St John's Voluntary Aided Church of England Primary School, Lemsford, Welwyn Garden City
St John's Voluntary Aided Church of England Primary School, Lemsford is a primary school for pupils aged 4 to 11 in Welwyn Garden City. It has a Church of England religious character. It was rated Good at its last graded Ofsted inspection, in June 2014. Ofsted's ungraded inspection in May 2023 did not change this grade. Its 2025 Key Stage 2 results were the 10th-highest of the 15 schools in Welwyn Garden City with published results, and 7,353rd of 14,452 across England. It was 98% full in 2025.
- SATs results
- In line with England
- Ofsted
- Good (2014)
- Demand
- Oversubscribed
- 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's Voluntary Aided Church of England Primary School, Lemsford in detail
St John's Voluntary Aided Church of England Primary School, Lemsford in its own words
From the headteacher's welcome: "A very warm welcome to St John's Church of England Primary School, Lemsford. Our vision for St John's is shaped by our shared Christian values and is driven by a desire for all at St John's to embrace challenge and to grow to be the very best they can be, in all aspects of their life."
Clubs and activities named on the school's website include football, netball, badminton, multi-sports and choir.
The school runs a breakfast club from 7:40am and after-school care.
Coming up: an open day on Monday 26 October 2026. Check the school's website before you go, as dates can change.
All school open days in Hertfordshire
Headteacher's welcome (school website)Clubs (school website)Wraparound care (school website)
Source: The school's own website
Results
In 2025, 85% of Year 6 pupils at St John's Voluntary Aided Church of England Primary School, Lemsford reached the expected standard in reading and 69% in maths. At the average state primary the figures were 79% and 76% in Hertfordshire and 77% and 75% across England.
Results rose from 69% in reading and 56% 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 Voluntary Aided Church of England Primary School, Lemsford
For September 2026 entry, 14 families put St John's Voluntary Aided Church of England Primary School, Lemsford as their first choice and 54 named it as one of their preferences, for 15 places offered. It had fewer first-choice applications than places. 2 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 Voluntary Aided Church of England Primary School, Lemsford are Applecroft School (0.6 miles, Good, 86% reading, 81% maths); Green Lanes Primary School (1.4 miles, Good, 77% reading, 75% maths); Templewood Primary School (1.4 miles, Good, 83% reading, 77% maths); and Our Lady Catholic Primary School (1.4 miles, Good, 87% reading, 77% maths).
St John's Voluntary Aided Church of England Primary School, Lemsford's 2025 results were higher than 1 of these 4 schools.
Applecroft SchoolGreen Lanes Primary SchoolTemplewood Primary SchoolOur Lady Catholic Primary School
Who goes there
8.8% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, well below the average state school (25%), and 8.8% speak English as an additional language, against 18.8% on average, according to the 2026 school census.
The largest ethnic groups are White British (69%), Mixed (9%) and Black (7%).
In 2026, 13 pupils (12.7%) received SEN support and 9 (8.8%) 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.
Staffing
St John's Voluntary Aided Church of England Primary School, Lemsford had 7 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 Welwyn Garden City Rail Station, about 1.3 miles away in a straight line.
2 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is The Sun PH (opposite), 100 metres away.
The area around the school
Measured by the 2025 English Indices of Deprivation, the neighbourhood St John's Voluntary Aided Church of England Primary School, Lemsford stands in is among the 20% least deprived neighbourhoods in England. This describes where the school is, not where its pupils live.
In August 2026, police recorded 36 crimes within a mile of the school, most often violence and sexual offences, anti-social behaviour and burglary. That is well below the typical figure around schools in Hertfordshire (138).
Suspensions and exclusions
St John's Voluntary Aided Church of England Primary School, Lemsford recorded no suspensions or permanent exclusions in 2024/25.
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 · 3 years agoThis judgement is from June 2014, 12 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 June 2014 inspection - down from Outstanding.
Rated Good for
Leadership & management.
At a Glance
8.8%
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 69% to 85% (2024 to 2025). Maths has improved from 56% to 69% (2024 to 2025). Writing has improved from 63% to 77% (2024 to 2025).
