St John Fisher Catholic Primary School, Loughton

Primary
Academy converter
Mixed
Roman Catholic
Ages 511

Data last updated 11 Sept 2026

Location

Very likely (~629m)Possible (~899m)Unlikely (~1.2km)Confidence: high

Estimated admission likelihood based on school density and oversubscription data

Key Information

DfE GIAS
Head:Mr Ian Kendal
Pupils:268 / 390 capacity
LA:Essex
Phone:02085086315
Address:Burney Drive, Loughton, IG10 2DY
Trust:OUR LADY OF FATIMA CATHOLIC MULTI ACADEMY TRUST
Admissions:Not applicable
Status:open
Opened:1 October 2022

Ofsted Rating

Ofsted · 9 months ago
-

Overall

Requires Improvement

Quality of Education

Requires Improvement

Behaviour & Attitudes

Requires Improvement

Personal Development

Requires Improvement

Leadership & Management

Requires Improvement

Early Years

Inspected 2 December 2025View full report
URN:149372
UKPRN:10091112
Diocese:Diocese of Brentwood
Constituency:Epping Forest
Urban/Rural:Urban: Nearer to a major town or city

Ofsted Insights

What This School Does Well

St John Fisher creates a warm, caring community where pupils thrive socially and emotionally with excellent behaviour and attendance. The school provides strong, tailored support for children with additional needs and disadvantaged pupils. Staff are well-trained and valued, delivering a broad curriculum that builds character, raises aspirations, and prepares children for life beyond school.

Key Strengths

  • Strong, calm, purposeful learning environment with highly positive behaviour and mutual respect between pupils and staff
  • Effective support for pupils with special educational needs and disadvantaged pupils, with inclusive culture throughout the school
  • Well-established professional learning for staff and strong leadership providing clear strategic direction

Areas for Improvement

  • Too few pupils achieved expected standards in reading, writing and mathematics combined, particularly disadvantaged pupils
  • Inconsistencies in how the curriculum is taught and assessment does not always lead to activities precisely matching pupil needs
  • Early years provision needs development - previously too many children entered Year 1 with gaps in knowledge and skills

Safeguarding

Safeguarding standards are met. Leaders have established an open culture where safeguarding is everyone's responsibility, concerns are actively identified and managed, and pupils are made safer and feel safe.

Extracurricular Activities

Irish dancing, badminton, eco club, school council, leadership groups, ballet visits, community charity work

St John Fisher Catholic Primary School has shown significant improvement in culture, attendance, and behaviour under current leadership. However, achievement in reading, writing and mathematics needs further development, with inconsistencies in how the curriculum is taught across the school.

At a Glance

24.6%

Free School Meals

No

Boarding

No

Nursery

No

Sixth Form

No

Special Measures

Primary Performance (KS2)

Academic year 2025/26

KS2 Results (% meeting expected standard)

2024
2025
Reading-16ppMaths-9ppWriting-7pp

Reading has declined from 73% to 57%. Maths has declined from 66% to 57%. Writing has declined from 70% to 63%.

Class Sizes

28.0

Avg class size

28.8

Infant (KS1)

27.5

KS2

10

Total classes

2024/25 academic year

Getting There

Tube / Metro / Tram

Debden Underground Station (north entrance)
848m · 14 min walk

Bus Stops

Mannock Drive (N-bound)
65m · 1 min walk
Etheridge Road (E-bound)
139m · 2 min walk
Goldingham Avenue (adj)
196m · 3 min walk
The Cottage Loaf (o/s)
412m · 7 min walk
Vere Road (opp)
471m · 8 min walk
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Capacity & Demand

School Occupancy

69%

Available places

268 pupils

390 capacity

122 spare places available

Area Demand Pressure - Loughton

High pressure
New homes approved:721
Projected new pupils:180

Based on MHCLG housing supply data for Loughton

Admissions Demand - Essex

Low demand0.87x oversubscription

Places available

17,913

Applications

15,619

Got 1st preference

90.3%

Got preferred school

98.4%

Primary admissions across Essex (2025/26)

Inspection History(2)

2 December 2025
Quality of EducationRequires Improvement
Behaviour & AttitudesRequires Improvement
Personal DevelopmentRequires Improvement
Leadership & ManagementRequires Improvement
Early YearsRequires Improvement
7 October 2022

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SEN Provision

How many pupils have special educational needs, what types of support the school provides, and how it compares to similar schools.

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Pupil Demographics

The school's pupil mix - ethnicity breakdown, free school meals eligibility, and English as an additional language. Useful context when evaluating school fit.

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Teachers & Staff

Teacher qualification rates, pupil-to-teacher ratio, staff turnover, and salary data. Shows how well-resourced and stable the school's workforce is.

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School Funding

Annual funding per pupil, total budget, pupil premium grants, and how the school's resources compare to similar schools nationally.

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Pupil Absence
2024/25

6.87521%

Overall absence

20.38462%

Persistent absence

260

Enrolments

Authorised5.19053%
Unauthorised1.68467%
Persistent (10%+)20.38462%
Severe (50%+)1.15385%

Absence trend

7.21933%
22/23
7.15875%
23/24
6.87521%
24/25
Overall absence rate

Source: DfE pupil absence statistics. Persistent absence = pupils missing 10%+ sessions.

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