St John's Cathedral Catholic Primary School

About St John's Cathedral Catholic Primary School

St John's Cathedral Catholic Primary School sits in the Portsmouth local authority, where it ranks 2nd out of 32 primary schools on KS2 expected standards in reading, writing and maths. That puts it among the strongest state primaries in the area, alongside top peers Ark Ayrton Primary Academy, Langstone Primary Academy and Penbridge Junior School. The school is Roman Catholic and takes children from age 3 to 11, with a nursery on site. It is noticeably oversubscribed: for 30 places in the 2025/26 intake, there were 98 applications in total, 48 of them first preferences. That works out at more than three applicants per place, which tells you local families see it as a desirable option. The headteacher is L Park, and the school currently has 234 pupils on roll, which is above its official capacity of 210.

Academically, the school performs well above the local average. In the 2023/24 KS2 results, 70% of pupils reached the expected standard in reading, writing and maths combined, compared with a Portsmouth average of 53%. The school also scores well on individual subjects: 80% hit the expected level in reading and in maths, and 83% in writing. At the higher standard, 23% of pupils achieved that in reading, 20% in maths, and 7% in both writing and the combined measure. Average scaled scores were 106 in reading and 105 in maths. The most recent Ofsted inspection, in 2022, rated the school Good overall, with Outstanding marks for early years provision, personal development, and behaviour and attitudes. Leadership and management, and the quality of education, were both judged Good. The previous inspection in 2008 had rated it Outstanding overall, so the current rating represents a slight step down, though the school still holds strong grades in key areas.

The school offers a solid range of facilities including a gymnasium, sensory room, ICT suite, chapel and outdoor playground. Sports on offer include cross country, gymnastics, swimming, athletics and netball, and there are clubs for gardening, art, film, coding and science. SEND provision is broad, covering moderate learning difficulty, social emotional and mental health needs, speech language and communication needs, hearing and visual impairment, and autistic spectrum disorder. With 28.6% of pupils eligible for free school meals, the school serves a diverse intake. It is a good fit for Catholic families in Portsmouth who want a strong academic record and a school that is clearly in demand, but also for any family looking for a primary with strong behaviour standards and a wide range of enrichment activities. The oversubscription means applying as a first preference is essential.

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