School Chooser

St John's CofE Aided Primary School

Primary · ages 2-11MixedChurch of England444 pupilsNurseryCaterhamSurrey
School Chooser Score
53
In line with
similar schools
Likely range 34 to 70
Out of 100. Better than 55% of the 50 schools most like it. Much the same over the last five years.
OfstedGoodConfirmed by Ofsted, November 2022
Reached the expected level at 1163%England 63%
Attendance95.0%England 94.8%
Pupils from low-income families17%Far fewer than most schools
Places96 spare444 pupils, 540 places
Pupils per teacher18.6School workforce census

St John's CofE Aided Primary School is a Church of England school (voluntary aided) in Caterham for boys and girls aged 2 to 11. It has 444 pupils and room for 540. About 17 in every 100 pupils come from a low-income family, far fewer than at most schools in England. We give it 53 out of 100. That puts it in line with schools like it, ahead of 55% of the 50 schools most like it. Ofsted's last grade was good, back in 2022.

Markfield Road, Caterham, CR3 6RN01883 342009stjohns-primary.surrey.sch.ukMr Robert Veale head teacherAll details

What Ofsted found

A shorter visit on 9 November 2022 found nothing to change the school's grade. Read the report on Ofsted's website.

Good overall. A shorter follow-up visit found nothing to change that. The last full inspection was before September 2019, which is as far back as Ofsted's public records go, so we can't show its date or the grades for each area.

Results

Year 6 results (SATs), summer 2025

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

Reached the expected level at 1163%
England 63%
Official name: Expected standard in reading, writing and maths
Working above the expected level12%
England 8%
Official name: Higher standard in reading, writing and maths
Reading score106.0
England 105.6
Official name: Reading average scaled score
Maths score106.0
England 104.6
Official name: Maths average scaled score
Trend
Reached the expected level at 11
2017 to 2025
2017: 63%63%20172018: 68%68%20182019: 65%65%20192023: 61%61%20232024: 66%66%20242025: 63%63%2025
Since 2017: +0%Steady overall
All Year 6 measures, year by year
Measure202520242023201920182017SurreyEngland
Pupils tested596275816379
Reached the expected level at 11Expected standard in reading, writing and maths63%66%61%65%68%63%67%63%
Working above the expected levelHigher standard in reading, writing and maths12%10%7%10%16%9%11%8%
Reading scoreReading average scaled score106.0107.0106.0105.0107.0106.0107.0105.6
Maths scoreMaths average scaled score106.0105.0104.0104.0104.0103.0105.6104.6
Grammar and spelling scoreGPS average scaled score106.0108.0106.0106.0107.0106.0106.3105.2
Expected level: readingReading expected standard80%84%80%72%84%81%
Expected level: mathsMaths expected standard83%76%75%78%73%71%
Expected level: writingWriting expected standard (teacher assessed)73%79%68%78%79%85%
Reading progressReading progress score+0.5+0.8+1.9+1.1
Maths progressMaths progress score-0.8-0.5-0.1-2.5
Expected level: low-income pupilsExpected standard, disadvantaged18%57%27%31%27%75%
Expected level: other pupilsExpected standard, non-disadvantaged73%67%67%74%77%62%

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. None of the gaps is 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
18%73%
Gap 55 ptsEngland 21 pts
Reached the expected level at 11Boys vs girls
57%68%
Gap 11 ptsEngland 5 pts
Reached the higher level at 11Low-income pupils vs all pupils
0%12%
Gap 12 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.

Plenty of spare places398 pupils for 570 places, 2024/25
70% full

172 places were empty (30% of the total), so almost everyone who applies gets in. Pupil numbers have fallen by 17% since 2021/22, so places are getting easier to find.

Will my child get a place?

In 2026 every child who applied got a place, so how far away you live didn't matter. That could change if the school gets more popular.

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. Every child who applied got a place (58 offers for 60 places).

EntryPlacesGot a placeHow far the last child livedSource
2026 Primary6058all offeredLA
2025 Primary6059all offeredLA
2024 Primary6052all 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 roll444Census January 2026
Places54082% full
Pupils from low-income families17%17% have had free school meals at some point in the last six years
Pupils learning English8%First language is not English
Pupils getting extra support9%40 pupils with SEN support
Pupils with an EHC plan5%23 pupils with a plan
Average class size26.912 classes, January 2026; England 25.4
Classes with more than 30 pupils0%Infant classes are capped at 30 by law; England 10%
Pupils with extra funding (pupil premium)15%£91,450 extra funding in 2026/27; England 24%
Boys and girls236 / 208
White British pupils62%

Infant classes (Reception to Year 2) average 24.8 pupils (England 25.5); junior classes (Years 3 to 6) average 27.9 (England 27.3).

The most common needs among pupils getting extra support: language and communications needs (24), emotional and mental health (19), Autistic spectrum disorder (9), Moderate learning difficulty (5), Specific learning difficulty (3), SEN support but no specialist assessment of type of need (2).

How the mix of pupils has changed
Census202620252024202320222021
Pupils on roll444436421457478460
Pupils from low-income familiesFree school meals17%18%16%16%13%11%
Pupils learning EnglishEnglish as an additional language8%8%8%7%6%8%
Pupils getting extra supportSEN support9%5%7%7%7%
Pupils with an EHC planEducation, health and care plans3%2%3%2%2%

Attendance and behaviour

In 2024/25 pupils were in school 95.0% of the time. Across similar schools in England it was 94.8%.

