Thornhill Community Academy, A Share Academy

About Thornhill Community Academy, A Share Academy

Thornhill Community Academy, A Share Academy sits within the Kirklees local authority, where it ranks 6th out of 24 secondary schools by Progress 8 score. That places it comfortably in the top quarter of its local peers. The three highest-ranked schools in the area are Heckmondwike Grammar School, Holmfirth High School, and Shelley College, A Share Academy, all of which Thornhill sits behind in the local rankings. Still, the school’s Progress 8 score of 0.3 is well above the Kirklees average of 0.07, and its national percentile of roughly 27 means it outperforms more than a quarter of all secondary schools in England. Thornhill is a mixed, non-denominational state secondary for pupils aged 11 to 16, with no sixth form. It has 910 pupils on roll, slightly above its official capacity of 900, and a high proportion of students eligible for free school meals at 32.9%.

Academically, Thornhill’s most recent Ofsted inspection in 2023 rated the school Good overall, with leadership and management judged Outstanding. This marks a clear improvement from its previous inspection in 2017, when the school was rated Requires Improvement. At Key Stage 4, pupils achieved an Attainment 8 score of 45.5, and 64.4% of students secured a grade 4 or above in both English and maths. The school’s Progress 8 score of 0.3 is classified as Above average, with positive progress across all subject groups: English at 0.22, maths at 0.24, the EBacc subjects at 0.28, and open subjects at 0.42. The EBacc average point score sits at 4.02, and just over half of pupils entered the EBacc combination. Around a quarter achieved the EBacc at a grade 4 or above. These results place Thornhill well ahead of the local authority average for progress.

The school offers a broad range of facilities including science labs, art studios, music rooms, a library, an astro turf pitch, tennis courts, playing fields, and a gymnasium. Sports provision includes hockey, swimming, cricket, rowing, and dance, while extracurricular clubs cover coding, Model UN, the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award, drama, and a newspaper club. Thornhill has a substantial SEND offer, with provisions for specific learning difficulties like dyslexia, moderate learning difficulties, social, emotional and mental health needs, speech and language needs, hearing and visual impairments, physical disabilities, and autistic spectrum disorder, plus a resourced provision. For the 2025/26 admissions cycle, the school was oversubscribed: 206 applications for 174 places, with 147 first-preference offers made. This is a school that suits families looking for a strong, improving comprehensive with good academic progress and a wide range of enrichment, particularly those within commuting distance of Kirklees.

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