Thursfield Primary School

About Thursfield Primary School

Thursfield Primary School in Newcastle-under-Lyme has been rated Good by Ofsted following its most recent graded inspection in 2019, and an ungraded inspection in January 2025 confirmed that standards are being maintained. The school’s strongest academic metric is its Key Stage 2 reading performance: 89% of pupils met the expected standard in reading, well above the national average, and 30% reached the higher standard. In writing and maths, 78% of pupils achieved the expected standard in each subject. The proportion of pupils reaching the expected standard in reading, writing and maths combined was 73%, which places Thursfield 13th out of 35 primary schools in the Newcastle-under-Lyme local authority area and in the top 25% nationally. This represents a solid performance against the local authority average of 65% for the same combined measure. The school’s overall ranking score of 73 reflects consistent outcomes across the core subjects.

The school’s Ofsted breakdown shows Good ratings across all five categories: quality of education, behaviour and attitudes, personal development, leadership and management, and early years provision. This is a notable improvement from the school’s previous graded inspection in 2015, when it was rated Inadequate overall. Under headteacher Elizabeth Bradbury, the school has clearly turned around. The 278 pupils on roll fill 88% of the school’s 315-capacity place. The proportion of pupils eligible for free school meals is 11.5%, slightly below the national average. Parent View responses from 63 parents between September 2024 and September 2025 were overwhelmingly positive: 84% would recommend the school, and 92% agreed or strongly agreed that their child is happy at the school. However, the SEND support question showed a split, with 36% strongly disagreeing that children with special educational needs receive the support they need, compared with 36% who agreed or strongly agreed.

Thursfield is oversubscribed for the 2025/26 academic year, with 57 applications for 34 places and 33 first-preference offers made. The school offers a nursery provision for children aged two and above, and its facilities include an outdoor playground, sports hall, playing fields, ICT suite and a chapel. Sports on offer include tennis, dance, football, athletics, rounders and gymnastics, while clubs range from art and coding to chess and science club. The school’s SEND provisions cover a wide range of needs, including specific learning difficulties, moderate learning difficulty, social, emotional and mental health needs, speech and language communication needs, visual impairment, physical disability, and autistic spectrum disorder. For families in Newcastle-under-Lyme seeking a primary school with strong reading outcomes and a broad extracurricular offer, Thursfield is a solid choice, though those with SEND children may want to investigate support arrangements further.

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