St John's Community Primary School and Nursery

St John’s Community Primary School and Nursery is a caring, inclusive school where pupils feel safe, behave well and benefit from strong relationships with staff. Inspectors found notable strengths in early years provision, reading and phonics, personal development, SEND support and safeguarding. Pupils also value enrichment such as forest school and a wide range of clubs. The school is part of the Green Shoots Federation, and this was its first routine inspection since the COVID-19 pandemic. However, the quality of education and leadership and management require improvement. Recent leadership instability meant curriculum implementation was not monitored closely enough, and teachers have not had sufficient guidance and support to teach consistently well. Although the curriculum is well sequenced, teachers do not consistently check pupils’ understanding or correct errors and misconceptions, which leaves gaps in knowledge and limits how securely pupils build and recall learning. Leaders now have a clearer vision and have begun making changes, while governors know the school well and support staff effectively.

Strengths

• Warm, caring relationships between staff and pupils
• Pupils feel safe and know they can talk to staff
• Pupils behave well and lessons are calm
• Curriculum is clearly planned and well sequenced across subjects
• Reading is prioritised, with structured phonics and timely catch-up support
• Early years provision is thoughtfully designed and prepares children well for Year 1
• Inclusive approach quickly identifies SEND and provides effective tailored support
• Personal development is a strength, with broad enrichment and clubs
• Attendance is monitored carefully and supported with families and external agencies
• Governors know the school well and support leaders and staff wellbeing
• Safeguarding arrangements are effective

Areas for Improvement

• Teachers do not consistently check what pupils know and can do
• Errors and misconceptions in pupils’ work are sometimes missed and not corrected
• Pupils have gaps in knowledge and do not build knowledge securely over time
• Curriculum implementation has not been monitored effectively
• Teachers have not received enough effective guidance and support to teach consistently well
• Recent leadership instability has weakened oversight of teaching

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 Community Primary School and Nursery attended 94.8% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 15.0% 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 Community Primary School and Nursery 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 Community Primary School and Nursery had 23.0 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, 14.5% of pupils at St John's Community Primary School and Nursery were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 3.6% 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 Community Primary School and Nursery received £8,096 and spent £8,502 for each of its 280 pupils. It ended the year with a deficit of £39,000 (-£140 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). This school files a single return with the other schools in its federation, so the figures are for the whole federation.

• Primary Schools
• Secondary Schools

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What is St John's Community Primary School and Nursery's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for St John's Community Primary School and Nursery is Requires Improvement, from an inspection in June 2025.

When was St John's Community Primary School and Nursery last inspected by Ofsted?

St John's Community Primary School and Nursery was last inspected in June 2025.

How many pupils does St John's Community Primary School and Nursery have?

St John's Community Primary School and Nursery has 221 pupils on roll.

What age range does St John's Community Primary School and Nursery cover?

St John's Community Primary School and Nursery for pupils aged 4 to 11.

What are St John's Community Primary School and Nursery's SATs (KS2) results?

In 2025, 48% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is St John's Community Primary School and Nursery?

St John's Community Primary School and Nursery is at Horning Road, Hoveton, Norwich, Norfolk, NR12 8NX.