St John's Catholic Comprehensive
Rochester Road, Gravesend, DA12 2JW
- Phase
- Secondary
- School type
- Voluntary aided school
- Ages
- 11 to 18
- Gender
- Mixed
- Religious character
- Roman Catholic
- Headteacher
- Mr Matthew Barron
- Admissions policy
- Non-selective
- Diocese
- Archdiocese of Southwark
- Constituency
- Gravesham
- Setting
- Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
- Capacity
- 1,184
- Pupils on roll
- 1,335
- URN
- 118933
- Local authority
- Kent
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 01474534718
About this school
St John's Catholic Comprehensive is a Roman Catholic voluntary aided secondary school in Gravesend. It teaches children aged 11 to 18 and has 1,335 pupils on roll.
Ofsted has inspected St John's Catholic Comprehensive, and its latest judgement is set out below. Where the Department for Education has published them, its results and pupil characteristics appear below. Seeing a school for yourself shows what no page can, so arrange a visit before you apply.
Ofsted judgement
Ofsted's most recent visit was a short inspection on 8 January 2025, where inspectors found that standards have been maintained. 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 4 (GCSEs)
| Measure | 2022/23 | 2023/24 | 2024/25 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils at the end of key stage 4 | 179 | 196 | 189 |
| Attainment 8 score | 44.0 | 43.6 | 42.1 |
| Progress 8 score | +0.33 +0.12 to +0.54 | +0.11 -0.09 to +0.31 | - |
| Grade 5 or above in English and maths | 32% | 41.3% | 31.2% |
| Grade 4 or above in English and maths | 63% | 64.3% | 63% |
| Entered the English Baccalaureate | 4% | 8.7% | 6.9% |
| English Baccalaureate average point score | 3.5 | 3.6 | 3.5 |
Progress 8 is paused nationally for the 2024/25 and 2025/26 school years. Those pupils sat no key stage 2 tests during the Covid pandemic, so there is no starting point to measure progress from. A blank figure here is not missing school data.
Trends over time
How St John's Catholic Comprehensive has moved over recent years against the local and national picture. Every figure is shown in the table beneath its chart.
| Year | This school | Kent average | England average |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 44 | 37.6 | 39.8 |
| 2023/24 | 43.6 | 37.1 | 39.5 |
| 2024/25 | 42.1 | 37.7 | 39 |
Department for Education KS4 performance data, published school results.
| Year | This school | England average |
|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 8.5% | 6.8% |
| 2023/24 | 7.6% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 6.6% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 1,294 |
| 2023/24 | 1,319 |
| 2024/25 | 1,322 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
How St John's Catholic Comprehensive compares
St John's Catholic Comprehensive ranked 50th of 100 secondary schools in Kent for Attainment 8 in 2024/25. Its Attainment 8 score was higher than 46% of England secondary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 29% of England schools in 2024/25.
| School | Attainment 8 (2024/25) | Absence | FSM (6 years) | Pupils | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| This school | 42.1 | 6.6% | 28.6% | 1,335 | — |
| Gravesend Grammar School | 65.3 | 4.8% | 10.7% | 1,495 | 0.2 miles |
| Thamesview School | 34.3 | 9.4% | 48% | 978 | 1.0 miles |
| Mayfield Grammar School, Gravesend | 64.3 | 5.4% | 15.1% | 1,398 | 1.1 miles |
| Northfleet Technology College | 35.7 | 8.6% | 38.1% | 974 | 1.8 miles |
| Northfleet School for Girls | 43 | 8.3% | 38.2% | 1,312 | 1.9 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)
- 28.6%
- English as an additional language
- 31.9%
- Overall absence
- 6.61%
- Persistent absence
- 18.43%
Location
Nearby schools
-
Gravesend Grammar School0.2 miles
Secondary · Gravesend
-
Thamesview School1.0 miles
Secondary · Gravesend
-
Mayfield Grammar School, Gravesend1.1 miles
Secondary · Gravesend
-
Northfleet Technology College1.8 miles
Secondary · Gravesend
-
Northfleet School for Girls1.9 miles
Secondary · Gravesend
Other schools in Gravesend
St John's Catholic Comprehensive ranks 4th of the 8 ranked secondary schools in Gravesend.
- Gravesend Grammar School Secondary
- Mayfield Grammar School, Gravesend Secondary
- Meopham School Secondary
- Northfleet School for Girls Secondary
- Northfleet Technology College Secondary
- Thamesview School Secondary
- Northfleet Nursery School Nursery
- Cecil Road Primary and Nursery School Primary
- Chantry Community Primary School Primary
- Cobham Primary School Primary
- Copperfield Academy Primary
- Culverstone Green Primary School Primary
Common questions
- What ages does St John's Catholic Comprehensive teach?
- St John's Catholic Comprehensive teaches children aged 11 to 18. It is a secondary school in Gravesend.
- Who is the headteacher of St John's Catholic Comprehensive?
- The headteacher of St John's Catholic Comprehensive is Mr Matthew Barron, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- Has St John's Catholic Comprehensive been inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected St John's Catholic Comprehensive, 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 Catholic Comprehensive?
- St John's Catholic Comprehensive has 1,335 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 11 to 18.
- Is St John's Catholic Comprehensive full?
- St John's Catholic Comprehensive has capacity for 1,184 pupils and 1,335 on roll (113%), so it is at or above 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 Catholic Comprehensive a faith school?
- Yes. St John's Catholic Comprehensive is designated Roman Catholic, in the Archdiocese of Southwark.
- Is St John's Catholic Comprehensive a selective school?
- No. St John's Catholic Comprehensive is recorded as non-selective in the schools register.
- How have St John's Catholic Comprehensive's results changed over recent years?
- Its Attainment 8 score was 44 in 2022/23 and 42.1 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 Catholic Comprehensive compare with other schools in Kent?
- St John's Catholic Comprehensive ranked 50th of 100 secondary schools in Kent for Attainment 8. Its Attainment 8 score was higher than 46% of England secondary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 29% 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 Catholic Comprehensive's absence rate?
- St John's Catholic Comprehensive's overall absence rate is 6.6% in the latest published census, above the England average of 6.2%.
- What are St John's Catholic Comprehensive's exam results?
- Where the Department for Education has published them, St John's Catholic Comprehensive'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.