School Chooser

St John's Church of England Middle School Academy

Middle · ages 9-13MixedAcademyChurch of England658 pupilsBromsgroveWorcestershire
School Chooser Score · secondary phase
50
In line with
similar schools
Likely range 29 to 70
Out of 100. Better than 49% of the 50 schools most like it. Slipping year on year.
Primary phase: 64, in line with similar schools
OfstedGoodLast Ofsted inspection, October 2023
Reached the expected level at 1175%England 63%
Attendance93.5%England 91.4%
Pupils from low-income families25%About the same as most schools in England
PlacesFull658 pupils, 600 places
Pupils per teacher18.0School workforce census

St John's Church of England Middle School Academy is a converter academy in Bromsgrove for boys and girls aged 9 to 13. It has 658 pupils, 58 more than it has places for. About 25 in every 100 pupils come from a low-income family, about the same as most schools in England. We give it 50 out of 100. That puts it in line with schools like it, ahead of 49% of the 50 schools most like it. Ofsted's last grade was good, back in 2023.

Watt Close, Bromsgrove, B61 7DH01527 832376st-johns-bromsgrove.worcs.sch.ukMrs Alison Elwell headteacherAll details

What Ofsted found

Ofsted's last full inspection was on 17 October 2023, back when it gave schools one overall grade. Read the report on Ofsted's website.

Good overall.

TeachingOfsted calls this “quality of education”
Good
BehaviourOfsted calls this “behaviour and attitudes”
Outstanding
WellbeingOfsted calls this “personal development”
Outstanding
LeadershipOfsted calls this “leadership and management”
Outstanding
Safeguarding
Effective
Yes

Results

Year 6 results (SATs), summer 2025

146 children took the tests. Here is how they did against every state primary in England.

Reached the expected level at 1175%
England 63%
Official name: Expected standard in reading, writing and maths
Working above the expected level13%
England 8%
Official name: Higher standard in reading, writing and maths
Reading score106.0
England 105.6
Official name: Reading average scaled score
Maths score107.0
England 104.6
Official name: Maths average scaled score
Trend
Reached the expected level at 11
2017 to 2025
2017: 70%70%20172018: 70%70%20182019: 71%71%20192023: 63%63%20232024: 66%66%20242025: 75%75%2025
Since 2017: +5%Declining overall
All Year 6 measures, year by year
Measure202520242023201920182017WorcestershireEngland
Pupils tested146174180174160152
Reached the expected level at 11Expected standard in reading, writing and maths75%66%63%71%70%70%62%63%
Working above the expected levelHigher standard in reading, writing and maths13%8%11%10%13%14%7%8%
Reading scoreReading average scaled score106.0104.0105.0105.0105.0104.0105.6105.6
Maths scoreMaths average scaled score107.0106.0105.0107.0107.0107.0104.0104.6
Grammar and spelling scoreGPS average scaled score107.0106.0105.0106.0106.0106.0104.4105.2
Expected level: readingReading expected standard80%72%74%79%74%74%
Expected level: mathsMaths expected standard95%91%87%94%96%95%
Expected level: writingWriting expected standard (teacher assessed)80%78%79%79%82%80%
Reading progressReading progress score+0.2-1.2-1.1-0.7
Maths progressMaths progress score+1.3+0.6+1.9+2.6
Expected level: low-income pupilsExpected standard, disadvantaged61%46%40%45%46%31%
Expected level: other pupilsExpected standard, non-disadvantaged81%75%72%77%77%81%

There are no progress figures for 2025. That year group missed their Year 2 tests during Covid, so there was no starting point to measure from. Progress figures come back with the December 2026 results. Tests were cancelled altogether in 2020 and 2021.

Does every child do well here?

A good school does well by every child, not just on average. Each row compares two groups of pupils here. The grey marks show the same two groups across England. 2 of the 3 gaps are smaller than the gap across England. When a group has fewer than about ten pupils, its figures jump around a lot from year to year.

At the end of primary school, 2025

Reached the expected level at 11Low-income pupils vs other pupils
61%81%
Gap 20 ptsEngland 21 pts
Reached the expected level at 11Boys vs girls
76%75%
Gap 1 ptsEngland 5 pts
Reached the higher level at 11Low-income pupils vs all pupils
5%13%
Gap 8 ptsEngland 5 pts
First groupSecond groupEngland, each group

Low-income means the child has had free school meals at some point in the last six years. A group's figure isn't published when it has fewer than six pupils.

Getting a place

Admissions policy not published. As a Church of England school it may put families of that faith first. Check the school's own admissions rules.

Full671 pupils for 600 places, 2024/25
112% full

The school is full, with 71 more pupils than it has places for. More families apply than can get in, so things like how close you live and whether an older brother or sister is already here decide who gets a place. Pupil numbers have stayed about the same since 2021/22.

Will my child get a place?

