St John Roman Catholic Primary School

St John Roman Catholic Primary School continues to perform well as a good school, according to its recent inspection. Pupils enjoy their time at school, benefitting from strong relationships with dedicated staff. The school instills a sense of safety and well-being among students, who feel confident that any concerns, including bullying, will be addressed promptly. With a curriculum that is ambitious and designed to support all pupils, many students are making good progress in their learning, particularly in mathematics and reading, where effective interventions assist those who may fall behind.

Strengths

• Pupils benefit from positive relationships with staff.
• The curriculum is ambitious and well-planned for all pupils.
• Teachers generally have secure subject knowledge, especially in English and mathematics.
• Pupils with SEND receive appropriate support and interventions.
• High expectations for behaviour lead to a positive learning environment.
• A range of extracurricular opportunities enhances pupil experiences.

Areas for Improvement

• In some subjects, teachers are still building their subject knowledge for effective curriculum implementation.

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 Roman Catholic Primary School attended 94.5% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 14.2% 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 Roman Catholic 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 Roman Catholic Primary School had 18.5 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 6.7% 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, 13.0% of pupils at St John Roman Catholic Primary School were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 3.1% 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 2024–25 St John Roman Catholic Primary School received £6,971 and spent £7,643 for each of its 165 pupils. It ended the year with a deficit of £61,000 (-£370 per pupil).

Across all 13 schools of The Diocese of Westminster Academy Trust, income was £7,471 and spending £7,253 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). Academy figures include a share of the trust's central services, shared out by pupil numbers, and are rounded to the nearest £1,000. Premises costs were defined differently from 2024, so compare them across that gap with care.

• Primary Schools
• Secondary Schools

All schools in Baldock · Hertfordshire local authority: places and applications

St John Roman Catholic Primary School is part of The Diocese of Westminster Academy Trust, which runs 15 schools. The nearest others:

• St Thomas More Roman Catholic Primary School Letchworth Garden City
• Our Lady Catholic Primary School Hitchin
• The Saint John Henry Newman Catholic School Stevenage
• Saint Vincent de Paul Catholic Primary School Stevenage
• St Margaret Clitherow Roman Catholic Primary School Stevenage
• St Mary Roman Catholic Primary School Royston
• The Holy Family Catholic Primary School Welwyn Garden City
• Nicholas Breakspear Catholic School St Albans
• Saint Michael's Catholic High School Watford
• St Catherine of Siena Catholic Primary School Watford

What is St John Roman Catholic Primary School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for St John Roman Catholic Primary School is Good, from an inspection in May 2023.

When was St John Roman Catholic Primary School last inspected by Ofsted?

St John Roman Catholic Primary School was last inspected in May 2023.

How many pupils does St John Roman Catholic Primary School have?

St John Roman Catholic Primary School has 161 pupils on roll.

What age range does St John Roman Catholic Primary School cover?

St John Roman Catholic Primary School for pupils aged 3 to 11.

What are St John Roman Catholic 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 Roman Catholic Primary School?

St John Roman Catholic Primary School is at Providence Way, Baldock, Hertfordshire, SG7 6TT.