St John the Baptist Voluntary Aided Church of England Primary School

About St John the Baptist Voluntary Aided Church of England Primary School

St John the Baptist Voluntary Aided Church of England Primary School in East Hertfordshire holds a Good rating from its most recent Ofsted inspection in December 2024, with inspectors awarding Good across all five graded categories: quality of education, behaviour and attitudes, personal development, leadership and management, and early years provision. The school’s most telling academic metric is its Key Stage 2 combined reading, writing and maths expected standard attainment, which sits at 52 per cent. That is twelve percentage points below the Hertfordshire local authority average of 64 per cent, and places the school 39th out of 47 primary schools in East Hertfordshire, in the bottom half nationally. Just 5 per cent of pupils reached the higher standard in all three subjects. The school has held a Good rating since its previous inspection in 2019, when overall effectiveness was also judged Good, though early years provision at that time was rated Requires Improvement.

Looking more closely at the 2023/24 Key Stage 2 results, individual subject performance is more mixed. In reading, 81 per cent of pupils met the expected standard and 19 per cent reached the higher standard, with an average scaled score of 104. Maths tells a similar story: 81 per cent at expected, 10 per cent at higher, and an average score of 104. Writing at expected standard also came in at 81 per cent, with 10 per cent achieving greater depth. The school’s overall ranking score of 52, based on the combined expected standard metric, places it in the bottom 50 nationally. Progress scores for reading, writing and maths are not available in the data, so it is not possible to say how much value the school adds relative to pupils’ starting points. The nearest Outstanding-rated primary school is Abel Smith School, 4.3 kilometres away.

The school is oversubscribed for 2025/26, with 35 applications for 19 places and 17 first-preference offers made. It serves 170 pupils against a capacity of 210, and 15.9 per cent are eligible for free school meals. Facilities include a library, playing fields, art studios, an ICT suite, a sensory room, a gymnasium, a chapel, and an outdoor playground. The school lists SEND provisions for autistic spectrum disorder, speech language and communication needs, social emotional and mental health difficulties, dyslexia, and physical disabilities. Parent View responses from 46 respondents show 78 per cent would recommend the school, though only 43 per cent agreed that concerns are dealt with properly, and 26 per cent disagreed. Clubs include gardening, science, art and drama, and sports offered are netball, gymnastics, athletics, cricket, rounders and tennis. This is a small Church of England primary that suits families who value a Good-rated school with a strong range of facilities and a clear religious character, but who are aware that its academic outcomes sit below the local average.

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