St John the Baptist Voluntary Aided Church of England Primary School, Ware
St John the Baptist Voluntary Aided Church of England Primary School is a primary school for pupils aged 4 to 11 in Ware. It has a Church of England religious character. It was rated Good at its last graded Ofsted inspection, in June 2019. Ofsted's ungraded inspection in December 2024 did not change this grade. Its 2025 Key Stage 2 results were the 3rd-highest of the 14 schools in Ware with published results, and 3,885th of 14,452 across England. It was 80% full in 2025.
- SATs results
- Above England average
- Ofsted
- Good (2019)
- 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 Hertfordshire (the council where you live). Offers on 16 April.
Data last updated 26 Oct 2026
St John the Baptist Voluntary Aided Church of England Primary School in detail
Results
In 2025, 89% of Year 6 pupils at St John the Baptist Voluntary Aided Church of England Primary School reached the expected standard in reading and 79% in maths. At the average state primary the figures were 79% and 76% in Hertfordshire and 77% and 75% across England.
Results rose from 81% in reading and 81% in maths in 2024.
With small year groups, a few pupils can move these figures by several points.
Getting a place at St John the Baptist Voluntary Aided Church of England Primary School
For September 2026 entry, 16 families put St John the Baptist Voluntary Aided Church of England Primary School as their first choice and 41 named it as one of their preferences, for 18 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 the Baptist Voluntary Aided Church of England Primary School are St Andrew's Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School (0.9 miles, Good, 57% reading, 70% maths); The Cranbourne Primary School (1.1 miles, Good, 78% reading, 82% maths); Roselands Primary School (1.2 miles, Good, 68% reading, 66% maths); and Forres Primary Academy (1.4 miles, 61% reading, 67% maths).
St John the Baptist Voluntary Aided Church of England Primary School's 2025 results were higher than all 4 of them.
St Andrew's Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary SchoolThe Cranbourne Primary SchoolRoselands Primary SchoolForres Primary Academy
What parents say
46 parents answered Ofsted's Parent View survey about St John the Baptist Voluntary Aided Church of England Primary School (as of September 2025): 78% would recommend the school, 94% say their child is happy there and 64% of those with a view say bullying is dealt with well.
The strongest agreement was that their child is happy at the school (94%); the weakest, that the school deals with bullying well (among parents with a view) (64%).
Who goes there
2.6% speak English as an additional language, against 18.8% on average, according to the 2026 school census.
Staffing
St John the Baptist Voluntary Aided Church of England Primary School had 13 teachers in 2026, one for every 13 pupils: more teachers per pupil than a typical primary school, at about one for every 20.
Getting there
The nearest railway station is St Margaret's (Herts) Rail Station, about 920 metres away (roughly a 12-minute walk).
The area around the school
Measured by the 2025 English Indices of Deprivation, the neighbourhood St John the Baptist Voluntary Aided Church of England Primary School stands in is among the 10% least deprived neighbourhoods in England. This describes where the school is, not where its pupils live.
In August 2026, police recorded 32 crimes within a mile of the school, most often anti-social behaviour, violence and sexual offences and drug offences. That is well below the typical figure around schools in Hertfordshire (138).
Suspensions and exclusions
In 2024/25, St John the Baptist Voluntary Aided Church of England Primary School issued 4 suspensions, 2.4 for every 100 pupils (the average state school: 6.3), and no permanent exclusions.
Secondary schools nearby
The secondary schools closest to St John the Baptist Voluntary Aided Church of England Primary School are Presdales School (1.2 miles) and The John Warner School (1.2 miles).
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; DfE school workforce census; 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 agoThis judgement is from June 2019, 7 years ago, longer than Ofsted's usual 4-year cycle: the school may have changed since.
Overall
Quality of Education
Behaviour & Attitudes
Personal Development
Leadership & Management
Early Years
Ofsted Insights
From Ofsted's December 2024 inspection report.
What This School Does Well
This school creates a safe, welcoming environment where children flourish academically and personally. Teachers focus on building strong reading skills and support pupils who struggle with timely help. The school offers excellent enrichment through sports clubs, music lessons, church visits and trips that broaden children's horizons.
Key Strengths
- Pupils enjoy school and take pride in their work with a strong, harmonious learning environment
- Effective reading instruction with timely support for struggling readers
- Good curriculum changes that help pupils build knowledge logically over time
- Strong pastoral care and personal development programme based on school values
- Pupils given leadership responsibilities and opportunities for enrichment activities
Areas for Improvement
- Some pupils capable of learning in greater depth are not sufficiently challenged
- Staff lack clarity about the detailed knowledge pupils should learn in certain subjects
- Assessment practices are not yet consistently robust enough to adapt teaching to individual needs
- Communication with parents could be improved
Safeguarding
Safeguarding arrangements are effective with a positive culture that puts pupils' interests first.
Extracurricular Activities
Sports clubs, guitar lessons, choir, orchestra, book club, sports ambassadors, librarians, collective worship leadership, trips, church visits, residentials
St John the Baptist is a good primary school where pupils enjoy learning and benefit from recent curriculum improvements. The school provides strong support for reading and pupils with special educational needs, though some capable pupils could be challenged further.
