St Johns Church of England Primary School
St John's Place, Northgate, Canterbury, CT1 1BD
- Phase
- Primary
- School type
- Voluntary controlled school
- Ages
- 2 to 11
- Gender
- Mixed
- Religious character
- Church of England
- Headteacher
- Mrs Jo Williamson
- Diocese
- Diocese of Canterbury
- Nursery provision
- Has Nursery Classes
- Constituency
- Canterbury
- Setting
- Urban: Further from a major town or city
- Capacity
- 420
- Pupils on roll
- 427
- URN
- 137071
- Local authority
- Kent
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 01227462360
About this school
St Johns Church of England Primary School is a Church of England voluntary controlled primary school in Canterbury. It teaches children aged 2 to 11 and has 427 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. Seeing a school for yourself shows what no page can, so arrange a visit 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 | 58 | 55 | 55 |
| Met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths | 34% | 27% | 38% |
| Reached the higher standard in reading, writing and maths | 3% | 4% | 7% |
| Expected standard in reading | 52% | 47% | 58% |
| Expected standard in maths | 48% | 38% | 42% |
| Expected standard in grammar, punctuation and spelling | 53% | 44% | 51% |
| Average scaled score in reading | 101.0 | 100.0 | 102.0 |
| Average scaled score in maths | 100.0 | 99.0 | 99.0 |
| Reading progress | -4.50 | - | - |
| Writing progress | -5.40 | - | - |
| Maths progress | -4.50 | - | - |
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 Johns 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 | Kent average | England average |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 34% | 58.3% | 57.9% |
| 2023/24 | 27% | 60.2% | 58.8% |
| 2024/25 | 38% | 60.8% | 60.3% |
Department for Education KS2 performance data, published school results.
| Year | This school | England average |
|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 8.8% | 6.8% |
| 2023/24 | 7.9% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 8.7% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 419 |
| 2023/24 | 442 |
| 2024/25 | 436 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
How St Johns Church of England Primary School compares
St Johns Church of England Primary School ranked 403rd of 427 primary schools in Kent for KS2 results in 2024/25. Its KS2 result was higher than 10% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 13% of England schools in 2024/25.
| School | KS2 RWM (2024/25) | Absence | FSM (6 years) | Pupils | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| This school | 38% | 8.7% | 48.7% | 427 | — |
| St Thomas' Catholic Primary School, Canterbury | 80% | 4% | 18.1% | 210 | 0.2 miles |
| St Peter's Methodist Primary School | 63% | 6.4% | 28.2% | 208 | 0.4 miles |
| St Stephen's Infant School | — | 6.9% | 33.1% | 263 | 0.6 miles |
| St Stephen's Junior School | 44% | 6.2% | 31% | 400 | 0.6 miles |
| Parkside Community Foundation Primary School | 23% | 16.8% | 70.1% | 161 | 1.1 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)
- 48.65%
- English as an additional language
- 45.9%
- Overall absence
- 8.66%
- Persistent absence
- 25.94%
Location
Nearby schools
-
St Thomas' Catholic Primary School, Canterbury0.2 miles
Primary · Canterbury
-
St Peter's Methodist Primary School0.4 miles
Primary · Canterbury
-
St Stephen's Infant School0.6 miles
Primary · Canterbury
-
St Stephen's Junior School0.6 miles
Primary · Canterbury
-
Parkside Community Foundation Primary School1.1 miles
Primary · Canterbury
Other schools in Canterbury
St Johns Church of England Primary School ranks 25th of the 27 ranked primary schools in Canterbury.
- Adisham Church of England Primary School Primary
- Ash Cartwright and Kelsey Church of England Primary School Primary
- Aylesham Primary School Primary
- Barham Church of England Primary School Primary
- Blean Primary School Primary
- Bridge and Patrixbourne Church of England Primary School Primary
- Chartham Primary School Primary
- Chilham, St Mary's Church of England Primary School Primary
- Chislet Church of England Primary School Primary
- Elham Church of England Primary School Primary
- Goodnestone Church of England Primary School Primary
- Hoath Primary School Primary
Common questions
- What year groups does St Johns Church of England Primary School teach?
- St Johns Church of England Primary School teaches children aged 2 to 11. It is a primary school in Canterbury.
- Who is the headteacher of St Johns Church of England Primary School?
- The headteacher of St Johns Church of England Primary School is Mrs Jo Williamson, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- When was St Johns Church of England Primary School last inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected St Johns 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 big is St Johns Church of England Primary School?
- St Johns Church of England Primary School has 427 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 2 to 11.
- Is St Johns Church of England Primary School full?
- St Johns Church of England Primary School has capacity for 420 pupils and 427 on roll (102%), 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 Johns Church of England Primary School a faith school?
- Yes. St Johns Church of England Primary School is designated Church of England, in the Diocese of Canterbury.
- Does St Johns Church of England Primary School have a nursery?
- Yes. The schools register records St Johns Church of England Primary School as having nursery classes.
- How have St Johns 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 34% in 2022/23 and 38% 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 Johns Church of England Primary School rank locally?
- St Johns Church of England Primary School ranked 403rd of 427 primary schools in Kent for key stage 2 results. Its KS2 result was higher than 10% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 13% 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 Johns Church of England Primary School's absence rate?
- St Johns Church of England Primary School's overall absence rate is 8.7% in the latest published census, above the England average of 6.2%.
- What are St Johns Church of England Primary School's exam results?
- Where the Department for Education has published them, St Johns 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 1 July 2026.