John Donne Church of England Primary School

John Donne Church of England Primary School is a small, inclusive church school in the Riverbank Federation. Inspectors found it performing at the expected standard in almost all areas, with safeguarding met. Pupils are happy, safe and behave well; attendance is improving; early years provision is a particular strength; reading and phonics are prioritised and outcomes in Reception and Year 1 phonics are above national averages. Leaders have brought stability, strengthened the curriculum and built effective support for pupils with SEND, disadvantaged pupils and families, and staff feel well supported. Governance and parental engagement are also positive. The main concern is achievement, especially at the end of Key Stage 2. Published outcomes in reading, writing and mathematics combined, and in mathematics specifically, are below national averages. Older pupils did not experience the current curriculum and teaching when they started school, so some have gaps in foundational English and mathematics, including handwriting, spelling and arithmetic. Leaders have introduced targeted support and are improving mathematics teaching, but the impact is not yet fully embedded across all year groups or reflected in pupils’ outcomes. The next steps focus on embedding recent mathematics improvements consistently and strengthening teachers’ use of assessment to identify and close gaps quickly.

Strengths

• Pupils feel safe, valued and cared for in a harmonious and inclusive school community.
• Pupils behave well, are polite and courteous, and have positive attitudes to learning.
• Attendance is improving because leaders address barriers with individualised support.
• Early years provision is well designed, ambitious and prepares children strongly for Year 1.
• Reading and phonics are prioritised from Reception, with outcomes above national figures.
• The curriculum is broad, well sequenced and inclusive, with effective support for pupils with SEND.
• Leaders use pupil premium funding effectively to support disadvantaged pupils.
• Leadership has improved stability and addressed areas from the previous inspection.
• Staff feel supported, and leaders balance improvement with wellbeing.
• Governance is effective, with appropriate support and challenge from a newly federated governing body.
• Personal development is well planned, with enrichment and leadership opportunities for pupils.
• Parents value communication and have confidence in the school.

Areas for Improvement

• Pupils do not achieve as well as they should by the end of Year 6, particularly in mathematics.
• Published outcomes in reading, writing and mathematics combined are below national averages.
• Mathematics outcomes at Key Stage 2 are below national averages over the latest three years.
• Some older pupils have gaps in foundational English and mathematics, including handwriting, spelling and arithmetic.
• Recent improvements to mathematics teaching are not yet fully embedded across all year groups.
• Teachers’ use of assessment to identify and address gaps in pupils’ knowledge needs further strengthening.
• Disadvantaged pupils’ mathematics outcomes and disadvantage gap remain a concern.

Admissions: local authority offers data from the Department for Education. A school is oversubscribed when at least 5% of the families who put it first were not offered a place, and undersubscribed when everyone who put it first got in but 10% or more of its places were unfilled in the Department's school capacity survey (the latest survey is used for entry years it does not cover). Places: Department for Education, School capacity, from local authorities' annual survey as at 1 May. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024–25); the survey was not run in 2020. Places include sixth form places. Forecasts are the local authority's own for the school's planning area, an area it uses to plan places that is not the school's catchment area. The forecast starts from a head count in 2025; the dashed line is the Department's estimate of places in that area, including those the authority has firm plans for. Planned places are cumulative, and only those with firm plans are counted.

In 2024–25 pupils at John Donne Church of England Primary School attended 94.5% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 14.1% of pupils were persistently absent, missing at least one session in ten (nationally 13.0%).

Sessions missed

Pupils persistently absent

Source: Department for Education, Pupil absence in schools in England. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024/25). Persistent absence means missing 10% or more of sessions; severe absence means 50% or more. No figures were published for 2019/20.

In 2024–25, 0.8% of pupils at John Donne Church of England Primary School were suspended at least once (nationally 1.1%). No pupils were permanently excluded.

Pupils suspended at least once

Source: Department for Education, Suspensions and permanent exclusions in England. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024/25). A pupil can be suspended more than once, so suspensions per 100 pupils can be higher than the share of pupils suspended. Very small numbers are hidden by the DfE. Exclusion figures dropped in 2020 and 2021 because of school closures.

In 2025–26 John Donne Church of England Primary School had 16.1 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 0.0% were no longer at the school a year later (nationally 15.7%).

Pupils per teacher

Teachers who left the school within a year

Source: Department for Education, School workforce in England. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024/25). Pupils per teacher counts full-time-equivalent pupils and teachers. Turnover is the share of a year's teachers (full-time equivalent) who were not at the school the following year, whether they moved to another school or left state-funded teaching. Turnover and sickness figures run one year behind the ratios. Sick leave is the share of teachers who took at least one day in the year, so it swings widely at small schools, where a few teachers can make it 0% or 100%. The national figures are for all state schools of the same type.

In 2025–26, 19.3% of pupils at John Donne Church of England Primary School were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 1.7% had an education, health and care (EHC) plan (nationally 4.1%).

Pupils by main type of need

Source: Department for Education, Special educational needs in England (the 2025–26 school census). SEN support is extra help in school without an EHC plan. National figures are for all state-funded primary schools. Counts are as published, with small numbers not hidden.

In 2025–26 John Donne Church of England Primary School received £7,190 and spent £7,805 for each of its 113 pupils. It ended the year with a deficit of £105,000 (-£935 per pupil).

Income per pupil

Spending per pupil

Source: Department for Education, Financial Benchmarking and Insights Tool. Each year is the one the financial year ends in (2024 is 2023–24).

• Primary Schools
• Secondary Schools

All schools in Bedford · Central Bedfordshire local authority: places and applications

What is John Donne Church of England Primary School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for John Donne Church of England Primary School is Needs attention, from an inspection in September 2026.

When was John Donne Church of England Primary School last inspected by Ofsted?

John Donne Church of England Primary School was last inspected in September 2026.

How many pupils does John Donne Church of England Primary School have?

John Donne Church of England Primary School has 119 pupils on roll.

What age range does John Donne Church of England Primary School cover?

John Donne Church of England Primary School for pupils aged 3 to 11.

What are John Donne Church of England Primary School's SATs (KS2) results?

In 2025, 29% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is John Donne Church of England Primary School?

John Donne Church of England Primary School is at High Street, Blunham, Bedford, Bedfordshire, MK44 3NL.