St John's Community Primary School and Nursery, Norwich
St John's Community Primary School and Nursery is a primary school for pupils aged 4 to 11 in Norwich. It was rated Good at its last graded Ofsted inspection, in November 2019. Ofsted's ungraded inspection in May 2025 did not change this grade. Its 2025 Key Stage 2 results were the 98th-highest of the 102 schools in Norwich with published results, and 13,586th of 14,452 across England. It was 93% full in 2025.
- SATs results
- Below 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 Norfolk (the council where you live). Offers on 16 April.
Data last updated 26 Oct 2026
St John's Community Primary School and Nursery in detail
St John's Community Primary School and Nursery in its own words
From the headteacher's welcome: "Here at Green Shoots Federation we pride ourselves on having inclusivity embedded throughout our school. We strive to meet the individual needs of all our learners in the most effective way possible."
The school runs a breakfast club from 8:00am and after-school care, from £12.00 per session.
Headteacher's welcome (school website)Wraparound care (school website)
Source: The school's own website
Results
In 2025, 62% of Year 6 pupils at St John's Community Primary School and Nursery reached the expected standard in reading and 48% in maths. At the average state primary the figures were 73% and 70% in Norfolk and 77% and 75% across England.
Results fell from 68% in reading and 52% in maths in 2024.
With small year groups, a few pupils can move these figures by several points.
Getting a place at St John's Community Primary School and Nursery
For September 2026 entry, 20 families put St John's Community Primary School and Nursery as their first choice and 32 named it as one of their preferences, for 21 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 Community Primary School and Nursery
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other state primary schools to St John's Community Primary School and Nursery are Neatishead Church of England Primary School (2.3 miles, Outstanding, 86% reading, 57% maths); Salhouse CofE Primary School (2.5 miles, Good, 60% reading, 40% maths); Coltishall Primary School (2.5 miles, Outstanding, 83% reading, 83% maths); and Tunstead Primary School (2.5 miles, Good, 73% reading, 91% maths).
St John's Community Primary School and Nursery's 2025 results were higher than 1 of these 4 schools.
Neatishead Church of England Primary SchoolSalhouse CofE Primary SchoolColtishall Primary SchoolTunstead Primary School
What parents say
49 parents answered Ofsted's Parent View survey about St John's Community Primary School and Nursery (as of September 2025): 98% would recommend the school, 100% say their child is happy there and 57% of those with a view say bullying is dealt with well.
The strongest agreement was that their child feels safe (100%); the weakest, that the school deals with bullying well (among parents with a view) (57%).
Who goes there
6.3% speak English as an additional language, against 18.8% on average, according to the 2026 school census.
Staffing
St John's Community Primary School and Nursery had 13 teachers in 2026, one for every 15 pupils: more teachers per pupil than a typical primary school, at about one for every 20.
Getting there
The nearest railway station is Hoveton & Wroxham Rail Station, about 600 metres away (roughly a 7-minute walk).
6 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Church Road (adjacent), 90 metres away.
The area around the school
In August 2026, police recorded 15 crimes within a mile of the school, most often violence and sexual offences, anti-social behaviour and weapons possession. That is well below the typical figure around schools in Norfolk (28).
Suspensions and exclusions
In 2024/25, St John's Community Primary School and Nursery issued 2 suspensions, 0.9 for every 100 pupils (the average state school: 6.3), and no permanent exclusions.
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
Location
Every family who put it first was offered a place for 2026 entry, so distance did not limit places that year.
Key Information
DfE GIASOfsted Rating
Ofsted · 1 year agoThis judgement is from November 2019, 6 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 May 2025 inspection report.
What This School Does Well
St John's excels at creating a warm, caring environment where children feel safe and supported. The early years and reading provision are particularly strong, with children leaving Reception well-prepared for Year 1. The school is inclusive and offers a wide range of enrichment activities that build pupils' confidence and help them develop resilience.
Key Strengths
- Strong reading programme with well-trained staff and structured phonics teaching from Nursery onwards
- Excellent early years curriculum that is thoughtfully designed and prepares children well for Year 1
- Caring relationships between staff and pupils, with pupils feeling safe and supported
- Inclusive approach with effective support for pupils with SEND
- Good behaviour and positive attitudes to learning throughout the school
Areas for Improvement
- Teachers do not check what pupils know effectively or correct errors and misconceptions in their work, leading to gaps in knowledge
- Curriculum implementation has not been monitored closely enough, leaving teachers without proper guidance and support
- Pupils cannot confidently recall or discuss previous learning because their knowledge is not building securely over time
Safeguarding
Safeguarding arrangements are effective and the school has created an open, positive culture that puts pupils' interests first.
Extracurricular Activities
Forest school, running club, rugby club, choir, lunchtime and after-school clubs, school library
St John's Community Primary School and Nursery is a caring school where pupils feel safe and behave well, but the quality of education requires improvement because teachers are not consistently checking pupils' understanding or addressing gaps in their knowledge.
