Thornhill Lees Church of England Voluntary Controlled Infant and Nursery School
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Thornhill Lees Church of England Voluntary Controlled Infant and Nursery School is a Church of England school (voluntary controlled) in Dewsbury for boys and girls aged 2 to 7. It has 284 pupils and room for 380. About 20 in every 100 pupils come from a low-income family, a bit fewer than at most schools. We give it 11 out of 100. That puts it well below schools like it, ahead of 6% of the 50 schools most like it. Ofsted's last grade was good, back in 2023.
Slaithwaite Road, Thornhill Lees, Dewsbury, WF12 9DL01924 430548thornhill-lees.comMrs Debbie Douglas headteacherAll details
What Ofsted found
A shorter visit on 21 September 2023 found nothing to change the school's grade. Read the report on Ofsted's website.
Good overall. A shorter follow-up visit found nothing to change that. The last full inspection was before September 2019, which is as far back as Ofsted's public records go, so we can't show its date or the grades for each area.
Results
No published results yet for this school.
Getting a place
Admissions policy not published. As a Church of England school it may put families of that faith first. Check the school's own admissions rules.
41 places were empty (15% of the total), so almost everyone who applies gets in. Pupil numbers have grown by 7% since 2021/22.
In 2025 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 2025. Every child who applied got a place (68 offers for 90 places).
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.
The most common needs among pupils getting extra support: language and communications needs (60), Physical disability (4), SEN support but no specialist assessment of type of need (3), Hearing impairment (1), Vision impairment (1).
How the mix of pupils has changed
| Census | 2026 | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils on roll | 284 | 291 | 294 | 298 | 268 | 294 |
| Pupils from low-income familiesFree school meals | 16% | 18% | 18% | 15% | 15% | 14% |
| Pupils learning EnglishEnglish as an additional language | 62% | 62% | 64% | 66% | 51% | 60% |
| Pupils getting extra supportSEN support | – | 18% | 15% | 13% | 10% | 11% |
| Pupils with an EHC planEducation, health and care plans | – | 4% | 3% | 2% | 3% | 3% |
Attendance and behaviour
In 2024/25 pupils were in school 90.8% of the time. Across similar schools in England it was 94.8%.
Attendance year by year
| Measure | 2024/25 | 2023/24 | 2022/23 | 2021/22 | 2020/21 | 2018/19 | England |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sessions missedOverall absence | 9.2% | 9.5% | 10.4% | 9.1% | 7.8% | 5.7% | 5.2% |
| Missed with permissionAuthorised absence | 6.8% | 6.9% | 7.8% | 7.5% | 6.4% | 3.9% | – |
| Missed without permissionUnauthorised absence | 2.4% | 2.6% | 2.6% | 1.6% | 1.5% | 1.7% | – |
| Pupils missing a lot of schoolPersistent absence | 31.3% | 33.9% | 40.0% | 33.3% | 24.2% | 12.2% | 12.8% |
| SuspensionsSuspension rate | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | – | – |
| Permanent exclusionsPermanent exclusions | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | – |
Staff and money
From the government's count of school staff in November 2025 and the school's published accounts.
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.
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
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.
| School | Type | Distance | Pupils | Ofsted | Score | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Headfield Church of England Voluntary Controlled Junior School | Church of England | 270 m | 544 | Good 2024 | 46 | Compare |
| Pentland Infant and Nursery School | Council | 660 m | 144 | Good 2023 | 23 | Compare |
| Savile Town Church of England Voluntary Controlled Infant and Nursery School | Church of England | 0.6 miles | 98 | Good 2022 | 18 | Compare |
| Overthorpe CofE Academy | Academy | 0.8 miles | 188 | Good 2024 | 26 | Compare |
| Boothroyd Primary Academy | Academy | 0.8 miles | 557 | No overall grade 2024 | 14 | Compare |
| St Paulinus Catholic Primary Academy | Academy | 0.8 miles | 363 | Requires improvement 2023 | 5 | Compare |
| Thornhill Junior and Infant School | Academy | 1.0 miles | 353 | No overall grade 2024 | 27 | Compare |
| Earlsheaton Infant School | Academy | 1.3 miles | 80 | Good 2024 | 58 | Compare |
Compared with schools like it
Our score compares Thornhill Lees Church of England Voluntary Controlled Infant and Nursery School with the 49 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 49 schools are dotted all over the country, so we don't list them. What matters is where this school sits among them.
