School Chooser

Thornborough Infant School

Primary · ages 3-7MixedCouncil31 pupilsBuckinghamBuckinghamshire
School Chooser Score
49
In line with
similar schools
Likely range 19 to 80, so it could be “below”
Out of 100. Better than 56% of the 50 schools most like it. Slipping year on year.
OfstedGoodLast Ofsted inspection, October 2023
Attendance96.1%England 94.8%
Pupils from low-income families7%Far fewer than most schools
Places14 spare31 pupils, 45 places
Pupils per teacher11.1School workforce census
Pupils on roll31Census January 2026

Thornborough Infant School is a council school in Buckingham for boys and girls aged 3 to 7. It has 31 pupils and room for 45. About 6 in every 100 pupils come from a low-income family, far fewer than at most schools in England. We give it 49 out of 100. That puts it in line with schools like it, ahead of 56% of the 50 schools most like it. Ofsted's last grade was good, back in 2023.

High Street, Thornborough, Buckingham, MK18 2DF01280 812219thornborough.bucks.sch.ukMrs Laura Passenger headteacherAll details

What Ofsted found

Ofsted's last full inspection was on 18 October 2023, back when it gave schools one overall grade. Read the report on Ofsted's website.

Good overall.

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

Results

No published results yet for this school.

Getting a place

Admissions policy not published.

Plenty of spare places35 pupils for 45 places, 2024/25
78% full

10 places were empty (22% of the total), so almost everyone who applies gets in. Pupil numbers have grown by 46% since 2021/22.

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.

EntryPlacesApplied at allHow far the last child livedSource
2026 Primary15all offeredLA
2025 Primary15all offeredLA
2024 Primary1525all offeredLA
2023 Primaryall offeredLA
2022 Primaryall 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 roll31Census January 2026
Places4569% full
Pupils from low-income families7%7% have had free school meals at some point in the last six years
Pupils learning English3%First language is not English
Pupils getting extra support10%3 pupils with SEN support
Pupils with an EHC plan7%2 pupils with a plan
Average class size15.52 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)7%£3,100 extra funding in 2026/27; England 24%
Boys and girls16 / 15
White British pupils87%

The most common needs among pupils getting extra support: language and communications needs (5).

How the mix of pupils has changed
Census202620252024202320222021
Pupils on roll313426332725
Pupils from low-income familiesFree school meals7%0%4%12%11%12%
Pupils learning EnglishEnglish as an additional language3%3%4%9%7%12%
Pupils getting extra supportSEN support21%19%6%7%0%
Pupils with an EHC planEducation, health and care plans0%0%3%4%0%

Attendance and behaviour

In 2024/25 pupils were in school 96.1% of the time. Across similar schools in England it was 94.8%.

Attendance96.1%
England 94.8%
Official name: 100 minus overall absence
Pupils missing a lot of school5.0%
England 12.8%
Official name: Persistent absence
Suspensions per 100 pupils0.02024/25, no permanent exclusions
Missed without permission1.2%of school time, 2024/25
Attendance year by year
Measure2024/252023/242022/232021/222020/212018/19England
Sessions missedOverall absence3.9%3.5%4.3%3.6%1.5%7.9%5.2%
Missed with permissionAuthorised absence2.7%2.6%3.2%3.4%1.4%2.9%
Missed without permissionUnauthorised absence1.2%0.9%1.1%0.2%0.1%5.0%
Pupils missing a lot of schoolPersistent absence5.0%0.0%14.3%0.0%0.0%8.7%12.8%
SuspensionsSuspension rate0.00.00.00.00.0
Permanent exclusionsPermanent exclusions00000

Staff and money

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

Teachers2.8full-time equivalent, 6 people
Pupils per teacher11.1Pupils for every full-time teacher
Fully qualified teachers100%hold qualified teacher status
Teaching assistants0.5full-time equivalent
Average teacher pay£50,634
Teachers who left in the year41%2024/25, for any reason including retirement
Vacancies0
Sick days per teacher0.22024/25

