St John's Church of England Primary School
Priory, Wellington, TA21 9EJ
- Phase
- Primary
- School type
- Voluntary aided school
- Ages
- 5 to 11
- Gender
- Mixed
- Religious character
- Church of England
- Headteacher
- Mr Oliver Priestley
- Diocese
- Diocese of Bath and Wells
- Constituency
- Taunton and Wellington
- Setting
- Urban: Further from a major town or city
- Pupils on roll
- 219
- URN
- 123900
- Local authority
- Somerset
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 01823662541
About this school
St John's Church of England Primary School is a Church of England voluntary aided primary school in Wellington. It teaches children aged 5 to 11 and has 219 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
Overall judgement at the last full inspection
This inspection took place under the previous framework, which gave a single overall grade. Ofsted now publishes report cards instead, so newer inspections of other schools will look different. How Ofsted report cards work
- Quality of education
- Good
- Behaviour and attitudes
- Good
- Personal development
- Good
- Leadership and management
- Good
- Early years
- Good
- Safeguarding
- Effective
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 | 31 | 31 |
| Met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths | 54% | 58% | 52% |
| Reached the higher standard in reading, writing and maths | 7% | 10% | 6% |
| Expected standard in reading | 61% | 77% | 68% |
| Expected standard in maths | 61% | 84% | 68% |
| Expected standard in grammar, punctuation and spelling | 68% | 74% | 65% |
| Average scaled score in reading | 103.0 | 105.0 | 102.0 |
| Average scaled score in maths | 101.0 | 104.0 | 103.0 |
| Reading progress | -2.40 | - | - |
| Writing progress | +0.90 | - | - |
| Maths progress | -2.60 | - | - |
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 | Somerset average | England average |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 54% | 54.1% | 57.9% |
| 2023/24 | 58% | 55.4% | 58.8% |
| 2024/25 | 52% | 57.3% | 60.3% |
Department for Education KS2 performance data, published school results.
| Year | This school | England average |
|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 7.8% | 6.8% |
| 2023/24 | 7.4% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 6.1% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 212 |
| 2023/24 | 218 |
| 2024/25 | 220 |
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 113th of 155 primary schools in Somerset for KS2 results in 2024/25. Its KS2 result was higher than 24% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 38% of England schools in 2024/25.
| School | KS2 RWM (2024/25) | Absence | FSM (6 years) | Pupils | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| This school | 52% | 6.1% | 33.6% | 219 | — |
| Isambard Kingdom Brunel Primary School | — | 3.3% | 13.1% | 278 | 0.3 miles |
| Beech Grove Primary School | 57% | 4.6% | 23.8% | 244 | 0.5 miles |
| Wellesley Park Primary School | 59% | 4.1% | 17.3% | 271 | 0.7 miles |
| Rockwell Green Church of England Primary School | 60% | 4.9% | 35.2% | 198 | 1.1 miles |
| West Buckland Primary School | 60% | 3.8% | 12.9% | 135 | 2.1 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.
Inspection history
- 7 March 2023
-
Ungraded inspection report1 December 2021
School context
From the 2024/25 school census and absence figures.
- Free school meals (last 6 years)
- 33.64%
- English as an additional language
- 20%
- Overall absence
- 6.09%
- Persistent absence
- 16.75%
Location
Nearby schools
-
Isambard Kingdom Brunel Primary School0.3 miles
Primary · Wellington
-
Beech Grove Primary School0.5 miles
Primary · Wellington
-
Wellesley Park Primary School0.7 miles
Primary · Wellington
-
Rockwell Green Church of England Primary School1.1 miles
Primary · Wellington
-
West Buckland Primary School2.1 miles
Primary · Wellington
Other schools in Wellington
St John's Church of England Primary School ranks 7th of the 9 ranked primary schools in Wellington.
- Beech Grove Primary School Primary
- Isambard Kingdom Brunel Primary School Primary
- Langford Budville Church of England Primary School Primary
- Rockwell Green Church of England Primary School Primary
- Sampford Arundel Community Primary School Primary
- Stawley Primary School Primary
- Webber's Church of England Primary School Primary
- Wellesley Park Primary School Primary
- West Buckland Primary School Primary
- Court Fields School Secondary
- Wellington School Independent schools
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 5 to 11. It is a primary school in Wellington.
- 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 Oliver Priestley, 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 219 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 5 to 11.
- 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 Bath and Wells.
- 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 54% in 2022/23 and 52% 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 Somerset?
- St John's Church of England Primary School ranked 113th of 155 primary schools in Somerset for key stage 2 results. Its KS2 result was higher than 24% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 38% 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 6.1% 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 30 June 2026.