St John's Upper Holloway CofE Primary School
| Type | Primary / Voluntary aided school |
| Age Range | 2-11 |
| Religion | Church of England |
| Address | Pemberton Gardens Upper Holloway London N19 5RR |
| Phone | 02072722780 |
| Reference Number | 100439 |
St John's Upper Holloway CofE Primary School is a genuinely caring and inclusive church school where pupils feel safe, behave well, and are supported as individuals and as families. Inspectors found strong standards in attendance and behaviour, early years, and inclusion, and the expected standard in achievement, curriculum and teaching, leadership and governance, and personal development and wellbeing. Safeguarding standards are met. The school serves a disadvantaged community, with very high levels of free school meals, SEN support, and location deprivation, but this context is handled well: disadvantaged pupils and those with SEND attend better than national averages, and disadvantaged pupils outperform national disadvantaged and non-disadvantaged peers in reading and mathematics. The strongest features are the early years provision, which gives children a nurturing start and very good progress from low starting points, and the school's inclusive culture, which quickly identifies additional needs and provides well-planned support. Behaviour is calm and purposeful, relationships are positive, and pupils are well prepared for the next stage of education. Reading, writing, and mathematics are prioritised, and there is an ambitious, language-rich curriculum. There are still areas to refine. Pupils' writing is improving but is not yet as embedded as reading and mathematics, and the wider curriculum beyond English and mathematics is not consistently deepening pupils' understanding. Checks on learning in foundation subjects are not precise enough, so teaching can move on too soon. Personal development is broad, but pupils' depth of knowledge varies, especially around healthy relationships. Leaders also need to strengthen their analysis of whole-school performance, including the impact of staff training and the personal development offer.
General Makeup
| Number of pupils | 206 |
| Boy/Girl ratio |
Boys: 50.97%
Girls: 49.03% |
| Percentage of students eligible for free school meals | 52.8% |
| Percentage of students where English is not their first language | 36.4% |
Class Sizes
| Average size of one teacher classes | 22.9 |
| Average size of Key Stage 1 classes taught by one teacher | 25.3 |
| Average size of Key Stage 2 classes taught by one teacher | 24 |
Year Groups
| Year | Boys | Girls | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 8 | 16 | 24 |
| 2 | 17 | 10 | 27 |
| 3 | 10 | 16 | 26 |
| 4 | 11 | 15 | 26 |
| 5 | 9 | 9 | 18 |
| 6 | 17 | 9 | 26 |
Ethnicities
| Ethnicity | Percentage |
|---|---|
| White, British | 21.8% |
| White, Other | 16% |
| African | 13.1% |
| Caribbean | 10.2% |
| Mixed, Other | 9.2% |
| White & Black (Caribbean) | 6.3% |
| White & Black (African) | 2.4% |
| Asian, Other | 1.9% |
| White & Asian | 1% |
| Indian | 1% |
| Pakistani | 1% |
| Irish | 0.5% |
| Overall Ofsted Rating | Expected standard |
| > Leadership & Governance | Expected standard |
| > Personal Development & Wellbeing | Expected standard |
| > Achievement | Expected standard |
| > Attendance & Behaviour | Strong standard |
| > Curriculum & Teaching | Expected standard |
| > Inclusion | Strong standard |
| > Early Years | Strong standard |
| Last Report Date | 30 Jun 2026 |
| Date | Report |
|---|---|
| 30 Jun 2026 | School inspection |
| 08 Jun 2022 | School inspection |
| 10 Jan 2017 | Short inspection |
| 08 Feb 2012 | Full inspection |
| 14 Oct 2008 | Full inspection |
| 23 May 2005 | Full inspection |
Strengths
- Open and positive safeguarding culture, with safeguarding standards met.
- Strong attendance and behaviour, supported by bespoke work with families.
- Persistent absence is low, and disadvantaged pupils and pupils with SEND attend better than national figures.
- Calm, purposeful behaviour across lessons and playtimes, underpinned by consistent expectations.
- Highly positive relationships and a respectful, caring school culture.
- Early years is a welcoming, nurturing start where children make very good progress from low starting points.
- Early years curriculum is meticulously planned, with consistent phonics, writing and mathematics.
- Highly inclusive provision that identifies additional needs swiftly and supports SEND and disadvantaged pupils well.
- Effective use of external professionals and targeted staff training to reduce barriers to learning.
- Disadvantaged pupils outperform national disadvantaged pupils and non-disadvantaged peers in reading and mathematics.
- Pupils are well prepared for the next stage of education.
- Ambitious, well-designed curriculum prioritises language acquisition and communication across the school.
- Staff have secure subject knowledge and explain new ideas clearly in most subjects.
- Leaders and governors know the school well, meet statutory duties and act in pupils' best interests.
- Professional learning is linked carefully to whole-school priorities.
- Pastoral support and a broad personal development offer prepare pupils well for life beyond school.
- Christian ethos and values underpin an inclusive personal development curriculum.
- Staff are overwhelmingly positive, value workload and wellbeing support, and feel part of a family.
Areas for Improvement
- Pupils' writing is not yet as securely embedded as reading and mathematics, and recent improvements are not fully reflected in national outcomes.
- The curriculum in subjects other than English and mathematics is not consistently embedded, so pupils do not always develop the same depth of understanding.
- Checks on pupils' learning in foundation subjects are not precise enough, allowing teaching to move on before learning is fully embedded.
