Ofsted: Good trending_up Popular emoji_events #20 in Dorset public Top 26% UK

Thorner's Church of England School, Litton Cheney

verifiedData: DfE 2024/25–2025/26 · Ofsted

personMr Michael Sitch

location_onDorchester, DT2 9AU

language Visit Website phone 1308482410

verified

Ofsted

Good

Inspected 2024

groups

Students

110

school

Expected Standard

73%

local_fire_department

Demand Ratio

1.1x

summarize

Thorner's Church of England School, Litton Cheney is a Voluntary aided school primary school in Dorchester, serving ages 2-11. Rated Good by Ofsted. Demand is above capacity (1.1×) — apply through your local authority on time. Ranks in the top 26% of primary schools nationally.

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School Summary

Thorner's Church of England School, Litton Cheney is a voluntary aided school in Dorchester, Dorset, admitting pupils aged 2-11. The school has approximately 114 pupils on roll, of whom 11% are eligible for free school meals.

In 2025, 73% of pupils met the expected standard in Reading, Writing and Maths combined, with 7% achieving the higher standard. The school ranks #20 of 78 primaries in Dorset and #6,471 of 14,143 nationally.

Ofsted last inspected the school in 2024. The school's current overall rating is Good. Inspectors assessed quality of education as Good, behaviour and attitudes Good, personal development Good, and leadership and management Good.

The school is oversubscribed — in the most recent cycle, there were 1.1× as many applications as places, making a successful application competitive.

The pupil-to-qualified-teacher ratio is 24.5:1. There are no current teaching vacancies.

In the 2024/25 academic year, there were no permanent exclusions. The average suspension rate was 0.0 per 1,000 pupils per term.

verified Source: DfE 2024/25–2025/26 · Ofsted

Academic Performance

verified Data: UK Gov 2024/25

school

Primary Performance Trends (KS2)

2025

R/W/M Expected Standard

73%

LA 54%

Reading87% LA 71%

Writing80% LA 67%

Maths87% LA 68%

Read SS

108

Maths SS

107

GPS SS

108

Progress (0 = national avg)

Read

Write

Maths

2024

R/W/M Expected Standard

78%

LA 53%England 61%

Reading78% LA 72% · Eng 74%

Writing78% LA 66% · Eng 72%

Maths78% LA 65% · Eng 73%

Read SS

106

Maths SS

104

GPS SS

102

Progress (0 = national avg)

Read

Write

Maths

2023

R/W/M Expected Standard

64%

LA 53%England 60%

Reading91% LA 72% · Eng 73%

Writing73% LA 67% · Eng 71%

Maths73% LA 67% · Eng 73%

Read SS

109

Maths SS

106

GPS SS

104

Progress (0 = national avg)

3.0

Read

LA 0.0

-0.9 to 6.9

-1.5

Write

LA -0.8

-5.3 to 2.2

-0.3

Maths

LA -1.3

-4.0 to 3.3

2019

R/W/M Expected Standard

63%

LA 60%England 65%

Reading88% LA 73% · Eng 73%

Writing75% LA 75% · Eng 78%

Maths100% LA 74% · Eng 79%

Read SS

106

Maths SS

109

GPS SS

108

Progress (0 = national avg)

-1.4

Read

LA -0.3

-6.0 to 3.2

-4.8

Write

LA -0.5

-9.0 to -0.6

0.8

Maths

LA -1.1

-3.2 to 4.8

2018

R/W/M Expected Standard

75%

LA 58%

Reading75% LA 73%

Writing75% LA 73%

Maths83% LA 69%

Read SS

105

Maths SS

106

GPS SS

106

Progress (0 = national avg)

-2.1

Read

LA -0.3

-5.5 to 1.3

-0.4

Write

LA -0.5

-3.6 to 2.8

0.3

Maths

LA -1.2

-2.8 to 3.4

Ofsted History

Publication Timeline

Report Archive

24 September 2024

Inspection Report

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05 February 2019

Inspection Report

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14 May 2015

Inspection Report

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15 January 2013

Inspection Report

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03 February 2010

Inspection Report

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17 January 2007

Inspection Report

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12 February 2001

Inspection Report

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Inspection Report

Inspection History

4 Evaluations

2024-09-24

S5 Inspection EIF

Not Judged

info

Why no overall grade?

