John Clare Primary School

About John Clare Primary School

John Clare Primary School sits within the Peterborough local authority, where it ranks 4th out of 53 primary schools — placing it comfortably in the top 5 tier locally. The three schools above it are Barnack CofE (Controlled) Primary School, Winyates Primary School, Spirit Federation, and St John's Church School, Spirit Federation, each with a slightly higher ranking score. Nationally, the school sits at 309th out of 13,686 primaries, which puts it in the top 3% of schools across the country. Headteacher Sarah Nicolson leads a small school of 127 pupils, with capacity for 140, so there is a little breathing room. The school is non-religious and co-educational, serving children aged 4 to 11. Its most recent Ofsted inspection, in 2022, rated it Good overall, with leadership and management also judged Good. That marks a clear improvement from its previous inspection in 2009, when the school was rated Requires Improvement.

Academically, John Clare performs well above the local average. In the 2023/24 Key Stage 2 results, 90% of pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths combined, compared with a Peterborough average of just 59%. The school also outperforms on the higher standard: 14% of pupils reached that level across all three subjects. In reading, 38% achieved the higher standard, while in maths it was 29% and in writing 14%. Average scaled scores were 107 in reading and 106 in maths, both comfortably above the national benchmark of 100. The school does not publish progress scores, so it is not possible to say how much value it adds relative to pupils' starting points, but the attainment figures are strong. In the local authority rankings, John Clare's score of 90 puts it ahead of the vast majority of Peterborough primaries, and its regional rank of 27th out of 1,612 schools in the East of England is impressive.

The school offers a solid range of facilities, including a sports hall, playing fields, library, music rooms, art studios and a chapel. Sports on offer include rounders, cross country, athletics, swimming, tennis and cricket, and there are clubs such as eco club, art club and chess. For families with children who have additional needs, the school lists SEND provisions covering specific learning difficulties like dyslexia, moderate learning difficulty, social, emotional and mental health needs, speech, language and communication needs, visual impairment, and other difficulties. Admissions for 2025/26 show the school is oversubscribed: 16 places were available, with 39 total applications and 17 first-preference applications, giving an oversubscription ratio of 2.44. That means competition for places is real, so families should be prepared to apply early. This is a small, high-attaining village-style primary that suits families who value strong academic outcomes and a broad range of activities within a close-knit setting.

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