John Stainer Community Primary School

About John Stainer Community Primary School

John Stainer Community Primary School is clearly a popular choice among local families. For the 2025/26 intake, the school received 245 applications for just 53 places, giving an oversubscription ratio of 4.62, meaning more than four families applied for every available spot. Of those, 49 were first-preference offers, which suggests strong parent confidence. While the school does not publish a formal parent recommendation percentage, the sheer volume of applications relative to places is a telling signal of its reputation in Lewisham. The school is led by headteacher Shermane Okorodudu and caters for children aged 3 to 11, with nursery provision available. It is a mixed, non-religious state primary with a capacity of 450 pupils and currently has 421 on roll, so it is running close to full.

Academically, John Stainer holds an Outstanding rating from Ofsted across all categories in its most recent inspection in February 2024, including quality of education, behaviour and attitudes, personal development, early years provision, and leadership and management. This is a clean sweep of top grades. At Key Stage 2, 49% of pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths combined, which is below the Lewisham local authority average of 64%. However, individual subject scores are stronger: 83% reached the expected standard in reading, with an average score of 108, and 70% did so in maths, with an average score of 105. Higher-attaining pupils are more evident in reading, where 38% achieved the higher standard, compared with 21% in maths and just 2% in writing. Nationally, the school ranks in the bottom 50% for its combined expected standard metric, sitting at the 80th percentile.

The school offers a solid range of facilities including a library, sports hall, ICT suite, art studios, playing fields, a sensory room, and even a chapel. Sports on offer include netball, athletics, gymnastics and swimming, while clubs range from art and gardening to coding, choir, science and eco club. SEND provision is well developed, covering specific learning difficulties such as dyslexia, moderate learning difficulties, social, emotional and mental health needs, speech and language communication needs, hearing impairment, and autistic spectrum disorder. This breadth of support, combined with the strong Ofsted rating and high demand for places, suggests John Stainer is particularly well suited to families who value a well-resourced, inclusive environment and are willing to navigate a competitive admissions process. The nearest Outstanding-rated school is Haberdashers' Hatcham Free School, just 0.4 km away.

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