- Pupils' understanding across personal development topics varies, with less secure knowledge of healthy relationships.
- Leaders' analysis of whole-school performance is sometimes less precise and can be overshadowed by a focus on individual needs.
- Leaders should strengthen analysis of the impact of staff training and the personal development offer.
How many students meet the standards
| Reading, Writing & Maths | School Score | Percentile (local) | Percentile (nationwide) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils meeting the expected standard | 58% | ||
| Pupils meeting a higher standard | 8% |
Average Scaled Score
Results are converted into scaled scores to allow accurate comparisons of performance over time even if the difficulty of the test varies over time. Scaled scores range from 80 to 120.
| Subject | School | Percentile (local) | Percentile (nationwide) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Reading | 105 | ||
| Maths | 104 |
Progress Scores
A progress score is a way to measure how well a student progressed in comparison to other students of a similar starting ability. A score of zero means would mean that a student made the same progress as others that had a similar starting a ability. A positive score would mean that the student made more progress than other students of similar starting ability. The scores below are for the whole school so is the average progress score across all students.
| Metric | School Score | Percentile (local) | Percentile (nationwide) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Reading | 2 | ||
| Writing | -1.9 | ||
| Maths | 2.6 |
How many students meet the standards
Sample
UnlockAverage Scaled Score
Results are converted into scaled scores to allow accurate comparisons of performance over time even if the difficulty of the test varies over time. Scaled scores range from 80 to 120.
Sample
UnlockProgress Scores
A progress score is a way to measure how well a student progressed in comparison to other students of a similar starting ability. A score of zero means would mean that a student made the same progress as others that had a similar starting a ability. A positive score would mean that the student made more progress than other students of similar starting ability. The scores below are for the whole school so is the average progress score across all students.
Sample
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| Number of Applications | Number of Offers | |
| First Preference | ||
| Second Preference | 12 | 3 |
| Third Preference | 5 | 0 |
| From another Local Authority | 3 | 0 |
Previous Years
Sample
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|
Yerbury Primary School
Foxham Road, Yerbury Road, London, N19 4RR |
0.15 miles |
|
Hargrave Park Primary School
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0.32 miles |
|
Brookfield Primary School
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0.5 miles |
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Duncombe Primary School
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0.5 miles |
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0.52 miles |
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St Mark's CofE Primary School
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0.53 miles |
|
St Joseph's Catholic Primary School
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0.56 miles |
|
Tufnell Park Primary School
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0.58 miles |
|
Eleanor Palmer Primary School
Lupton Street, Tufnell Park, London, NW5 2JA |
0.61 miles |
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Grafton Primary School
Eburne Road, Holloway, London, N7 6AR |
0.65 miles |
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Whitehall Park School
106 Hornsey Lane, London, N6 5EP |
0.65 miles |
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Margaret McMillan Nursery School
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0.72 miles |
|
Christ The King Catholic Primary School
55 Tollington Park, London, N4 3QW |
0.82 miles |
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Ashmount Primary School
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0.85 miles |
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Pakeman Primary School
Hornsey Road, Holloway, London, N7 6DU |
0.86 miles |
|
North Islington Nursery School
110-112 Tollington Park, London, N4 3RB |
0.89 miles |
|
Torriano Primary School
Torriano Avenue, Kentish Town, London, NW5 2SJ |
0.9 miles |
|
Pooles Park Primary School
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0.9 miles |
|
Kentish Town Church of England Primary School
Islip Street, London, NW5 2TU |
0.93 miles |
|
Coleridge Primary School
Crouch End Hill, Hornsey, London, N8 8DN |
0.94 miles |
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The Bridge Satellite Provision
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0.4 miles |
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City of London Academy, Highgate Hill
Holland Walk, Duncombe Road, Archway, London, N19 3EU |
0.4 miles |
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Acland Burghley School
Burghley Road, London, NW5 1UJ |
0.49 miles |
|
St Aloysius' College
Hornsey Lane, Highgate, London, N6 5LY |
0.55 miles |
|
Lift Beacon High
Hilldrop Road, Islington, London, N7 0JG |
0.64 miles |
|
Channing School
The Bank, Highgate, N6 5HF |
0.71 miles |
|
La Sainte Union Catholic Secondary School
Highgate Road, London, NW5 1RP |
0.73 miles |
|
Parliament Hill School
Highgate Road, London, NW5 1RL |
0.77 miles |
|
The Harington Scheme Ltd
Cholmeley Park, London, N6 5AD |
0.78 miles |
|
Arts and Media School Islington
Turle Road, London, N4 3LS |
0.8 miles |
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William Ellis School
Highgate Road, London, NW5 1RN |
0.82 miles |
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Highgate School
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0.96 miles |
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The Bridge School
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1.04 miles |
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Kestrel House School
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1.07 miles |
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College Francais Bilingue De Londres
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1.08 miles |
|
The Camden School for Girls
Sandall Road, London, NW5 2DB |
1.15 miles |
|
Highgate Wood Secondary School
Montenotte Road, London, N8 8RN |
1.3 miles |
|
Harmood School
Harmood Street, Camden, London, NW1 8DP |
1.4 miles |
|
St Mary Magdalene Academy
Liverpool Road, Islington, London, N7 8PG |
1.45 miles |
|
Haverstock School
24 Haverstock Hill, Chalk Farm, London, NW3 2BQ |
1.5 miles |