John Scurr Primary School, London
John Scurr Primary School is a primary school for pupils aged 2 to 11 in London. It was rated Good at its last graded Ofsted inspection, in March 2023. Its 2025 Key Stage 2 results were the 334th-highest of the 959 schools in London with published results, and 2,629th of 14,452 across England. It was 92% full in 2025.
- SATs results
- Above England average
- Ofsted
- Good (2023)
- Demand
- Every first choice offered
- Attendance
- In line with England
Reception applications for September 2027 close in 81 days
Deadline Friday 15 January 2027. Apply to Tower Hamlets (the council where you live). Offers on 16 April.
Data last updated 26 Oct 2026
John Scurr Primary School in detail
John Scurr Primary School in its own words
Clubs and activities named on the school's website include football, cricket, swimming, dance, coding and sewing.
The school runs a breakfast club from 8:00am and after-school care until 4:00pm.
Clubs (school website)Wraparound care (school website)
Source: The school's own website
Results
In 2025, 85% of Year 6 pupils at John Scurr Primary School reached the expected standard in reading and 89% in maths. At the average state primary the figures were 82% and 82% in Tower Hamlets and 77% and 75% across England.
Results were similar in 2024 (86% in reading, 85% in maths).
Getting a place at John Scurr Primary School
For September 2026 entry, 56 families put John Scurr Primary School as their first choice and 89 named it as one of their preferences, for 56 places offered. That is one first choice for every place. Every family who put it first was offered a place there for 2026 entry.
Admissions history and your chances at John Scurr Primary School
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other state primary schools to John Scurr Primary School are Stepney Park Primary School (0.2 miles, Good, 83% reading, 85% maths); Bangabandhu Primary School (0.3 miles, Good, 88% reading, 89% maths); Stewart Headlam Primary School (0.3 miles, Outstanding, 93% reading, 97% maths); and Hague Primary School (0.3 miles, Good, 90% reading, 90% maths).
John Scurr Primary School's 2025 results were higher than 1 of these 4 schools.
Stepney Park Primary SchoolBangabandhu Primary SchoolStewart Headlam Primary SchoolHague Primary School
Who goes there
41.5% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, well above the average state school (25%), and 97.8% speak English as an additional language, against 18.8% on average, according to the 2026 school census.
Staffing
John Scurr Primary School had 28 teachers in 2026, one for every 14 pupils: more teachers per pupil than a typical primary school, at about one for every 20.
Getting there
The nearest Underground station is Stepney Green Underground Station, about 380 metres away (roughly a 5-minute walk).
15 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Stepney Green, 160 metres away.
The area around the school
Measured by the 2025 English Indices of Deprivation, the neighbourhood John Scurr Primary School stands in is among the 20% most deprived neighbourhoods in England. This describes where the school is, not where its pupils live.
Suspensions and exclusions
John Scurr Primary School recorded no suspensions or permanent exclusions in 2024/25.
Secondary schools nearby
The secondary schools closest to John Scurr Primary School are Swanlea School (0.3 miles), Morpeth School (0.4 miles), Mulberry Stepney Green Mathematics and Computing College (0.5 miles) and Stepney All Saints Church of England Secondary School (0.5 miles).
Swanlea SchoolMorpeth SchoolMulberry Stepney Green Mathematics and Computing CollegeStepney All Saints Church of England Secondary 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; DfE school workforce census; NaPTAN (Department for Transport); English Indices of Deprivation 2025 (MHCLG); data.police.uk street-level crime; DfE exclusions statistics
Location
Tower Hamlets published that the last place for 2026 entry went to a family 1,980 metres away (straight line). The cut-off moves every year.
Key Information
DfE GIASOfsted Rating
Ofsted · 4 years agoOverall
Quality of Education
Behaviour & Attitudes
Personal Development
Leadership & Management
Early Years
Ofsted Insights
From Ofsted's March 2023 inspection report.
