St John's Church of England Aided Primary School, Shildon

St John's Church of England Aided Primary School has shown a good overall effectiveness in its recent inspection after a significant gap since its previous outstanding grade 15 years ago. The school's friendly and inclusive environment, strong relationships, and dedication to pupil well-being were highlighted as notable strengths. Pupils display outstanding behavior and attitudes towards learning and partake in a diverse range of activities that enhance their educational experience. However, while the curriculum is well-implemented in most areas, there are concerns with the effectiveness of the history curriculum and phonics instruction for some early readers, indicating a need for improvement in these subjects.

Strengths

• Strong relationships between pupils and staff
• Exceptional behavior and attitudes among pupils
• Inclusive and supportive environment
• Effective curriculum revisions to build on prior learning
• High-quality provision for pupils with special educational needs
• Rich programme for personal development and extracurricular activities

Areas for Improvement

• Lack of comprehensive oversight on the effectiveness of the history curriculum
• Some phonics lessons do not meet the needs of weaker readers

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 St John's Church of England Aided Primary School, Shildon attended 95.3% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 9.3% 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, 0.9% of pupils at St John's Church of England Aided Primary School, Shildon 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 St John's Church of England Aided Primary School, Shildon had 21.6 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 8.6% 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, 18.0% of pupils at St John's Church of England Aided Primary School, Shildon were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 3.3% 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 St John's Church of England Aided Primary School, Shildon received £8,479 and spent £8,412 for each of its 229 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £190,000 (£829 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).

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What is St John's Church of England Aided Primary School, Shildon's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for St John's Church of England Aided Primary School, Shildon is Good, from an inspection in May 2023.

When was St John's Church of England Aided Primary School, Shildon last inspected by Ofsted?

St John's Church of England Aided Primary School, Shildon was last inspected in May 2023.

How many pupils does St John's Church of England Aided Primary School, Shildon have?

St John's Church of England Aided Primary School, Shildon has 239 pupils on roll.

What age range does St John's Church of England Aided Primary School, Shildon cover?

St John's Church of England Aided Primary School, Shildon for pupils aged 3 to 11.

What are St John's Church of England Aided Primary School, Shildon's SATs (KS2) results?

In 2025, 67% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is St John's Church of England Aided Primary School, Shildon?

St John's Church of England Aided Primary School, Shildon is at Jubilee Road, Shildon, County Durham, DL4 2EQ.