St John Henry Newman Catholic VA Primary School, Peterborough
St John Henry Newman Catholic VA Primary School is a primary school for pupils aged 4 to 11 in Peterborough. It has a Catholic religious character. Its 2025 Key Stage 2 results were the 38th-highest of the 78 schools in Peterborough with published results, and 8,234th of 14,452 across England. For 2026 entry it had 1.4 first-choice applications for every place. It was 60% full in 2025.
- SATs results
- In line with England
- Demand
- Oversubscribed
- Attendance
- Better than England average
Reception applications for September 2027 close in 80 days
Deadline Friday 15 January 2027. Apply to Peterborough (the council where you live). Offers on 16 April.
Data last updated 27 Oct 2026
St John Henry Newman Catholic VA Primary School in detail
St John Henry Newman Catholic VA Primary School in its own words
In its own words: "This policy was determined by the Governing Body on 31st January 2024. This policy will apply for the whole of the 2025/26 academic year. This policy was determined by the Governing Body on 29th January 2025. This policy will apply for the whole of the 2026/27 academic year. This policy was determined by the Governing Body on 3rd February 2026."
From the headteacher's welcome: "A very warm welcome to St John Henry Newman Catholic Primary School. We opened our doors in September 2022 with just 38 pupils and a shared vision to build something special for our local community. In just three years, that vision has grown into a flourishing school of over 400 children."
The school runs a breakfast club.
Vision and values (school website)Headteacher's welcome (school website)Wraparound care (school website)
Source: The school's own website
Results
In 2025, 83% of Year 6 pupils at St John Henry Newman Catholic VA Primary School reached the expected standard in reading and 67% in maths. At the average state primary the figures were 75% and 75% in Peterborough and 77% and 75% across England.
Results fell from 83% in reading and 83% in maths in 2024.
Getting a place at St John Henry Newman Catholic VA Primary School
For September 2026 entry, 87 families put St John Henry Newman Catholic VA Primary School as their first choice and 159 named it as one of their preferences, for 60 places offered. That is 1.4 first choices for every place. 29 families who put it first were not offered a place there.
Admissions history and your chances at St John Henry Newman Catholic VA Primary School
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other state primary schools to St John Henry Newman Catholic VA Primary School are Hampton Lakes Primary School (0.6 miles, Good, 88% reading, 73% maths); Fourfields Community Primary School (0.7 miles, Good, 72% reading, 77% maths); Hampton Vale Primary Academy (0.8 miles, Good, 82% reading, 85% maths); and William de Yaxley Church of England Academy (0.9 miles, Good, 55% reading, 56% maths).
St John Henry Newman Catholic VA Primary School's 2025 results were higher than 2 of these 4 schools.
Hampton Lakes Primary SchoolFourfields Community Primary SchoolHampton Vale Primary AcademyWilliam de Yaxley Church of England Academy
What parents say
80 parents answered Ofsted's Parent View survey about St John Henry Newman Catholic VA Primary School (as of September 2025): 99% would recommend the school, 96% say their child is happy there and 86% of those with a view say bullying is dealt with well.
The strongest agreement was that they would recommend the school (99%); the weakest, that the school deals with bullying well (among parents with a view) (86%).
Who goes there
16.1% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, well below the average state school (25%), and 34.9% speak English as an additional language, against 18.8% on average, according to the 2026 school census.
The largest ethnic groups are Black (32%), White British (21%) and Asian (16%).
Getting there
The nearest tram or metro stop is Orton Mere (Nene Valley Railway), about 2.3 miles away in a straight line.
The area around the school
In August 2026, police recorded 183 crimes within a mile of the school, most often violence and sexual offences, anti-social behaviour and criminal damage and arson. That is well below the typical figure around schools in Peterborough (275).
Suspensions and exclusions
In 2024/25, St John Henry Newman Catholic VA Primary School issued 28 suspensions, 7.8 for every 100 pupils (the average state school: 6.3), and no permanent exclusions.
