's admissions figures, in one report saved to your account.
What the report includes for Thurston Community College:
- The straight-line distance from your home to Thurston Community College.
- We hold no last distance offered figures from Suffolk, so the report covers demand, alternatives and dates.
- Applications, first choices and offers at Thurston Community College for 2014 to 2026 entry.
- How many families in Suffolk 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
71%
Available places
1,485 pupils
2,090 places
605 spare places in 2025
2025, DfE school capacity data
Area Demand Pressure - Bury St Edmunds
Based on MHCLG Live Table 122 (2024-25, last 5 years) for Bury St Edmunds
Across Suffolk council
Places available
8,475
Applications
7,204
Got 1st preference
92.7%
Got preferred school
97.7%
All secondary applications across Suffolk council (2026/27), not just this school.
This school: Every first choice offered
Inspection History(7)
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
181
SEN Support
58
EHC Plans
15.8%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
1,512
Total Pupils
769
Boys
743
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
98
Teachers
15.4:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£54,226
Mean salary
2026 data
School Funding
£6,696
Per pupil
£9403k
Total funding
£252k
Pupil premium
2025-26 financial year allocations
Pupil Absence2024/25
7.8%
Overall absence
24.0%
Persistent absence
1,394
Enrolments
Absence trend
Source: DfE pupil absence statistics. Persistent absence = pupils missing 10%+ sessions.
Questions parents ask about Thurston Community College
What are GCSE results like at Thurston Community College?
In the 2026 results, pupils at Thurston Community College achieved an Attainment 8 score of 45.9. 45% passed GCSE English and maths at grade 5 or above.
What is Thurston Community College's Ofsted rating?
Thurston Community College's most recent Ofsted inspection, in March 2024, was ungraded, so it gave no overall grade. At its last graded inspection, in March 2018, it was rated Good.
What is the catchment area for Thurston Community College?
No fixed boundary. When Thurston Community College is oversubscribed, Suffolk allocates places by its published criteria, usually ending with home-to-school distance.
Is it hard to get a place at Thurston Community College?
Thurston Community College was not full in 2025: it ran at 71% of its 2090 places.
How big are the classes at Thurston Community College?
Classes at Thurston Community College average 21.9 pupils (2025/26).
How many pupils go to Thurston Community College?
Thurston Community College has around 1512 pupils on roll. 18% are eligible for free school meals.
What is attendance like at Thurston Community College?
7.8% of sessions were missed at Thurston Community College in 2024/25. 24% of pupils were persistently absent (missing 10% or more of sessions).
How do I apply to Thurston Community College?
Apply through Suffolk's coordinated admissions process, naming Thurston Community College 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.
What are Thurston Community College's term dates?
Thurston Community College is a community school, so its term dates are set by Suffolk. In 2026 to 2027: Autumn term: Tuesday 1 September to Friday 18 December 2026 (half term Monday 26 October to Friday 30 October 2026); Spring term: Monday 4 January to Thursday 25 March 2027 (half term Monday 15 February to Friday 19 February 2027); Summer term: Monday 12 April to Wednesday 21 July 2027 (half term Monday 31 May to Friday 4 June 2027). In 2027 to 2028: Autumn term: Wednesday 1 September to Friday 17 December 2027 (half term Monday 25 October to Friday 29 October 2027); Spring term: Tuesday 4 January to Friday 31 March 2028 (half term Monday 14 February to Friday 18 February 2028); Summer term: Tuesday 18 April to Friday 21 July 2028 (half term Monday 29 May to Friday 2 June 2028).
How many road collisions happen near Thurston Community College?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 3 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 0 serious and 3 slight. No children aged 0 to 15 were among the people hurt. 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 Suffolk is 4 (the median across 365 schools, same distance and years).
Where is Thurston Community College?
Thurston Community College is at Norton Road, Thurston, Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk, IP31 3PB.
Sources: Suffolk term dates; Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)