Thurston Community College A GSG School
- Thurston Community College
Norton Road
Thurston
Bury St Edmunds
Suffolk
IP31 3PB - Head: Mrs M Taylor
- T 01359 230885
- F 01359 230880
- E admin@thurstoncol…ege.suffolk.sch.uk
- W www.thurstoncollege.org
- A state school for boys and girls aged from 11 to 18.
- Boarding: No
- Local authority: Suffolk
- Pupils: 1,650; sixth formers: 375
- Religion: Non-denominational
- Open days: Main school - September; Sixth Form - November
- Review: View The Good Schools Guide Review
-
Ofsted:
- Latest Overall effectiveness Good 1
- 16-19 study programmes Good 1
- Effectiveness of leadership and management Good 1
- 1 Full inspection 22nd March 2018
- Previous Ofsted grade: Good on 1st May 2013
- Ofsted report: View the Ofsted report
What The Good Schools Guide says..
The school is divided up into five houses (named after Suffolk luminaries) and pupils belong to a tutor group within a house for registration and academic and pastoral oversight. These smaller units, of around 300, help to give pupils a sense of identity and belonging. Achievement is strongly supported and clear strategies are in place to pick up problems early. Rigorous selection when appointing staff (‘we want the outstanding ones’) and a regular turnover ensures...
What the school says...
The aim of Thurston Community Collge is to provide an excellent education in a healthy, safe and supportive learning environment, where people are valued and make positive contributions to the College community, and where students enjoy and achieve and go on to attain social and economic well-being as responsible, independent members of society.
As well as being accredited as a National Healthy School we are a flagship school for the Food for Life Partnership and are committed to transforming food culture at the College. We have gained the Eco-Schools Silver Award and our students are encouraged to become ambassadors for environmental issues. ...Read more
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What The Good Schools Guide says
Principal
Since December 2023, Mrs M Taylor (interim head).
Entrance
The expansion as an 11-18 (rather than 13-18) school has resulted in certain year groups higher up the school becoming very large, but there is a firm policy to keep year group sizes below 300 and the principal won’t budge on this. Heavily oversubscribed; the catchment rules are stringent and it is important to check the admissions policy of Suffolk County Council. For A levels, at least a grade B/6 in the subject to be studied (or a related subject) is required, with an overall average GCSE points score of 43 or better. Students without a 4 in maths or English are required to continue studying the subject at after-school sessions, with a view to re-sitting the examination(s).
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Overall school performance (for comparison or review only)
Results by exam and subject
Subject results
Entry/Exit
Special Education Needs
We aim to enable all of our students to be successful learners whatever their abilities and needs. We have a committed Raising Achievement Team whose role is to support student learning within and beyond lessons. Some students benefit from additional help, for instance, with reading, working on a computer spelling programme or working in a social skills group. Others have support in lessons where they face learning difficulties, while some are given the opportunity to work in small groups. The Raising Achievement Co-ordinator and teaching assistants liaise with Heads of Department, Heads of House, the Education Welfare Officer, health professionals, educational psychologists, advisory teachers, Social Services, Connexions and, of course, parents. In this way we aim to create a shared focus on the individual success of every student in our care. The College has been successful in providing appropriate support for those students with special educational needs. Our most able students also need challenging and the Able, Gifted & Talented Co-ordinator works with staff to develop approaches to ensure that all students have the best possible chance to reach their potential. Thurston Community College has always enabled sutdents with disabilities to participate fully in all aspects of college life. We have been pleased to accomodate students from both inside and outside the catchment area who can benefit from our single-storey accomodation. We have external disabled access to the main college entrance along with lifts, ramps and disabled toilet facilities. Whatever the disability, if a student is able to participate in college education, a warm welcome is given by staff and students. Where applicable, individual support is provided. Nov 09.
Interpreting catchment maps
The maps show in colour where the pupils at a school came from*. Red = most pupils to Blue = fewest.
Where the map is not coloured we have no record in the previous three years of any pupils being admitted from that location based on the options chosen.
For help and explanation of our catchment maps see: Catchment maps explained
Further reading
If there are more applicants to a school than it has places for, who gets in is determined by which applicants best fulfil the admissions criteria.
Admissions criteria are often complicated, and may change from year to year. The best source of information is usually the relevant local authority website, but once you have set your sights on a school it is a good idea to ask them how they see things panning out for the year that you are interested in.
Many schools admit children based on distance from the school or a fixed catchment area. For such schools, the cut-off distance will vary from year to year, especially if the school give priority to siblings, and the pattern will be of a central core with outliers (who will mostly be siblings). Schools that admit on the basis of academic or religious selection will have a much more scattered pattern.
*The coloured areas outlined in black are Census Output Areas. These are made up of a group of neighbouring postcodes, which accounts for their odd shapes. These provide an indication, but not a precise map, of the school’s catchment: always refer to local authority and school websites for precise information.
The 'hotter' the colour the more children have been admitted.
Children get into the school from here:
regularly
most years
quite often
infrequently
sometimes, but not in this year
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