Secondary schools nearby
The secondary schools closest to St John Henry Newman Catholic VA Primary School are Hampton Gardens Secondary School (0.3 miles), Hampton College (0.5 miles) and Stanground Academy (1.7 miles).
Hampton Gardens Secondary SchoolHampton CollegeStanground Academy
Sources: DfE school performance data (averages: state mainstream schools); DfE school-level applications and offers; council admissions booklets; DfE appeals statistics; Ofsted Parent View; 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 · 2 years agoOverall
Quality of Education
Behaviour & Attitudes
Personal Development
Leadership & Management
Early Years
Ofsted Insights
From Ofsted's March 2025 inspection report.
What This School Does Well
This school excels at creating a warm, welcoming community where children develop not just academically but as rounded individuals. Teachers are highly skilled at supporting every child to succeed, whether through excellent phonics teaching or tailored support in 'The Nest' for pupils needing extra help. The school's strong focus on Catholic values, combined with exciting enrichment activities like pioneering cadets, choir and performing arts, helps children build confidence, leadership skills and genuine care for one another.
Key Strengths
- Exceptional reading programme with expert phonics teaching from Reception ensuring pupils become fluent, enthusiastic readers
- Highly skilled teachers who adapt learning expertly to meet all pupils' needs, including those with SEND
- Outstanding curriculum design enriched with visits to museums and theatre to deepen learning
- Exemplary pupil behaviour and conduct, with pupils showing genuine kindness, compassion and respect
- Strong spiritual guidance and character development through Catholic values and a wealth of enrichment opportunities
Safeguarding
Safeguarding arrangements are effective, with the school creating an open and positive culture around safeguarding that puts pupils' interests first.
Extracurricular Activities
Tag rugby, pioneering cadets, choir, cooking, music lessons, performing arts, Spanish, pupil leadership groups (librarians, mini-Vinnies), school visits to museums and theatre
St John Henry Newman is an outstanding Catholic primary school where pupils thrive in a nurturing environment rooted in Catholic values, with exceptionally ambitious teaching and exemplary pupil behaviour throughout.
At a Glance
16.1%
Free School Meals
No
Boarding
No
Nursery
No
Sixth Form
No
Special Measures
What Parents Think
80 responsesSource: Ofsted Parent View, responses as at September 2025 - % who strongly agree or agree
Primary Performance (KS2)
Academic year 2024/25KS2 Results (% meeting expected standard)
Reading has remained stable at around 83% (2024 to 2025). Maths has declined from 83% to 67% (2024 to 2025). Writing has remained stable at around 77% (2024 to 2025).
Class Sizes
29.6
Avg class size
29.8
Infant (KS1)
29.4
KS2
14
Total classes
1 class 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 Henry Newman Catholic VA Primary School
Before and after school care
St John Henry Newman Catholic VA Primary School is on the Department for Education's free breakfast clubs programme (list updated July 2026), which pays for a free breakfast club for pupils before school. Source: Free breakfast clubs: schools on the programme, Department for Education Free breakfast clubs in Peterborough
Clubs on Ofsted's childcare register at or near St John Henry Newman Catholic VA Primary School.
- Club Viva Hampton Leisure Centre690m away · Not yet graded
- Club Viva Hampton Lakes840m away · Not yet graded
- Kumon Peterborough Hampton910m away · Not yet graded
Term dates
St John Henry Newman Catholic VA Primary School is a voluntary aided school, so it sets its own term dates: check the school's website. As a guide, see Peterborough's term dates for its community schools.
Getting There
Bus Stops
Free school transport
Check free transport to St John Henry Newman Catholic VA Primary School from your postcode →
You apply to the council where you live. St John Henry Newman Catholic VA Primary School is in Peterborough; for families living there:
- Peterborough's school travel policy: Mainstream school transport assistance policy
- How to apply: Apply online for school transport for 4 to 16 year olds
Safety and surroundings
Road collisions within 500 m (2021 to 2025)
- Collisions
- 2
- Fatal
- 0
- Serious
- 1
- Children hurt
- 1
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 2 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 1 serious and 1 slight.
1 child aged 0 to 15 was hurt.
