Ofsted: Requires improvement trending_up Places Available emoji_events #47 in Essex public Top 30% UK

Thurstable School

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

personMr James Ketley

corporate_fareTHURSTABLE SCHOOL SPORTS COLLEGE AND SIXTH FORM CENTRE

location_onColchester, CO5 0EW

language Visit Website phone 1621816526

verified

Ofsted

Requires improvement

Inspected 2025

groups

Students

1,201

trending_up

Attainment 8

41.9

leaderboard

GCSE Rank

#50 in Essex

#2,265 of 3,216 nationally

summarize

Thurstable School is a Academy converter secondary school in Colchester, serving ages 11-16. Currently Requires Improvement according to Ofsted — the school is working to raise standards.

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School Summary

Thurstable School is an academy converter in Colchester, Essex, admitting pupils aged 11-16. It has a sixth form offering post-16 education. It is part of THURSTABLE SCHOOL SPORTS COLLEGE AND SIXTH FORM CENTRE. The school has approximately 1,031 pupils on roll, of whom 19% are eligible for free school meals.

In 2025, pupils achieved an Attainment 8 score of 41.9, placing the school #50 in Essex and #2,265 of 3,216 nationally. 42.00% of pupils achieved grade 5 or above in English and Maths. 13.0% of all GCSE entries were graded 9–7.

A-level value added: -0.51 — students made below-average progress at sixth form.

Ofsted last inspected the school in 2025. The school's current overall rating is Requires improvement. Inspectors assessed quality of education as Good, behaviour and attitudes Good, personal development Good, and leadership and management Good.

In the most recent admissions cycle, applications were at 0.9× capacity.

The pupil-to-qualified-teacher ratio is 19.9:1. There are no current teaching vacancies.

In the 2024/25 academic year, there were no permanent exclusions. The average suspension rate was 6.4 per 1,000 pupils per term.

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

Academic Performance

verified Data: UK Gov 2024/25

analytics

Secondary Performance Trends (KS4)

2025

Progress 8 Score

Attainment 8

41.9

Grade 5+ E&M

42.00%

Grade 9–7 (all GCSEs)13.0%

Entering EBacc47.30%

EBacc APS3.89

2024

Progress 8 Score

-0.19

vs National Avg

Attainment 8

44.7

Grade 5+ E&M

Entering EBacc53.80%

EBacc APS4.21

2023

Progress 8 Score

-0.02

vs National Avg

Attainment 8

47.0

Grade 5+ E&M

Entering EBacc40%

EBacc APS4.25

2022

Progress 8 Score

0.43

vs National Avg

Attainment 8

51.3

Grade 5+ E&M

Entering EBacc45%

EBacc APS4.62

2021

Progress 8 Score

Attainment 8

Grade 5+ E&M

Entering EBacc37%

EBacc APS-

2019

Progress 8 Score

-0.29

vs National Avg

Attainment 8

45.6

Grade 5+ E&M

Entering EBacc27%

EBacc APS3.89

2018

Progress 8 Score

-0.02

vs National Avg

Attainment 8

Grade 5+ E&M

Entering EBacc21%

EBacc APS3.88

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Student Destinations (After Secondary)

This module shows what students did after finishing Key Stage 4 (GCSEs). It reflects how well the school prepares pupils for the real world.

2025

Stayed in Education / Employment

89%

Education (e.g. Sixth Form/College)85%

Apprenticeships2%

Employment2%

Not in Education / Employment (NEET)7%

2024

Stayed in Education / Employment

93%

Education (e.g. Sixth Form/College)85%

Apprenticeships5%

Employment3%

Not in Education / Employment (NEET)7%

2023

Stayed in Education / Employment

93%

Education (e.g. Sixth Form/College)81%

Apprenticeships6%

Employment6%

Not in Education / Employment (NEET)4%

2022

Stayed in Education / Employment

96%

Education (e.g. Sixth Form/College)89%

Apprenticeships4%

Employment4%

Not in Education / Employment (NEET)4%

2021

Stayed in Education / Employment

93%

Education (e.g. Sixth Form/College)82%

Apprenticeships8%

Employment4%

Not in Education / Employment (NEET)6%

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Sixth Form (A-Level) Performance

A-level results for students who stayed in sixth form at this school. Value added measures how much progress students made relative to their GCSE starting point.

2024

A-Level Value Added

-0.51

vs expected from GCSEs

Pupils make below-expected progress at A-level.

Avg Grade

C-

Students

Retention rate91.70%

2023

Avg Grade

C-

Students

Retention rate100.00%

2022

Avg Grade

Students

Retention rate93.8%

Source: DfE A Level and Other 16-18 Results

Ofsted History

Publication Timeline

Report Archive

20 May 2025

Inspection Report

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02 May 2024

Inspection Report

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21 September 2022

Inspection Report

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02 November 2021

Inspection Report

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08 December 2020

Inspection Report

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19 April 2016

Inspection Report

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15 October 2014

Inspection Report

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30 January 2014

Inspection Report

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27 November 2013

Inspection Report

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14 February 2012

Inspection Report

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Inspection Report

Inspection History

4 Evaluations

2025-05-20

Requires Improvement S5 Reinspection Visit 1 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

2022-09-21

S5 Inspection EIF

Requires improvement

Education

Requires improvement

Behaviour

Good

Development

Good

Leadership

Good

2016-04-19

Requires Improvement S5 Reinspection Visit 2 Legacy

Good

Education

No Judgement

Behaviour

No Judgement

Development

No Judgement

Leadership

Good

2014-10-15

None Legacy

Requires improvement

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

5.1%per term

sentiment_satisfied Below Average (Good)

National average: 7.3% for this term (secondary).

