St John the Evangelist Catholic Academy, Kidsgrove
St John the Evangelist Catholic Academy is a primary school for pupils aged 3 to 11 in Kidsgrove, part of St Gabriel the Archangel Catholic Multi-Academy Trust. It has a Roman Catholic religious character. It was rated Good at its last graded Ofsted inspection, in July 2015. Ofsted's ungraded inspection in April 2025 did not change this grade. Its 2025 Key Stage 2 results were the 190th-highest of the 230 schools in Staffordshire with published results, and 11,322nd of 14,452 across England. It was 78% full in 2025.
- SATs results
- Below England average
- Ofsted
- Good (2015)
- 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 Staffordshire (the council where you live). Offers on 16 April.
Data last updated 26 Oct 2026
St John the Evangelist Catholic Academy in detail
St John the Evangelist Catholic Academy in its own words
In its own words: "Our school motto 'Lord, be thy word, my rule.' instills throughout the staff and children at our school that our actions are based in the teachings of Jesus. Our school mission statement is 'Growing and Learning together in Christ'. As a Catholic school, Jesus Christ is central to every aspect of school life, permeating every aspect of what we do."
From the headteacher's welcome: "Thank you for your interest in St. John The Evangelist Catholic Academy. If you are considering whether to send your child to St. John's or if your child is about to join us for the first time, we welcome you."
The school runs a breakfast club and after-school care, from £5.00 per session.
Vision and values (school website)Headteacher's welcome (school website)Wraparound care (school website)
Source: The school's own website
Results
In 2025, 63% of Year 6 pupils at St John the Evangelist Catholic Academy reached the expected standard in reading and 71% in maths. At the average state primary the figures were 79% and 77% in Staffordshire and 77% and 75% across England.
Results fell from 71% in reading and 71% 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 Evangelist Catholic Academy
For September 2026 entry, 16 families put St John the Evangelist Catholic Academy as their first choice and 25 named it as one of their preferences, for 16 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 St John the Evangelist Catholic Academy
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other state primary schools to St John the Evangelist Catholic Academy are St Thomas' CofE Primary Academy (0.3 miles, 75% reading, 66% maths); Dove Bank Primary School (0.3 miles, 70% reading, 63% maths); Kidsgrove Primary School (0.6 miles, Good, 60% reading, 47% maths); and The Reginald Mitchell Primary School (0.7 miles, Good, 93% reading, 90% maths).
St John the Evangelist Catholic Academy's 2025 results were higher than 2 of these 4 schools.
St Thomas' CofE Primary AcademyDove Bank Primary SchoolKidsgrove Primary SchoolThe Reginald Mitchell Primary School
The trust
St John the Evangelist Catholic Academy is one of 64 schools run by St Gabriel the Archangel Catholic Multi-Academy Trust, an academy trust.
All 64 schools in St Gabriel the Archangel Catholic Multi-Academy Trust
What parents say
42 parents answered Ofsted's Parent View survey about St John the Evangelist Catholic Academy (as of September 2025): 91% would recommend the school, 95% say their child is happy there and 42% of those with a view say bullying is dealt with well.
The strongest agreement was that their child feels safe (95%); the weakest, that the school deals with bullying well (among parents with a view) (42%).
Who goes there
11.6% speak English as an additional language, against 18.8% on average, according to the 2026 school census.
The largest ethnic groups are White British (82%) and Asian (8%).
Getting there
The nearest railway station is Kidsgrove Rail Station, about 250 metres away (roughly a 3-minute walk).
12 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is St Johns RC Primary School (adjacent), 30 metres away.
The area around the school
In August 2026, police recorded 184 crimes within a mile of the school, most often violence and sexual offences, anti-social behaviour and criminal damage and arson. That is well above the typical figure around schools in Staffordshire (86), as is usual near a town centre.
Suspensions and exclusions
In 2024/25, St John the Evangelist Catholic Academy issued 2 suspensions, 1.1 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 Evangelist Catholic Academy are The King's CofE Academy (0.2 miles) and Kidsgrove Secondary School (0.6 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; 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 July 2015, 11 years ago, longer than Ofsted's usual 4-year cycle: the school may have changed since.
Overall
Latest (ungraded) inspection: Standards have been maintained.
Ofsted Insights
From Ofsted's April 2025 inspection report.
What This School Does Well
St John the Evangelist is a caring school where children feel genuinely happy and safe. The school excels at teaching reading and provides excellent support for children who need extra help. Every child is valued and included, with particular strength in nurturing vulnerable pupils and those with speech and language needs.
Key Strengths
- Excellent phonics teaching with swift identification and support for pupils who need additional help to catch up
- Very caring, nurturing staff who create a safe and happy environment where vulnerable pupils are well supported
- Strong focus on reading with well-matched books and pupil engagement through librarians and story time clubs
- Inclusive school culture with effective early support for children with speech and language difficulties
- Well-organised lunchtimes and positive behaviour with extremely polite and kind pupils
Areas for Improvement
- Some subjects lack progressive curriculum design so knowledge does not build effectively across year groups
- Small gaps in knowledge are not always successfully addressed, affecting how well some pupils remember important concepts
- Curriculum adaptations for pupils with special educational needs are not always effective, limiting their achievement
Safeguarding
Safeguarding arrangements are effective with clear policies and practices that keep pupils safe.
