Thornton

Summary

Thornton (E02002225) is part of Bradford local authority (view on map). Thornton has an approximate population of 8,500 people, of which 19% are children 15 years old and under. It is classified as "urban: nearer to a major town or city".

Thornton neighbours Cottingley, Harden & Wilsden, Cullingworth & Denholme, Allerton, Fairweather Green, Clayton, Queensbury, and Illingworth & Ogden.

Guidance and data sources

Local area pages are based on the middle-layer super output areas (MSOAs) distributed across the country. MSOAs comprise between 2,000 and 6,000 households and have a resident population of, generally, between 5,000 and 15,000 people. MSOAs fit within local authorities. For each area, descriptive statistics are compared with local authority and national averages. For more information about MSOAs, please visit the Office for National Statistics website.

The data displayed is sourced from:

Deprivation

Thornton is the 23rd least deprived area in Bradford (out of 63) with 40% of children living in low-income families, compared to 52% across Bradford and 38% nationally.

Data source

State-funded pupil characteristics

Information acquired from the school census.

Free school meals

In Thornton, 24% of state-funded pupils are eligible for free school meals, compared to 34% in Bradford and 27% nationally.

Contents

Percentage of pupils eligible for free school meals

Table showing the percentage of pupils eligible for free school meals

% in Thornton % in Bradford % in England
Eligible for free school meals 24% 34% 27%
Not eligible for free school meals 76% 66% 73%

Data source

Special educational needs

In Thornton, 19% of pupils in state-funded settings have special educational needs (SEN), compared to 19% in Bradford, and 19% nationally.

This includes the number of pupils with an education, health and care (EHC) plan and the number of pupils with SEN support.

Contents

Percentage of pupils with special educational needs in schools

Table showing the percentage of pupils with special educational needs in schools

% in Thornton % in Bradford % in England
No special educational needs 82% 81% 81%
Receiving special educational needs support 13% 14% 14%
With an education, health, and care plan (EHCP) 6% 5% 5%

Data source

Ethnicity

In Thornton, 33% of pupils are from a minority ethnic background, compared to 58% in Bradford, and 33% nationally.

Percentages may not sum to 100%, due to small values being suppressed.

Contents

Percentage of pupils by major ethnic groups

Table

% in Thornton % in Bradford % in England
White 66% 43% 67%
Asian 21% 44% 14%
Black 2% 4% 7%
Mixed 8% 7% 7%
Other 2% 2% 3%
Not known 1% 1% 2%

Data source

English as an additional language

The percentage of pupils in Thornton with English as an additional language is 13%, compared with 34% in Bradford, and 22% nationally.

Numbers may not sum to 100%, due to a small number of pupils with an unclassified language.

Contents

Percentage of pupils with English as an additional language

Table

% in Thornton % in Bradford % in England
Known or believed to be other than English 13% 34% 22%
Known or believed to be English 86% 66% 78%

Data source

Provider information

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Registered childcare providers

Thornton has 12 registered childcare providers.

Type Number in Thornton
All childcare providers 12
Childminders 10
Pre-school/day nursery/out-of-school care 2

There have been no inspections of childcare providers in Thornton since the introduction of the renewed education inspection framework in November 2025.

Data source

State-funded schools

Thornton has 4 state-funded schools.

Type Number in Thornton
All state-funded schools 4
Nursery schools 0
Primary and all-through schools 3
Secondary and all-through schools 1
Special schools 0
Registered alternative provision 0

There have been no inspections of schools in Thornton since the introduction of the renewed education inspection framework in November 2025.

Data sources: