St John's Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School, Buckhurst Hill, Buckhurst Hill
St John's Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School, Buckhurst Hill is a primary school for pupils aged 5 to 11 in Buckhurst Hill, part of Epping Forest Schools Partnership Trust. It has a Church of England religious character. It was rated Good at its last graded Ofsted inspection, in October 2013. Ofsted's ungraded inspection in June 2022 did not change this grade. Its 2025 Key Stage 2 results were the 38th-highest of the 388 schools in Essex with published results, and 1,455th of 14,452 across England. For 2026 entry it had 1.2 first-choice applications for every place. It was 98% full in 2025.
- SATs results
- Above England average
- Ofsted
- Good (2013)
- Demand
- Oversubscribed
- 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's Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School, Buckhurst Hill in detail
Results
In 2025, 93% of Year 6 pupils at St John's Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School, Buckhurst Hill reached the expected standard in reading and 88% in maths. At the average state primary the figures were 78% and 76% in Essex and 77% and 75% across England.
Results rose from 87% in reading and 73% in maths in 2024.
Getting a place at St John's Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School, Buckhurst Hill
For September 2026 entry, 74 families put St John's Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School, Buckhurst Hill as their first choice and 193 named it as one of their preferences, for 60 places offered. That is 1.2 first choices for every place. 17 families who put it first were not offered a place there.
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other state primary schools to St John's Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School, Buckhurst Hill are Buckhurst Hill Community Primary School (0.9 miles, Good, 84% reading, 72% maths); Wells Primary School (0.9 miles, Outstanding, 87% reading, 98% maths); St Antony's Catholic Primary School (1 mile, Good, 83% reading, 76% maths); and Whitehall Primary School (1 mile, Good, 80% reading, 87% maths).
St John's Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School, Buckhurst Hill's 2025 results were higher than 3 of these 4 schools.
Buckhurst Hill Community Primary SchoolWells Primary SchoolSt Antony's Catholic Primary SchoolWhitehall Primary School
The trust
St John's Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School, Buckhurst Hill is one of 16 schools run by Epping Forest Schools Partnership Trust, an academy trust.
Across the trust's primary schools, 67% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths in 2024/25.
Who goes there
5.3% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, well below the average state school (25%), and 10.7% speak English as an additional language, against 18.8% on average, according to the 2026 school census.
The largest ethnic groups are White British (59%), Mixed (13%) and Asian (12%).
In 2026, 23 pupils (5.6%) received SEN support and 16 (3.9%) had an education, health and care plan, against 16.2% and 4.6% at the average state school. The most common need among them is autism.
Getting there
The nearest Underground station is Buckhurst Hill Underground Station, about 950 metres away (roughly a 12-minute walk).
8 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Russell Road (adjacent), 80 metres away.
The area around the school
Measured by the 2025 English Indices of Deprivation, the neighbourhood St John's Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School, Buckhurst Hill stands in is among the 10% least deprived neighbourhoods in England. This describes where the school is, not where its pupils live.
Suspensions and exclusions
In 2024/25, St John's Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School, Buckhurst Hill issued 1 suspension, 0.2 for every 100 pupils (the average state school: 6.3), and no permanent exclusions.
Secondary schools nearby
The secondary schools closest to St John's Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School, Buckhurst Hill are Heathcote School & Science College (0.9 miles), Trinity Catholic High School (1 mile) and Roding Valley High School (1.4 miles).
Heathcote School & Science CollegeTrinity Catholic High SchoolRoding Valley High School
Sources: DfE school performance data (averages: state mainstream schools); DfE school-level applications and offers; council admissions booklets; DfE appeals statistics; DfE multi-academy trust performance data; 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 · 4 years agoThis judgement is from October 2013, 13 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 October 2013 inspection - down from Outstanding.
Rated Good for
Leadership & management.
At a Glance
5.3%
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 improved from 87% to 93% (2024 to 2025). Maths has improved from 73% to 88% (2024 to 2025). Writing has improved from 69% to 75% (2024 to 2025).