What This School Does Well
John Scurr is an ambitious school where children are taught to be respectful, resilient and ready to learn. The school excels at reading, with expert phonics teaching and strong support for pupils who need catching up. Beyond academics, pupils enjoy an impressive range of enrichment activities including forest school, chess, debating competitions, and daily fitness activities.
Key Strengths
- Strong phonics programme with well-trained staff ensuring pupils become fluent readers
- Excellent provision for pupils with special educational needs through rapid identification and specialist teaching
- Extensive personal development curriculum including music, singing, and performance opportunities
- Ambitious and well-designed curriculum with clear progression of knowledge in subjects like history
- Strong safeguarding culture with clear systems and awareness of local risks
Areas for Improvement
- Early years curriculum does not systematically ensure children learn key knowledge and skills across all learning areas
- In some subjects, the newer curriculum improvements are not yet as clearly embedded or connected to build knowledge over time
Safeguarding
Safeguarding arrangements are effective with a strong culture in place, clear reporting systems, staff awareness of local risks, and pupils taught to keep themselves safe online.
Extracurricular Activities
Forest school, edible garden, competitive chess, termly clubs, debating competitions, singing and musical instruments, daily mile running
John Scurr Primary School is a good school where leaders are ambitious for pupils and have established a positive learning environment with strong routines and a well-designed curriculum. Pupils behave respectfully, feel safe, and take pride in their school.
At a Glance
41.5%
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 remained stable at around 85% (2024 to 2025). Maths has improved from 85% to 89% (2024 to 2025). Writing has improved from 73% to 79% (2024 to 2025).
Class Sizes
25.6
Avg class size
28.0
Infant (KS1)
26.6
KS2
17
Total classes
1 class with more than 30 pupils
2025/26 academic year
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 5 nearby primary schools
Keep up with John Scurr Primary School
Before and after school care
Clubs on Ofsted's childcare register at or near John Scurr Primary School.
- Ideal Centre For Tuition200m away · Not yet graded
- The Phonics Club200m away · Not yet graded
- Knowledge County Childcare370m away · Not yet graded
- Bethnal Green After School Club410m away · Not yet graded
- Bethnal Green After School Club810m away · Not yet graded
- TH Holiday Childcare St Anne's and Guardian Angels School950m away · Not yet graded
Term dates
John Scurr Primary School is a community school, so its term dates are set by Tower Hamlets. Training (INSET) days, when pupils are not in school, vary by school: check the school's own calendar.
2026 to 2027
- Autumn term: Tuesday 1 September to Friday 18 December 2026 (half term Monday 26 October to Friday 30 October 2026)
- Spring term: Monday 4 January to Thursday 25 March 2027 (half term Monday 15 February to Friday 19 February 2027)
- Summer term: Monday 12 April to Friday 23 July 2027 (half term Monday 31 May to Friday 4 June 2027)
Getting There
Train Stations
Tube / Metro / Tram
Bus Stops
Free school transport
Check free transport to John Scurr Primary School from your postcode →
You apply to the council where you live. John Scurr Primary School is in Tower Hamlets; for families living there:
Apply to Tower Hamlets for free school transport. Its policy is on the council's website.
Safety and surroundings
Road collisions within 500 m (2021 to 2025)
- Collisions
- 356
- Fatal
- 1
- Serious
- 49
- Children hurt
- 13
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 356 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: 1 fatal, 49 serious and 306 slight.
13 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 7 on foot, 3 on a bicycle and 3 in a vehicle or otherwise.
68 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 Tower Hamlets is 231 (the median across 115 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 Scurr Primary School
Will you get a place at John Scurr Primary School? Get the admissions report
Your home postcode, set against John Scurr Primary School's admissions figures, in one report saved to your account.
What the report includes for John Scurr Primary School:
- The straight-line distance from your home to John Scurr Primary School.
- Last distance offered for 2025 and 2026 entry, from Tower Hamlets's own figures, and how your distance compares each year.
- Applications, first choices and offers at John Scurr Primary School for 2014 to 2026 entry.
- How many families in Tower Hamlets 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.
