St John the Baptist Voluntary Aided Church of England Primary School

St John the Baptist Voluntary Aided Church of England Primary School is a small, harmonious primary where pupils enjoy school, feel safe and take pride in their work. Inspectors found the school performing well across all inspected areas, with good judgements for quality of education, behaviour and attitudes, personal development, leadership and management, and early years. No overall effectiveness grade was awarded under the current framework. This was the first routine inspection since the COVID-19 pandemic, and the school is managing a period of change, including recently updated curriculum plans and new subject leadership. Pupils, including those with SEND, access the full curriculum, and reading is a particular strength: most pupils learn sounds securely, read fluently with well-matched books and receive timely support if they struggle. The school has strengthened its curriculum so that knowledge builds over time, and pupils behave well, trust staff and benefit from a broad personal development programme covering values, safety, culture and leadership opportunities. Safeguarding arrangements are effective, staff feel well supported, and governors know the school well. However, in some subjects the exact depth of knowledge pupils should learn is not clear enough, and checks on learning are not consistently rigorous. As a result, some pupils, including in early years and some with SEND, are not always given work that deepens their knowledge or extends them as far as they could go. Some parents also feel communication could improve, and attendance, while improving, remains a focus for a small number of families.

Strengths

• Pupils enjoy school, feel safe and take pride in their work.
• Pupils behave well, follow routines and learning is not disrupted.
• Reading is taught effectively, with secure phonics, well-matched books and timely interventions.
• The recently updated curriculum builds pupils' knowledge logically over time.
• Pupils with SEND receive adjustments and support to access the full curriculum.
• Personal development is broad, including values, safety, culture and leadership roles.
• Safeguarding arrangements are effective.
• Staff feel supported and leaders consider workload and well-being.
• Governors know the school well and fulfil statutory duties.
• Pupils benefit from clubs, trips, music, collective worship and leadership responsibilities.

Areas for Improvement

• In some subjects, the depth and detail of knowledge pupils should learn is not explicit enough, limiting how deeply pupils deepen and connect knowledge.
• Checks on learning are not consistently rigorous, so some pupils are given work they can already do and are not extended enough.
• Opportunities to extend learning are not always maximised in early years or for some pupils with SEND.
• Some parents feel the school could improve its communication.
• Attendance remains low for some pupils, although more pupils now attend regularly.

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 the Baptist Voluntary Aided Church of England Primary School attended 93.8% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 18.6% 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, 1.2% of pupils at St John the Baptist Voluntary Aided 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 St John the Baptist Voluntary Aided 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, 5.5% 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, 13.5% of pupils at St John the Baptist Voluntary Aided Church of England Primary School were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 5.8% 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 the Baptist Voluntary Aided Church of England Primary School received £7,867 and spent £8,789 for each of its 155 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £65,000 (£419 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 Ware · Hertfordshire local authority: places and applications

What is St John the Baptist Voluntary Aided Church of England Primary School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for St John the Baptist Voluntary Aided Church of England Primary School is Good, from an inspection in January 2025.

When was St John the Baptist Voluntary Aided Church of England Primary School last inspected by Ofsted?

St John the Baptist Voluntary Aided Church of England Primary School was last inspected in January 2025.

How many pupils does St John the Baptist Voluntary Aided Church of England Primary School have?

St John the Baptist Voluntary Aided Church of England Primary School has 155 pupils on roll.

What age range does St John the Baptist Voluntary Aided Church of England Primary School cover?

St John the Baptist Voluntary Aided Church of England Primary School for pupils aged 4 to 11.

What are St John the Baptist Voluntary Aided Church of England Primary School's SATs (KS2) results?

In 2025, 61% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is St John the Baptist Voluntary Aided Church of England Primary School?

St John the Baptist Voluntary Aided Church of England Primary School is at Hillside Lane, Great Amwell, Ware, Hertfordshire, SG12 9SE.