John Donne Primary School

About John Donne Primary School

John Donne Primary School in Southwark holds a Good rating from its most recent Ofsted inspection in 2023, a solid foundation for any family considering it. The school’s previous inspection in 2011 had rated it Outstanding, so the current grade reflects a change in the official judgement rather than a decline in day-to-day quality. The most telling academic metric for this primary is the proportion of pupils reaching the expected standard in reading, writing and maths combined at Key Stage 2. In the 2023/24 results, 66% of pupils achieved that benchmark, which is very close to the Southwark local authority average of 68%. That places John Donne 33rd out of 60 primary schools in the borough, putting it squarely in the middle of the pack locally. Nationally, it sits around the 42nd percentile among all state primaries, meaning it performs broadly in line with typical schools across England.

Breaking down the individual subjects, the school’s strongest area is writing, where 81% of pupils met the expected standard, followed by maths at 79% and reading at 74%. At the higher standard, the picture is more mixed: 21% achieved higher in maths, but only 6% did so in both reading and writing. The average scaled scores were 105 for maths and 104 for reading, both slightly above the national benchmark of 100. Ofsted’s breakdown from the 2023 inspection rated every category as Good, including early years provision, personal development, and behaviour and attitudes. The school has no sixth form, as it is a primary, and it does not have a religious character. With 51.6% of pupils eligible for free school meals, John Donne serves a notably diverse and disadvantaged intake, which makes its solid academic performance all the more noteworthy.

The school is oversubscribed: for 2025/26 entry, it received 109 applications for 51 places, with 47 first-preference offers made. That gives an oversubscription ratio of 2.14, so getting a place is competitive. Facilities include a library, sports hall, gymnasium, music rooms, a sensory room, and an ICT suite, plus outdoor playground and playing fields. Sports on offer include cricket, football, dance, gymnastics and cross country, while clubs range from chess and coding to choir and drama. The school has a nursery provision and lists SEND support for conditions including dyslexia, moderate learning difficulty, speech and language needs, and autistic spectrum disorder. For families seeking a well-equipped, inclusive state primary in Southwark with decent results and a strong community feel, John Donne is a realistic and appealing option, especially if you live close enough to secure a place.

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