St John's Church of England Primary School
Rufford Road, Crossens, Southport, PR9 8JH
- Phase
- Primary
- School type
- Voluntary controlled school
- Ages
- 4 to 11
- Gender
- Mixed
- Religious character
- Church of England
- Headteacher
- Mr Phil Thomson
- Diocese
- Diocese of Liverpool
- Constituency
- Southport
- Setting
- Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
- Capacity
- 210
- Pupils on roll
- 158
- URN
- 104894
- Local authority
- Sefton
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 01704227441
About this school
St John's Church of England Primary School is a Church of England voluntary controlled primary school in Southport. It teaches children aged 4 to 11 and has 158 pupils on roll.
Ofsted has inspected St John's Church of England Primary School, and its latest judgement is set out below. Where the Department for Education has published them, its results and pupil characteristics appear below. Numbers and a report only go so far, so visit in person before you apply.
Ofsted judgement
Ofsted no longer gives schools a single overall grade. Each area of the school's work is graded on a five-point scale, and safeguarding is judged separately.
- Inclusion
- Expected standard
- Curriculum and teaching
- Needs attention
- Achievement
- Needs attention
- Attendance and behaviour
- Expected standard
- Personal development and wellbeing
- Expected standard
- Leadership and governance
- Needs attention
- Early years
- Needs attention
- Safeguarding
- Met
Exam results
Key stage 2 (end of primary school)
| Measure | 2022/23 | 2023/24 | 2024/25 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils at the end of key stage 2 | 28 | 24 | 26 |
| Met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths | 36% | 54% | 62% |
| Reached the higher standard in reading, writing and maths | 0% | 4% | 8% |
| Expected standard in reading | 75% | 63% | 65% |
| Expected standard in maths | 71% | 75% | 73% |
| Expected standard in grammar, punctuation and spelling | 79% | 54% | 73% |
| Average scaled score in reading | 104.0 | 106.0 | 105.0 |
| Average scaled score in maths | 102.0 | 104.0 | 107.0 |
| Reading progress | -1.90 | - | - |
| Writing progress | -3.40 | - | - |
| Maths progress | -2.30 | - | - |
Progress measures ended nationally after the 2022/23 school year, when the key stage 1 assessments they were based on were stopped. Blank progress figures in later years are not missing school data.
Trends over time
How St John's Church of England Primary School has moved over recent years against the local and national picture. Every figure is shown in the table beneath its chart.
| Year | This school | Sefton average | England average |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 36% | 56.9% | 57.9% |
| 2023/24 | 54% | 55.9% | 58.8% |
| 2024/25 | 62% | 57.3% | 60.3% |
Department for Education KS2 performance data, published school results.
| Year | This school | England average |
|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 6.6% | 6.8% |
| 2023/24 | 5.8% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 5% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 182 |
| 2023/24 | 175 |
| 2024/25 | 166 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
How St John's Church of England Primary School compares
St John's Church of England Primary School ranked 30th of 69 primary schools in Sefton for KS2 results in 2024/25. Its KS2 result was higher than 45% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 59% of England schools in 2024/25.
| School | KS2 RWM (2024/25) | Absence | FSM (6 years) | Pupils | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| This school | 62% | 5% | 31.3% | 158 | — |
| Larkfield Primary School | 56% | 5.6% | 22.6% | 256 | 0.9 miles |
| Marshside Primary School | 56% | 5.4% | 26.7% | 204 | 0.9 miles |
| Churchtown Primary School | 55% | 4.6% | 15.1% | 660 | 1.1 miles |
| St Patrick's Catholic Primary School | 61% | 3.9% | 14.2% | 319 | 1.2 miles |
| Banks St Stephen's CofE School | 55% | 6.9% | 30.2% | 199 | 1.2 miles |
Results reflect each school's cohort as much as its teaching, and free school meals share is context, not a judgement. Small gaps between neighbouring schools are rarely meaningful on their own.
Inspection history
School context
From the 2024/25 school census and absence figures.
- Free school meals (last 6 years)
- 31.33%
- English as an additional language
- 3%
- Overall absence
- 5.03%
- Persistent absence
- 12.1%
Location
Nearby schools
-
Larkfield Primary School0.9 miles
Primary · Southport
-
Marshside Primary School0.9 miles
Primary · Southport
-
Churchtown Primary School1.1 miles
Primary · Southport
-
St Patrick's Catholic Primary School1.2 miles
Primary · Southport
-
Banks St Stephen's CofE School1.2 miles
Primary · Southport
Other schools in Southport
St John's Church of England Primary School ranks 6th of the 19 ranked primary schools in Southport.
- Ainsdale St John's Church of England Primary School Primary
- Banks Methodist School Primary
- Banks St Stephen's CofE School Primary
- Birkdale Primary School Primary
- Bishop David Sheppard Church of England Primary School Primary
- Churchtown Primary School Primary
- Farnborough Road Infant School Primary
- Farnborough Road Junior School Primary
- Holy Family Catholic Primary School Primary
- Holy Trinity Church of England Primary School, Southport Primary
- Kew Woods Primary School Primary
- Kings Meadow Primary School and Early Years Education Centre Primary
Common questions
- What ages does St John's Church of England Primary School teach?
- St John's Church of England Primary School teaches children aged 4 to 11. It is a primary school in Southport.
- Who is the headteacher of St John's Church of England Primary School?
- The headteacher of St John's Church of England Primary School is Mr Phil Thomson, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- Has St John's Church of England Primary School been inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected St John's Church of England Primary School, and its latest judgement is set out in the inspection section on this page, with the framework and the date it was made.
- How many pupils are at St John's Church of England Primary School?
- St John's Church of England Primary School has 158 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 4 to 11.
- Is St John's Church of England Primary School full?
- St John's Church of England Primary School has capacity for 210 pupils and 158 on roll (75%), so it has space against its published capacity. Places are allocated through the local authority's admissions process, so capacity alone does not tell you whether a place is available.
- Is St John's Church of England Primary School a faith school?
- Yes. St John's Church of England Primary School is designated Church of England, in the Diocese of Liverpool.
- Does St John's Church of England Primary School have a nursery?
- No. The schools register records St John's Church of England Primary School as having no nursery classes.
- How have St John's Church of England Primary School's results changed over recent years?
- Its share of pupils reaching the expected standard in reading, writing and maths was 36% in 2022/23 and 62% in 2024/25. The year-by-year figures, alongside local and national averages, are charted in the trends section on this page.
- How does St John's Church of England Primary School compare with other schools in Sefton?
- St John's Church of England Primary School ranked 30th of 69 primary schools in Sefton for key stage 2 results. Its KS2 result was higher than 45% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 59% of England schools in 2024/25. Results reflect each cohort as well as the school, so treat rankings as a starting point.
- What is St John's Church of England Primary School's absence rate?
- St John's Church of England Primary School's overall absence rate is 5% in the latest published census, at or below the England average of 6.2%.
- What are St John's Church of England Primary School's exam results?
- Where the Department for Education has published them, St John's Church of England Primary School's key stage results are shown in the results section on this page, with the last three years so you can see the trend rather than a single year.
School details come from the Department for Education's Get Information About Schools register. Inspection outcomes come from Ofsted, and exam results from the Department for Education's school performance service. This page was last updated on 13 August 2026.