At a Glance
20.6%
Free School Meals
No
Boarding
No
Nursery
No
Sixth Form
No
Special Measures
What Parents Think
46 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 improved from 81% to 89% (2024 to 2025). Maths has remained stable at around 79% (2024 to 2025). Writing has improved from 81% to 86% (2024 to 2025).
Class Sizes
22.1
Avg class size
18.0
Infant (KS1)
25.3
KS2
7
Total classes
2025/26 academic year
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 5 nearby primary schools
Keep up with St John the Baptist Voluntary Aided Church of England Primary School
Term dates
St John the Baptist Voluntary Aided Church of England Primary School is a voluntary aided school, so it sets its own term dates: check the school's website. As a guide, see Hertfordshire's term dates for its community schools.
Getting There
Train Stations
Bus Stops
Free school transport
You apply to the council where you live. St John the Baptist Voluntary Aided Church of England Primary School is in Hertfordshire; for families living there:
- Hertfordshire's school travel policy: Read the home to school transport policy
Safety and surroundings
Road collisions within 500 m (2021 to 2025)
No injury road collisions were reported to the police within 500 m of the school's mapped location in 2021 to 2025.
The typical figure for schools in Hertfordshire is 9 (the median across 590 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 the Baptist Voluntary Aided Church of England Primary School
Will you get a place at St John the Baptist Voluntary Aided Church of England Primary School? Get the admissions report
Your home postcode, set against St John the Baptist Voluntary Aided Church of England Primary School's admissions figures, in one report saved to your account.
What the report includes for St John the Baptist Voluntary Aided Church of England Primary School:
- The straight-line distance from your home to St John the Baptist Voluntary Aided Church of England Primary School.
- We hold no last distance offered figures from Hertfordshire, so the report covers demand, alternatives and dates.
- Applications, first choices and offers at St John the Baptist Voluntary Aided Church of England Primary School for 2014 to 2026 entry.
- How many families in Hertfordshire 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
80%
Available places
167 pupils
210 places
43 spare places in 2025
2025, DfE school capacity data
Area Demand Pressure - Ware
Based on MHCLG Live Table 122 (2024-25, last 5 years) for Ware
Across Hertfordshire council
Places available
14,776
Applications
12,543
Got 1st preference
89.1%
Got preferred school
98.4%
All primary applications across Hertfordshire council (2026/27), not just this school.
This school: Every first choice offered
Inspection History(7)
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
21
SEN Support
9
EHC Plans
19.4%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
155
Total Pupils
64
Boys
91
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
13
Teachers
11.9:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£46,940
Mean salary
2026 data
School Funding
£5,747
Per pupil
£1056k
Total funding
£36k
Pupil premium
2025-26 financial year allocations
Pupil Absence2024/25
6.2%
Overall absence
18.6%
Persistent absence
156
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 the Baptist Voluntary Aided Church of England Primary School
Questions parents ask about St John the Baptist Voluntary Aided Church of England Primary School
What are SATs results like at St John the Baptist Voluntary Aided Church of England Primary School?
Of the pupils at St John the Baptist Voluntary Aided Church of England Primary School who took the 2025 Key Stage 2 assessments, 89% reached the expected standard in reading and 79% did so in maths.
What is St John the Baptist Voluntary Aided Church of England Primary School's Ofsted rating?
St John the Baptist Voluntary Aided Church of England Primary School's most recent Ofsted inspection, in December 2024, was ungraded, so it gave no overall grade. At its last graded inspection, in June 2019, it was rated Good.
What is the catchment area for St John the Baptist Voluntary Aided Church of England Primary School?
No fixed boundary. When St John the Baptist Voluntary Aided Church of England Primary School is oversubscribed, Hertfordshire allocates places by its published criteria, usually ending with home-to-school distance.
Is it hard to get a place at St John the Baptist Voluntary Aided Church of England Primary School?
St John the Baptist Voluntary Aided Church of England Primary School was not full in 2025: it ran at 80% of its 210 places.
How big are the classes at St John the Baptist Voluntary Aided Church of England Primary School?
Classes at St John the Baptist Voluntary Aided Church of England Primary School average 22.1 pupils (2025/26).
How many pupils go to St John the Baptist Voluntary Aided Church of England Primary School?
St John the Baptist Voluntary Aided Church of England Primary School has around 155 pupils on roll. 21% are eligible for free school meals.
What is attendance like at St John the Baptist Voluntary Aided Church of England Primary School?
6.2% of sessions were missed at St John the Baptist Voluntary Aided Church of England Primary School in 2024/25. 18.6% of pupils were persistently absent (missing 10% or more of sessions).
How do I apply to St John the Baptist Voluntary Aided Church of England Primary School?
Apply through Hertfordshire's coordinated admissions process, naming St John the Baptist Voluntary Aided Church of England 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 St John the Baptist Voluntary Aided Church of England Primary School?
No injury road collisions were reported to the police within 500 m of the school's mapped location in 2021 to 2025. The typical figure for schools in Hertfordshire is 9 (the median across 590 schools, same distance and years).
Where is St John the Baptist Voluntary Aided Church of England Primary School?
St John the Baptist Voluntary Aided Church of England Primary School is at Hillside Lane, Great Amwell, Ware, Hertfordshire, SG12 9SE.
Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)