St John the Evangelist Catholic Primary

About St John the Evangelist Catholic Primary

St John the Evangelist Catholic Primary sits slightly above the local authority average for Key Stage 2 performance, with 67% of pupils reaching the expected standard in reading, writing and maths compared with Staffordshire's average of 65%. That places it 96th out of 308 primary schools of the same type in the county, and 19th out of 35 in Newcastle-under-Lyme. The school's overall Ofsted rating is Good, a significant improvement from its previous Requires Improvement judgement in 2012. Its most recent ungraded inspection in April 2025 confirmed that standards are being maintained, with leadership and management, early years provision and overall effectiveness all rated Good. The school is a Roman Catholic state primary for mixed pupils aged 3 to 11, with a nursery on site. It has capacity for 240 pupils but currently enrols 189, and 31.7% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, which is above the national average.

Looking more closely at the 2023/24 Key Stage 2 results, the school's average scores in reading (103) and maths (104) are in line with national expectations. The proportion of pupils reaching the higher standard in reading, writing and maths combined is 7%, while 21% achieved higher in maths, 19% in writing and 14% in reading. Writing is a relative strength, with 85% of pupils meeting the expected standard. The school's ranking in the West Midlands region places it in the 38th percentile nationally, and 40th percentile across England. Parent feedback is overwhelmingly positive: 90% would recommend the school, and 95% of respondents strongly agree or agree that their child is happy and feels safe. However, the SEND support question shows a split: 36% strongly agree that the school gives SEND children the support they need, but 27% strongly disagree, suggesting some families feel provision could be stronger.

The school offers a range of facilities including a library, playing fields, forest school, art studios, gymnasium, sports hall and chapel. Sports on offer include football, netball, cricket, swimming, rounders, cross country and gymnastics, while clubs range from art and coding to chess, book club, film club and eco club. The school's SEND provisions cover specific learning difficulties like dyslexia, moderate learning difficulty, social, emotional and mental health needs, speech, language and communication needs, and autistic spectrum disorder. For the 2025/26 intake, the school was oversubscribed: 37 applications for 24 places, with 23 first-preference offers made. This is a school that will particularly suit Catholic families in Newcastle-under-Lyme who value a faith-based primary with solid academic outcomes, a strong sense of community as reflected in parent satisfaction, and a broad extracurricular offer. The nearest outstanding-rated school is Knypersley First School, 4.6 km away.

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