St John's Church School, Peterborough
St John's Church School is a primary school for pupils aged 2 to 11 in Peterborough. It has a Church of England religious character. It was rated Good at its last graded Ofsted inspection, in June 2023. Ofsted's ungraded inspection in June 2025 did not change this grade. Its 2025 Key Stage 2 results were the 6th-highest of the 78 schools in Peterborough with published results, and 2,457th of 14,452 across England. It was 92% full in 2025.
- SATs results
- Above England average
- Ofsted
- Good (2023)
- 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 Peterborough (the council where you live). Offers on 16 April.
Data last updated 26 Oct 2026
St John's Church School in detail
Results
In 2025, 85% of Year 6 pupils at St John's Church School reached the expected standard in reading and 90% in maths. At the average state primary the figures were 75% and 75% in Peterborough and 77% and 75% across England.
Results fell from 93% in reading and 95% in maths in 2024.
Getting a place at St John's Church School
For September 2026 entry, 48 families put St John's Church School as their first choice and 72 named it as one of their preferences, for 50 places offered. It had fewer first-choice applications than places. Every family who put it first was offered a place there for 2026 entry.
Admissions history and your chances at St John's Church School
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other state primary schools to St John's Church School are Winyates Primary School (0.4 miles, Good, 90% reading, 79% maths); Ormiston Meadows Academy (0.7 miles, Good, 70% reading, 77% maths); Braybrook Primary Academy (0.8 miles, Good, 81% reading, 66% maths); and Hampton Hargate Primary School (1.1 miles, Outstanding, 85% reading, 89% maths).
St John's Church School's 2025 results were higher than all 4 of them.
Winyates Primary SchoolOrmiston Meadows AcademyBraybrook Primary AcademyHampton Hargate Primary School
Who goes there
38.8% speak English as an additional language, against 18.8% on average, according to the 2026 school census.
The largest ethnic groups are White British (39%), Black (28%) and Mixed (8%).
Staffing
St John's Church School had 27 teachers in 2026, one for every 14 pupils: more teachers per pupil than a typical primary school, at about one for every 20.
Getting there
The nearest tram or metro stop is Ferry Meadows (Nene Valley Railway), about 1.2 miles away in a straight line.
4 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Orton Valley Centre (opposite), 150 metres away.
The area around the school
Measured by the 2025 English Indices of Deprivation, the neighbourhood St John's Church School stands in is among the 10% most deprived neighbourhoods in England. This describes where the school is, not where its pupils live.
In August 2026, police recorded 118 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's Church School issued 2 suspensions, 0.4 for every 100 pupils (the average state school: 6.3), and no permanent exclusions.
Secondary schools nearby
The secondary schools closest to St John's Church School are Ormiston Bushfield Academy (0.2 miles), Nene Park Academy (1 mile) and Hampton College (1.5 miles).
Sources: DfE school performance data (averages: state mainstream schools); DfE school-level applications and offers; council admissions booklets; DfE appeals statistics; 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 · 1 year agoOverall
Quality of Education
Behaviour & Attitudes
Personal Development
Leadership & Management
Early Years
Ofsted Insights
From Ofsted's June 2025 inspection report.
What This School Does Well
St John's has built a strong safeguarding culture where staff are confident in keeping children safe and reporting concerns. In the early years, children feel settled and confident as staff know them well and provide engaging, carefully planned activities. The school has strengthened its communication with parents and made practical improvements like centralizing collection procedures for greater consistency.
Key Strengths
- Strong safeguarding culture with staff receiving regular briefings and training on procedures
- Clear and robust processes in place to keep pupils safe with effective governance oversight
- Early years staff know children well and provide high-quality interactions during play and routines
- Improved communication with parents and clearer collection procedures outside setting hours
- Leaders understand statutory responsibilities and maintain regular audits of safeguarding effectiveness
Areas for Improvement
- Early years statutory responsibilities required increased focus and training for staff
- Leadership and governance effectiveness were areas of initial concern that prompted the inspection
Safeguarding
Safeguarding arrangements are effective - leaders ensure statutory guidance is followed, staff are well-trained and vigilant, recruitment is rigorous, and there are clear referral pathways to external agencies.
