St John's CofE First School
Whiteoaks Drive, Bishopswood, Stafford, ST19 9AH
- Phase
- Primary
- School type
- Academy converter
- Ages
- 2 to 9
- Gender
- Mixed
- Religious character
- Church of England
- Trust
- PENK VALLEY ACADEMY TRUST
- Acting Headteacher
- Miss Emma Challiner
- Diocese
- Diocese of Lichfield
- Nursery provision
- Has Nursery Classes
- Constituency
- Stone, Great Wyrley and Penkridge
- Setting
- Smaller rural: Nearer to a major town or city
- Capacity
- 75
- Pupils on roll
- 81
- URN
- 145380
- Local authority
- Staffordshire
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 01785840318
About this school
St John's CofE First School is a Church of England primary academy in Stafford. It teaches children aged 2 to 9 and has 81 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. Numbers and a report only go so far, so visit in person before you apply.
Ofsted judgement
Ofsted no longer gives schools a single overall grade. Each area of the school's work is graded on a five-point scale, and safeguarding is judged separately.
- Inclusion
- Strong standard
- Curriculum and teaching
- Expected standard
- Achievement
- Expected standard
- Attendance and behaviour
- Expected standard
- Personal development and wellbeing
- Strong standard
- Leadership and governance
- Expected standard
- Early years
- Expected standard
- Safeguarding
- Met
Trends over time
How St John's CofE First 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 | England average |
|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 6.3% | 6.8% |
| 2023/24 | 6.4% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 5.7% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 76 |
| 2023/24 | 78 |
| 2024/25 | 76 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
How St John's CofE First School compares
Its absence rate was lower than 45% of England schools in 2024/25.
| School | KS2 RWM (2024/25) | Absence | FSM (6 years) | Pupils | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| This school | — | 5.7% | 11.3% | 81 | — |
| St Mary's CofE First Academy | — | 3.7% | 20.8% | 84 | 2.5 miles |
| St Mary's Catholic Primary School | 86% | 5.7% | 16.5% | 91 | 2.7 miles |
| St Mary and St Chad CofE First School | — | 5.1% | 15.1% | 172 | 3.0 miles |
| St Mary's CofE Primary School | 73% | 4% | 8.1% | 195 | 3.4 miles |
| Albrighton Primary School & Nursery | — | — | — | 344 | 3.8 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.
Inspection history
School context
From the 2024/25 school census and absence figures.
- Free school meals (last 6 years)
- 11.29%
- English as an additional language
- 0%
- Overall absence
- 5.68%
- Persistent absence
- 7.41%
Location
Nearby schools
-
St Mary's CofE First Academy2.5 miles
Primary · Wheaton Aston
-
St Mary's Catholic Primary School2.7 miles
Primary · Stafford
-
St Mary and St Chad CofE First School3.0 miles
Primary · Stafford
-
St Mary's CofE Primary School3.4 miles
Primary · Wolverhampton
-
Albrighton Primary School & Nursery3.8 miles
Primary · Wolverhampton
Other schools in Stafford
- All Saints Church of England Primary School and Nursery Primary
- All Saints CofE (C) First School Primary
- All Saints CofE Primary School, Bednall Primary
- Anson CofE Primary School Primary
- Barnfields Primary School Primary
- Beaconfields Primary School Primary
- Berkswich CofE (VC) Primary School Primary
- Bishop Lonsdale Church of England Primary Academy Primary
- Blessed Mother Teresa's Catholic Primary School Primary
- Burleyfields Primary School Primary
- Burton Manor Primary School Primary
- Castlechurch Primary School Primary
Common questions
- What year groups does St John's CofE First School teach?
- St John's CofE First School teaches children aged 2 to 9. It is a primary school in Stafford.
- Who is the acting headteacher of St John's CofE First School?
- The acting headteacher of St John's CofE First School is Miss Emma Challiner, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- When was St John's CofE First School last inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected St John's CofE First 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 John's CofE First School?
- St John's CofE First School has 81 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 2 to 9.
- Is St John's CofE First School full?
- St John's CofE First School has capacity for 75 pupils and 81 on roll (108%), 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 CofE First School a faith school?
- Yes. St John's CofE First School is designated Church of England, in the Diocese of Lichfield.
- Does St John's CofE First School have a nursery?
- Yes. The schools register records St John's CofE First School as having nursery classes.
- Who runs St John's CofE First School?
- St John's CofE First School is part of PENK VALLEY ACADEMY TRUST. Schools in a trust or federation share leadership and governance, but each keeps its own inspection record and results.
- What is St John's CofE First School's absence rate?
- St John's CofE First School's overall absence rate is 5.7% in the latest published census, at or below the England average of 6.2%.
- Does St John's CofE First School publish exam results?
- OfferDay shows exam results for a school only where the Department for Education has published them, and none are shown for St John's CofE First School. That is usual for infant, nursery, special and independent schools, and for schools without recent published results.
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 13 August 2026.