Ofsted: Outstanding trending_up Popular emoji_events #6 in Darlington public Top 34% UK

St John's Church of England Academy

verifiedData: DfE 2024/25–2025/26 · Ofsted

personMr Marco Ramsay

corporate_fareDURHAM AND NEWCASTLE DIOCESAN LEARNING TRUST

location_onDarlington, DL1 4UB

language Visit Website phone 1325380725

verified

Ofsted

Outstanding

Inspected 2022

groups

Students

246

school

Expected Standard

70%

local_fire_department

Demand Ratio

1.4x

summarize

St John's Church of England Academy is a Academy converter primary school in Darlington, serving ages 2-11. Rated Outstanding by Ofsted — the highest possible grade. Demand is above capacity (1.4×) — apply through your local authority on time. Ranks in the top 34% of primary schools nationally.

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School Summary

St John's Church of England Academy is an academy converter in Darlington, admitting pupils aged 2-11. It is part of DURHAM AND NEWCASTLE DIOCESAN LEARNING TRUST. The school has approximately 248 pupils on roll, of whom 44% are eligible for free school meals.

In 2025, 70% of pupils met the expected standard in Reading, Writing and Maths combined, with 10% achieving the higher standard. The school ranks #6 of 27 primaries in Darlington and #2,254 of 14,143 nationally.

Ofsted last inspected the school in 2022. The school's current overall rating is Outstanding. Inspectors assessed quality of education as Outstanding, behaviour and attitudes Outstanding, personal development Outstanding, and leadership and management Outstanding.

The school is oversubscribed — in the most recent cycle, there were 1.4× as many applications as places, making a successful application competitive.

The pupil-to-qualified-teacher ratio is 25.4:1. There are no current teaching vacancies.

In the 2024/25 academic year, there were no permanent exclusions. The average suspension rate was 0.0 per 1,000 pupils per term.

verified Source: DfE 2024/25–2025/26 · Ofsted

Academic Performance

verified Data: UK Gov 2024/25

school

Primary Performance Trends (KS2)

2025

R/W/M Expected Standard

70%

LA 60%

Reading77% LA 70%

Writing83% LA 70%

Maths77% LA 71%

Read SS

104

Maths SS

104

GPS SS

106

Progress (0 = national avg)

Read

Write

Maths

2024

R/W/M Expected Standard

60%

LA 56%England 61%

Reading67% LA 69% · Eng 74%

Writing87% LA 69% · Eng 72%

Maths77% LA 68% · Eng 73%

Read SS

102

Maths SS

105

GPS SS

104

Progress (0 = national avg)

Read

Write

Maths

2023

R/W/M Expected Standard

80%

LA 55%England 60%

Reading83% LA 70% · Eng 73%

Writing83% LA 68% · Eng 71%

Maths87% LA 67% · Eng 73%

Read SS

107

Maths SS

105

GPS SS

105

Progress (0 = national avg)

1.1

Read

LA -0.4

-1.2 to 3.3

0.8

Write

LA 0.1

-1.4 to 2.9

0.7

Maths

LA -0.6

-1.4 to 2.8

2019

R/W/M Expected Standard

83%

LA 65%England 65%

Reading90% LA 73% · Eng 73%

Writing86% LA 78% · Eng 78%

Maths93% LA 80% · Eng 79%

Read SS

107

Maths SS

106

GPS SS

107

Progress (0 = national avg)

3.4

Read

LA 0.5

1.1 to 5.6

2.5

Write

LA 1.0

0.4 to 4.6

1.3

Maths

LA 0.9

-0.7 to 3.3

2018

R/W/M Expected Standard

77%

LA 64%

Reading77% LA 77%

Writing87% LA 80%

Maths87% LA 75%

Read SS

104

Maths SS

106

GPS SS

106

Progress (0 = national avg)

1.2

Read

LA 0.7

-1 to 3.4

3.6

Write

LA 0.7

1.5 to 5.7

4.2

Maths

LA 1.0

2.2 to 6.2

Ofsted History

Publication Timeline

Report Archive

06 October 2022

Inspection Report

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10 August 2012

Inspection Report

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Inspection Report

Inspection History

2 Evaluations

2022-10-06

S5 Inspection EIF

Outstanding

Education

Outstanding

Behaviour

Outstanding

Development

Outstanding

Leadership

Outstanding

2008-02-28

Section 5 RTI Historic EIF

Outstanding

Education

No Judgement

Behaviour

No Judgement

Development

No Judgement

Leadership

Outstanding

Wellbeing, SEN & Pastoral Care

gavel

Behaviour & Discipline (Suspensions & Exclusions)

Official Department for Education (DfE) data. Suspensions measure temporary removals due to behavior, while exclusions represent permanent removals.

Suspension Rate

0.0%per term

sentiment_satisfied Below Average (Good)

National average: 0.8% for this term (primary).

Pupils Suspended 1+ Times

0.0%(0 pupils)

Spring term 2025

Represents the proportion of unique students suspended at least once in this term.

Permanent Exclusions

0pupils

verified Excellent (Zero)

National average: 1.225% of pupils excluded per term.

Pastoral Context: In the Spring term of 2025, this school served a headcount of 248 pupils. During this period, there were 0 temporary suspensions. The school's suspension rate was 0.0%, which is below the termly national average of 0.8%.

