Alderwood School
Community school · 1,471 pupils
81% stayed in education · Attainment 8 42.2
Academy converter
Thornden School
- Pupils on roll
- 1,440of 1,400 places
- Free school meals
- 6.5%
- Year 11 cohort 2025
- 290
- Ofsted
- Report card, 9 June 2026Read the Ofsted report
Curriculum and teaching Strong standardAchievement ExceptionalAttendance and behaviour Strong standardPersonal development and wellbeing Strong standardInclusion Strong standardLeadership and governance Strong standardPost-16 provision Not applicableSafeguarding Met
Results below include those reported under the school’s previous registration: Thornden School (URN 116439, until 1 May 2011).
What the data says
Thornden School has no sixth form. Of the 291 pupils who finished Year 11 there in 2023, 84% moved to a sixth form college, 11% to a further education college and 2% started an apprenticeship.
Sixth form colleges are the main next step: 84% of leavers went to one, roughly three times the England rate of 13%.
GCSE results in 2025 were well above the national picture: Attainment 8 of 59.9 against 46.1 across England and 45.5 in Hampshire, with 73% of pupils getting grade 5 or above in both English and maths (England 45%).
Media Studies is unusually popular at GCSE: 31% of the year group took it, against 4% of pupils across England.
Where pupils went after Year 11
Destinations of the 2023 Year 11 leavers, measured the following year: the share in a sustained place for at least two terms. Compared with all state-funded schools in Hampshire and England.
School sixth formSixth form collegeFurther education collegeOther educationApprenticeshipEmploymentNo sustained destination
| Measure | Thornden School | Hampshire | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils in the cohort | 291 | 14,028 | 607,348 |
| Any sustained destination | 98% | 92% | 92% |
| Stayed in education | 95% | 85% | 86% |
| — school sixth form | — | 6% | 34% |
| — sixth form college | 84% | 40% | 13% |
| — further education college | 11% | 38% | 37% |
| — other education | 1% | 1% | 2% |
| Apprenticeship | 2% | 3% | 3% |
| Employment | 1% | 4% | 3% |
| No sustained destination | 1% | 6% | 6% |
| Destination unknown | 1% | 2% | 3% |
GCSE results 2025
| Measure | Thornden School | Hampshire | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Attainment 8 (average points per pupil) | 59.9 | 45.5 | 46.1 |
| Grade 5 or above in English and maths | 73% | 45% | 45% |
| Grade 4 or above in English and maths | 88% | 65% | 65% |
| Entered the English Baccalaureate subjects | 58% | 34% | 41% |
| EBacc average point score | 5.54 | 4.02 | 4.09 |
| Disadvantaged pupils in the cohort | 8% | 21% | 28% |
| Attainment 8 — disadvantaged pupils | 52.0 | 30.5 | 34.9 |
| Attainment 8 — other pupils | 60.6 | 49.5 | 50.4 |
| Pupils with high prior attainment (Key Stage 2) | — | — | — |
| English as an additional language | 7% | 8% | 19% |
Progress 8 is not available for 2025 and 2026: these cohorts had no Key Stage 2 tests in 2020 and 2021, so there is no baseline. Attainment 8 shows results without taking pupils’ starting points into account.
Subjects taken at GCSE
Entries in 2025 as a share of the Year 11 cohort, and the share of entries graded 7–9 and 4–9, compared with all entries in England.
| Subject | Entries | Share of cohort | England | Grades 7–9 | England | Grades 4–9 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mathematics | 290 | 100% | 88% | 43% | 22% | 93% |
| English Language | 289 | 100% | 89% | 28% | 20% | 87% |
| English Literature | 284 | 98% | 86% | 30% | 21% | 85% |
| Combined Science | 209 | 72% | 65% | 23% | 9% | 90% |
| Geography | 190 | 66% | 41% | 47% | 25% | 87% |
| French | 91 | 31% | 18% | 38% | 29% | 87% |
| Media Studies | 90 | 31% | 4% | 34% | 20% | 86% |
| History | 87 | 30% | 41% | 34% | 26% | 77% |
| Biology | 78 | 27% | 23% | 82% | 45% | 99% |
| Chemistry | 77 | 27% | 23% | 77% | 47% | 100% |
| Physics | 77 | 27% | 23% | 81% | 46% | 100% |
| Spanish | 75 | 26% | 19% | 52% | 27% | 96% |
| Religious Studies | 66 | 23% | 31% | 67% | 32% | 95% |
| Business Studies | 64 | 22% | 18% | 28% | 20% | 86% |
| Drama | 53 | 18% | 7% | 45% | 27% | 100% |
| Computer Science | 48 | 17% | 13% | 50% | 30% | 73% |
| Food Preparation and Nutrition | 42 | 14% | 8% | 45% | 21% | 98% |
| Design and Technology | 41 | 14% | 11% | 29% | 23% | 85% |
| German | 41 | 14% | 5% | 39% | 33% | 88% |
| Applied Engineering | 40 | 14% | 0% | 30% | 18% | 73% |
| Physical Education | 39 | 13% | 11% | 23% | 24% | 64% |
| Dance | 22 | 8% | 1% | 82% | 27% | 100% |
| Fine Art | 20 | 7% | 9% | 95% | 28% | 100% |
| Graphic Communication | 18 | 6% | 1% | 11% | 23% | 94% |
| Music | 14 | 5% | 5% | 71% | 33% | 100% |
| 3D Design | 11 | 4% | 2% | 27% | 16% | 100% |
| Russian | 4 | 1% | 0% | — | 87% | — |
| Chinese | 1 | 0% | 1% | — | 75% | — |
| Polish | 1 | 0% | 1% | — | 84% | — |
Technical awards and other Key Stage 4 qualifications
| Subject | Entries | Share of cohort | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Small Business Management | 40 | — | — |
| Childcare Skills | 27 | — | — |
Other secondary schools in Hampshire
Amery Hill School
Academy converter · 982 pupils
93% stayed in education · Attainment 8 50.0
Applemore College
Foundation school · 478 pupils
83% stayed in education · Attainment 8 36.7
Bishop Challoner Catholic Secondary School
Voluntary aided school · 894 pupils
91% stayed in education · Attainment 8 59.3
Bohunt School
Academy converter · sixth form · 2,012 pupils
92% stayed in education · Attainment 8 56.3
Bridgemary School
Academy sponsor led · 814 pupils
78% stayed in education · Attainment 8 33.8
Sources: Department for Education school and college performance tables 2024/2025 (Key Stage 4 and 16–18 results, subject entries, destination measures for 2023 leavers); Get Information About Schools register as at 19 September 2026; Ofsted management information as at 31 August 2026. Small numbers are suppressed by DfE and shown as “—”. How to read these figures.