Class Sizes
25.5
Avg class size
22.0
Infant (KS1)
29.0
KS2
4
Total classes
2025/26 academic year
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 5 nearby primary schools
Keep up with St John's Voluntary Aided Church of England Primary School, Lemsford
Term dates
St John's Voluntary Aided Church of England Primary School, Lemsford 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
Bus Stops
Free school transport
You apply to the council where you live. St John's Voluntary Aided Church of England Primary School, Lemsford 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)
- Collisions
- 9
- Fatal
- 0
- Serious
- 2
- Children hurt
- 1
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 9 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 2 serious and 7 slight.
1 child aged 0 to 15 was hurt.
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 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's Voluntary Aided Church of England Primary School, Lemsford
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What the report includes for St John's Voluntary Aided Church of England Primary School, Lemsford:
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- 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.
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Capacity & Demand
School Occupancy
98%
Near capacity
103 pupils
105 places
2 spare places in 2025
2025, DfE school capacity data
Area Demand Pressure - Welwyn Garden City
Based on MHCLG Live Table 122 (2024-25, last 5 years) for Welwyn Garden City
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: Oversubscribed
Inspection History(6)
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
13
SEN Support
9
EHC Plans
21.6%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
102
Total Pupils
51
Boys
51
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
7
Teachers
14.6:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£52,842
Mean salary
2026 data
School Funding
£6,214
Per pupil
£696k
Total funding
£11k
Pupil premium
2025-26 financial year allocations
Pupil Absence2024/25
6.0%
Overall absence
15.6%
Persistent absence
90
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 Voluntary Aided Church of England Primary School, Lemsford
Questions parents ask about St John's Voluntary Aided Church of England Primary School, Lemsford
What are SATs results like at St John's Voluntary Aided Church of England Primary School, Lemsford?
Of the pupils at St John's Voluntary Aided Church of England Primary School, Lemsford who took the 2025 Key Stage 2 assessments, 85% reached the expected standard in reading and 69% did so in maths.
What is St John's Voluntary Aided Church of England Primary School, Lemsford's Ofsted rating?
St John's Voluntary Aided Church of England Primary School, Lemsford's most recent Ofsted inspection, in May 2023, was ungraded, so it gave no overall grade. At its last graded inspection, in June 2014, it was rated Good.
What is the catchment area for St John's Voluntary Aided Church of England Primary School, Lemsford?
No fixed boundary. When St John's Voluntary Aided Church of England Primary School, Lemsford 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's Voluntary Aided Church of England Primary School, Lemsford?
St John's Voluntary Aided Church of England Primary School, Lemsford was close to full in 2025, at 98% of its capacity.
How big are the classes at St John's Voluntary Aided Church of England Primary School, Lemsford?
Classes at St John's Voluntary Aided Church of England Primary School, Lemsford average 25.5 pupils (2025/26).
How many pupils go to St John's Voluntary Aided Church of England Primary School, Lemsford?
St John's Voluntary Aided Church of England Primary School, Lemsford has around 102 pupils on roll. 9% are eligible for free school meals.
What is attendance like at St John's Voluntary Aided Church of England Primary School, Lemsford?
6% of sessions were missed at St John's Voluntary Aided Church of England Primary School, Lemsford in 2024/25. 15.6% of pupils were persistently absent (missing 10% or more of sessions).
How do I apply to St John's Voluntary Aided Church of England Primary School, Lemsford?
Apply through Hertfordshire's coordinated admissions process, naming St John's Voluntary Aided Church of England Primary School, Lemsford 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 Voluntary Aided Church of England Primary School, Lemsford?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 9 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 2 serious and 7 slight. 1 child aged 0 to 15 was hurt. 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 Hertfordshire is 9 (the median across 590 schools, same distance and years).
Where is St John's Voluntary Aided Church of England Primary School, Lemsford?
St John's Voluntary Aided Church of England Primary School, Lemsford is at Lemsford Village, Welwyn Garden City, Hertfordshire, AL8 7TR.
Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)