St John's Church School underwent an urgent inspection to evaluate safeguarding arrangements and early years provisions following concerns raised about statutory responsibilities and leadership effectiveness. The inspection found that safeguarding arrangements are effective.
At a Glance
31.6%
Free School Meals
No
Boarding
Yes
Nursery
No
Sixth Form
No
Special Measures
Primary Performance (KS2)
Academic year 2024/25KS2 Results (% meeting expected standard)
Reading has declined from 93% to 85% (2024 to 2025). Maths has declined from 95% to 90% (2024 to 2025). Writing has remained stable at around 90% (2024 to 2025).
Class Sizes
22.8
Avg class size
24.0
Infant (KS1)
22.9
KS2
16
Total classes
2025/26 academic year
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 5 nearby primary schools
Keep up with St John's Church School
Before and after school care
St John's Church 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's Church School.
- Club Viva Bushfields430m away · Not yet graded
Term dates
St John's Church 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's Church School from your postcode →
You apply to the council where you live. St John's Church 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
- 19
- Fatal
- 2
- Serious
- 3
- Children hurt
- 4
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 19 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: 2 fatal, 3 serious and 14 slight.
4 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 1 on foot and 3 in a vehicle or otherwise.
5 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's Church School
Will you get a place at St John's Church School? Get the admissions report
Your home postcode, set against St John's Church School's admissions figures, in one report saved to your account.
What the report includes for St John's Church School:
- The straight-line distance from your home to St John's Church School.
- Peterborough publishes last distance offered figures, but none for St John's Church School that we hold, so the report covers demand, alternatives and dates.
- Applications, first choices and offers at St John's Church School for 2014 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
92%
Near capacity
385 pupils
420 places
35 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: Every first choice offered
Inspection History(7)
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
68
SEN Support
20
EHC Plans
20.3%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
433
Total Pupils
215
Boys
218
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
27
Teachers
16.0:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£49,679
Mean salary
2026 data
School Funding
£5,982
Per pupil
£2647k
Total funding
£241k
Pupil premium
2025-26 financial year allocations
Pupil Absence2024/25
4.3%
Overall absence
8.1%
Persistent absence
383
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 School
Questions parents ask about St John's Church School
What are SATs results like at St John's Church School?
Of the pupils at St John's Church School who took the 2025 Key Stage 2 assessments, 85% reached the expected standard in reading and 90% did so in maths.
What is St John's Church School's Ofsted rating?
St John's Church School's most recent Ofsted inspection, in June 2025, was ungraded, so it gave no overall grade. At its last graded inspection, in June 2023, it was rated Good.
What is the catchment area for St John's Church School?
No fixed boundary. When St John's Church 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's Church School?
St John's Church School was not full in 2025: it ran at 92% of its 420 places.
How big are the classes at St John's Church School?
Classes at St John's Church School average 22.8 pupils (2025/26).
How many pupils go to St John's Church School?
St John's Church School has around 433 pupils on roll. 32% are eligible for free school meals.
What is attendance like at St John's Church School?
4.3% of sessions were missed at St John's Church School in 2024/25. 8.1% of pupils were persistently absent (missing 10% or more of sessions).
How do I apply to St John's Church School?
Apply through Peterborough's coordinated admissions process, naming St John's Church 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's Church School have a breakfast club or after-school club?
St John's Church 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 an out-of-school club within a kilometre of St John's Church School: Club Viva Bushfields (430m away, registered, not yet graded).
How many road collisions happen near St John's Church School?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 19 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: 2 fatal, 3 serious and 14 slight. 4 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 1 on foot and 3 in a vehicle or otherwise. 5 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's Church School?
St John's Church School is at Riseholme, Orton Goldhay, Peterborough, Cambridgeshire, PE2 5SP.
Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)