Nearby schools with a similar mix of pupils that score higher
Of those 49 schools, these are within 25 km and score at least five points more than Thornhill Lees Church of England Voluntary Controlled Infant and Nursery 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.
| School | Type | Distance | Pupils | Ofsted | Score | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Heckmondwike Primary Academy | Academy | 2.6 miles | 411 | Inadequate 2023 | 17 | Compare |
| Outwood Primary Academy Greenhill | Academy | 6.1 miles | 251 | No overall grade 2025 | 57 | Compare |
| Holy Rood Catholic Primary School | Roman Catholic | 10.4 miles | 199 | Good 2019 | 42 | Compare |
| St Cuthbert and the First Martyrs' Catholic Primary School, A Voluntary Academy | Academy | 11.2 miles | 226 | Good 2022 | 68 | Compare |
How the score was worked out
The score is out of 100. A 11 means that once everything below is added up, this school comes out ahead of 11% of primary schools in England. Results bounce around from year to year, especially in small schools, so we also show a likely range: 5 to 25. 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 at | How much it counts | Against schools like it | Effect on the score | Based on |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Results over three years | 0% | no data | – | |
| Ofsted inspection | 20% | in line | +0.03 | Ofsted grade, 3.0 years old |
| Progress pupils make | 0% | no data | – | |
| Direction of travel over five years | 10% | below | -0.13 | results and attendance falling year on year |
| Attendance and behaviour | 10% | well below | -0.55 | 2024/25; 150 pupils |
| Results, allowing for the mix of pupils | 0% | no data | – | |
| What parents say | 0% | 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 Thornhill Lees Church of England Voluntary Controlled Infant and Nursery School a good school?
The figures are weak. Thornhill Lees Church of England Voluntary Controlled Infant and Nursery School scores 11 out of 100. That is well below schools that take in a similar mix of pupils, and ahead of 6% of the 50 schools most like it in England. The score could fairly be anywhere from 5 to 25, so a few points either way between schools doesn't mean much. Its results have been slipping over the last five years.
What is Thornhill Lees Church of England Voluntary Controlled Infant and Nursery School's Ofsted rating?
Ofsted rated Thornhill Lees Church of England Voluntary Controlled Infant and Nursery School good at its last full inspection on 21 September 2023.
How many pupils does Thornhill Lees Church of England Voluntary Controlled Infant and Nursery School have?
284 pupils aged 2 to 7 were on the roll in January 2026. It has 380 places, so it is 75% full.
Is Thornhill Lees Church of England Voluntary Controlled Infant and Nursery School oversubscribed?
Probably not. 41 places were empty in 2024/25 (15% of the total), so most families who apply get a place.
What is attendance like at Thornhill Lees Church of England Voluntary Controlled Infant and Nursery School?
Pupils were in school 90.8% of the time in 2024/25. Similar schools in England managed 94.8%. 31% of pupils missed at least a tenth of the year.
How big are the classes at Thornhill Lees Church of England Voluntary Controlled Infant and Nursery School?
The average class had 22.4 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
- Slaithwaite Road, Thornhill Lees, Dewsbury, WF12 9DL
- Telephone
- 01924 430548
- Website
- thornhill-lees.com
- Headteacher
- Mrs Debbie Douglas
- Type of school
- Church of England school (voluntary controlled) (Voluntary controlled school, local authority maintained schools)
- Phase
- Primary school, ages 2-7, with nursery
- Gender
- Mixed
- Religious character
- Church of England, Diocese of Leeds (ce)
- Local authority
- Kirklees
- Ward
- Dewsbury South
- Constituency
- Dewsbury and Batley
- Setting
- Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
- URN
- 107705 · LAESTAB 3823008 · UKPRN 10078343
Where these figures come from
- School details: Department for Education, Get Information About Schools, refreshed daily (this page rebuilt 13 September 2026).
- Inspections: Ofsted management information, monthly; latest publication in our data 27 August 2026.
- Attendance: DfE pupil absence in schools in England, 2024/25 full year.
- Pupil characteristics: DfE school census, January 2026.
- Staff: DfE school workforce census, November 2025.
- Class sizes: DfE schools, pupils and their characteristics, January 2026.
- Pupil premium: DfE allocations and conditions of grant, 2026 to 2027.
- Money: DfE financial benchmarking and insights tool, consistent financial reporting 2024/25.
- Admissions outcomes: Kirklees council's published allocation statistics (source), entry years 2024, 2025.
- Neighbourhood: police.uk street-level crime, HM Land Registry price paid data, NaPTAN bus stops, English Indices of Deprivation 2025.
- All under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Full list and update calendar.