St John's Church of England Academy
Fenby Avenue, Lascelles Park, Darlington, DL1 4UB
- Phase
- Primary
- School type
- Academy converter
- Ages
- 2 to 11
- Gender
- Mixed
- Religious character
- Church of England
- Trust
- DURHAM AND NEWCASTLE DIOCESAN LEARNING TRUST
- Headteacher
- Mrs Laura Rossington
- Diocese
- Diocese of Durham
- Nursery provision
- Has Nursery Classes
- Sponsor
- Durham and Newcastle Diocesan Learning Trust
- Constituency
- Darlington
- Setting
- Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
- Capacity
- 210
- Pupils on roll
- 249
- URN
- 138128
- Local authority
- Darlington
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 01325380725
About this school
St John's Church of England Academy is a Church of England primary academy in Darlington. It teaches children aged 2 to 11 and has 249 pupils on roll.
Ofsted has inspected St John's Church of England Academy, 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
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
- Outstanding
- Behaviour and attitudes
- Outstanding
- Personal development
- Outstanding
- Leadership and management
- Outstanding
- 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 | 30 | 30 | 30 |
| Met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths | 80% | 60% | 70% |
| Reached the higher standard in reading, writing and maths | 7% | 3% | 10% |
| Expected standard in reading | 83% | 67% | 77% |
| Expected standard in maths | 87% | 77% | 77% |
| Expected standard in grammar, punctuation and spelling | 80% | 70% | 83% |
| Average scaled score in reading | 107.0 | 102.0 | 104.0 |
| Average scaled score in maths | 105.0 | 105.0 | 104.0 |
| Reading progress | +1.10 | - | - |
| Writing progress | +0.80 | - | - |
| Maths progress | +0.70 | - | - |
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 Academy has moved over recent years against the local and national picture. Every figure is shown in the table beneath its chart.
| Year | This school | Darlington average | England average |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 80% | 55.3% | 57.9% |
| 2023/24 | 60% | 56% | 58.8% |
| 2024/25 | 70% | 59.8% | 60.3% |
Department for Education KS2 performance data, published school results.
| Year | This school | England average |
|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 4.9% | 6.8% |
| 2023/24 | 4.4% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 4.6% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 246 |
| 2023/24 | 246 |
| 2024/25 | 248 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
How St John's Church of England Academy compares
St John's Church of England Academy ranked 12th of 28 primary schools in Darlington for KS2 results in 2024/25. Its KS2 result was higher than 66% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 71% of England schools in 2024/25.
| School | KS2 RWM (2024/25) | Absence | FSM (6 years) | Pupils | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| This school | 70% | 4.6% | 44.1% | 249 | — |
| The Rydal Academy | 46% | 7.8% | 52.3% | 584 | 0.3 miles |
| St Teresa's Catholic Primary School | 85% | 11.3% | 15.7% | 342 | 0.3 miles |
| Firthmoor Primary School | 62% | 5.7% | 54.4% | 279 | 0.4 miles |
| Heathfield Primary School | 68% | 5.7% | 30.7% | 439 | 0.7 miles |
| Skerne Park Academy | 35% | 8.5% | 60.6% | 248 | 0.8 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)
- 44.12%
- English as an additional language
- 5.2%
- Overall absence
- 4.57%
- Persistent absence
- 22.71%
Location
Nearby schools
-
The Rydal Academy0.3 miles
Primary · Darlington
-
St Teresa's Catholic Primary School0.3 miles
Primary · Darlington
-
Firthmoor Primary School0.4 miles
Primary · Darlington
-
Heathfield Primary School0.7 miles
Primary · Darlington
-
Skerne Park Academy0.8 miles
Primary · Darlington
Other schools in Darlington
St John's Church of England Academy ranks 14th of the 29 ranked primary schools in Darlington.
- Abbey Infants' School Primary
- Abbey Junior School Primary
- Corporation Road Community Primary School Primary
- Croft Church of England Primary School Primary
- Firthmoor Primary School Primary
- Gainford Church of England Primary School and Preschool Primary
- Gurney Pease Academy Primary
- Harrowgate Hill Primary School Primary
- Heathfield Primary School Primary
- High Coniscliffe CofE Primary School Primary
- Holy Family Catholic Primary School Primary
- Hurworth Primary School Primary
Common questions
- What ages does St John's Church of England Academy teach?
- St John's Church of England Academy teaches children aged 2 to 11. It is a primary school in Darlington.
- Who is the headteacher of St John's Church of England Academy?
- The headteacher of St John's Church of England Academy is Mrs Laura Rossington, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- Has St John's Church of England Academy been inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected St John's Church of England Academy, 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 Academy?
- St John's Church of England Academy has 249 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 2 to 11.
- Is St John's Church of England Academy full?
- St John's Church of England Academy has capacity for 210 pupils and 249 on roll (119%), 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 Church of England Academy a faith school?
- Yes. St John's Church of England Academy is designated Church of England, in the Diocese of Durham.
- Does St John's Church of England Academy have a nursery?
- Yes. The schools register records St John's Church of England Academy as having nursery classes.
- Is St John's Church of England Academy part of an academy trust?
- St John's Church of England Academy is part of DURHAM AND NEWCASTLE DIOCESAN LEARNING TRUST. Schools in a trust or federation share leadership and governance, but each keeps its own inspection record and results.
- How have St John's Church of England Academy'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 70% 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 Academy compare with other schools in Darlington?
- St John's Church of England Academy ranked 12th of 28 primary schools in Darlington for key stage 2 results. Its KS2 result was higher than 66% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 71% 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 Academy's absence rate?
- St John's Church of England Academy's overall absence rate is 4.6% in the latest published census, at or below the England average of 6.2%.
- What are St John's Church of England Academy's exam results?
- Where the Department for Education has published them, St John's Church of England Academy'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.