Classpot

Thornhill Academy

Sunderland, SR2 7NASecondaryAges 11–16MixedState
Ofsted Rating
Good
May 2024
Progress 8
-0.40
Below average
−20+2
Competition
0.9×
Not oversubscribed
51 1st-choice / 56 places
Ranking
#2,456
of 3,141 nationally

About Thornhill Academy

Thornhill Academy is a mixed 11-16 state secondary school in Sunderland, serving 564 pupils against a capacity of 1050. It sits within a local authority that contains 19 secondary schools, only one of which holds an Outstanding Ofsted rating — the nearby St Aidan's Catholic Academy, just half a kilometre away. Thornhill itself ranks 13th out of 17 schools in Sunderland on Progress 8, placing it in the bottom half of the LA table. The top-performing peers in the area are St Aidan's, Hetton Academy, and St Robert of Newminster Catholic School, all of which post positive Progress 8 scores. Thornhill's own Progress 8 score of -0.4 is below the LA average of -0.31, and the school sits in the bottom 50 nationally on this measure. That said, the school has recently turned a corner: in its most recent Ofsted inspection in 2024, it was rated Good across all five categories, a clear improvement from its previous Requires Improvement rating in 2022.

Key Details

School TypeSecondary (State)
Age Range11 to 16 years
GenderMixed
Religious CharacterDoes not apply
AddressThornholme Road, Sunderland, Sunderland, SR2 7NA
HeadteacherLiam Clark
Local AuthoritySunderland
Number of Pupils564
Free School Meals (FSM)45.7%
School Capacity564 / 1,050 (54% full)

The full report on this school

What 70 parents told Ofsted, the inspection in plain English, and how this school compares to nearby alternatives — all in one full school report.

  • Ofsted inspection in plain English
    Strengths, concerns and what inspectors flagged
  • Parent View survey results
    What parents told Ofsted — when the school has 10+ responses
  • Where Ofsted and parents disagree
    Gaps to probe + questions to ask at the open day
  • Admissions & catchment
    Admission criteria, distance cutoffs (where the LA publishes them)
  • Nearby schools compared
    Backup options with Ofsted, demand and distance
  • Attendance & behaviour data
    Persistent absentees, suspensions and exclusions vs national
See an example
One-off paymentNo subscriptionStripe checkout

Ofsted Inspection Breakdown

1 May 2024
View Report
Overall Effectiveness
Good
Quality of Education
Good
Behaviour & Attitudes
Good
Personal Development
Good
Leadership & Management
Good

Source: Ofsted, 19 Jun 2024. Ratings: 1=Outstanding, 2=Good, 3=Requires Improvement, 4=Inadequate.

Facilities

10
Playing FieldsArt StudiosTheatreAstro TurfLibraryMusic RoomsSwimming PoolICT SuiteGymnasiumChapel

Facilities may vary. Contact the school for current availability.

Extracurriculars

15

Sports

RugbyNetballRowingCross CountryMartial ArtsRoundersTennis

Clubs & Activities

DramaChoirModel United NationsNewspaperFilm ClubChessDuke of EdinburghYoung Enterprise

Activities may vary by term. Contact the school for current offerings.

SEND Support

AutismDyslexiaMental HealthSpeech & LanguageVisionPhysicalLearning DifficultyOther

Source: Department for Education, 2024/25. Support availability based on current student population.

School day

Verified

Teaching hours

09:00 – 15:05

Source: thornhillschool.org.uk. Extracted automatically — confirm with the school before relying on these times.

Was this page helpful?

Frequently Asked Questions About Thornhill Academy

Thornhill Academy has been rated "Good" by Ofsted. This means the school provides a good standard of education and effectively supports all pupils to succeed.