Thorns Collegiate Academy
Stockwell Avenue, Brierley Hill, DY5 2NU
861 pupils · 86% of 1,000 capacity
- Phase
- Secondary
- Type
- Academy sponsor led
- Ages
- 11–16
- Gender
- Mixed
- Religious character
- Does not apply
- Admissions
- Non-selective
- Trust
- SHIRELAND COLLEGIATE ACADEMY TRUST
- Local authority
- Dudley
- Free school meals
- 37%
Ofsted
Requires improvement (2024) — Rated under the pre-September 2024 inspection system
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 12 March 2024, published 1 May 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 | 38.7 |
| Grade 5 or above in English & maths (strong pass) | 33.5% |
| Grade 4 or above in English & maths (standard pass) | 51.4% |
| Entering the English Baccalaureate | 65.4% |
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?
Usually has places available — 0.84 first-choice applications per place (Sept 2026 entry)
| Entry | Places | 1st preferences | Total preferences | Offers |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sept 2026 entry | 147 | 124 | 261 | 134 |
| Sept 2025 entry | 170 | 150 | 254 | 163 |
| Sept 2024 entry | 176 | 136 | 238 | 148 |
| Sept 2023 entry | 185 | 140 | 251 | 152 |
| Sept 2022 entry | 178 | 157 | 294 | 168 |
| Sept 2021 entry | 167 | 140 | 290 | 155 |
| Sept 2020 entry | 177 | 141 | 312 | 163 |
| Sept 2019 entry | 239 | 165 | 302 | 194 |
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
- The Pedmore High School 2.1 km · Good — confirmed 2023 · previous system
- Redhill School 2.1 km · Good (2024) · previous system
- The Wordsley School 2.6 km · Good — confirmed 2024 · previous system
- Old Swinford Hospital 2.7 km · Good — confirmed 2022 · previous system
- The Link Academy 3.4 km · Most areas: Strong standard (2026)
- The Crestwood School 3.5 km · Good — confirmed 2023 · previous system
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.