From autumn 2024, Ofsted stopped issuing a single headline grade (Outstanding / Good / RI / Inadequate). Instead, each inspection area is graded individually. This follows a major review after the death of headteacher Ruth Perry in 2023. The overall effectiveness field is left as "Not judged" in the published data.

Education

Good

Behaviour

Good

Development

Good

Leadership

Good

2019-02-05

None Legacy

No Judgement

Education

No Judgement

Behaviour

Development

Leadership

2015-05-14

S5 Inspection Legacy

Good

Education

No Judgement

Behaviour

No Judgement

Development

No Judgement

Leadership

Good

2010-02-03

None EIF

Good

Education

No Judgement

Behaviour

No Judgement

Development

No Judgement

Leadership

Good

Wellbeing, SEN & Pastoral Care

gavel

Behaviour & Discipline (Suspensions & Exclusions)

Official Department for Education (DfE) data. Suspensions measure temporary removals due to behavior, while exclusions represent permanent removals.

Suspension Rate

0.0%per term

sentiment_satisfied Below Average (Good)

National average: 0.8% for this term (primary).

Pupils Suspended 1+ Times

0.0%(0 pupils)

Spring term 2025

Represents the proportion of unique students suspended at least once in this term.

Permanent Exclusions

0pupils

verified Excellent (Zero)

National average: 1.225% of pupils excluded per term.

Pastoral Context: In the Spring term of 2025, this school served a headcount of 114 pupils. During this period, there were 0 temporary suspensions. The school's suspension rate was 0.0%, which is below the termly national average of 0.8%.

View Historical Disciplinary Records (2017–2025)keyboard_arrow_down

Year / Term	Headcount	Suspensions	Susp. Rate	Nat. Avg
2024/25 (Spring term)	114	0	0.0%	0.8%
2024/25 (Autumn term)	111	0	0.0%	0.9%
2023/24 (Summer term)	104	0	0.0%	0.8%
2023/24 (Spring term)	95	0	0.0%	0.7%
2023/24 (Autumn term)	95	0	0.0%	0.8%
2022/23 (Summer term)	110	0	0.0%	0.7%
2022/23 (Spring term)	110	0	0.0%	0.6%
2022/23 (Autumn term)	108	0	0.0%	0.6%
2021/22 (Summer term)	102	0	0.0%	0.5%
2021/22 (Spring term)	99	0	0.0%	0.5%
2021/22 (Autumn term)	96	0	0.0%	0.5%
2020/21 (Summer term)	101	0	0.0%	0.4%
2020/21 (Spring term)	100	0	0.0%	0.1%
2020/21 (Autumn term)	93	0	0.0%	0.4%
2019/20 (Summer term)	94	0	0.0%	0.0%
2019/20 (Spring term)	94	0	0.0%	0.4%
2019/20 (Autumn term)	92	0	0.0%	0.6%
2018/19 (Summer term)	94	0	0.0%	0.4%
2018/19 (Spring term)	94	0	0.0%	0.5%
2018/19 (Autumn term)	86	0	0.0%	0.5%
2017/18 (Summer term)	92	1	1.1%	0.5%
2017/18 (Spring term)	88	0	0.0%	0.4%
2017/18 (Autumn term)	86	0	0.0%	0.5%
2016/17 (Summer term)	99	0	0.0%	0.4%
2016/17 (Spring term)	98	0	0.0%	0.4%
2016/17 (Autumn term)	82	0	0.0%	0.5%

Source: DfE Suspensions and Permanent Exclusions in England. Data represents termly statistics as published by the Department for Education.

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Supported Special Educational Needs (SEN)

Primary areas of need currently supported by the school. A high number often indicates specialized internal units or high staff experience in these areas.

