St John's Church of England Primary School

St John’s is a kind, welcoming primary school where pupils are happy, feel safe and behave well. The school is calm and orderly, and pupils are polite, caring and positive about learning. Early years provision is a notable strength: children settle quickly, are independent and benefit from a stimulating curriculum and environment. Reading and mathematics are prioritised, and pupils with SEND are identified and supported effectively. Enrichment, clubs and pupil responsibilities also contribute well to personal development, and safeguarding is effective. The main concerns are in Years 1 to 6. The curriculum has clear end goals and staff have received training, but teaching is sometimes inaccurate or unclear, does not check understanding carefully enough, and does not consistently address misconceptions. Support for subject-specific vocabulary is also inconsistent, which holds some pupils back. As a result, some pupils do not learn and achieve as well as they should across all subjects. Leadership and management require further development because curriculum oversight is at an early stage in some subjects. The trust has put support in place and staff feel valued, but leaders need to secure greater consistency in how the curriculum is taught and led. This was the school’s first routine inspection since the COVID-19 pandemic, and it is part of the Aquinas Church of England Education Trust; under the current inspection framework, no overall effectiveness grade was given.

Strengths

• Pupils are happy, kind and feel safe in a calm and orderly school.
• Pupils behave well, respond quickly to instructions and are polite and courteous.
• Early years provision is strong, with independent children and a stimulating learning environment.
• Reading is prioritised, with consistent phonics teaching and pupils developing fluency and a love of reading.
• Mathematics is taught methodically, with appropriate resources and strong early years practice.
• Pupils with SEND are identified effectively and supported through close work with external agencies.
• Enrichment visits and clubs broaden pupils’ cultural capital and wider understanding.
• Pupils take on responsibilities and develop confidence, respect and strategies to manage emotions.
• Safeguarding arrangements are effective.
• Staff feel well supported and valued, and trust support is in place.

Areas for Improvement

• Teaching in Years 1 to 6 is sometimes inaccurate or unclear, limiting pupils’ understanding.
• Teaching does not consistently check pupils’ understanding before moving on to new content.
• Misconceptions are not always addressed, so some pupils persist with insecure understanding.
• Subject-specific vocabulary is not routinely supported well enough, leaving key vocabulary insecure.
• Curriculum leadership and oversight are at an early stage in some subjects, reducing consistency.

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 Church of England Primary School attended 93.9% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 20.7% 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, 0.0% of pupils at St John's 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's Church of England Primary School had 18.3 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 28.2% 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, 19.7% of pupils at St John's Church of England Primary School were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 5.3% 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's Church of England Primary School received £9,502 and spent £9,221 for each of its 149 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £122,000 (£820 per pupil).

Across all 12 schools of Aquinas Church of England Education Trust Limited, income was £7,918 and spending £7,979 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 Bromley · Bromley local authority: places and applications

St John's Church of England Primary School is part of Aquinas Church of England Education Trust Limited, which runs 13 schools. The nearest others:

• Parish Church of England Primary School Bromley
• St Mark's Church of England Primary School Bromley
• St George's, Bickley, Church of England Primary School Bromley
• Bishop Justus CofE School Bromley
• Trinity Church of England Primary School Bromley
• Keston Church of England Primary School Keston
• St Nicholas Church of England Primary Chislehurst
• Bishop Ridley Church of England Primary School Welling
• Cudham Church of England Primary School Westerham
• Robertsbridge Community College Robertsbridge

What is St John's Church of England Primary School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for St John's Church of England Primary School is Requires Improvement, from an inspection in January 2025.

When was St John's Church of England Primary School last inspected by Ofsted?

St John's Church of England Primary School was last inspected in January 2025.

How many pupils does St John's Church of England Primary School have?

St John's Church of England Primary School has 152 pupils on roll.

What age range does St John's Church of England Primary School cover?

St John's Church of England Primary School for pupils aged 4 to 11.

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

In 2025, 75% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is St John's Church of England Primary School?

St John's Church of England Primary School is at Maple Road, Penge, London, SE20 8HU.