St John's Church of England Primary School

About St John's Church of England Primary School

St John's Church of England Primary School in Mole Valley presents a mixed picture when compared against the local authority average for primary schools. While the Surrey LA average for pupils reaching the expected standard in reading, writing and maths combined sits at 66%, St John's achieves 52% — a gap of 14 percentage points. This places the school 167th out of 298 primary schools in the county, and 9th out of 11 in Mole Valley itself. However, the school's reading scores tell a more encouraging story: 81% of pupils met the expected standard in reading, well above the national benchmark, and the average reading score of 103 is solid. Maths is more of a challenge, with only 55% reaching the expected level and just 10% achieving the higher standard. The school's ranking score of 52 puts it in the bottom half nationally, but context matters — with over a third of pupils eligible for free school meals, St John's serves a community with higher-than-average disadvantage.

In its most recent graded Ofsted inspection in 2016, St John's was rated Good overall, with Good marks for leadership and management, and Good for early years provision. The school has held a Good rating across both its recent inspections, having previously been rated Inadequate in 2013. The 2021 ungraded inspection confirmed the school remains Good. Exam results from the 2023/24 academic year show that while the combined expected standard figure is below the LA average, individual subjects vary: 71% of pupils met the expected standard in writing, and 19% achieved the higher standard in reading. Progress scores are not available in the data, so it's difficult to say how much value the school adds relative to pupils' starting points. The school's position in the Mole Valley rankings — 9th out of 11 — reflects a competitive local landscape where top performers like South Farnham School and The Raleigh School achieve perfect or near-perfect ranking scores.

St John's is a Church of England primary school with nursery provision for children aged 3 to 11, and it is oversubscribed: for the 2025/26 intake, there were 41 applications for 26 places, with all 26 first-preference applicants offered a spot. The school has a capacity of 262 and currently enrols 230 pupils. Facilities include a dining hall, library, gymnasium, chapel, and a Forest School programme. Sports on offer include football, tennis, dance and cricket, while clubs range from art and drama to gardening, film, science and eco club. The school has identified SEND provisions for specific learning difficulties like dyslexia, moderate learning difficulties, social and emotional mental health needs, speech and language communication needs, and autistic spectrum disorder. This is a school that may suit families who value a Church of England ethos, a strong reading focus, and a supportive environment for pupils with additional needs, but who are comfortable with below-average headline attainment figures in a high-performing local authority.

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