1 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 Peterborough is 16 (the median across 91 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 Henry Newman Catholic VA Primary School
Will you get a place at St John Henry Newman Catholic VA Primary School? Get the admissions report
Your home postcode, set against St John Henry Newman Catholic VA Primary School's admissions figures, in one report saved to your account.
What the report includes for St John Henry Newman Catholic VA Primary School:
- The straight-line distance from your home to St John Henry Newman Catholic VA Primary School.
- Peterborough publishes last distance offered figures, but none for St John Henry Newman Catholic VA Primary School that we hold, so the report covers demand, alternatives and dates.
- Applications, first choices and offers at St John Henry Newman Catholic VA Primary School for 2023 to 2026 entry.
- How many families in Peterborough 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
60%
Available places
375 pupils
630 places
255 spare places in 2025
2025, DfE school capacity data
Area Demand Pressure - Peterborough
Based on MHCLG Live Table 122 (2024-25, last 5 years) for Peterborough
Across Peterborough council
Places available
3,215
Applications
2,365
Got 1st preference
94.8%
Got preferred school
98.9%
All primary applications across Peterborough council (2026/27), not just this school.
This school: Oversubscribed
Inspection History
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
49
SEN Support
18
EHC Plans
16.1%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
415
Total Pupils
198
Boys
217
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
17
Teachers
24.4:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£47,512
Mean salary
2026 data
School Funding
£5,175
Per pupil
£2251k
Total funding
£71k
Pupil premium
2025-26 financial year allocations
Pupil Absence2024/25
3.6%
Overall absence
9.1%
Persistent absence
351
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
St John Henry Newman Catholic VA Primary School
Questions parents ask about St John Henry Newman Catholic VA Primary School
What are SATs results like at St John Henry Newman Catholic VA Primary School?
Of the pupils at St John Henry Newman Catholic VA Primary School who took the 2025 Key Stage 2 assessments, 83% reached the expected standard in reading and 67% did so in maths.
What is the catchment area for St John Henry Newman Catholic VA Primary School?
No fixed boundary. When St John Henry Newman Catholic VA Primary School is oversubscribed, Peterborough allocates places by its published criteria, usually ending with home-to-school distance.
Is it hard to get a place at St John Henry Newman Catholic VA Primary School?
St John Henry Newman Catholic VA Primary School was not full in 2025: it ran at 60% of its 630 places.
How big are the classes at St John Henry Newman Catholic VA Primary School?
Classes at St John Henry Newman Catholic VA Primary School average 29.6 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 St John Henry Newman Catholic VA Primary School?
St John Henry Newman Catholic VA Primary School has around 415 pupils on roll. 16% are eligible for free school meals.
What is attendance like at St John Henry Newman Catholic VA Primary School?
3.6% of sessions were missed at St John Henry Newman Catholic VA Primary School in 2024/25. 9.1% of pupils were persistently absent (missing 10% or more of sessions).
How do I apply to St John Henry Newman Catholic VA Primary School?
Apply through Peterborough's coordinated admissions process, naming St John Henry Newman Catholic VA 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 St John Henry Newman Catholic VA Primary School have a breakfast club or after-school club?
St John Henry Newman Catholic VA Primary School is on the Department for Education's free breakfast clubs programme (list updated July 2026), which pays for a free breakfast club for pupils before school. Ofsted's childcare register lists 3 out-of-school clubs within a kilometre of St John Henry Newman Catholic VA Primary School: Club Viva Hampton Leisure Centre (690m away, registered, not yet graded), Club Viva Hampton Lakes (840m away, registered, not yet graded) and Kumon Peterborough Hampton (910m away, registered, not yet graded).
How many road collisions happen near St John Henry Newman Catholic VA Primary School?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 2 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 1 serious and 1 slight. 1 child aged 0 to 15 was hurt. 1 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 Peterborough is 16 (the median across 91 schools, same distance and years).
Where is St John Henry Newman Catholic VA Primary School?
St John Henry Newman Catholic VA Primary School is at Aqua Drive, Hampton Water, Peterborough, PE7 8QL.
Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)