St John's Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School

About St John's Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School

St John's Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School sits in Basingstoke and Deane, within the Hampshire local authority, and ranks 4th out of 40 primary schools in the area. That puts it in the top 10% locally, with a score of 78 on the key stage 2 expected standard metric. The three top-performing peers in the same authority are Preston Candover Church of England Primary School, Our Lady and St Joseph Catholic Primary School, and St Faith's Church of England Primary School. St John's is one of 33 schools in Hampshire rated Outstanding by Ofsted, and its most recent inspection in February 2025 awarded top marks across the board: Outstanding for quality of education, behaviour and attitudes, personal development, leadership and management, and early years provision. That's a notable upgrade from its previous Good rating in 2011. The school is a Church of England voluntary aided primary, with headteacher Angela Nicholls leading a roll of 314 pupils, just one short of its full capacity of 315.

Academically, St John's delivers strong results. In the 2023/24 key stage 2 assessments, 78% of pupils reached the expected standard in reading, writing and maths combined, well above the Hampshire local authority average of 61%. The school also excels at the higher standard, with 18% of pupils achieving that benchmark. In maths, 93% met the expected level and 36% reached the higher standard, with an average scaled score of 108. Reading saw 84% at expected and 42% at the higher level, averaging a score of 107. Writing was similarly strong, with 89% at expected and 24% at the higher level. Nationally, the school ranks in the top 14% of all primary schools, and in the South East region it sits in the top 13%. Parent feedback is overwhelmingly positive: 96% of respondents would recommend the school, and 95% strongly agreed or agreed that their child is happy here.

The school is well equipped, with facilities including an ICT suite, gymnasium, sports hall, dining hall, playing fields, music rooms, an outdoor playground, library and chapel. Sports on offer include athletics, football, cricket and gymnastics, while clubs range from science and coding to gardening. St John's provides support for a wide range of special educational needs, including dyslexia, moderate learning difficulty, social, emotional and mental health needs, speech and language difficulties, visual impairment, physical disability and autistic spectrum disorder. However, the Parent View data shows some mixed feelings on SEND support: 54% strongly agreed or agreed that SEND children get the support they need, while 27% disagreed or strongly disagreed. The school is oversubscribed for 2025/26, with 81 applications for 42 places and 38 first-preference offers. This is a school that suits families who value strong academic outcomes, a clear Church of England character, and a setting where behaviour and personal development are rated Outstanding.

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