St John's, Gosport Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School

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

St John's, Gosport Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School is a state primary in Hampshire that currently educates 383 pupils against a capacity of 420, leaving a small amount of headroom. Its intake reflects a notably high level of disadvantage: 35.8% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, well above the national average for primary schools. Despite this, the school is clearly in demand. For the 2025/26 admissions round, it received 89 applications for 58 places, with all 58 first-preference applicants offered a spot, giving an oversubscription ratio of 1.53. That suggests local families are actively choosing the school, even with its recent Ofsted rating. The school is Church of England by religious character and serves the Gosport area in the South East region.

Academically, the picture is mixed. In the 2023/24 Key Stage 2 assessments, 53% of pupils reached the expected standard in reading, writing and maths combined. That is below the Hampshire local authority average of 61% and places the school 217th out of 425 primaries in the county. In the Gosport local area, it ranks 6th out of 17 schools on this metric, putting it in the bottom half nationally. Individual subject scores show 69% achieving expected in maths and 65% in writing, with reading at 63%. Higher-attaining pupils are less common: just 6% reached the higher standard in maths, 18% in reading and 10% in writing. Progress scores are not available, so it is hard to say how much value the school adds, but the raw outcomes suggest room for improvement in core academic areas.

The school's most recent Ofsted inspection in July 2024 rated it Requires Improvement overall, a downgrade from its previous Good rating in 2019. However, the breakdown is more nuanced: behaviour and attitudes, and personal development, were both judged Outstanding, while leadership and management was Good and early years provision remained Good. The quality of education was the area requiring improvement. Facilities include a library, sports hall, chapel, dining hall and a Forest School, and the school runs clubs such as chess, gardening, book club and film club. SEND provision covers dyslexia, speech and language needs, social and emotional mental health, and physical disabilities. For families who prioritise pastoral care and a strong community ethos over raw exam scores, St John's offers a supportive environment, though those focused on academic outcomes may want to look at higher-performing peers in the area.

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