Thurston Community College
Norton Road, Bury St Edmunds, IP31 3PB
1,512 pupils · 84% of 1,800 capacity
- Phase
- Secondary
- Type
- Community school
- Ages
- 11–18
- Gender
- Mixed
- Religious character
- Does not apply
- Admissions
- Non-selective
- Local authority
- Suffolk
- Sixth form
- Yes
- Free school meals
- 19%
Ofsted
Good (2024) — Ungraded inspection — “School remains Good” (previous grade confirmed, not re-graded)
This school has not yet been inspected under the report-card system introduced in November 2025. When it is, this section will show a grade for each area — Ofsted says the new grades do not map onto the old ones, so we do not predict them.
Inspected 6 March 2024, published 24 April 2024. Read the full Ofsted report
England has three coexisting inspection systems — how we translate them into one signal.
Exam results
| Measure | 2024/25 |
|---|---|
| Attainment 8 score | 46.9 |
| Grade 5 or above in English & maths (strong pass) | 50.6% |
| Grade 4 or above in English & maths (standard pass) | 66.8% |
| Entering the English Baccalaureate | 23.4% |
Progress 8 is not published nationally for 2024/25 and 2025/26 while KS2 baselines are missing (no SATs in 2020/21). It returns from 2026/27.
“Not published (small cohort)” means the DfE suppressed the figure to protect small cohorts — it is not a zero.
Will my child get in?
Roughly one first choice per place — 0.98 first-choice applications per place (Sept 2026 entry)
| Entry | Places | 1st preferences | Total preferences | Offers |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sept 2026 entry | 277 | 271 | 403 | 276 |
| Sept 2025 entry | 286 | 268 | 417 | 281 |
| Sept 2024 entry | 259 | 242 | 378 | 257 |
| Sept 2023 entry | 253 | 234 | 374 | 246 |
| Sept 2022 entry | 274 | 272 | 412 | 274 |
| Sept 2021 entry | 236 | 224 | 353 | 234 |
| Sept 2020 entry | 278 | 269 | 369 | 275 |
| Sept 2019 entry | 275 | 254 | 357 | 274 |
First-choice demand varies year to year, and the school’s admission criteria — not demand — decide who is offered a place. Use this as a rough signal, never a prediction.
Nearby alternatives
- Sybil Andrews Academy 3.7 km · Good (2023) · previous system
- Ixworth High School 5.6 km · No overall grade (2025)
- King Edward VI CEVC School 7.2 km · Standards maintained (2024)
- Bury St Edmunds County High School 7.3 km · Good (2022) · previous system
- St Benedict's Catholic School 7.4 km · Standards maintained (2025)
- Stowmarket High School 13.6 km · No overall grade (2025)
Straight-line distance — not travel time, and not a catchment. Same phase, open schools only.
Data from DfE and Ofsted open data (OGL v3) — sources. School record updated 10 July 2026. Report incorrect data.