School Chooser

Glastonbury Thorn School

Primary · ages 4-7MixedFoundation136 pupilsMilton Keynes
School Chooser Score
31
Below
similar schools
Likely range 13 to 60, so it could be “in line”
Out of 100. Better than 27% of the 50 schools most like it. Slipping year on year.
#11,068 of 16,041 in England#58 in Milton KeynesHow it is worked out
OfstedNo overall gradeLast Ofsted inspection, June 2025
Attendance95.0%England 94.8%
Pupils from low-income families13%Far fewer than most schools
Places44 spare136 pupils, 180 places
Pupils per teacher19.4School workforce census
Pupils on roll136Census January 2026

Glastonbury Thorn School is a foundation school in Milton Keynes for boys and girls aged 4 to 7. It has 136 pupils and room for 180. About 13 in every 100 pupils come from a low-income family, far fewer than at most schools in England. We give it 31 out of 100. That puts it below schools like it, ahead of 27% of the 50 schools most like it. Ofsted's last grade was inspected 2025, no overall grade.

Pigott Drive, Shenley Church End, Milton Keynes, MK5 6BX01908 504648glastonburythorn.co.ukMr Jonathan Cursley headteacherAll details

What Ofsted found

Ofsted's last full inspection was on 10 June 2025, back when it gave schools one overall grade. Read the report on Ofsted's website.

Not judged Between September 2024 and November 2025, Ofsted graded each area but stopped giving one overall word.

TeachingOfsted calls this “quality of education”
Good
BehaviourOfsted calls this “behaviour and attitudes”
Good
WellbeingOfsted calls this “personal development”
Good
LeadershipOfsted calls this “leadership and management”
Good
Early years
Good
Safeguarding
Effective
Yes

Results

No published results yet for this school.

Getting a place

Admissions policy not published.

Plenty of spare places147 pupils for 174 places, 2024/25
85% full

27 places were empty (16% of the total), so almost everyone who applies gets in. Pupil numbers have fallen by 17% since 2021/22, so places are getting easier to find.

Will my child get a place?

In 2026 every child who applied got a place, so how far away you live didn't matter. That could change if the school gets more popular.

We measure in a straight line from the middle of your postcode to the school. The council measures its own way, and the cut-off changes every year. Use this as a rough guide, and read the council's admissions booklet before you apply.

How places were given out for September 2026. Every child who applied got a place.

EntryHow far the last child livedSource
2026 Primary– all offeredLA

Who goes here

Who a school teaches matters. That is why our score compares it with schools that take in a similar mix of children, not with every school in the country.

Pupils on roll136Census January 2026
Places18076% full
Pupils from low-income families13%13% have had free school meals at some point in the last six years
Pupils learning English29%First language is not English
Pupils getting extra support8%11 pupils with SEN support
Pupils with an EHC plan1%1 pupil with a plan
Average class size26.73 classes, January 2026; England 25.4
Classes with more than 30 pupils0%Infant classes are capped at 30 by law; England 10%
Pupils with extra funding (pupil premium)12%£26,350 extra funding in 2026/27; England 24%
Boys and girls81 / 55
White British pupils31%

The most common needs among pupils getting extra support: Autistic spectrum disorder (4), language and communications needs (4), Moderate learning difficulty (2), Physical disability (1), Specific learning difficulty (1).

How the mix of pupils has changed
Census202620252024202320222021
Pupils on roll136149172178178190
Pupils from low-income familiesFree school meals13%13%13%12%11%10%
Pupils learning EnglishEnglish as an additional language29%30%31%30%31%28%
Pupils getting extra supportSEN support–13%16%18%4%8%
Pupils with an EHC planEducation, health and care plans–3%2%1%1%1%

Attendance and behaviour

In 2024/25 pupils were in school 95.0% of the time. Across similar schools in England it was 94.8%.

Attendance95.0%
England 94.8%
Official name: 100 minus overall absence
Pupils missing a lot of school16.0%
England 12.8%
Official name: Persistent absence
Suspensions per 100 pupils0.02024/25, no permanent exclusions
Missed without permission0.9%of school time, 2024/25
Attendance year by year
Measure2024/252023/242022/232021/222020/212018/19England
Sessions missedOverall absence5.0%5.1%5.3%4.2%2.9%4.8%5.2%
Missed with permissionAuthorised absence4.1%4.2%4.3%3.6%2.2%3.6%–
Missed without permissionUnauthorised absence0.9%0.9%1.1%0.6%0.7%1.2%–
Pupils missing a lot of schoolPersistent absence16.0%9.6%16.8%8.7%6.8%12.7%12.8%
SuspensionsSuspension rate0.00.00.00.00.5––
Permanent exclusionsPermanent exclusions00000––

Staff and money

From the government's count of school staff in November 2025 and the school's published accounts.

Teachers7.0full-time equivalent, 9 people
Pupils per teacher19.4Pupils for every full-time teacher
Fully qualified teachers100%hold qualified teacher status
Teaching assistants8.4full-time equivalent
Average teacher pay£51,312
Teachers who left in the year12%2024/25, for any reason including retirement
Vacancies0
Sick days per teacher1.62024/25

Money

From the council school accounts, year to March 2025. The per-pupil figures are compared with other primary schools in England that report their accounts the same way.

