Ofsted: Inadequate trending_up Places Available emoji_events #19 in Croydon public Top 24% UK

West Thornton Primary School

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

personMrs Donna Callaghan Jonathan Owen

corporate_fareINSPIRE PARTNERSHIP ACADEMY TRUST

location_onCroydon, CR0 3BS

language Visit Website

verified

Ofsted

Inadequate

Inspected 2024

groups

Students

929

school

Expected Standard

74%

local_fire_department

Demand Ratio

0.9x

summarize

West Thornton Primary School is a Academy sponsor led primary school in Croydon, serving ages 4-11. Currently rated Inadequate by Ofsted. Ranks in the top 24% of primary schools nationally.

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School Summary

West Thornton Primary School is an academy sponsor led in Croydon, admitting pupils aged 4-11. It is part of INSPIRE PARTNERSHIP ACADEMY TRUST. The school has approximately 910 pupils on roll, of whom 36% are eligible for free school meals.

In 2025, 74% of pupils met the expected standard in Reading, Writing and Maths combined, with 14% achieving the higher standard. The school ranks #19 of 77 primaries in Croydon and #1,440 of 14,143 nationally.

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

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

The pupil-to-qualified-teacher ratio is 26.3:1. There are no current teaching vacancies.

In the 2024/25 academic year, there were no permanent exclusions. The average suspension rate was 0.1 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

74%

LA 67%

Reading82% LA 77%

Writing86% LA 75%

Maths86% LA 77%

Read SS

105

Maths SS

107

GPS SS

106

Progress (0 = national avg)

Read

Write

Maths

2024

R/W/M Expected Standard

59%

LA 63%England 61%

Reading71% LA 74% · Eng 74%

Writing73% LA 71% · Eng 72%

Maths80% LA 74% · Eng 73%

Read SS

105

Maths SS

106

GPS SS

107

Progress (0 = national avg)

Read

Write

Maths

2023

R/W/M Expected Standard

54%

LA 61%England 60%

Reading64% LA 72% · Eng 73%

Writing78% LA 70% · Eng 71%

Maths70% LA 73% · Eng 73%

Read SS

103

Maths SS

104

GPS SS

104

Progress (0 = national avg)

-0.4

Read

LA 0.1

-1.5 to 0.7

2.5

Write

LA -0.1

1.4 to 3.6

1.7

Maths

LA 0.6

0.7 to 2.8

Ofsted History

Publication Timeline

Report Archive

01 October 2024

Inspection Report

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Inspection Report

Inspection History

3 Evaluations

2024-10-01

Academy First Section 5 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

Outstanding

Development

Outstanding

Leadership

Outstanding

2020-02-04

Exempt School Inspection EIF

Inadequate

Education

Inadequate

Behaviour

Requires improvement

Development

Inadequate

Leadership

Inadequate

2012-09-26

None EIF

Outstanding

Education

No Judgement

Behaviour

No Judgement

Development

No Judgement

Leadership

Outstanding

Wellbeing, SEN & Pastoral Care

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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 910 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)	910	0	0.0%	0.8%
2024/25 (Autumn term)	900	1	0.1%	0.9%
2023/24 (Summer term)	946	1	0.1%	0.8%
2023/24 (Spring term)	940	2	0.2%	0.7%
2023/24 (Autumn term)	917	2	0.2%	0.8%
2022/23 (Summer term)	925	3	0.3%	0.7%
2022/23 (Spring term)	929	0	0.0%	0.6%
2022/23 (Autumn term)	927	1	0.1%	0.6%
2021/22 (Summer term)	967	8	0.8%	0.5%
2021/22 (Spring term)	960	4	0.4%	0.5%
2021/22 (Autumn term)	954	4	0.4%	0.5%
2020/21 (Summer term)	930	10	1.1%	0.4%
2020/21 (Spring term)	935	8	0.9%	0.1%
2020/21 (Autumn term)	941	10	1.1%	0.4%

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.

Speech, Language & Communication 67 pupils

Autistic Spectrum Disorder 18 pupils

Social, Emotional & Mental Health 5 pupils

Physical Disability 3 pupils

Specific Learning Difficulty 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.

81.0%Positive

My child feels safe at this school.

77.0%Positive

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

20.0%Positive

View All Survey Responseskeyboard_arrow_down

The school makes sure its pupils are well behaved.

strongly agree38%

agree35%

disagree15%

strongly disagree8%

don't know4%

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

strongly agree42%

agree38%

disagree12%

strongly disagree4%

don't know4%

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

strongly agree27%

agree12%

disagree12%

strongly disagree27%

not applicable23%

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 agree46%

agree12%

disagree19%

strongly disagree15%

don't know8%

My child does well at this school.

strongly agree42%

agree27%

disagree23%

strongly disagree8%

The school lets me know how my child is doing.

strongly agree23%

agree38%

disagree19%

strongly disagree12%

don't know8%

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

strongly agree35%

agree31%

disagree12%

strongly disagree12%

don't know12%

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

strongly agree58%

agree27%

disagree4%

don't know12%

The school supports my child's wider personal development.

strongly agree27%

agree23%

disagree23%

strongly disagree12%

don't know15%

I would recommend this school to another parent.

yes69%

no31%

Top Primary Schools in Croydon

Other highly-ranked schools in the same local authority

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Rockmount Primary School

Outstanding

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Gonville Academy

Good

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Park Hill Junior School

Outstanding

location_on Croydon, CR0 5NS

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Winterbourne Boys' Academy

Good

location_on Thornton Heath, CR7 7QT

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Oasis Academy Byron

Good

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Harris Primary Academy Croydon

Outstanding

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School Summary

Academic Performance

Primary Performance Trends (KS2)

Ofsted History

Publication Timeline

Inspection History

Admissions Insight

How Places Are Allocated

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 Croydon

Rockmount Primary School

Gonville Academy

Park Hill Junior School

Winterbourne Boys' Academy

Oasis Academy Byron

Harris Primary Academy Croydon