View Historical Disciplinary Records (2017–2025)keyboard_arrow_down

Year / Term	Headcount	Suspensions	Susp. Rate	Nat. Avg
2024/25 (Spring term)	248	0	0.0%	0.8%
2024/25 (Autumn term)	239	0	0.0%	0.9%
2023/24 (Summer term)	252	1	0.4%	0.8%
2023/24 (Spring term)	246	0	0.0%	0.7%
2023/24 (Autumn term)	239	0	0.0%	0.8%
2022/23 (Summer term)	254	0	0.0%	0.7%
2022/23 (Spring term)	246	1	0.4%	0.6%
2022/23 (Autumn term)	238	0	0.0%	0.6%
2021/22 (Summer term)	254	0	0.0%	0.5%
2021/22 (Spring term)	249	0	0.0%	0.5%
2021/22 (Autumn term)	241	0	0.0%	0.5%
2020/21 (Summer term)	254	8	3.1%	0.4%
2020/21 (Spring term)	253	1	0.4%	0.1%
2020/21 (Autumn term)	244	3	1.2%	0.4%
2019/20 (Summer term)	252	0	0.0%	0.0%
2019/20 (Spring term)	252	0	0.0%	0.4%
2019/20 (Autumn term)	241	6	2.5%	0.6%
2018/19 (Summer term)	260	2	0.8%	0.4%
2018/19 (Spring term)	253	0	0.0%	0.5%
2018/19 (Autumn term)	249	0	0.0%	0.5%
2017/18 (Summer term)	276	3	1.1%	0.5%
2017/18 (Spring term)	272	2	0.7%	0.4%
2017/18 (Autumn term)	261	7	2.7%	0.5%
2016/17 (Summer term)	277	4	1.4%	0.4%
2016/17 (Spring term)	273	2	0.7%	0.4%
2016/17 (Autumn term)	266	0	0.0%	0.5%

Source: DfE Suspensions and Permanent Exclusions in England. Data represents termly statistics as published by the Department for Education.

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psychology_alt

Supported Special Educational Needs (SEN)

Primary areas of need currently supported by the school. A high number often indicates specialized internal units or high staff experience in these areas.

Autistic Spectrum Disorder 26 pupils

Speech, Language & Communication 12 pupils

Moderate Learning Difficulty 4 pupils

Social, Emotional & Mental Health 2 pupils

Physical Disability 1 pupils

health_and_safety

Parent View on Pastoral Care

Results from the official Ofsted Parent View survey, reflecting direct parent sentiment regarding the school environment.

My child is happy at this school.

100.0%Positive

My child feels safe at this school.

100.0%Positive

My child has been bullied and the school dealt with the bullying quickly and effectively.

13.0%Positive

View All Survey Responseskeyboard_arrow_down

The school makes sure its pupils are well behaved.

strongly agree87%

agree7%

disagree7%

The school makes me aware of what my child will learn during the year.

strongly agree93%

agree7%

When I have raised concerns with the school they have been dealt with properly

strongly agree33%

agree13%

disagree7%

not applicable47%

Does your child have special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND)?

My child has special educational needs and/or disabilities, and the school gives them the support they need to succeed.

The school has high expectations for my child.

strongly agree67%

agree27%

disagree7%

My child does well at this school.

strongly agree80%

agree13%

don't know7%

The school lets me know how my child is doing.

strongly agree80%

agree13%

disagree7%

There is a good range of subjects available to my child at this school.

strongly agree93%

agree7%

My child can take part in clubs and activities at this school.

strongly agree87%

agree7%

disagree7%

The school supports my child's wider personal development.

strongly agree80%

agree13%

disagree7%

I would recommend this school to another parent.

yes93%

no7%

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Other highly-ranked schools in the same local authority

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School Summary

Academic Performance

Primary Performance Trends (KS2)

Ofsted History

Publication Timeline

Inspection History

Admissions Insight

How Places Are Allocated

Faith Priority (Church of England)

Distance to School

School Capacity

Primary Admission Trends

Students & School Environment

School Size

Language Diversity

Inclusive Support

Attendance

Ethnicity Breakdown

Wellbeing, SEN & Pastoral Care

Behaviour & Discipline (Suspensions & Exclusions)

Supported Special Educational Needs (SEN)

Parent View on Pastoral Care

My child is happy at this school.

My child feels safe at this school.

My child has been bullied and the school dealt with the bullying quickly and effectively.

The school makes sure its pupils are well behaved.

The school makes me aware of what my child will learn during the year.

When I have raised concerns with the school they have been dealt with properly

Does your child have special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND)?

My child has special educational needs and/or disabilities, and the school gives them the support they need to succeed.

The school has high expectations for my child.

My child does well at this school.

The school lets me know how my child is doing.

There is a good range of subjects available to my child at this school.

My child can take part in clubs and activities at this school.

The school supports my child's wider personal development.

I would recommend this school to another parent.

Funding & Staffing

School Funding Allocation

Funding Breakdown

Staffing

Teacher Turnover

Top Primary Schools in Darlington

St Teresa's Catholic Primary School

Springfield Academy

Gurney Pease Academy

Mowden Junior School

Mount Pleasant Primary School

Abbey Junior School