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£11,153England £7,738. Total £379k
Income per pupil£10,892England £7,697. Total £370k
Spent on teachers per pupil£4,989England £3,480
Money in reserve9%A healthy amount put by: £32k, £936 per pupil. England 6%
Money in against money out-£8,871it spent more than it took in this year
Where the money goes£11,153spent 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 m612 months to June 2026, mostly other theft
Local crime rate31 per 1,000 people66% lower than the England average
Typical house price£455,000Buckinghamshire
Nearest bus stop210 mPost Office, 2 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
Great Horwood Church of England SchoolAcademy2.2 miles113Report card 202639Compare
Bourton Meadow AcademyAcademy2.2 miles571No overall grade 202480Compare
Lace Hill AcademyAcademy2.3 miles218Good 202460Compare
Padbury Church of England SchoolAcademy2.3 miles104Report card 202694Compare
Maids Moreton Church of England SchoolChurch of England2.6 miles97Outstanding 202391Compare
Buckingham Primary SchoolCouncil2.7 miles354No overall grade 202575Compare
George Grenville AcademyAcademy2.8 miles186Good 202315Compare
St James and St John CofE Primary SchoolChurch of England3.8 miles144Good 202468Compare

Compared with schools like it

Our score compares Thornborough Infant School with the 48 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 48 schools are dotted all over the country, so we don't list them. What matters is where this school sits among them.

Beats56%of schools with a similar mix of pupils
In the upper half of its group. Its score of 49 is 4 points above the typical school in the group.
0Lowest of the group 1 · middle 44 · highest 98100

Nearby schools with a similar mix of pupils that score higher

Of those 48 schools, these are within 25 km and score at least five points more than Thornborough Infant 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
Mursley Church of England SchoolChurch of England5.5 miles45No overall grade 202579Compare
Finmere Church of England Primary SchoolAcademy6.6 miles45Good 202461Compare
North Crawley CofE SchoolChurch of England13.3 miles28Good 202456Compare

How the score was worked out

The score is out of 100. A 49 means that once everything below is added up, this school comes out ahead of 49% of primary schools in England. Results bounce around from year to year, especially in small schools, so we also show a likely range: 19 to 80. 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, 2.9 years old
Progress pupils make0%no data
Direction of travel over five years10%below
-0.23
results and attendance falling year on year
Attendance and behaviour10%above
+0.18
2024/25; 20 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 Thornborough Infant School a good school?

It is about average. Thornborough Infant School scores 49 out of 100. That is in line with schools that take in a similar mix of pupils, and ahead of 56% of the 50 schools most like it in England. The score could fairly be anywhere from 19 to 80, so a few points either way between schools doesn't mean much. Its results have been slipping over the last five years.

What is Thornborough Infant School's Ofsted rating?

Ofsted rated Thornborough Infant School good at its last full inspection on 18 October 2023.

How many pupils does Thornborough Infant School have?

31 pupils aged 3 to 7 were on the roll in January 2026. It has 45 places, so it is 69% full.

Is Thornborough Infant School oversubscribed?

Probably not. 10 places were empty in 2024/25 (22% of the total), so most families who apply get a place.

What is attendance like at Thornborough Infant School?

Pupils were in school 96.1% of the time in 2024/25. Similar schools in England managed 94.8%. 5% of pupils missed at least a tenth of the year.

How big are the classes at Thornborough Infant School?

The average class had 15.5 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
High Street, Thornborough, Buckingham, MK18 2DF
Telephone
01280 812219
Website
www.thornborough.bucks.sch.uk
Headteacher
Mrs Laura Passenger
Type of school
Council school (Community school, local authority maintained schools)
Phase
Primary school, ages 3-7
Gender
Mixed
Local authority
Buckinghamshire
Ward
Horwood
Constituency
Buckingham and Bletchley
Setting
Smaller rural: Nearer to a major town or city
URN
110253 · LAESTAB 8252113 · UKPRN 10069720

Where these figures come from