St John Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School Danbury, Chelmsford
St John Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School Danbury is a primary school for pupils aged 4 to 11 in Chelmsford. It has a Church of England religious character. It was rated Good at its last graded Ofsted inspection, in January 2018. Ofsted's ungraded inspection in September 2023 did not change this grade. Its 2025 Key Stage 2 results were the 30th-highest of the 46 schools in Chelmsford with published results, and 8,950th of 14,452 across England. It was 99% full in 2025.
- SATs results
- In line with England
- Ofsted
- Good (2018)
- Demand
- Every first choice offered
- Attendance
- In line with England
Reception applications for September 2027 close in 80 days
Deadline Friday 15 January 2027. Apply to Essex (the council where you live). Offers on 16 April.
Data last updated 27 Oct 2026
St John Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School Danbury in detail
St John Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School Danbury in its own words
From the headteacher's welcome: "We are situated in the beautiful village of Danbury with many wonderful areas to explore and support our learning right on our doorstep. At St. John's, every child is valued and respected as an individual. We recognise and celebrate all contributions from children, parents and the wider community and we share the varied skills and experience of everyone around us."
Clubs and activities named on the school's website include football, cricket, tennis and swimming.
The school runs after-school care.
Coming up: an open day on Tuesday 10 November 2026 and an open day on Thursday 12 November 2026. Check the school's website before you go, as dates can change.
Headteacher's welcome (school website)Clubs (school website)Wraparound care (school website)
Source: The school's own website
Results
In 2025, 72% of Year 6 pupils at St John Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School Danbury reached the expected standard in reading and 75% in maths. At the average state primary the figures were 78% and 76% in Essex and 77% and 75% across England.
Results fell from 80% in reading and 77% in maths in 2024.
With small year groups, a few pupils can move these figures by several points.
Getting a place at St John Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School Danbury
For September 2026 entry, 26 families put St John Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School Danbury as their first choice and 71 named it as one of their preferences, for 30 places offered. It had fewer first-choice applications than places. Every family who put it first was offered a place there for 2026 entry.
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other state primary schools to St John Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School Danbury are Danbury Park Community Primary School (0.7 miles, Good, 95% reading, 87% maths); Priory Primary School, Bicknacre (1.6 miles, Requires improvement, 83% reading, 67% maths); Woodham Walter Church of England Primary Academy (1.9 miles); and East Hanningfield Church of England Primary Academy (2.8 miles).
Each of them had higher 2025 results than St John Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School Danbury.
Danbury Park Community Primary SchoolPriory Primary School, BicknacreWoodham Walter Church of England Primary AcademyEast Hanningfield Church of England Primary Academy
Who goes there
13.1% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, well below the average state school (25%), and 1.8% speak English as an additional language, against 18.8% on average, according to the 2026 school census.
Getting there
The nearest railway station is Beaulieu Park Rail Station, about 3.7 miles away in a straight line.
6 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Hay Green (opposite), 140 metres away.
The area around the school
Measured by the 2025 English Indices of Deprivation, the neighbourhood St John Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School Danbury stands in is among the 20% least deprived neighbourhoods in England. This describes where the school is, not where its pupils live.
In August 2026, police recorded 12 crimes within a mile of the school, most often violence and sexual offences, anti-social behaviour and vehicle crime. That is well below the typical figure around schools in Essex (97).
Suspensions and exclusions
In 2024/25, St John Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School Danbury issued 8 suspensions, 3.7 for every 100 pupils (the average state school: 6.3), and no permanent exclusions.
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
Key Information
DfE GIASOfsted Rating
Ofsted · 3 years agoThis judgement is from January 2018, 8 years ago, longer than Ofsted's usual 4-year cycle: the school may have changed since.
Overall
Latest (ungraded) inspection: The school remains Good.
Ofsted Insights
Ofsted rated this school Good at its January 2018 inspection - unchanged since its previous inspection.
Rated Good for
Leadership & management.
At a Glance
13.1%
Free School Meals
No
Boarding
No
Nursery
No
Sixth Form
No
Special Measures
Primary Performance (KS2)
Academic year 2024/25KS2 Results (% meeting expected standard)
Reading has declined from 80% to 72% (2024 to 2025). Maths has remained stable at around 75% (2024 to 2025). Writing has remained stable at around 81% (2024 to 2025).
