St Vigor & St John Church School

About St Vigor & St John Church School

St Vigor & St John Church School is a Church of England primary in Somerset that significantly outperforms the local authority average on the headline Key Stage 2 measure. In the 2023/24 academic year, 87% of its pupils reached the expected standard in reading, writing and maths combined, compared with a Somerset LA average of just 59% — a gap of 28 percentage points. That result places the school 9th out of 134 primary schools in the county, putting it in the top 5% regionally and the top 4% nationally. The school is oversubscribed, with 59 applications for 30 places in 2025/26 and 43 first-preference applications, so local families clearly recognise the strength of what's on offer. It's a relatively small school with 214 pupils against a capacity of 210, and 11.2% of children qualify for free school meals, which is slightly below the national average.

Digging deeper into the SATs results, the school's reading and maths scores are notably strong. The average reading score was 111 and the average maths score was 107, both comfortably above the national benchmark of 100. In reading, 100% of pupils met the expected standard and 55% reached the higher standard; in maths, 100% met the expected standard and 26% hit the higher mark. Writing is a relative weaker spot — 87% met the expected standard and 23% reached the higher standard — but that's still well above the LA average for combined outcomes. The school's most recent Ofsted inspection in October 2022 rated it Good overall, with Outstanding marks for behaviour and attitudes and for early years provision. Its previous inspection in 2007 had rated it Outstanding across the board, so the current Good rating represents a slight step down, but the inspection team noted that leadership and management, quality of education, and personal development are all Good.

The school offers a range of facilities that support its inclusive ethos, including a sensory room, forest school area, chapel, gymnasium, and playing fields. Its SEND provisions are broad, covering specific learning difficulties like dyslexia, speech and language needs, visual impairment, physical disability, and autistic spectrum disorder — which suggests it can accommodate a wide range of additional needs. Sports include rounders, netball, tennis, athletics and cross country, while clubs range from drama and choir to eco club and film club. With nursery provision from age 0, it's a genuine all-through primary option for families in Somerset. Given its strong academic outcomes, oversubscribed admissions, and Good Ofsted rating with standout behaviour and early years, this school will particularly suit families who prioritise high attainment in reading and maths within a Church of England setting, and who are prepared to apply early given the competition for places.

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