Thornhill Academy
Secondary · Academy sponsor led · Ages 11–16 · Sunderland
Last distance offered · Year 7 2026
2.256 miles
Published by Sunderland City Council · offers on 2 March 2026
2025 figure 🔒
Nearby schools' earlier years 🔒
Thornhill Academy is a secondary school in Sunderland for ages 11–16 (academy sponsor led). Its latest Ofsted outcome is Good, from the inspection on 1 May 2024. Sunderland has published a last distance offered for this school for Year 7 2025 to 2026 entry.
Thornhill Academy catchment area: last distance offered
Parents often call this the catchment area: it's how far from the school the last child offered a place lived. It changes every year.
| Entry | Last distance offered |
|---|---|
| Year 7 2026 | 2.256 mi |
| Year 7 2025 | 🔒 With a pass |
What the pass includes · How to read it: one past year, not a catchment
What the figures show
- For Year 7 in 2026 the last child offered a place lived 2.256 miles away, the 6th shortest of 16 Sunderland secondary schools with a published last distance.
- The Year 7 last distance in 2026 was further from the school than in 2025.
- Year 7 2026 had 51 first-choice applications for 83 offers, with every first-choice family offered a place and 32 offers going to families who ranked it second or lower.
- In 2024/25, 33% got grade 5 or above in GCSE English and maths (England 45%), the lowest of 9 schools: this one and the 8 nearest secondary schools in Sunderland.
Worked out by Catchmently from the published figures on this page and those for other Sunderland schools. Distances are as published; how they were measured differs between admission authorities.
Key facts
- Address
- Thornholme Road, Sunderland, SR2 7NA
- Type
- Academy sponsor led
- Phase
- Secondary
- Ages
- 11–16
- Admissions policy
- Non-selective
- Council
- Sunderland
- Pupils on roll
- 526 January 2026 school census
- Free school meals
- 49.6% of pupils eligible
- Pupils per teacher
- 17.1
Official record: Get Information about Schools · as at 15 September 2026
Ofsted
Good Inspected 1 May 2024
Strengths
- “Thornhill Academy is a warm and inclusive school.”
- “The school celebrates the diversity of its pupils.”
- “These pupils are well supported by the school to settle in.”
To improve
- “These routines are not consistently in place.”
- “Sometimes, pupils are moved on to new learning before they are ready.”
- “Pupils do not routinely practise new learning to secure their understanding.”
Safeguarding: Effective
Quoted from the Ofsted report published 20 June 2024 (read the report). Crown copyright, Open Government Licence v3.0.
Exam results
| Measure | School | England |
|---|---|---|
| GCSE English and maths, grade 5 or above (2024/25) | 33% | 45% |
| Attainment 8 score (2024/25) | 41.4 | 46 |
Department for Education school performance data. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
Applications and offers
- 2026 Year 7 entry: 51 first-preference applications, 83 offers in total, 51 offers to first-preference applicants.
Department for Education, school-level applications and offers, figures on national offer day. Earlier years are in the pass.
Nearby secondary schools
Straight-line distance, in Sunderland.
- St Anthony's Girls' Catholic Academy 0.2 mi Good Last distance published
- St Aidan's Catholic Academy 0.3 mi Not judged Last distance published
- Southmoor Academy 0.8 mi School remains Good Last distance published
- Venerable Bede Church of England Academy 1.6 mi Not judged Last distance published
- Sandhill View Academy 1.6 mi No Ofsted grade Last distance published
- Farringdon Community Academy 2.2 mi No Ofsted grade Last distance published
- Red House Academy 2.5 mi Standards maintained Last distance published
- Castle View Enterprise Academy 2.6 mi Good Last distance published