St John's Voluntary Aided Church of England Primary School, Lemsford
Lemsford Village, Welwyn Garden City, AL8 7TR
- Phase
- Primary
- School type
- Voluntary aided school
- Ages
- 4 to 11
- Gender
- Mixed
- Religious character
- Church of England
- Headteacher
- Mrs Michelle Boylan
- Diocese
- Diocese of St Albans
- Constituency
- Welwyn Hatfield
- Setting
- Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
- Capacity
- 105
- Pupils on roll
- 102
- URN
- 117435
- Local authority
- Hertfordshire
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 01707322589
About this school
St John's Voluntary Aided Church of England Primary School, Lemsford is a Church of England voluntary aided primary school in Welwyn Garden City. It teaches children aged 4 to 11 and has 102 pupils on roll.
Ofsted has inspected St John's Voluntary Aided Church of England Primary School, Lemsford, 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
Confirmed by a short inspection, not a full one
Ofsted's most recent visit was a short inspection on 4 May 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 | 15 | 16 | 13 |
| Met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths | 67% | 50% | 62% |
| Reached the higher standard in reading, writing and maths | 13% | 6% | 8% |
| Expected standard in reading | 87% | 69% | 85% |
| Expected standard in maths | 80% | 56% | 69% |
| Expected standard in grammar, punctuation and spelling | 67% | 50% | 77% |
| Average scaled score in reading | 108.0 | 104.0 | 106.0 |
| Average scaled score in maths | 106.0 | 100.0 | 104.0 |
| Reading progress | +2.10 | - | - |
| Writing progress | +1.50 | - | - |
| Maths progress | -0.30 | - | - |
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 Voluntary Aided Church of England Primary School, Lemsford has moved over recent years against the local and national picture. Every figure is shown in the table beneath its chart.
| Year | This school | Hertfordshire average | England average |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 67% | 59.1% | 57.9% |
| 2023/24 | 50% | 60.6% | 58.8% |
| 2024/25 | 62% | 61% | 60.3% |
Department for Education KS2 performance data, published school results.
| Year | This school | England average |
|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 4.6% | 6.8% |
| 2023/24 | 5.8% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 6% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 101 |
| 2023/24 | 103 |
| 2024/25 | 103 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
How St John's Voluntary Aided Church of England Primary School, Lemsford compares
St John's Voluntary Aided Church of England Primary School, Lemsford ranked 201st of 339 primary schools in Hertfordshire 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 40% of England schools in 2024/25.
| School | KS2 RWM (2024/25) | Absence | FSM (6 years) | Pupils | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| This school | 62% | 6% | 7.8% | 102 | — |
| Applecroft School | 78% | 3.5% | 11.4% | 454 | 0.6 miles |
| Green Lanes Primary School | 64% | 4.1% | 12.7% | 413 | 1.4 miles |
| Templewood Primary School | 60% | 5.2% | 9% | 225 | 1.4 miles |
| Our Lady Catholic Primary School | 70% | 5.2% | 19.5% | 204 | 1.4 miles |
| Creswick Academy | 40% | 4.5% | 27.5% | 325 | 1.5 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)
- 7.77%
- English as an additional language
- 10.7%
- Overall absence
- 5.97%
- Persistent absence
- 15.56%
Location
Nearby schools
-
Applecroft School0.6 miles
Primary · Welwyn Garden City
-
Green Lanes Primary School1.4 miles
Primary · Hatfield
-
Templewood Primary School1.4 miles
Primary · Welwyn Garden City
-
Our Lady Catholic Primary School1.4 miles
Primary · Welwyn Garden City
-
Creswick Academy1.5 miles
Primary · Welwyn Garden City
Other schools in Welwyn Garden City
St John's Voluntary Aided Church of England Primary School, Lemsford ranks 11th of the 15 ranked primary schools in Welwyn Garden City.
- Applecroft School Primary
- Commonswood Primary & Nursery School Primary
- Creswick Academy Primary
- Harwood Hill Junior Mixed Infant and Nursery School Primary
- Holwell Primary School Primary
- Homerswood Primary and Nursery School Primary
- Our Lady Catholic Primary School Primary
- Panshanger Primary School Primary
- Peartree Primary School Primary
- Springmead Primary School Primary
- Swallow Dell Primary and Nursery School Primary
- Templewood Primary School Primary
Common questions
- What ages does St John's Voluntary Aided Church of England Primary School, Lemsford teach?
- St John's Voluntary Aided Church of England Primary School, Lemsford teaches children aged 4 to 11. It is a primary school in Welwyn Garden City.
- Who is the headteacher of St John's Voluntary Aided Church of England Primary School, Lemsford?
- The headteacher of St John's Voluntary Aided Church of England Primary School, Lemsford is Mrs Michelle Boylan, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- Has St John's Voluntary Aided Church of England Primary School, Lemsford been inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected St John's Voluntary Aided Church of England Primary School, Lemsford, 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 Voluntary Aided Church of England Primary School, Lemsford?
- St John's Voluntary Aided Church of England Primary School, Lemsford has 102 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 4 to 11.
- Is St John's Voluntary Aided Church of England Primary School, Lemsford full?
- St John's Voluntary Aided Church of England Primary School, Lemsford has capacity for 105 pupils and 102 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's Voluntary Aided Church of England Primary School, Lemsford a faith school?
- Yes. St John's Voluntary Aided Church of England Primary School, Lemsford is designated Church of England, in the Diocese of St Albans.
- Does St John's Voluntary Aided Church of England Primary School, Lemsford have a nursery?
- No. The schools register records St John's Voluntary Aided Church of England Primary School, Lemsford as having no nursery classes.
- How have St John's Voluntary Aided Church of England Primary School, Lemsford's results changed over recent years?
- Its share of pupils reaching the expected standard in reading, writing and maths was 67% 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 Voluntary Aided Church of England Primary School, Lemsford compare with other schools in Hertfordshire?
- St John's Voluntary Aided Church of England Primary School, Lemsford ranked 201st of 339 primary schools in Hertfordshire 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 40% 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 Voluntary Aided Church of England Primary School, Lemsford's absence rate?
- St John's Voluntary Aided Church of England Primary School, Lemsford's overall absence rate is 6% in the latest published census, at or below the England average of 6.2%.
- What are St John's Voluntary Aided Church of England Primary School, Lemsford's exam results?
- Where the Department for Education has published them, St John's Voluntary Aided Church of England Primary School, Lemsford'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.