John Gulson Primary School, Coventry
John Gulson Primary School is a primary school for pupils aged 3 to 11 in Coventry. It was rated Good at its last graded Ofsted inspection, in June 2024. Its 2025 Key Stage 2 results were the 30th-highest of the 93 schools in Coventry with published results, and 6,834th of 14,452 across England. It was 89% full in 2025.
- SATs results
- In line with England
- Ofsted
- Good (2024)
- Demand
- Every first choice offered
- Attendance
- Below England average
Reception applications for September 2027 close in 81 days
Deadline Friday 15 January 2027. Apply to Coventry (the council where you live). Offers on 16 April.
Data last updated 26 Oct 2026
John Gulson Primary School in detail
Results
In 2025, 78% of Year 6 pupils at John Gulson Primary School reached the expected standard in reading and 78% in maths. At the average state primary the figures were 74% and 72% in Coventry and 77% and 75% across England.
Results rose from 68% in reading and 62% in maths in 2024.
Getting a place at John Gulson Primary School
For September 2026 entry, 50 families put John Gulson Primary School as their first choice and 110 named it as one of their preferences, for 55 places offered. It had fewer first-choice applications than places. Every family who put it first was offered a place there for 2026 entry.
Admissions history and your chances at John Gulson Primary School
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other state primary schools to John Gulson Primary School are Sidney Stringer Primary Academy (0.3 miles, Outstanding, 83% reading, 79% maths); St Mary and St Benedict Catholic Primary School (0.4 miles, Good, 79% reading, 79% maths); Broad Heath Community Primary School (0.5 miles, Good, 74% reading, 76% maths); and Frederick Bird Academy (0.6 miles, 66% reading, 63% maths).
John Gulson Primary School's 2025 results were higher than 2 of these 4 schools.
Sidney Stringer Primary AcademySt Mary and St Benedict Catholic Primary SchoolBroad Heath Community Primary SchoolFrederick Bird Academy
Who goes there
35.9% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, well above the average state school (25%), and 61.1% speak English as an additional language, against 18.8% on average, according to the 2026 school census.
The largest ethnic groups are Asian (60%), Black (16%) and White British (8%).
In 2026, 67 pupils (13.5%) received SEN support and 10 (2%) had an education, health and care plan, against 16.2% and 4.6% at the average state school. The most common need among them is a moderate learning difficulty.
Getting there
The nearest railway station is Coventry Rail Station, about 1.3 miles away in a straight line.
16 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Eagle St East (adjacent), 170 metres away.
The area around the school
Measured by the 2025 English Indices of Deprivation, the neighbourhood John Gulson Primary School stands in is among the 10% most deprived neighbourhoods in England. This describes where the school is, not where its pupils live.
In August 2026, police recorded 1102 crimes within a mile of the school, most often violence and sexual offences, shoplifting and public order offences. That is well above the typical figure around schools in Coventry (253), as is usual near a town centre.
Suspensions and exclusions
In 2024/25, John Gulson Primary School issued 38 suspensions, 7.9 for every 100 pupils (the average state school: 6.3), and no permanent exclusions.
Secondary schools nearby
The secondary schools closest to John Gulson Primary School are Eden Girls' School, Coventry (0.2 miles); Sidney Stringer Academy (0.5 miles); and Barr's Hill School (0.6 miles).
Eden Girls' School, CoventrySidney Stringer AcademyBarr's Hill School
Sources: DfE school performance data (averages: state mainstream schools); DfE school-level applications and offers; council admissions booklets; DfE appeals statistics; DfE school census and special educational needs statistics; NaPTAN (Department for Transport); English Indices of Deprivation 2025 (MHCLG); data.police.uk street-level crime; DfE exclusions statistics
Location
Every family who put it first was offered a place for 2026 entry, so distance did not limit places that year.
Key Information
DfE GIASOfsted Rating
Ofsted · 2 years agoOverall
Quality of Education
Behaviour & Attitudes
Personal Development
Leadership & Management
Early Years
Ofsted Insights
From Ofsted's June 2024 inspection report.
What This School Does Well
John Gulson Primary School excels at creating an inclusive, welcoming environment where every child feels valued and safe. The school has excellent teaching of reading and a carefully planned curriculum that helps children build knowledge and skills progressively. Teachers provide strong support for children with additional needs, and the school offers outstanding enrichment activities including clubs, visits and visitors that broaden pupils' experiences and ambitions.
Key Strengths
- Strong focus on reading with a well-implemented phonics scheme taught consistently across the school
- Excellent curriculum design that helps pupils build knowledge logically and make connections between learning
- Outstanding personal development provision with a wealth of clubs, visitors and visits that enrich pupils' lives
- Strong support for pupils with SEND, including effective specialist provision in 'Nests or Nestlings'
- Inclusive, calm school environment where pupils feel safe, happy and valued
Areas for Improvement
- Assessment is not used consistently well across all subjects and year groups, meaning teachers sometimes miss pupils who need extra help or have misunderstandings
- Early years curriculum and learning environment need further development to ensure children receive the important learning experiences they need
- Inconsistent use of assessment within lessons in some classes, including Nursery and Reception
Safeguarding
Safeguarding arrangements are effective, with strong procedures in place to keep pupils safe and supported.
Extracurricular Activities
Breakfast club, clubs and enrichment activities, school visits and visiting speakers
John Gulson Primary School is a welcoming, inclusive school that places diversity at its heart and has improved from its previous 'Requires improvement' rating. The school is now rated Good overall, with Outstanding personal development provision.
