St John's Primary Academy

St John’s Primary Academy has demonstrated strong overall effectiveness, achieving a good rating in its first routine Ofsted inspection since becoming an academy in 2020. The school is noted for its outstanding performance in behaviour, attitudes, personal development, and leadership and management. While the quality of education is good, there are minor areas for improvement, particularly in ensuring that all subjects have clearly defined key knowledge and skills for pupils to learn. The supportive and nurturing environment fosters high levels of confidence among students, contributing to their happiness and sense of safety at school.

Strengths

• Exceptional care and support provided by staff
• Outstanding behaviour and attitudes of pupils
• Effective leadership and management
• Ambitious and engaging curriculum
• Strong focus on phonics and reading
• High levels of confidence and maturity in pupils
• Strong relationships between pupils and staff

Areas for Improvement

• Some subjects lack precise identification of key knowledge and skills
• Minor inconsistencies in curriculum checks for foundation subjects

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 Primary Academy attended 94.6% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 10.0% 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, 0.1% of pupils at St John's Primary Academy 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 Primary Academy had 24.2 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 9.7% 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, 8.4% of pupils at St John's Primary Academy were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 2.2% 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 Primary Academy received £5,211 and spent £5,419 for each of its 689 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £507,000 (£736 per pupil).

Across all 7 schools of Future Generation Trust, income was £5,867 and spending £5,964 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 Wolverhampton · Staffordshire local authority: places and applications

St John's Primary Academy is part of Future Generation Trust, which runs 7 schools. The nearest others:

• Cheslyn Hay Primary Academy Walsall
• Moat Hall Primary Academy Walsall
• St Peter's CofE Primary Academy Cannock
• Gentleshaw Primary Academy Rugeley
• Etching Hill CofE Primary Academy Rugeley
• Willows Primary Academy Lichfield

What is St John's Primary Academy's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for St John's Primary Academy is Good, from an inspection in March 2023.

When was St John's Primary Academy last inspected by Ofsted?

St John's Primary Academy was last inspected in March 2023.

How many pupils does St John's Primary Academy have?

St John's Primary Academy has 712 pupils on roll.

What age range does St John's Primary Academy cover?

St John's Primary Academy for pupils aged 3 to 11.

What are St John's Primary Academy's SATs (KS2) results?

In 2025, 70% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is St John's Primary Academy?

St John's Primary Academy is at Hobnock Road, Essington, Wolverhampton, West Midlands, WV11 2RF.