At a Glance
20.4%
Free School Meals
No
Boarding
Yes
Nursery
No
Sixth Form
No
Special Measures
What Parents Think
49 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 68% to 62% (2024 to 2025). Maths has declined from 52% to 48% (2024 to 2025). Writing has improved from 45% to 59% (2024 to 2025).
Class Sizes
26.9
Avg class size
23.7
Infant (KS1)
31.5
KS2
8
Total classes
4 classes with more than 30 pupils
2025/26 academic year
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 5 nearby primary schools
Latest from St John's Community Primary School and Nursery
KS2 Class Teacher
21 May 2026
Electricity workshop and Rockets workshop
28 Apr 2026
KS1 Part-time Class Teacher
14 Apr 2026
Horstead Day 2
26 Feb 2026
Horstead Day 1
25 Feb 2026
Learning about the Celts and Vikings at Norwich Castle
9 Dec 2025
From St John's Community Primary School and Nursery's website. School Signal is not affiliated with the school.
Keep up with St John's Community Primary School and Nursery
Getting There
Train Stations
Tube / Metro / Tram
Bus Stops
Free school transport
Check free transport to St John's Community Primary School and Nursery from your postcode →
You apply to the council where you live. St John's Community Primary School and Nursery is in Norfolk; for families living there:
Apply to Norfolk for free school transport. Its policy is on the council's website.
Safety and surroundings
Road collisions within 500 m (2021 to 2025)
- Collisions
- 11
- Fatal
- 0
- Serious
- 5
- Children hurt
- 1
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 11 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 5 serious and 6 slight.
1 child aged 0 to 15 was hurt: 1 on foot.
2 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 Norfolk is 4 (the median across 462 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 Community Primary School and Nursery
Will you get a place at St John's Community Primary School and Nursery? Get the admissions report
Your home postcode, set against St John's Community Primary School and Nursery's admissions figures, in one report saved to your account.
What the report includes for St John's Community Primary School and Nursery:
- The straight-line distance from your home to St John's Community Primary School and Nursery.
- We hold no last distance offered figures from Norfolk, so the report covers demand, alternatives and dates.
- Applications, first choices and offers at St John's Community Primary School and Nursery for 2014 to 2026 entry.
- How many families in Norfolk 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
93%
Near capacity
195 pupils
210 places
15 spare places in 2025
2025, DfE school capacity data
Area Demand Pressure - Norwich
Based on MHCLG Live Table 122 (2024-25, last 5 years) for Norwich
Across Norfolk council
Places available
9,547
Applications
7,482
Got 1st preference
94.4%
Got preferred school
98.7%
All primary applications across Norfolk council (2026/27), not just this school.
This school: Every first choice offered
Inspection History(8)
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
32
SEN Support
8
EHC Plans
18.1%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
221
Total Pupils
115
Boys
106
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
13
Teachers
17.0:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£53,078
Mean salary
2026 data
School Funding
£5,515
Per pupil
£1198k
Total funding
£64k
Pupil premium
2025-26 financial year allocations
Pupil Absence2024/25
5.2%
Overall absence
15.0%
Persistent absence
187
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 Community Primary School and Nursery
Questions parents ask about St John's Community Primary School and Nursery
What are SATs results like at St John's Community Primary School and Nursery?
Of the pupils at St John's Community Primary School and Nursery who took the 2025 Key Stage 2 assessments, 62% reached the expected standard in reading and 48% did so in maths.
What is St John's Community Primary School and Nursery's Ofsted rating?
St John's Community Primary School and Nursery's most recent Ofsted inspection, in May 2025, was ungraded, so it gave no overall grade. At its last graded inspection, in November 2019, it was rated Good.
What is the catchment area for St John's Community Primary School and Nursery?
No fixed boundary. When St John's Community Primary School and Nursery is oversubscribed, Norfolk allocates places by its published criteria, usually ending with home-to-school distance.
Is it hard to get a place at St John's Community Primary School and Nursery?
St John's Community Primary School and Nursery was not full in 2025: it ran at 93% of its 210 places.
How big are the classes at St John's Community Primary School and Nursery?
Classes at St John's Community Primary School and Nursery average 26.9 pupils (2025/26). 4 classes have more than 30 pupils - infant classes are capped at 30 by law, with limited exceptions.
How many pupils go to St John's Community Primary School and Nursery?
St John's Community Primary School and Nursery has around 221 pupils on roll. 20% are eligible for free school meals.
What is attendance like at St John's Community Primary School and Nursery?
5.2% of sessions were missed at St John's Community Primary School and Nursery in 2024/25. 15% of pupils were persistently absent (missing 10% or more of sessions).
How do I apply to St John's Community Primary School and Nursery?
Apply through Norfolk's coordinated admissions process, naming St John's Community Primary School and Nursery 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's Community Primary School and Nursery?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 11 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 5 serious and 6 slight. 1 child aged 0 to 15 was hurt: 1 on foot. 2 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 Norfolk is 4 (the median across 462 schools, same distance and years).
Where is St John's Community Primary School and Nursery?
St John's Community Primary School and Nursery is at Horning Road, Hoveton, Norwich, Norfolk, NR12 8NX.
Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)