St John's Roman Catholic Primary School

About St John's Roman Catholic Primary School

St John's Roman Catholic Primary School sits comfortably above the Southwark average for its key stage 2 results, with 80% of pupils reaching the expected standard in reading, writing and maths combined, compared with the local authority average of 68%. That twelve-point gap places the school 11th out of 60 primary schools in the borough, putting it in the top 25% nationally. The school is heavily oversubscribed: for 29 places in the 2025/26 intake, it received 90 applications, a ratio of 3.1 to one, and all 22 first-preference applicants were offered a place. Its most recent Ofsted inspection, in April 2025, awarded Outstanding across every graded category — quality of education, behaviour and attitudes, personal development, leadership and management, and early years provision — a significant upgrade from the Good rating it received in its previous inspection in 2011.

The detail behind that headline 80% figure is strong across the board. In reading, 97% of pupils met the expected standard and 37% reached the higher standard; in writing, 93% met the expected standard and 23% hit the higher mark; in maths, 80% met the expected standard and 20% achieved the higher standard. The average scaled scores were 109 in reading and 106 in maths, both above the national average of 100. The school's ranking score of 80 on the key stage 2 expected standard metric places it 377th out of 1,592 primary schools in London and 1,617th out of 13,686 nationally. Parent feedback is overwhelmingly positive: 100% of the 51 respondents would recommend the school, with 90% strongly agreeing that their child is happy and 96% strongly agreeing that their child feels safe.

The school offers a nursery provision for children aged three and above, and its facilities include a chapel, music rooms, art studios, an ICT suite, a sports hall, playing fields and an outdoor playground. Sports on offer include dance, athletics, swimming, cross country and tennis, while clubs range from gardening and eco club to coding and chess. The school's SEND provisions cover specific learning difficulties including dyslexia, speech, language and communication needs, autistic spectrum disorder, and social, emotional and mental health support. With 29.2% of pupils eligible for free school meals, the school serves a diverse community. For families seeking a Catholic primary in Southwark with strong academic outcomes and a proven track record of parental satisfaction, St John's is a compelling choice — though the oversubscription ratio of 3.1 means early application is essential.

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