St John's Catholic Comprehensive

St John’s Catholic Comprehensive has effectively maintained the standards identified in its previous inspection, showcasing a strong and inclusive educational environment. The school is characterized by high-quality care, clear expectations set by staff, and a culture of respect and ambition among pupils. The curriculum is broad and well-structured, allowing pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) and those who speak English as an additional language, to achieve commendable results in their qualifications and progress to further education or apprenticeships. While the school has many strengths, there are areas for improvement, particularly in ensuring that all teachers consistently check for pupils' understanding before introducing new content. Some subjects experience variability in how learning is designed, leading to missed opportunities for pupils to apply and connect their knowledge effectively. Overall, however, the school's supportive culture and commitment to the wider development of its pupils are evident, contributing to positive school life and community engagement.

Strengths

• High-quality care and a calm school environment.
• Strong emphasis on inclusivity and respect among pupils.
• Well-prepared curriculum for life and successful qualifications.
• Effective support for pupils with SEND and English as an additional language.
• Thorough assessments and additional reading support for earlier stages.
• Engaged leadership and governance with high staff retention.
• Extensive vocational offerings aligned with pupil interests.

Areas for Improvement

• Inconsistent checking of pupils' understanding by teachers.
• Variability in lesson design affecting knowledge application.

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 Catholic Comprehensive attended 93.4% of sessions (the national figure for secondary schools was 91.6%). 18.4% of pupils were persistently absent, missing at least one session in ten (nationally 23.4%).

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, 8.3% of pupils at St John's Catholic Comprehensive were suspended at least once (nationally 7.3%). 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 Catholic Comprehensive had 15.9 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for secondary schools was 16.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 10.9% were no longer at the school a year later (nationally 14.1%).

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, 11.6% of pupils at St John's Catholic Comprehensive were on SEN support (nationally 14.1%) and 2.9% had an education, health and care (EHC) plan (nationally 3.5%).

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 secondary schools. Counts are as published, with small numbers not hidden.

In 2025–26 St John's Catholic Comprehensive received £8,561 and spent £8,661 for each of its 1,337 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £675,000 (£505 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 Gravesend · Kent local authority: places and applications

What is St John's Catholic Comprehensive's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for St John's Catholic Comprehensive is Good, from an inspection in February 2025.

When was St John's Catholic Comprehensive last inspected by Ofsted?

St John's Catholic Comprehensive was last inspected in February 2025.

How many pupils does St John's Catholic Comprehensive have?

St John's Catholic Comprehensive has 1,335 pupils on roll.

What age range does St John's Catholic Comprehensive cover?

St John's Catholic Comprehensive for pupils aged 11 to 18.

What are St John's Catholic Comprehensive's GCSE results?

In 2026 its average Attainment 8 score was 45.3, and 34% of pupils achieved grade 5 or above in both English and maths GCSE.

Where is St John's Catholic Comprehensive?

St John's Catholic Comprehensive is at Rochester Road, Gravesend, Kent, DA12 2JW.