St John Fisher Catholic Primary School, a Voluntary Academy

About St John Fisher Catholic Primary School, a Voluntary Academy

St John Fisher Catholic Primary School, a Voluntary Academy, is a small state primary in St Albans, Hertfordshire, serving 148 pupils aged 4 to 11. It sits within a competitive local landscape: among 40 primary schools in the St Albans local authority, it ranks 15th, placing it in the top 37.5 per cent. The top-performing peers in the area include Little Gaddesden Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School and Harvey Road Primary School, both with perfect ranking scores, and The Russell School close behind. The school is Roman Catholic in character and led by headteacher Patricia O'Donnell. It is heavily oversubscribed for Reception entry in 2025/26, with 36 applications for just 12 places and only nine first-preference offers made. That level of demand suggests strong local reputation, though the nearest school rated Outstanding by Ofsted, Skyswood Primary & Nursery School, is just 0.2 km away.

Academically, St John Fisher performs well above the local authority average. In the 2023/24 Key Stage 2 assessments, 81 per cent of pupils reached the expected standard in reading, writing and maths combined, compared with a Hertfordshire average of 64 per cent. The school also achieved strong average scaled scores of 107 in both reading and maths. At the higher standard, 13 per cent of pupils hit the top marks across all three subjects, with maths the strongest individual subject at 31 per cent reaching the higher threshold. The school's most recent Ofsted inspection, in November 2024, rated it Good overall, with leadership and management also judged Good. This represents a clear improvement from its previous graded inspection in 2012, when it was rated Requires improvement. The ungraded inspection confirmed that standards have been maintained. Parent feedback is broadly positive: 87 per cent would recommend the school, and 78 per cent strongly agreed or agreed that their child is happy there.

The school offers a solid range of facilities including a library, sports hall, playing fields, ICT suite, chapel and a sensory room. Sports provision covers swimming, cricket, netball and dance, while clubs include gardening, eco club, chess and science club. SEND support is available for pupils with specific learning difficulties such as dyslexia, speech, language and communication needs, hearing impairment, autistic spectrum disorder, and social, emotional and mental health needs. With only 148 pupils against a capacity of 180, the school is not at full roll, but its oversubscription ratio of 3:1 shows it is highly sought after. The proportion of pupils eligible for free school meals is 15.5 per cent. This is a faith-based school that will particularly suit Catholic families in St Albans who value strong academic outcomes, a broad range of clubs, and a school that has demonstrably improved its Ofsted rating over time.

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