St John's CofE (C) Primary School

St John's is a small, inclusive Church of England primary school with a nursery and before- and after-school club. Inspectors found it meeting the expected standard across achievement, attendance and behaviour, curriculum and teaching, early years, inclusion, leadership and governance, and personal development. Safeguarding standards are met. Pupils are described as proud, confident and well supported in a calm and caring community, and current pupils are building secure knowledge and making progress from their individual starting points. Strengths include strong relationships, improved attendance that is now above national figures, calm and purposeful behaviour, consistent phonics teaching, a broad and ambitious curriculum, effective SEND and disadvantaged support, and a well-planned personal development offer. Early years provision is sound, with communication, language and reading prioritised, and leadership and governance are knowledgeable and ambitious. Published key stage 2 outcomes are below national averages in reading, writing and mathematics, with notable gaps for disadvantaged pupils, although the report cautions that small cohorts and varying pupil context mean these do not fully reflect current pupils' learning. Inspectors also identified that curriculum planning in some subjects is not precise enough about the knowledge and skills pupils should learn, and that targets and support plans for pupils facing barriers to learning are not consistently precise. Leaders are already taking steps to address these areas.

Strengths

• Caring, inclusive school community with strong relationships and a strong sense of belonging.
• Pupils' attendance has improved and is now above national figures.
• Behaviour is calm, positive and purposeful, and bullying is rare.
• Pupils are respectful, confident learners who engage well in lessons.
• The curriculum is broad and ambitious and builds knowledge and skills from the early years.
• Phonics teaching is consistent and helps pupils read confidently and fluently.
• Teachers know pupils well and adapt learning to meet individual needs.
• Pupils with SEND and disadvantaged pupils are supported to access the same ambitious curriculum.
• Early years provision prioritises communication, language and reading and prepares children well for Year 1.
• Leadership and governance have an accurate understanding of the school and provide effective challenge and support.
• Personal development is well considered, with a wide range of clubs, visits and leadership roles.
• Staff feel respected and supported, and parents speak positively about the school.

Areas for Improvement

• Published key stage 2 outcomes are below national averages in reading, writing and mathematics.
• Disadvantaged pupils' outcomes show substantial gaps compared with non-disadvantaged pupils nationally.
• Curriculum knowledge and skills are not yet defined precisely enough in some subjects.
• Targets and support plans for pupils facing barriers to learning are not consistently precise.
• Attendance improvements need to continue for disadvantaged pupils and those facing additional challenges.

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 CofE (C) Primary School attended 95.8% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 6.3% 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, 2.3% of pupils at St John's CofE (C) 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's CofE (C) Primary School had 15.3 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, 22.1% of pupils at St John's CofE (C) Primary School were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 2.6% 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 CofE (C) Primary School received £9,530 and spent £9,330 for each of its 77 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £24,000 (£316 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 Dudley · Staffordshire local authority: places and applications

What is St John's CofE (C) Primary School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for St John's CofE (C) Primary School is Expected standard, from an inspection in October 2026.

When was St John's CofE (C) Primary School last inspected by Ofsted?

St John's CofE (C) Primary School was last inspected in October 2026.

How many pupils does St John's CofE (C) Primary School have?

St John's CofE (C) Primary School has 77 pupils on roll.

What age range does St John's CofE (C) Primary School cover?

St John's CofE (C) Primary School for pupils aged 3 to 11.

What are St John's CofE (C) Primary School's SATs (KS2) results?

In 2025, 47% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is St John's CofE (C) Primary School?

St John's CofE (C) Primary School is at Wombourne Road, Swindon, Dudley, West Midlands, DY3 4NB.