Class Sizes
31.7
Avg class size
30.3
Infant (KS1)
32.8
KS2
7
Total classes
4 classes with more than 30 pupils
2025/26 academic year
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 5 nearby primary schools
Social & online
Keep up with St John Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School Danbury
Getting There
Bus Stops
Free school transport
You apply to the council where you live. St John Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School Danbury is in Essex; for families living there:
- Essex's school travel policy: Education Transport Policy
Safety and surroundings
Road collisions within 500 m (2021 to 2025)
- Collisions
- 12
- Fatal
- 0
- Serious
- 0
- Children hurt
- 1
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 12 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 0 serious and 12 slight.
1 child aged 0 to 15 was hurt: 1 on foot.
5 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 Essex is 9 (the median across 614 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 St John Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School Danbury
Will you get a place at St John Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School Danbury? Get the admissions report
Your home postcode, set against St John Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School Danbury's admissions figures, in one report saved to your account.
What the report includes for St John Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School Danbury:
- The straight-line distance from your home to St John Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School Danbury.
- We hold no last distance offered figures from Essex, so the report covers demand, alternatives and dates.
- Applications, first choices and offers at St John Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School Danbury for 2014 to 2026 entry.
- How many families in Essex 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
99%
Near capacity
219 pupils
220 places
1 spare place in 2025
2025, DfE school capacity data
Area Demand Pressure - Chelmsford
Based on MHCLG Live Table 122 (2024-25, last 5 years) for Chelmsford
Across Essex council
Places available
17,932
Applications
15,737
Got 1st preference
90.3%
Got preferred school
98.2%
All primary applications across Essex council (2026/27), not just this school.
This school: Every first choice offered
Inspection History(7)
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
35
SEN Support
9
EHC Plans
19.8%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
222
Total Pupils
127
Boys
95
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
12
Teachers
18.5:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£53,169
Mean salary
2026 data
School Funding
£5,339
Per pupil
£1287k
Total funding
£58k
Pupil premium
2025-26 financial year allocations
Pupil Absence2024/25
5.6%
Overall absence
15.1%
Persistent absence
199
Enrolments
Absence trend
Source: DfE pupil absence statistics. Persistent absence = pupils missing 10%+ sessions.
Questions parents ask about St John Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School Danbury
What are SATs results like at St John Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School Danbury?
Of the pupils at St John Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School Danbury who took the 2025 Key Stage 2 assessments, 72% reached the expected standard in reading and 75% did so in maths.
What is St John Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School Danbury's Ofsted rating?
St John Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School Danbury's most recent Ofsted inspection, in September 2023, was ungraded, so it gave no overall grade. At its last graded inspection, in January 2018, it was rated Good.
What is the catchment area for St John Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School Danbury?
No fixed boundary. When St John Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School Danbury is oversubscribed, Essex allocates places by its published criteria, usually ending with home-to-school distance.
Is it hard to get a place at St John Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School Danbury?
St John Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School Danbury was full in 2025, at 100% of its capacity, so places are allocated on the oversubscription criteria.
How big are the classes at St John Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School Danbury?
Classes at St John Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School Danbury average 31.7 pupils (2025/26). 4 classes have more than 30 pupils - infant classes are capped at 30 by law, with limited exceptions.
How many pupils go to St John Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School Danbury?
St John Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School Danbury has around 222 pupils on roll. 13% are eligible for free school meals.
What is attendance like at St John Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School Danbury?
5.6% of sessions were missed at St John Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School Danbury in 2024/25. 15.1% of pupils were persistently absent (missing 10% or more of sessions).
How do I apply to St John Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School Danbury?
Apply through Essex's coordinated admissions process, naming St John Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School Danbury 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 St John Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School Danbury?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 12 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 0 serious and 12 slight. 1 child aged 0 to 15 was hurt: 1 on foot. 5 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 Essex is 9 (the median across 614 schools, same distance and years).
Where is St John Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School Danbury?
St John Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School Danbury is at Little Baddow Road, Danbury, Chelmsford, Essex, CM3 4NS.
Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)