The Kirkby-la-Thorpe Church of England Primary School

About The Kirkby-la-Thorpe Church of England Primary School

The Kirkby-la-Thorpe Church of England Primary School is a small state primary in the Lincolnshire local authority, serving 110 pupils from ages 3 to 11. Within the local landscape of North Kesteven, it ranks 35th out of 41 primary schools, placing it in the bottom half of the district. For context, the top-performing nearby peers include Quadring Cowley & Brown's Primary School, Deeping St Nicholas Primary School, and The Tydd St Mary Church of England Primary School, all of which score higher on the same ranking metric. The school's nearest Outstanding-rated alternative is Church Lane Primary School & Nursery, located 3.1 kilometres away. Lincolnshire as a whole has 10 Outstanding primaries among its 280 state schools, so Good-rated Kirkby-la-Thorpe sits within a broadly average local context. The school is oversubscribed for 2025/26, with 22 applications for just 5 places and a first-preference offer rate of 5, suggesting strong local demand despite its middling rank.

Academically, the school's most recent Key Stage 2 results from 2023/24 show a mixed picture. Only 47% of pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths combined, well below the Lincolnshire local authority average of 57%. In reading, 80% reached the expected level and 20% achieved a higher standard, while in writing 60% met expectations and just 7% reached the higher threshold. Maths saw 53% at the expected level and 20% at the higher standard. Average scaled scores were 104 in reading and 102 in maths. Nationally, the school ranks in the bottom 17% of all primaries on the combined expected standard metric. Its most recent Ofsted inspection, an ungraded visit in March 2023, confirmed the school remains Good, consistent with its previous graded inspection in 2016. Leadership and management, early years provision, and overall effectiveness were all rated Good, though the report did not publish separate grades for quality of education or behaviour.

The school offers a broad range of facilities including a library, art studios, sports hall, playing fields, forest school, ICT suite, sensory room and a chapel. Sports provision includes rounders, swimming, gymnastics, athletics and cricket, while clubs range from chess and art to choir, gardening, coding and eco club. The nursery provision caters for children from age 3. SEND support covers moderate learning difficulty, social emotional and mental health needs, speech language and communication, and other difficulties. With 15.1% of pupils eligible for free school meals, the school serves a moderately disadvantaged intake. Given its small size, strong local demand, and Good Ofsted rating, this school suits families who value a close-knit, church-affiliated primary with solid facilities and a forest school, but who are comfortable with academic outcomes that sit below the local average.

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