£9.99 once
One school, inc. VAT. Or £19.99 for up to three schools.
Pro £9 a month, every report included, cancel any time
A report for any school, plus everything else in Pro.
Capacity & Demand
School Occupancy
92%
Near capacity
386 pupils
420 places
34 spare places in 2025
2025, DfE school capacity data
Area Demand Pressure - London
Based on MHCLG Live Table 122 (2024-25, last 5 years) for London
Across Tower Hamlets council
Places available
3,355
Applications
2,713
Got 1st preference
92.6%
Got preferred school
98.2%
All primary applications across Tower Hamlets council (2026/27), not just this school.
This school: Every first choice offered
Inspection History(8)
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
91
SEN Support
26
EHC Plans
23.7%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
494
Total Pupils
263
Boys
231
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
28
Teachers
17.6:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£53,673
Mean salary
2026 data
School Funding
£7,490
Per pupil
£3308k
Total funding
£241k
Pupil premium
2025-26 financial year allocations
Pupil Absence2024/25
5.7%
Overall absence
16.9%
Persistent absence
349
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
Questions parents ask about John Scurr Primary School
What are SATs results like at John Scurr Primary School?
Of the pupils at John Scurr Primary School who took the 2025 Key Stage 2 assessments, 85% reached the expected standard in reading and 89% did so in maths.
What is John Scurr Primary School's Ofsted rating?
John Scurr Primary School was rated Good at its most recent Ofsted inspection in March 2023.
How close to John Scurr Primary School do you need to live?
Tower Hamlets publishes how far the last offered place was, in metres: 617 for 2025 entry, then 1980 for 2026 entry. The cut-off has loosened over that period, so places have been reaching further out. These are the authority's own figures, not a fixed boundary - the cut-off moves with the number of applications each year.
Is it hard to get a place at John Scurr Primary School?
John Scurr Primary School was not full in 2025: it ran at 92% of its 420 places.
How big are the classes at John Scurr Primary School?
Classes at John Scurr Primary School average 25.6 pupils (2025/26). 1 class has more than 30 pupils - infant classes are capped at 30 by law, with limited exceptions.
How many pupils go to John Scurr Primary School?
John Scurr Primary School has around 494 pupils on roll. 42% are eligible for free school meals.
What is attendance like at John Scurr Primary School?
5.7% of sessions were missed at John Scurr Primary School in 2024/25. 16.9% of pupils were persistently absent (missing 10% or more of sessions).
How do I apply to John Scurr Primary School?
Apply through Tower Hamlets's coordinated admissions process, naming John Scurr 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.
Does John Scurr Primary School have a breakfast club or after-school club?
Ofsted's childcare register lists 6 out-of-school clubs within a kilometre of John Scurr Primary School: Ideal Centre For Tuition (200m away, registered, not yet graded), The Phonics Club (200m away, registered, not yet graded) and Knowledge County Childcare (370m away, registered, not yet graded). The school may also run its own clubs, which don't have to register with Ofsted.
What are John Scurr Primary School's term dates?
John Scurr Primary School is a community school, so its term dates are set by Tower Hamlets. In 2026 to 2027: Autumn term: Tuesday 1 September to Friday 18 December 2026 (half term Monday 26 October to Friday 30 October 2026); Spring term: Monday 4 January to Thursday 25 March 2027 (half term Monday 15 February to Friday 19 February 2027); Summer term: Monday 12 April to Friday 23 July 2027 (half term Monday 31 May to Friday 4 June 2027).
How many road collisions happen near John Scurr Primary School?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 356 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: 1 fatal, 49 serious and 306 slight. 13 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 7 on foot, 3 on a bicycle and 3 in a vehicle or otherwise. 68 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 Tower Hamlets is 231 (the median across 115 schools, same distance and years).
Where is John Scurr Primary School?
John Scurr Primary School is at Cephas Street, Stepney Green, London, E1 4AX.
Sources: Tower Hamlets admissions booklets; Tower Hamlets term dates; Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)