The last child to get a place lived 1.0 miles away in 2021. Those cut-offs are for children living outside the catchment area; every child inside it got a place. Brothers and sisters of current pupils and other priority groups are placed first. Type in your postcode to see how far away you are.

We measure in a straight line from the middle of your postcode to the school. The council measures its own way, and the cut-off changes every year. Use this as a rough guide, and read the council's admissions booklet before you apply.

How places were given out for September 2026. More children applied than there were places. The last place went to a child living outside the catchment area, but the council didn't publish how far away that was.

EntryPlacesHow far the last child livedSource
2026 Secondary150(distance, outside the catchment area)LA
2025 Secondary150all offeredLA
2024 Secondary150(distance, outside the catchment area)LA
2023 Secondary150(distance, outside the catchment area)LA
2022 Secondary180all offeredLA
2021 Secondary1801.0 miles (distance, outside the catchment area)LA
2020 Secondary150all offeredLA

Who goes here

Who a school teaches matters. That is why our score compares it with schools that take in a similar mix of children, not with every school in the country.

Pupils on roll658Census January 2026
Places600110% full
Pupils from low-income families25%25% have had free school meals at some point in the last six years
Pupils learning English5%First language is not English
Pupils getting extra support16%104 pupils with SEN support
Pupils with an EHC plan6%36 pupils with a plan
Average class size24.926 classes, January 2026; England 22.8
Classes with more than 30 pupils8%share of one-teacher classes; England 12%
Pupils with extra funding (pupil premium)24%£208,150 extra funding in 2026/27; England 30%
Boys and girls335 / 323
White British pupils84%

The most common needs among pupils getting extra support: emotional and mental health (51), Moderate learning difficulty (23), Specific learning difficulty (23), language and communications needs (19), Autistic spectrum disorder (11), SEN support but no specialist assessment of type of need (10).

How the mix of pupils has changed
Census202620252024202320222021
Pupils on roll658677651669659657
Pupils from low-income familiesFree school meals25%26%24%22%18%13%
Pupils learning EnglishEnglish as an additional language5%4%4%2%2%2%
Pupils getting extra supportSEN support14%15%12%12%14%
Pupils with an EHC planEducation, health and care plans4%3%2%2%2%

Attendance and behaviour

In 2024/25 pupils were in school 93.5% of the time. Across similar schools in England it was 91.4%.

Attendance93.5%
England 91.4%
Official name: 100 minus overall absence
Pupils missing a lot of school16.6%
England 23.9%
Official name: Persistent absence
Suspensions per 100 pupils4.32024/25, no permanent exclusions
Missed without permission1.3%of school time, 2024/25
Attendance year by year
Measure2024/252023/242022/232021/222020/212018/19England
Sessions missedOverall absence6.5%7.5%6.2%7.2%4.1%4.1%8.6%
Missed with permissionAuthorised absence5.2%5.6%5.1%5.8%3.4%3.4%
Missed without permissionUnauthorised absence1.3%1.9%1.1%1.4%0.7%0.7%
Pupils missing a lot of schoolPersistent absence16.6%21.9%18.6%20.7%8.9%9.8%23.9%
SuspensionsSuspension rate4.32.82.22.70.9
Permanent exclusionsPermanent exclusions00000

Staff and money

From the government's count of school staff in November 2025 and the school's published accounts.

Teachers36.6full-time equivalent, 38 people
Pupils per teacher18.0Pupils for every full-time teacher
Fully qualified teachers100%hold qualified teacher status
Teaching assistants15.3full-time equivalent
Average teacher pay£54,463
Teachers who left in the year11%2024/25, for any reason including retirement
Vacancies0
Sick days per teacher7.62024/25

Money

From the academy accounts return, year to August 2025. The per-pupil figures are compared with other secondary schools in England that report their accounts the same way.

Spend per pupil£6,027England £7,965. Total £4.1m
Income per pupil£6,812England £8,423. Total £4.6m
Spent on teachers per pupil£3,739England £4,444
Money in reserve4%Not much put by: £177k, £262 per pupil. England 10%
Money in against money out+£532kit took in more than it spent this year
Where the money goes£6,027spent per pupil

Reserves are the money left over at the end of the year, kept back for emergencies and big projects. Being in the red year after year is a warning sign. Very large reserves can mean money sitting in the bank instead of being spent on today's pupils. Academy figures are rounded to the nearest £1,000 and include a share of any money the trust holds centrally.

The area around the school

Crimes within 500 m31012 months to June 2026, mostly violence and sexual offences
Local crime rate119 per 1,000 people30% higher than the England average
Typical house price£340,000Bromsgrove
Nearest bus stop190 mSt John Street - Market Hall, 9 stops within 500 m

Crime figures come from police.uk. The police record each crime at the nearest of a fixed set of map points rather than the exact spot, so “within 500 m” is only rough. House prices are from HM Land Registry sales nearby over the last two years.

Nearby schools

The closest secondary schools, nearest first. Hover over a row to see it on the map.