Class Sizes
29.4
Avg class size
30.0
Infant (KS1)
29.0
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
Keep up with St John's Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School, Buckhurst Hill
Before and after school care
Clubs on Ofsted's childcare register at or near St John's Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School, Buckhurst Hill.
- Allsports Kids At St John's SchoolAt the school · Not yet graded
- Ichthus Out of School Club420m away · Not yet graded
- Young Learners LIMITED430m away · Not yet graded
Getting There
Tube / Metro / Tram
Bus Stops
Free school transport
You apply to the council where you live. St John's Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School, Buckhurst Hill 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
- 21
- Fatal
- 0
- Serious
- 6
- Children hurt
- 1
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 21 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 6 serious and 15 slight.
1 child aged 0 to 15 was hurt: 1 on foot.
4 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
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Your home postcode, set against St John's Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School, Buckhurst Hill's admissions figures, in one report saved to your account.
What the report includes for St John's Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School, Buckhurst Hill:
- The straight-line distance from your home to St John's Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School, Buckhurst Hill.
- 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's Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School, Buckhurst Hill for 2019 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.
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Capacity & Demand
School Occupancy
98%
Near capacity
413 pupils
420 places
7 spare places in 2025
2025, DfE school capacity data
Area Demand Pressure - Buckhurst Hill
Based on MHCLG Live Table 122 (2024-25, last 5 years) for Buckhurst Hill
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: Oversubscribed
Inspection History(2)
Ungraded inspection: The school remains Good.
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
23
SEN Support
16
EHC Plans
9.5%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
412
Total Pupils
208
Boys
204
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
20
Teachers
20.6:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£47,775
Mean salary
2026 data
School Funding
£4,955
Per pupil
£2210k
Total funding
£35k
Pupil premium
2025-26 financial year allocations
Pupil Absence2024/25
4.7%
Overall absence
10.3%
Persistent absence
360
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's Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School, Buckhurst Hill
Questions parents ask about St John's Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School, Buckhurst Hill
What are SATs results like at St John's Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School, Buckhurst Hill?
Of the pupils at St John's Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School, Buckhurst Hill who took the 2025 Key Stage 2 assessments, 93% reached the expected standard in reading and 88% did so in maths.
What is St John's Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School, Buckhurst Hill's Ofsted rating?
St John's Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School, Buckhurst Hill's most recent Ofsted inspection, in June 2022, was ungraded, so it gave no overall grade. At its last graded inspection, in October 2013, it was rated Good.
What is the catchment area for St John's Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School, Buckhurst Hill?
No fixed boundary. When St John's Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School, Buckhurst Hill 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's Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School, Buckhurst Hill?
St John's Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School, Buckhurst Hill was close to full in 2025, at 98% of its capacity.
How big are the classes at St John's Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School, Buckhurst Hill?
Classes at St John's Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School, Buckhurst Hill average 29.4 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's Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School, Buckhurst Hill?
St John's Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School, Buckhurst Hill has around 412 pupils on roll. 5% are eligible for free school meals.
What is attendance like at St John's Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School, Buckhurst Hill?
4.7% of sessions were missed at St John's Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School, Buckhurst Hill in 2024/25. 10.3% of pupils were persistently absent (missing 10% or more of sessions).
How do I apply to St John's Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School, Buckhurst Hill?
Apply through Essex's coordinated admissions process, naming St John's Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School, Buckhurst Hill 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's Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School, Buckhurst Hill have a breakfast club or after-school club?
Ofsted's childcare register lists an out-of-school club at the school: Allsports Kids At St John's School (registered, not yet graded). There are 2 more within a kilometre. The school may also run its own clubs, which don't have to register with Ofsted.
How many road collisions happen near St John's Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School, Buckhurst Hill?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 21 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 6 serious and 15 slight. 1 child aged 0 to 15 was hurt: 1 on foot. 4 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's Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School, Buckhurst Hill?
St John's Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School, Buckhurst Hill is at High Road, Buckhurst Hill, Essex, IG9 5RX.
Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)