St John's Church of England Aided Primary School, Shildon

About St John's Church of England Aided Primary School, Shildon

St John's Church of England Aided Primary School in Shildon sits within County Durham, a local authority with 208 primary schools where only eight currently hold an Outstanding rating from Ofsted. The school itself ranks 123rd out of 170 primaries in the county on the key stage 2 reading, writing and maths expected standard measure, placing it in the bottom half of local schools. For context, the top-performing peers in the area are Montalbo Nursery & Primary School, Shincliffe CofE (Controlled) Primary School and Cestria Primary School, all of which score significantly higher on the same metric. St John's is a state-funded Church of England primary for mixed-gender pupils aged 3 to 11, with a nursery provision on site. It is led by headteacher Nicola Pallister and currently has 233 pupils on roll, which is above its official capacity of 210. The school serves a community with high levels of disadvantage — 54 per cent of pupils are eligible for free school meals, well above the national average.

In its most recent Ofsted inspection, carried out in March 2023, the school was rated Good overall, a step down from the Outstanding it received in its previous graded inspection back in 2008. The breakdown shows real strengths in personal development and behaviour and attitudes, both of which were judged Outstanding. Leadership and management, quality of education and early years provision were all rated Good. At key stage 2 in the 2023/24 academic year, 53 per cent of pupils reached the expected standard in reading, writing and maths combined, compared with the County Durham local authority average of 62 per cent. Just 10 per cent reached the higher standard across all three subjects. In individual subjects, 77 per cent met the expected standard in maths and 73 per cent in writing, but reading was lower at 60 per cent. Progress scores were not available in the data, so it is difficult to say how much value the school adds relative to pupils' starting points.

The school is oversubscribed for reception places in 2025/26, with 59 applications for 30 places and 40 first-preference applications, giving a ratio of nearly two applicants per place. Facilities include an ICT suite, sports hall, dining hall, playing fields, an outdoor playground, a forest school area and a chapel. The school offers a range of clubs including eco club, gardening, choir and art club, and pupils can take part in cross country, rounders, tennis and athletics. SEND provision covers specific learning difficulties such as dyslexia, moderate learning difficulty, social, emotional and mental health needs, speech, language and communication needs, physical disability and autistic spectrum disorder. Parent View responses from a sample of 16 parents in the 2024/25 period were overwhelmingly positive — 100 per cent would recommend the school, and strong majorities agreed their child is happy, feels safe and does well. This is a school that suits families looking for a strong community feel and a clear focus on personal development, set within a Church of England ethos, though academic outcomes are below the local average.

Key Details

Frequently Asked Questions About St John's Church of England Aided Primary School, Shildon

Helpful Guides for Parents