St John's CofE First School

St John's CofE First School is a small, welcoming church school in Staffordshire and part of Penk Valley Academy Trust. Inspectors found a nurturing, inclusive culture where pupils are happy, behave well and feel safe, and safeguarding standards are met. Leaders identify and support pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities and disadvantaged pupils effectively, while personal development is a notable strength, rooted in Christian values and enriched by trips, clubs and strong pastoral care. The school meets expected standards in achievement, attendance and behaviour, curriculum and teaching, early years, and leadership and governance, with inclusion and personal development reaching strong standard. Pupils generally achieve well from their starting points, phonics is a strength, and overall attendance is above the national average. However, some variation in teaching quality remains, multiplication tables check outcomes have been below average in recent years, and some pupils need more support with handwriting and spelling. Attendance for a small number of disadvantaged pupils is also below average, though strategies are in place. Leaders and governors are effective, staff feel well supported, and parents are overwhelmingly positive. The school is well placed to continue improving, with next steps focused on consistently implementing the most effective teaching, improving handwriting and spelling accuracy, and raising attendance for vulnerable groups.

Strengths

• Welcoming and inclusive culture praised by many parents
• Quick and accurate identification of pupils' needs, including SEND and disadvantaged pupils
• Highly trained staff who adapt teaching and the learning environment so all pupils access the full curriculum
• Strong support for disadvantaged pupils' learning, attendance and wellbeing
• Thoughtfully planned transitions help pupils feel safe, valued and part of the community
• Personal development curriculum firmly rooted in Christian values and taught alongside British values
• Wide range of enrichment opportunities, with monitoring to ensure disadvantaged pupils benefit
• Strong pastoral systems enable staff, parents and pupils to raise concerns and receive targeted support
• Pupils behave very positively because of high expectations, clear routines and consistent application of the behaviour policy
• Pupils feel safe, bullying is rare, and concerns are dealt with quickly and effectively
• Pupils perform above average in the Year 1 phonics screening check
• Disadvantaged pupils and those with SEND generally achieve well from their starting points
• Overall attendance is above the national average and leaders have strengthened their approach to managing it
• Early years curriculum is well structured and sequenced, with strong relationships between staff and parents
• Leaders support staff well, value their wellbeing, and staff are proud to work at the school
• Governors provide a suitable balance of support and challenge and meet their statutory duties

Areas for Improvement

• Teaching quality is not yet consistently high across all year groups
• Some pupils need greater support to develop accuracy in handwriting and spelling
• Multiplication tables check outcomes at the end of Year 4 have been below average in recent years, though improving
• Attendance of a small number of disadvantaged pupils is below average
• Leaders must ensure the most effective teaching practice is implemented consistently across all year groups

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 First School attended 94.3% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 7.4% 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, 1.3% of pupils at St John's CofE First 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 First School had 18.0 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, 12.3% of pupils at St John's CofE First School were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 2.5% 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 First School received £9,203 and spent £8,800 for each of its 71 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £50,000 (£711 per pupil).

Across all 7 schools of Penk Valley Academy Trust, income was £7,287 and spending £7,447 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 CofE First School is part of Penk Valley Academy Trust, which runs 7 schools. The nearest others:

• St Mary and St Chad CofE First School Stafford
• The Rural Enterprise Academy Penkridge
• Marshbrook First School Stafford
• Princefield First School Stafford
• Wolgarston High School Stafford
• Penkridge Middle School Stafford

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

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

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

St John's CofE First School was last inspected in July 2026.

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

St John's CofE First School has 81 pupils on roll.

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

St John's CofE First School for pupils aged 2 to 9.

Where is St John's CofE First School?

St John's CofE First School is at Whiteoaks Drive, Bishopswood, Stafford, Staffordshire, ST19 9AH.