At a Glance
35.9%
Free School Meals
No
Boarding
Yes
Nursery
No
Sixth Form
No
Special Measures
Primary Performance (KS2)
Academic year 2024/25KS2 Results (% meeting expected standard)
Reading has improved from 68% to 78% (2024 to 2025). Maths has improved from 62% to 78% (2024 to 2025). Writing has improved from 70% to 76% (2024 to 2025).
Class Sizes
29.1
Avg class size
29.2
Infant (KS1)
28.2
KS2
16
Total classes
7 classes with more than 30 pupils
2025/26 academic year
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 5 nearby primary schools
Keep up with John Gulson Primary School
Getting There
Bus Stops
Free school transport
Check free transport to John Gulson Primary School from your postcode →
You apply to the council where you live. John Gulson Primary School is in Coventry; for families living there:
Apply to Coventry for free school transport. Its policy is on the council's website.
Safety and surroundings
Road collisions within 500 m (2021 to 2025)
- Collisions
- 54
- Fatal
- 0
- Serious
- 15
- Children hurt
- 12
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 54 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 15 serious and 39 slight.
12 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 8 on foot and 4 in a vehicle or otherwise.
10 of the collisions happened on a weekday between 08:00 and 09:30 or 14:45 and 16:30, holidays included.
The typical figure for schools in Coventry is 14 (the median across 130 schools, same distance and years).
Serious and slight counts use the Department for Transport's severity adjustment, which allows for changes in how police forces record injuries; they are estimates, rounded to whole numbers. Distances are in a straight line. Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19), Open Government Licence v3.0.
Commute and house prices
Your chances of a place at John Gulson Primary School
Will you get a place at John Gulson Primary School? Get the admissions report
Your home postcode, set against John Gulson Primary School's admissions figures, in one report saved to your account.
What the report includes for John Gulson Primary School:
- The straight-line distance from your home to John Gulson Primary School.
- Coventry publishes last distance offered figures, but none for John Gulson Primary School that we hold, so the report covers demand, alternatives and dates.
- Applications, first choices and offers at John Gulson Primary School for 2014 to 2026 entry.
- How many families in Coventry got their first choice, and how often appeals there succeed.
- The nearest state schools to your home, with Ofsted rating, demand and last distance offered where published.
- Key dates for September 2027 entry and how to apply.
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Capacity & Demand
School Occupancy
89%
Available places
455 pupils
509 places
54 spare places in 2025
2025, DfE school capacity data
Area Demand Pressure - Coventry
Based on MHCLG Live Table 122 (2024-25, last 5 years) for Coventry
Across Coventry council
Places available
4,575
Applications
3,754
Got 1st preference
94.9%
Got preferred school
99.2%
All primary applications across Coventry council (2026/27), not just this school.
This school: Every first choice offered
Inspection History(10)
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
67
SEN Support
10
EHC Plans
15.5%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
496
Total Pupils
261
Boys
235
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
22
Teachers
22.5:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£47,745
Mean salary
2026 data
School Funding
£5,980
Per pupil
£2974k
Total funding
£226k
Pupil premium
2025-26 financial year allocations
Pupil Absence2024/25
6.9%
Overall absence
22.2%
Persistent absence
437
Enrolments
Absence trend
Source: DfE pupil absence statistics. Persistent absence = pupils missing 10%+ sessions.
Secondary Schools Nearby
Secondary schools pupils are likely to move to
John Gulson Primary School
Questions parents ask about John Gulson Primary School
What are SATs results like at John Gulson Primary School?
Of the pupils at John Gulson Primary School who took the 2025 Key Stage 2 assessments, 78% reached the expected standard in reading and 78% did so in maths.
What is John Gulson Primary School's Ofsted rating?
John Gulson Primary School was rated Good at its most recent Ofsted inspection in June 2024. At its previous graded inspection in 2022 it was rated Requires Improvement.
What is the catchment area for John Gulson Primary School?
No fixed boundary. When John Gulson Primary School is oversubscribed, Coventry allocates places by its published criteria, usually ending with home-to-school distance.
Is it hard to get a place at John Gulson Primary School?
John Gulson Primary School was not full in 2025: it ran at 89% of its 509 places.
How big are the classes at John Gulson Primary School?
Classes at John Gulson Primary School average 29.1 pupils (2025/26). 7 classes have more than 30 pupils - infant classes are capped at 30 by law, with limited exceptions.
How many pupils go to John Gulson Primary School?
John Gulson Primary School has around 496 pupils on roll. 36% are eligible for free school meals.
What is attendance like at John Gulson Primary School?
6.9% of sessions were missed at John Gulson Primary School in 2024/25. 22.2% of pupils were persistently absent (missing 10% or more of sessions).
How do I apply to John Gulson Primary School?
Apply through Coventry's coordinated admissions process, naming John Gulson Primary School on your application. Applications for Reception places starting in September 2027 close on Friday 15 January 2027, and offers are made on Friday 16 April 2027.
How many road collisions happen near John Gulson Primary School?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 54 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 15 serious and 39 slight. 12 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 8 on foot and 4 in a vehicle or otherwise. 10 of the collisions happened on a weekday between 08:00 and 09:30 or 14:45 and 16:30, holidays included. The typical figure for schools in Coventry is 14 (the median across 130 schools, same distance and years).
Where is John Gulson Primary School?
John Gulson Primary School is at George Street, Coventry, West Midlands, CV1 4HB.
Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)