St John's CofE Primary School

St John's CofE Primary School is a 322-pupil Church of England primary in Huntingdon, part of The Diocese of Ely Multi-Academy Trust. Inspected in March 2026 under the renewed framework, it met safeguarding standards and was judged to be working at the expected standard across all evaluated areas: achievement, attendance and behaviour, curriculum and teaching, early years, inclusion, leadership and governance, and personal development and wellbeing. The school serves a location with well-above-average deprivation, and its pupil premium and SEND provision are notable features of its inclusive approach. The headline picture is of a calm, purposeful and inclusive school where pupils achieve well and behave well. Leaders have an ambitious curriculum, strong oversight of attendance and behaviour, and effective support for disadvantaged pupils and pupils with SEND. Disadvantaged pupils have achieved better than the same group nationally over time in reading, writing and mathematics, and children in Reception are well prepared for Year 1. Staff, trustees and trust leaders work together effectively, and parents speak positively about the care and guidance pupils receive. The main areas for further work are around consistency in teaching. Some pupils’ misconceptions are not always identified quickly enough, and some SEND next-step targets are not precise enough, meaning practice is not yet consistently strong across all teachers and subjects. Leaders are already addressing this, but there is more to do to embed highly effective teaching fully and to ensure pupils’ achievement is reflected in above-average national test outcomes over time. Overall, this is a secure and improving school with clear capacity to build on its strengths.

Strengths

• Ambitious and coherent curriculum across the school
• Pupils learn and achieve well and progress through the curriculum
• Younger pupils secure phonics, mathematics and writing skills
• Disadvantaged pupils achieve better than the same group nationally over time in reading, writing and mathematics
• Pupils with SEND learn well from varied starting points and receive timely support
• Children in Reception settle well and are well prepared for Year 1
• Attendance is high, with quick and effective follow-up when it dips
• Attendance of pupils with SEND has improved and is now where it should be
• Calm and purposeful school with consistent high expectations for behaviour
• Bullying is almost unheard of, and peer mediators help resolve minor issues
• Teachers have suitable subject knowledge and provide clear explanations
• Staff make careful adjustments for pupils with SEND
• Early years staff use warm interactions to develop vocabulary and language
• Well-established culture of inclusion for disadvantaged pupils and pupils known to social care
• Leaders have a sharp, accurate understanding of school improvement
• Staff wellbeing and workload are carefully managed
• Effective professional learning supports more consistent teaching
• Trustees carry out statutory duties effectively and provide both support and challenge
• Positive relationships with parents and carers
• Broad and purposeful personal development offer
• Pupils learn wellbeing strategies and take on leadership and service roles
• Pupils have a clear moral code and a secure understanding of safety
• Clubs are widely attended and the offer is growing
• Pupils who speak English as an additional language receive high-quality support
• Older pupils support younger pupils and take responsibility seriously

Areas for Improvement

• Some pupils’ misconceptions are not identified consistently well
• Some SEND next-step targets are not as precise as they could be
• Practice is not yet consistently strong across all teachers and subjects
• Leaders need to continue fully embedding highly effective teaching across the curriculum
• Achievement is not yet reflected in above-average national test outcomes over time
• Recent outcomes in some national test measures remain close to, rather than above, national averages

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 Primary School attended 94.8% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 12.0% 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, 1.9% of pupils at St John's CofE 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 Primary School had 20.1 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 13.4% 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, 12.4% of pupils at St John's CofE Primary School were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 2.0% 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 CofE Primary School received £7,025 and spent £6,457 for each of its 322 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £0 (£0 per pupil).

Across all 38 schools of Grace Schools, income was £7,113 and spending £6,207 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 Huntingdon · Cambridgeshire local authority: places and applications

St John's CofE Primary School is part of Grace Schools, which runs 38 schools. The nearest others:

• Ermine Street Church Academy Alconbury Weald
• Bury CofE Primary School Huntingdon
• Holme CofE Primary School Peterborough
• Pathfinder CofE Primary School Cambridge
• Stilton Church of England Primary Academy Peterborough
• Oakington CofE Primary School Cambridge
• William de Yaxley Church of England Academy Peterborough
• Mepal and Witcham Church of England Primary School Ely
• Farcet CofE (C) Primary School Peterborough
• St Luke's CofE Primary School Cambridge

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

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

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

St John's CofE Primary School was last inspected in June 2026.

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

St John's CofE Primary School has 299 pupils on roll.

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

St John's CofE Primary School for pupils aged 5 to 11.

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

In 2025, 62% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is St John's CofE Primary School?

St John's CofE Primary School is at Sallowbush Road, Huntingdon, Cambridgeshire, PE29 7LA.