St John Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School Danbury
Little Baddow Road, Danbury, Chelmsford, CM3 4NS
- Phase
- Primary
- School type
- Voluntary controlled school
- Ages
- 4 to 11
- Gender
- Mixed
- Religious character
- Church of England
- Headteacher
- Mr Toby Power
- Diocese
- Diocese of Chelmsford
- Constituency
- Maldon
- Setting
- Larger rural: Nearer to a major town or city
- Capacity
- 230
- Pupils on roll
- 222
- URN
- 115112
- Local authority
- Essex
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 01245222173
About this school
St John Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School Danbury is a Church of England voluntary controlled primary school in Chelmsford. It teaches children aged 4 to 11 and has 222 pupils on roll.
You can read Ofsted's latest judgement for the school 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
Confirmed by a short inspection, not a full one
Ofsted's most recent visit was a short inspection on 20 September 2023, where inspectors confirmed the school remains Good. The school's last full inspection took place before September 2019, so its area grades are not part of Ofsted's current published data. Older reports are on the school's Ofsted page.
Exam results
Key stage 2 (end of primary school)
| Measure | 2022/23 | 2023/24 | 2024/25 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils at the end of key stage 2 | 35 | 35 | 32 |
| Met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths | 80% | 66% | 71% |
| Reached the higher standard in reading, writing and maths | 9% | 14% | 13% |
| Expected standard in reading | 89% | 80% | 72% |
| Expected standard in maths | 94% | 77% | 75% |
| Expected standard in grammar, punctuation and spelling | 89% | 74% | 69% |
| Average scaled score in reading | 109.0 | 107.0 | 107.0 |
| Average scaled score in maths | 108.0 | 106.0 | 103.0 |
| Reading progress | +4.50 | - | - |
| Writing progress | +2.10 | - | - |
| Maths progress | +5.40 | - | - |
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 Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School Danbury has moved over recent years against the local and national picture. Every figure is shown in the table beneath its chart.
| Year | This school | Essex average | England average |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 80% | 58.9% | 57.9% |
| 2023/24 | 66% | 59.5% | 58.8% |
| 2024/25 | 71% | 60.7% | 60.3% |
Department for Education KS2 performance data, published school results.
| Year | This school | England average |
|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 5.5% | 6.8% |
| 2023/24 | 6% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 5.6% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 220 |
| 2023/24 | 225 |
| 2024/25 | 219 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
How St John Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School Danbury compares
St John Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School Danbury ranked 139th of 388 primary schools in Essex for KS2 results in 2024/25. Its KS2 result was higher than 68% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 45% of England schools in 2024/25.
| School | KS2 RWM (2024/25) | Absence | FSM (6 years) | Pupils | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| This school | 71% | 5.6% | 16.9% | 222 | — |
| Danbury Park Community Primary School | 71% | 3.9% | 4.9% | 250 | 0.7 miles |
| Priory Primary School, Bicknacre | 63% | 5.8% | 12% | 153 | 1.6 miles |
| Woodham Walter Church of England Primary Academy | — | — | — | 75 | 1.9 miles |
| East Hanningfield Church of England Primary Academy | — | — | — | 109 | 2.8 miles |
| Baddow Hall Infant School | — | 4.6% | 11.6% | 166 | 3.1 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.
School context
From the 2024/25 school census and absence figures.
- Free school meals (last 6 years)
- 16.89%
- English as an additional language
- 1.8%
- Overall absence
- 5.64%
- Persistent absence
- 15.08%
Location
Nearby schools
-
Danbury Park Community Primary School0.7 miles
Primary · Danbury
-
Priory Primary School, Bicknacre1.6 miles
Primary · Chelmsford
-
Woodham Walter Church of England Primary Academy1.9 miles
Primary · Maldon
-
East Hanningfield Church of England Primary Academy2.8 miles
Primary · Chelmsford
-
Baddow Hall Infant School3.1 miles
Primary · Chelmsford
Other schools in Chelmsford
St John Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School Danbury ranks 18th of the 46 ranked primary schools in Chelmsford.
- Baddow Hall Infant School Primary
- Baddow Hall Junior School Primary
- Barnes Farm Primary School Primary
- Beehive Lane Community Primary School Primary
- Boreham Primary School Primary
- Broomfield Primary School Primary
- Chancellor Park Primary School, Chelmsford Primary
- Christchurch Church of England Primary School Primary
- Cold Norton Primary School Primary
- Collingwood Primary School Primary
- East Hanningfield Church of England Primary Academy Primary
- Elmwood Primary School Primary
Common questions
- What year groups does St John Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School Danbury teach?
- St John Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School Danbury teaches children aged 4 to 11. It is a primary school in Chelmsford.
- Who is the headteacher of St John Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School Danbury?
- The headteacher of St John Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School Danbury is Mr Toby Power, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- When was St John Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School Danbury last inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected St John Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School Danbury, and its latest judgement is set out in the inspection section on this page, with the framework and the date it was made.
- How big is St John Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School Danbury?
- St John Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School Danbury has 222 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 4 to 11.
- Is St John Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School Danbury full?
- St John Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School Danbury has capacity for 230 pupils and 222 on roll (97%), so it is close to full. 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 Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School Danbury a faith school?
- Yes. St John Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School Danbury is designated Church of England, in the Diocese of Chelmsford.
- Does St John Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School Danbury have a nursery?
- No. The schools register records St John Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School Danbury as having no nursery classes.
- How have St John Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School Danbury's results changed over recent years?
- Its share of pupils reaching the expected standard in reading, writing and maths was 80% in 2022/23 and 71% 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 Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School Danbury rank locally?
- St John Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School Danbury ranked 139th of 388 primary schools in Essex for key stage 2 results. Its KS2 result was higher than 68% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 45% 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 Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School Danbury's absence rate?
- St John Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School Danbury's overall absence rate is 5.6% in the latest published census, at or below the England average of 6.2%.
- What are St John Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School Danbury's exam results?
- Where the Department for Education has published them, St John Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School Danbury'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 30 June 2026.