Extracurricular Activities
Football, dance, photography clubs, museum and art gallery visits, nature and woodland lessons, Year 6 residential with canoeing, caving and archery, teddy bear story time club, school council, prefect and well-being ambassador roles
St John the Evangelist Catholic Primary is a warm and welcoming school where staff set high expectations and pupils achieve well in most subjects. The school has maintained its good standards and provides a broad range of enrichment activities to support pupil development.
At a Glance
28.9%
Free School Meals
No
Boarding
Yes
Nursery
No
Sixth Form
No
Special Measures
What Parents Think
42 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 declined from 71% to 63% (2024 to 2025). Maths has remained stable at around 71% (2024 to 2025). Writing has declined from 85% to 75% (2024 to 2025).
Class Sizes
23.6
Avg class size
21.0
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 Evangelist Catholic Academy
Term dates
St John the Evangelist Catholic Academy is an academy, so it sets its own term dates: check the school's website. As a guide, see Staffordshire's term dates for its community schools.
Getting There
Train Stations
Bus Stops
Free school transport
Check free transport to St John the Evangelist Catholic Academy from your postcode →
You apply to the council where you live. St John the Evangelist Catholic Academy is in Staffordshire; for families living there:
Apply to Staffordshire for free school transport. Its policy is on the council's website.
Safety and surroundings
Road collisions within 500 m (2021 to 2025)
- Collisions
- 8
- Fatal
- 0
- Serious
- 3
- Children hurt
- 2
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 8 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 3 serious and 5 slight.
2 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 2 on foot.
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 Staffordshire is 5 (the median across 457 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 Evangelist Catholic Academy
Will you get a place at St John the Evangelist Catholic Academy? Get the admissions report
Your home postcode, set against St John the Evangelist Catholic Academy's admissions figures, in one report saved to your account.
What the report includes for St John the Evangelist Catholic Academy:
- The straight-line distance from your home to St John the Evangelist Catholic Academy.
- Staffordshire publishes last distance offered figures, but none for St John the Evangelist Catholic Academy that we hold, so the report covers demand, alternatives and dates.
- Applications, first choices and offers at St John the Evangelist Catholic Academy for 2014 to 2026 entry.
- How many families in Staffordshire 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
78%
Available places
169 pupils
216 places
47 spare places in 2025
2025, DfE school capacity data
Area Demand Pressure - Kidsgrove
Based on MHCLG Live Table 122 (2024-25, last 5 years) for Kidsgrove
Across Staffordshire council
Places available
10,768
Applications
8,344
Got 1st preference
95.1%
Got preferred school
99.1%
All primary applications across Staffordshire council (2026/27), not just this school.
This school: Every first choice offered
Inspection History(3)
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
38
SEN Support
8
EHC Plans
24.2%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
190
Total Pupils
71
Boys
119
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
9
Teachers
21.1:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£50,483
Mean salary
2026 data
School Funding
£6,030
Per pupil
£1156k
Total funding
£88k
Pupil premium
2025-26 financial year allocations
Pupil Absence2024/25
4.4%
Overall absence
9.3%
Persistent absence
151
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 Evangelist Catholic Academy
Questions parents ask about St John the Evangelist Catholic Academy
What are SATs results like at St John the Evangelist Catholic Academy?
Of the pupils at St John the Evangelist Catholic Academy who took the 2025 Key Stage 2 assessments, 63% reached the expected standard in reading and 71% did so in maths.
What is St John the Evangelist Catholic Academy's Ofsted rating?
St John the Evangelist Catholic Academy's most recent Ofsted inspection, in April 2025, was ungraded, so it gave no overall grade. At its last graded inspection, in July 2015, it was rated Good.
What is the catchment area for St John the Evangelist Catholic Academy?
No fixed boundary. When St John the Evangelist Catholic Academy is oversubscribed, Staffordshire allocates places by its published criteria, usually ending with home-to-school distance.
Is it hard to get a place at St John the Evangelist Catholic Academy?
St John the Evangelist Catholic Academy was not full in 2025: it ran at 78% of its 216 places.
How big are the classes at St John the Evangelist Catholic Academy?
Classes at St John the Evangelist Catholic Academy average 23.6 pupils (2025/26).
How many pupils go to St John the Evangelist Catholic Academy?
St John the Evangelist Catholic Academy has around 190 pupils on roll. 29% are eligible for free school meals.
What is attendance like at St John the Evangelist Catholic Academy?
4.4% of sessions were missed at St John the Evangelist Catholic Academy in 2024/25. 9.3% of pupils were persistently absent (missing 10% or more of sessions).
How do I apply to St John the Evangelist Catholic Academy?
Apply through Staffordshire's coordinated admissions process, naming St John the Evangelist Catholic Academy 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 Evangelist Catholic Academy?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 8 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 3 serious and 5 slight. 2 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 2 on foot. 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 Staffordshire is 5 (the median across 457 schools, same distance and years).
Where is St John the Evangelist Catholic Academy?
St John the Evangelist Catholic Academy is at Gloucester Road, Kidsgrove, Staffordshire, ST7 1EL.
Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)