Well aboveAboveIn lineBelowWell belowNot scored
SchoolTypeDistancePupilsOfstedScore
Bromsgrove SchoolIndependent230 m2,023Not inspectedCompare
St Peter's Catholic First SchoolAcademy690 m219Good 202252Compare
Millfields First SchoolCouncil700 m257Good 202454Compare
South Bromsgrove HighAcademy800 m1,317Good 202343Compare
Parkside Middle SchoolCouncil0.7 miles593Good 201968Compare
North Bromsgrove High SchoolAcademy0.7 miles1,140Good 202347Compare
Meadows First SchoolAcademy0.7 milesNot inspectedCompare
Charford First SchoolAcademy0.8 miles498Good 202334Compare

Compared with schools like it

Our score compares St John's Church of England Middle School Academy with the 49 schools in England whose pupils are most like its own. We match on family income, how many children are learning English, special needs, the neighbourhood, the size of the school and how it admits pupils. Those 49 schools are dotted all over the country, so we don't list them. What matters is where this school sits among them.

Beats49%of schools with a similar mix of pupils
In the lower half of its group. Its score of 50 is about the same as the typical school in the group.
0Lowest of the group 2 · middle 51 · highest 87100

Nearby schools with a similar mix of pupils that score higher

Of those 49 schools, these are within 25 km and score at least five points more than St John's Church of England Middle School Academy, nearest first. A school with the same kind of pupils and a higher score is the fairest sign that it gets more out of them.

SchoolTypeDistancePupilsOfstedScore
Parkside Middle SchoolCouncil0.7 miles593Good 201968Compare
Alcester AcademyAcademy11.8 miles636Good 202287Compare

How the score was worked out

The score is out of 100. A 50 means that once everything below is added up, this school comes out ahead of 50% of secondary schools in England. Results bounce around from year to year, especially in small schools, so we also show a likely range: 29 to 70. Every part is judged against schools with a similar mix of pupils. For small schools we pull each part towards the group average, so one unusual year can't swing the score too far.

What we looked atHow much it countsAgainst schools like itEffect on the scoreBased on
Results over three years0%no data
Ofsted inspection20%in line
+0.04
Ofsted grade, 2.9 years old
Progress pupils make0%no data
Direction of travel over five years10%below
-0.25
results and attendance falling year on year
Attendance and behaviour10%above
+0.18
2024/25; 687 pupils
Results, allowing for the mix of pupils0%no data
What pupils do next0%no data
What parents say0%no data

Worked out on 13 September 2026 (method v1). Read how the score works, including every weight and the checks we run. Think a number is wrong? Tell us.

Questions parents ask

Is St John's Church of England Middle School Academy a good school?

It is about average. St John's Church of England Middle School Academy scores 50 out of 100. That is in line with schools that take in a similar mix of pupils, and ahead of 49% of the 50 schools most like it in England. The score could fairly be anywhere from 29 to 70, so a few points either way between schools doesn't mean much. Its results have been slipping over the last five years.

What is St John's Church of England Middle School Academy's Ofsted rating?

Ofsted rated St John's Church of England Middle School Academy good at its last full inspection on 17 October 2023.

How good are St John's Church of England Middle School Academy's SATs results?

In summer 2025, 75% of Year 6 children reached the expected level in reading, writing and maths. Across England it was 63%. 13% went further and reached the higher level.

How many pupils does St John's Church of England Middle School Academy have?

658 pupils aged 9 to 13 were on the roll in January 2026. It has 600 places, so it is 110% full.

Is St John's Church of England Middle School Academy oversubscribed?

Probably. The school was full in 2024/25, with 71 more pupils than places. How close you live, and the school's other admissions rules, decide who gets in.

What is attendance like at St John's Church of England Middle School Academy?

Pupils were in school 93.5% of the time in 2024/25. Similar schools in England managed 91.4%. 17% of pupils missed at least a tenth of the year.

How big are the classes at St John's Church of England Middle School Academy?

The average class had 24.9 pupils in January 2026. Across England it was 22.8. 8% of classes had more than 30 pupils.

Does St John's Church of England Middle School Academy have a sixth form?

No. Pupils leave after Year 11 for a sixth form elsewhere, a college or an apprenticeship.

These answers come straight from the figures on this page and update when new data comes out.

Contact and details

Address
Watt Close, Bromsgrove, B61 7DH
Telephone
01527 832376
Website
www.st-johns-bromsgrove.worcs.sch.uk
Headteacher
Mrs Alison Elwell
Type of school
Converter academy (Academy converter, academies)
Phase
Middle school, ages 9-13
Gender
Mixed
Religious character
Church of England, Diocese of Worcester
Multi-academy trust
The Spire Church of England Learning Trust (6 schools)
Local authority
Worcestershire
Ward
Sanders Park
Constituency
Bromsgrove
Setting
Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
Opened
1 February 2013 (academy converter)
URN
139286 · LAESTAB 8855404 · UKPRN 10040242
Formerly
St John's CofE Foundation Middle School

Where these figures come from