Specific Learning Difficulty 5 pupils

Speech, Language & Communication 3 pupils

Social, Emotional & Mental Health 2 pupils

Physical Disability 1 pupils

Other Difficulty/Disability 1 pupils

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Parent View on Pastoral Care

Results from the official Ofsted Parent View survey, reflecting direct parent sentiment regarding the school environment.

My child is happy at this school.

100.0%Positive

My child feels safe at this school.

100.0%Positive

My child has been bullied and the school dealt with the bullying quickly and effectively.

9.0%Positive

View All Survey Responseskeyboard_arrow_down

The school makes sure its pupils are well behaved.

strongly agree84%

agree13%

disagree2%

The school makes me aware of what my child will learn during the year.

strongly agree63%

agree29%

disagree6%

strongly disagree2%

When I have raised concerns with the school they have been dealt with properly

strongly agree45%

agree8%

disagree4%

not applicable43%

Does your child have special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND)?

My child has special educational needs and/or disabilities, and the school gives them the support they need to succeed.

The school has high expectations for my child.

strongly agree70%

agree25%

disagree1%

don't know4%

My child does well at this school.

strongly agree80%

agree19%

disagree1%

The school lets me know how my child is doing.

strongly agree72%

agree24%

disagree4%

There is a good range of subjects available to my child at this school.

strongly agree84%

agree16%

My child can take part in clubs and activities at this school.

strongly agree90%

agree8%

disagree1%

The school supports my child's wider personal development.

strongly agree80%

agree17%

disagree4%

I would recommend this school to another parent.

yes99%

no1%

Top Primary Schools in Dorset

Other highly-ranked schools in the same local authority

View all arrow_forward

Bovington Academy

Good

location_on Wareham, BH20 6LE

emoji_events #1 in LA

St Nicholas and St Laurence Church of England Primary School

Outstanding

location_on Weymouth, DT3 5DQ

emoji_events #2 in LA

Conifers Primary School

Good

location_on Weymouth, DT4 0QF

emoji_events #3 in LA

St Mary's Catholic Primary School, Swanage

Good

location_on Swanage, BH19 1QE

emoji_events #4 in LA

Trent Young's CofE Primary School

Good

location_on Sherborne, DT9 4SW

emoji_events #5 in LA

St Ives Primary & Nursery School

Outstanding

location_on Ringwood, BH24 2LE

emoji_events #6 in LA

View all schools in Dorset arrow_forward

School Summary

Academic Performance

Primary Performance Trends (KS2)

Ofsted History

Publication Timeline

Inspection History

Admissions Insight

How Places Are Allocated

Faith Priority (Church of England)

Distance to School

School Capacity

Primary Admission Trends

Students & School Environment

School Size

Language Diversity

Inclusive Support

Attendance

Ethnicity Breakdown

Wellbeing, SEN & Pastoral Care

Behaviour & Discipline (Suspensions & Exclusions)

Supported Special Educational Needs (SEN)

Parent View on Pastoral Care

My child is happy at this school.

My child feels safe at this school.

My child has been bullied and the school dealt with the bullying quickly and effectively.

The school makes sure its pupils are well behaved.

The school makes me aware of what my child will learn during the year.

When I have raised concerns with the school they have been dealt with properly

Does your child have special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND)?

My child has special educational needs and/or disabilities, and the school gives them the support they need to succeed.

The school has high expectations for my child.

My child does well at this school.

The school lets me know how my child is doing.

There is a good range of subjects available to my child at this school.

My child can take part in clubs and activities at this school.

The school supports my child's wider personal development.

I would recommend this school to another parent.

Funding & Staffing

School Funding Allocation

Funding Breakdown

Staffing

Teacher Turnover

Top Primary Schools in Dorset

Bovington Academy

St Nicholas and St Laurence Church of England Primary School

Conifers Primary School

St Mary's Catholic Primary School, Swanage

Trent Young's CofE Primary School

St Ives Primary & Nursery School