St John's Catholic Primary School

St John's Catholic Primary School is a small village school in a large multi-academy trust, with mixed-age classes and 46 pupils. The June 2026 full inspection found it performing securely overall: safeguarding standards are met, all inspected areas are at least at the expected standard, and personal development and wellbeing is a particular strength. Pupils generally achieve above national averages at the expected standard in reading, writing and mathematics, behave well, and benefit from an inclusive, caring ethos. Key strengths include a well-planned personal development programme, extensive enrichment and community work, effective pastoral care, strong early reading and phonics, and clear leadership and governance. Pupils with SEND are supported to learn alongside their peers and make progress, and disadvantaged pupils are included well. Attendance has improved recently and most pupils attend well, though published overall and persistent absence figures for 2024/25 were above national averages. The main areas for development are that teaching does not consistently stretch the most able pupils, fewer pupils reach the highest standards in reading and mathematics, and opportunities for extended writing and deeper thinking are limited in some subjects such as history and geography. Staff expertise in meeting the needs of all pupils with SEND needs to be more consistent, and early years interactions should more reliably extend children's language and early writing skills.

Strengths

• Strong personal development and wellbeing programme built on deeply embedded values and inclusion
• Wide range of trips, clubs, community projects and charity work that develop pupils' talents and confidence
• Effective pastoral care and inclusive support, including for disadvantaged pupils and pupils with SEND
• Pupils achieve above national averages at the expected standard in reading, writing and mathematics
• Effective phonics teaching and secure early reading development
• Positive behaviour and a calm, respectful school environment with very rare bullying or discrimination
• Ambitious, well-sequenced curriculum adapted for mixed-age classes
• Strong leadership and governance with clear priorities, trust support and attention to staff wellbeing
• Nurturing early years provision where children settle quickly and achieve well, especially in personal and social development
• Clear systems for identifying and supporting pupils with SEND, with effective oversight and monitoring
• Safeguarding culture is open and positive, with all legal requirements met

Areas for Improvement

• Teaching does not consistently provide enough depth and challenge for pupils who can achieve more highly
• Fewer pupils reach the highest standards in national tests, particularly in reading and mathematics
• Opportunities for extended writing and deeper thinking are limited in some subjects, such as history and geography
• Some staff need further expertise to consistently meet the needs of all pupils with SEND
• Adult interactions in early years do not always extend children's language or deepen their thinking
• Children are not always reminded of key early writing skills, such as correct posture

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 Catholic Primary School attended 93.5% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 19.5% 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 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's Catholic Primary School had 12.2 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, 5.6% of pupils at St John's Catholic Primary School were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 9.3% 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 Catholic Primary School received £10,261 and spent £9,549 for each of its 46 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £5,000 (£117 per pupil).

Across all 56 schools of St Gabriel the Archangel Catholic Multi-Academy Trust, income was £7,565 and spending £7,594 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 Stafford · Staffordshire local authority: places and applications

St John's Catholic Primary School is part of St Gabriel the Archangel Catholic Multi-Academy Trust, which runs 64 schools. The nearest others:

• St Anne's Catholic Primary School Stafford
• St Joseph's Catholic Primary School Rugeley
• St Austin's Catholic Primary School and Nursery Stafford
• St Patrick's Catholic Primary School Stafford
• Blessed William Howard Catholic School Stafford
• Blessed Mother Teresa's Catholic Primary School Stafford
• St Joseph's Catholic Primary School Cannock
• Cardinal Griffin Catholic College Cannock
• St Mary's Catholic Primary School Cannock
• St Joseph's Catholic Primary School Uttoxeter

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

The latest Ofsted rating for St John's Catholic Primary School is Expected standard, from an inspection in July 2026.

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

St John's Catholic Primary School was last inspected in July 2026.

How many pupils does St John's Catholic Primary School have?

St John's Catholic Primary School has 54 pupils on roll.

What age range does St John's Catholic Primary School cover?

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

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

In 2025, 73% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is St John's Catholic Primary School?

St John's Catholic Primary School is at School Lane, Great Haywood, Stafford, Staffordshire, ST18 0SL.