Spend per pupil£8,420England £7,738. Total £1.3m
Income per pupil£7,895England £7,697. Total £1.2m
Spent on teachers per pupil£3,754England £3,480
Money in reserve-16%In the red: -£184k, -£1,236 per pupil. England 6%
Money in against money out-£78kit spent more than it took in this year
Where the money goes£8,420spent per pupil

Reserves are the money left over at the end of the year, kept back for emergencies and big projects. Being in the red year after year is a warning sign. Very large reserves can mean money sitting in the bank instead of being spent on today's pupils. Academy figures are rounded to the nearest £1,000 and include a share of any money the trust holds centrally.

The area around the school

Crimes within 500 m14812 months to June 2026, mostly violence and sexual offences
Local crime rate63 per 1,000 people31% lower than the England average
Typical house price£350,000Milton Keynes
Nearest bus stop100 mFortescue Drive, 17 stops within 500 m

Crime figures come from police.uk. The police record each crime at the nearest of a fixed set of map points rather than the exact spot, so “within 500 m” is only rough. House prices are from HM Land Registry sales nearby over the last two years.

Nearby schools

The closest primary schools, nearest first. Hover over a row to see it on the map.

Well aboveAboveIn lineBelowWell belowNot scored
SchoolTypeDistancePupilsOfstedScore
Loughton SchoolAcademy730 m466No overall grade 202570Compare
Caroline Haslett Primary SchoolCouncil880 m417Not inspected99Compare
Loughton Manor First SchoolCouncil0.7 miles206Good 202456Compare
Long Meadow SchoolCouncil0.9 miles358Good 202463Compare
Merebrook Infant SchoolAcademy1.1 miles129Good 202230Compare
Christ the Sower Ecumenical Primary SchoolAcademy1.1 miles212Good 202360Compare
Emerson Valley SchoolAcademy1.1 miles449Good 202244Compare
Oxley Park AcademyAcademy1.2 miles695Good 202244Compare
Primary schools in Milton KeynesBest primary schools in England

Compared with schools like it

Our score compares Glastonbury Thorn School with the 44 schools in England whose pupils are most like its own. We match on family income, how many children are learning English, special needs, the neighbourhood, the size of the school and how it admits pupils. Those 44 schools are dotted all over the country, so we don't list them. What matters is where this school sits among them.

Beats27%of schools with a similar mix of pupils
In the lower half of its group. Its score of 31 is 23 points below the typical school in the group.
0Lowest of the group 3 · middle 54 · highest 100100

Nearby schools with a similar mix of pupils that score higher

Of those 44 schools, these are within 25 km and score at least five points more than Glastonbury Thorn School, nearest first. A school with the same kind of pupils and a higher score is the fairest sign that it gets more out of them.

SchoolTypeDistancePupilsOfstedScore
Howe Park SchoolCouncil1.4 miles107Good 202353Compare
Ashbrook SchoolAcademy1.5 miles169Good 202453Compare

How the score was worked out

The score is out of 100. A 31 means that once everything below is added up, this school comes out ahead of 31% of primary schools in England. Results bounce around from year to year, especially in small schools, so we also show a likely range: 13 to 60. That range is wide enough that the school could sit in the next band, so take the band as a rough guide rather than a verdict. Every part is judged against schools with a similar mix of pupils. For small schools we pull each part towards the group average, so one unusual year can't swing the score too far.

What we looked atHow much it countsAgainst schools like itEffect on the scoreBased on
Results over three years0%no data
–
Ofsted inspection20%in line
+0.03
Ofsted grade, 1.3 years old
Progress pupils make0%no data
–
Direction of travel over five years10%below
-0.24
results and attendance falling year on year
Attendance and behaviour10%in line
-0.01
2024/25; 119 pupils
Results, allowing for the mix of pupils0%no data
–
What parents say0%no data
–

Worked out on 13 September 2026 (method v1). Read how the score works, including every weight and the checks we run. Think a number is wrong? Tell us.

Questions parents ask

Is Glastonbury Thorn School a good school?

The figures are weak. Glastonbury Thorn School scores 31 out of 100. That is below schools that take in a similar mix of pupils, and ahead of 27% of the 50 schools most like it in England. The score could fairly be anywhere from 13 to 60, so a few points either way between schools doesn't mean much. Its results have been slipping over the last five years.

What is Glastonbury Thorn School's Ofsted rating?

Ofsted rated Glastonbury Thorn School not judged at its last full inspection on 10 June 2025.

How many pupils does Glastonbury Thorn School have?

136 pupils aged 4 to 7 were on the roll in January 2026. It has 180 places, so it is 76% full.

Is Glastonbury Thorn School oversubscribed?

Probably not. 27 places were empty in 2024/25 (16% of the total), so most families who apply get a place.

What is attendance like at Glastonbury Thorn School?

Pupils were in school 95.0% of the time in 2024/25. Similar schools in England managed 94.8%. 16% of pupils missed at least a tenth of the year.

How big are the classes at Glastonbury Thorn School?

The average class had 26.7 pupils in January 2026. Across England it was 25.4. No class had more than 30 pupils.

These answers come straight from the figures on this page and update when new data comes out.

Contact and details

Address
Pigott Drive, Shenley Church End, Milton Keynes, MK5 6BX
Telephone
01908 504648
Website
www.glastonburythorn.co.uk
Headteacher
Mr Jonathan Cursley
Type of school
Foundation school (Foundation school, local authority maintained schools)
Phase
Primary school, ages 4-7
Gender
Mixed
Religious character
None
Local authority
Milton Keynes
Ward
Loughton & Shenley
Constituency
Milton Keynes Central
Setting
Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
URN
110400 · LAESTAB 8262347 · UKPRN 10078289
Official recordOfsted reportsGovernment performance tablesDownload this school's data (CSV)

Where these figures come from