Pupils Suspended 1+ Times

3.2%(33 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: 7.398% of pupils excluded per term.

Pastoral Context: In the Spring term of 2025, this school served a headcount of 1,031 pupils. During this period, there were 53 temporary suspensions. The school's suspension rate was 5.1%, which is below the termly national average of 7.3%.

View Historical Disciplinary Records (2017–2025)keyboard_arrow_down

Year / Term	Headcount	Suspensions	Susp. Rate	Nat. Avg	Perm. Excl.
2024/25 (Spring term)	1,031	53	5.1%	7.3%	0
2024/25 (Autumn term)	1,029	79	7.7%	7.8%	0
2023/24 (Summer term)	1,134	56	4.9%	7.4%	0
2023/24 (Spring term)	1,141	73	6.4%	7.1%	0
2023/24 (Autumn term)	1,141	53	4.6%	8.2%	0
2022/23 (Summer term)	1,190	41	3.4%	6.6%	0
2022/23 (Spring term)	1,201	86	7.2%	6.4%	0
2022/23 (Autumn term)	1,205	99	8.2%	5.9%	0
2021/22 (Summer term)	1,188	67	5.6%	4.7%	0
2021/22 (Spring term)	1,196	68	5.7%	4.9%	0
2021/22 (Autumn term)	1,215	63	5.2%	4.4%	0
2020/21 (Summer term)	1,196	30	2.5%	3.6%	0
2020/21 (Spring term)	1,208	17	1.4%	1.0%	0
2020/21 (Autumn term)	1,216	73	6.0%	3.9%	0
2019/20 (Summer term)	1,190	0	0.0%	0.0%	0
2019/20 (Spring term)	1,190	27	2.3%	3.2%	0
2019/20 (Autumn term)	1,209	14	1.2%	4.2%	0
2018/19 (Summer term)	1,158	39	3.4%	3.1%	1
2018/19 (Spring term)	1,160	44	3.8%	3.8%	0
2018/19 (Autumn term)	1,162	30	2.6%	3.8%	0
2017/18 (Summer term)	1,091	29	2.7%	3.4%	0
2017/18 (Spring term)	1,095	37	3.4%	3.0%	0
2017/18 (Autumn term)	1,106	16	1.4%	3.7%	1
2016/17 (Summer term)	1,052	8	0.8%	3.0%	0
2016/17 (Spring term)	1,068	19	1.8%	3.3%	0
2016/17 (Autumn term)	1,081	31	2.9%	3.1%	0

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

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psychology_alt

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.

Social, Emotional & Mental Health 63 pupils

Specific Learning Difficulty 57 pupils

Autistic Spectrum Disorder 40 pupils

Speech, Language & Communication 15 pupils

Physical Disability 8 pupils

Moderate Learning Difficulty 1 pupils

Hearing Impairment 1 pupils

Visual Impairment 1 pupils

Other Difficulty/Disability 1 pupils

health_and_safety

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.

76.0%Positive

My child feels safe at this school.

79.0%Positive

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

23.0%Positive

View All Survey Responseskeyboard_arrow_down

The school makes sure its pupils are well behaved.

strongly agree30%

agree44%

disagree17%

strongly disagree6%

don't know3%

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

strongly agree18%

agree34%

disagree30%

strongly disagree9%

don't know9%

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

strongly agree21%

agree33%

disagree13%

strongly disagree13%

don't know2%

not applicable18%

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

yes20%

no80%

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

strongly agree8%

agree27%

disagree31%

strongly disagree23%

dont know12%

The school has high expectations for my child.

strongly agree31%

agree42%

disagree6%

strongly disagree6%

don't know15%

My child does well at this school.

strongly agree27%

agree46%

disagree13%

strongly disagree8%

don't know6%

The school lets me know how my child is doing.

strongly agree25%

agree54%

disagree13%

strongly disagree6%

don't know2%

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

strongly agree31%

agree55%

disagree10%

strongly disagree2%

don't know2%

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

strongly agree39%

agree46%

disagree9%

strongly disagree2%

don't know4%

The school supports my child's wider personal development.

strongly agree23%

agree39%

disagree19%

strongly disagree8%

don't know11%

I would recommend this school to another parent.

yes72%

no28%

Top Secondary Schools in Essex

Other highly-ranked schools in the same local authority

View all arrow_forward

King Edward VI Grammar School, Chelmsford

Outstanding

location_on Chelmsford, CM1 3SX

emoji_events #1 in LA

Chelmsford County High School for Girls

Outstanding

location_on Chelmsford, CM1 1RW

emoji_events #2 in LA

Colchester Royal Grammar School

Inadequate

location_on Colchester, CO3 3ND

emoji_events #3 in LA

Colchester County High School for Girls

Outstanding

location_on Colchester, CO3 3US

emoji_events #4 in LA

Brentwood Ursuline Convent High School

Good

location_on Brentwood, CM14 4EX

emoji_events #5 in LA

Saffron Walden County High School

Outstanding

location_on Saffron Walden, CB11 4UH

emoji_events #6 in LA

View all schools in Essex arrow_forward

School Summary

Academic Performance

Secondary Performance Trends (KS4)

Student Destinations (After Secondary)

Sixth Form (A-Level) Performance

Ofsted History

Publication Timeline

Inspection History

Admissions Insight

How Places Are Allocated

Distance to School

School Capacity

Secondary 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 Secondary Schools in Essex

King Edward VI Grammar School, Chelmsford

Chelmsford County High School for Girls

Colchester Royal Grammar School

Colchester County High School for Girls

Brentwood Ursuline Convent High School

Saffron Walden County High School