Schools in Thatcham
Thatcham is a large town in West Berkshire, adjacent to Newbury, with 19 state schools - 13 primary and 1 secondary - serving the town and surrounding villages in the Kennet valley. West Berkshire Council coordinates admissions for community schools, using home-to-school distance as the main tiebreaker when schools are oversubscribed. Thatcham has seen significant housing growth over recent decades, and primary schools in newer residential areas have been oversubscribed in peak year groups.
The town is served by Kennet School as its main state secondary, which draws pupils from both Thatcham and outlying villages across West Berkshire. Families considering secondary schools should also note that Reading and Newbury are within commuting distance, broadening the range of options available. West Berkshire Council publishes its co-ordinated admissions timetable, catchment boundary maps and last-distance-offered figures each autumn for the following September intake.
School demand in Thatcham
Across the 19 schools in Thatcham with published capacity data, the average fill rate is 83%. None are currently over capacity, but catchment distance still applies in any year a school is oversubscribed.
6 schools in Thatcham have a religious character, so faith criteria sit alongside catchment distance in their admissions policies.
4 of the schools in Thatcham are academies that set their own admissions criteria independently of West Berkshire, so check each school's policy directly rather than assuming the council default applies.
7 of the schools in Thatcham have a current Ofsted rating, of which 5 are rated Good or Outstanding. Demand and catchment distance tend to be tightest at the highest-rated schools.
Primary Schools in Thatcham (13)
Curridge Primary School
Primary · Community school
Thatcham · RG18 9DZ
Hermitage Primary School
Primary · Community school
Thatcham · RG18 9SA
Parsons Down Infant School
Primary · Community school
Thatcham · RG19 3SR
Parsons Down Junior School
Primary · Community school
Thatcham · RG19 3SR
Spurcroft Primary School
Primary · Community school
Thatcham · RG19 3XX
Cold Ash St Mark's CE Primary School
Primary · Voluntary controlled school
Thatcham · RG18 9PT
Hampstead Norreys C.E. Primary School
Primary · Voluntary controlled school
Thatcham · RG18 0TR
Yattendon C.E. Primary School
Primary · Voluntary aided school
Thatcham · RG18 0UR
St Finian's Catholic Primary School
Primary · Voluntary aided school
Thatcham · RG18 9HU
Thatcham Park CofE Primary
Primary · Voluntary controlled school
Thatcham · RG18 4NP
Whitelands Park Primary School
Primary · Academy sponsor led
Thatcham · RG18 3FH
Francis Baily Primary School
Primary · Academy converter
Thatcham · RG19 4GG
Ashford Hill Primary School
Primary · Academy sponsor led
Thatcham · RG19 8BB
Secondary Schools in Thatcham (1)
Other Schools in Thatcham (5)
Downe House
Not applicable · Other independent school
Thatcham · RG18 9JJ
Brockhurst and Marlston House Schools
Not applicable · Other independent school
Thatcham · RG18 9UL
Cheam School
Not applicable · Other independent school
Thatcham · RG19 8LD
Priors Court School
Not applicable · Other independent special school
Thatcham · RG18 9NU
The Grange School
Not applicable · Other independent special school
Thatcham · RG19 3PN
Catchment area boundaries for schools in Thatcham are set by West Berkshire and updated each year. The "last distance offered", how far the furthest successful applicant lived, changes annually based on the number of applications received.