Thornaby Academy

About Thornaby Academy

Thornaby Academy’s headline Progress 8 score of -0.36 places it well below the Stockton-on-Tees local authority average of -0.11, meaning pupils here make significantly less academic progress between age 11 and 16 than their peers across other schools in the area. That gap is substantial enough to rank the school 10th out of 14 secondary schools in the borough, putting it in the bottom third locally. Nationally, it sits in the 75th percentile, which places it among the lower-performing schools in England. The picture is mixed when you dig into the detail: English stands out as a relative bright spot, with a Progress 8 score of +0.37, meaning pupils actually make above-average progress in that subject. But maths (-0.27) and especially the open element (-0.96) drag the overall figure down. The school’s Attainment 8 score of 36.8 is modest, and only 36.5% of pupils achieved a grade 5 or above in English and maths, compared with 56.5% at grade 4 or above — a reminder that higher grades remain a challenge for many students here.

Thornaby Academy’s most recent Ofsted inspection, in June 2023, rated the school Requires Improvement across every category: overall effectiveness, quality of education, behaviour and attitudes, personal development, and leadership and management. That’s a step up from its previous inspection in 2019, when it was judged Inadequate, so there has been some progress under headteacher Kendra Brownless. The school has no sixth form, so pupils leave at 16, and the EBacc entry rate is low at 17.6%, with only 11.8% achieving the EBacc at grade 5 or above. The EBacc average point score of 3.34 reflects a narrow curriculum take-up. With 65.7% of pupils eligible for free school meals, the school serves a significantly disadvantaged community, and this context is important when interpreting the results — the Progress 8 score already accounts for prior attainment, but the scale of disadvantage here is far above the national average.

The school is oversubscribed for 2025/26, with 113 applications for 72 places and 63 first-preference offers, giving a ratio of 1.57 applicants per place. Facilities include a swimming pool, theatre, sports hall, and art studios, and the extracurricular programme is strong: the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award, Young Enterprise, debate, coding, and a range of sports from rowing to martial arts are on offer. SEND provision is unusually broad, covering autistic spectrum disorder, speech and language needs, hearing and visual impairments, and a resourced provision — a real asset for families whose children need additional support. Thornaby Academy is best suited to families who want a local, inclusive secondary with improving leadership, a wide activities offer, and strong SEND support, but who are realistic about the academic challenges the school currently faces compared with higher-performing alternatives in Stockton-on-Tees.

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