Thorley Hill Primary School

About Thorley Hill Primary School

Thorley Hill Primary School sits within Hertfordshire, a local authority with 401 primary schools, and ranks 11th among them. In the more immediate East Hertfordshire area, the school is placed 2nd out of 47 primaries, placing it firmly in the top five. Its closest high-performing peers in the wider LA include Little Gaddesden Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School and Harvey Road Primary School, both of which share a perfect ranking score of 100, and The Russell School with a score of 97. The school is a mixed, state-funded primary for children aged 3 to 11, with a nursery on site. It has no religious character and is led by headteacher Diana Gunn. With 235 pupils on roll against a capacity of 240, it is nearly full, and 10.5 per cent of its children are eligible for free school meals, which is below the national average.

Academically, Thorley Hill performs well above the local average. In its most recent Key Stage 2 results for the 2023/24 academic year, 90 per cent of pupils reached the expected standard in reading, writing and maths combined, compared with a Hertfordshire LA average of 64 per cent. Every single pupil met the expected standard in both reading and maths, and 100 per cent did so in maths. At the higher standard, 27 per cent achieved the combined benchmark, with 73 per cent reaching that level in reading and 67 per cent in maths. Average scaled scores were 112 in both reading and maths. Nationally, the school ranks in the top 2.5 per cent of all primaries for its combined expected standard. Ofsted last inspected the school in March 2024 and confirmed it remains Good, with leadership and management also rated Good. This is a notable improvement from its previous graded inspection in 2014, when it was rated Requires Improvement.

The school offers a solid range of facilities including an art studio, ICT suite, sports hall, outdoor playground and a chapel. Sports on offer include athletics, football, cricket, tennis and dance, while clubs extend to chess, choir and coding. For families with children who have additional needs, Thorley Hill provides support for a wide spectrum of conditions, including specific learning difficulties like dyslexia, moderate learning difficulties, speech and language needs, social and emotional challenges, physical disabilities and autistic spectrum disorder. The school is heavily oversubscribed: for 2025/26 entry, it received 137 applications for 29 places, with 42 first-preference applications and an oversubscription ratio of 4.72. Only 29 first-preference offers were made. The nearest Outstanding-rated school is Windhill21, 1.4 km away. This is a school that suits families prioritising strong academic outcomes and a broad range of enrichment, but they will need to live very close to secure a place.

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