Attendance95.0%
England 94.8%
Official name: 100 minus overall absence
Pupils missing a lot of school12.3%
England 12.8%
Official name: Persistent absence
Suspensions per 100 pupils4.62024/25, no permanent exclusions
Missed without permission1.4%of school time, 2024/25
Attendance year by year
Measure2024/252023/242022/232021/222020/212018/19England
Sessions missedOverall absence5.0%5.2%5.6%5.8%3.9%3.9%5.2%
Missed with permissionAuthorised absence3.6%3.8%4.2%4.3%3.0%2.7%
Missed without permissionUnauthorised absence1.4%1.4%1.5%1.5%0.9%1.2%
Pupils missing a lot of schoolPersistent absence12.3%12.9%13.5%14.5%9.4%6.8%12.8%
SuspensionsSuspension rate4.67.42.00.41.5
Permanent exclusionsPermanent exclusions01000

Staff and money

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

Teachers23.8full-time equivalent, 27 people
Pupils per teacher18.6Pupils for every full-time teacher
Fully qualified teachers96%hold qualified teacher status
Teaching assistants17.8full-time equivalent
Average teacher pay£48,293
Teachers who left in the year0%2024/25, for any reason including retirement
Vacancies0
Sick days per teacher1.62024/25

Money

From the council school accounts, year to March 2025. The per-pupil figures are compared with other primary schools in England that report their accounts the same way.

Spend per pupil£6,501England £7,738. Total £2.8m
Income per pupil£6,343England £7,697. Total £2.8m
Spent on teachers per pupil£2,907England £3,480
Money in reserve9%A healthy amount put by: £241k, £554 per pupil. England 6%
Money in against money out-£69kit spent more than it took in this year
Where the money goes£6,501spent 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 m4512 months to June 2026, mostly violence and sexual offences
Local crime rate85 per 1,000 people7% lower than the England average
Typical house price£495,000Tandridge
Nearest bus stop310 mWhite Knobs Way, 2 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 primary schools, nearest first. Hover over a row to see it on the map.

Well aboveAboveIn lineBelowWell belowNot scored
SchoolTypeDistancePupilsOfstedScore
Hillcroft Primary School & NurseryAcademy1.2 miles462Outstanding 202384Compare
Marden Lodge Primary School and NurseryAcademy1.5 miles215Report card 202621Compare
St Francis Catholic Primary SchoolAcademy1.6 miles398Good 202186Compare
Audley Primary SchoolCouncil1.6 miles211Good 202489Compare
Woodlea Primary SchoolAcademy1.8 miles203Not inspected82Compare
Godstone Primary and Nursery SchoolFoundation1.9 miles226Good 202238Compare
St Peter and St Paul Church Primary SchoolChurch of England2.0 miles185Good 202486Compare
Whyteleafe Primary SchoolAcademy2.4 miles447Good 202266Compare

Compared with schools like it

Our score compares St John's CofE Aided Primary School 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.

Beats55%of schools with a similar mix of pupils
In the upper half of its group. Its score of 53 is about the same as the typical school in the group.
0Lowest of the group 1 · middle 51 · highest 91100

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 CofE Aided Primary School, 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
Hillcroft Primary School & NurseryAcademy1.2 miles462Outstanding 202384Compare

How the score was worked out

The score is out of 100. A 53 means that once everything below is added up, this school comes out ahead of 53% of primary schools in England. Results bounce around from year to year, especially in small schools, so we also show a likely range: 34 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 years25%in line
+0.04
2025, 2024 and 2023 results; 59 pupils
Ofsted inspection18% (normally 20%, cut because the inspection is old)in line
+0.01
Ofsted grade, 3.8 years old
Progress pupils make20%in line
-0.06
DfE progress measure; 59 pupils
Direction of travel over five years10%above
+0.04
results and attendance rising year on year
Attendance and behaviour10%in line
+0.01
2024/25; 365 pupils
Results, allowing for the mix of pupils10%in line
-0.01
Attainment relative to schools with a similar intake; 59 pupils
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 CofE Aided Primary School a good school?

It is about average. St John's CofE Aided Primary School scores 53 out of 100. That is in line with schools that take in a similar mix of pupils, and ahead of 55% of the 50 schools most like it in England. The score could fairly be anywhere from 34 to 70, so a few points either way between schools doesn't mean much.

What is St John's CofE Aided Primary School's Ofsted rating?

Ofsted rated St John's CofE Aided Primary School good at its last full inspection on 9 November 2022.

How good are St John's CofE Aided Primary School's SATs results?

In summer 2025, 63% of Year 6 children reached the expected level in reading, writing and maths. Across England it was 63%. 12% went further and reached the higher level.

How many pupils does St John's CofE Aided Primary School have?

444 pupils aged 2 to 11 were on the roll in January 2026. It has 540 places, so it is 82% full.

Is St John's CofE Aided Primary School oversubscribed?

Probably not. 172 places were empty in 2024/25 (30% of the total), so most families who apply get a place.

What is attendance like at St John's CofE Aided Primary School?

Pupils were in school 95.0% of the time in 2024/25. Similar schools in England managed 94.8%. 12% of pupils missed at least a tenth of the year.

How big are the classes at St John's CofE Aided Primary School?

The average class had 26.9 pupils in January 2026. Across England it was 25.4. No class had more than 30 pupils.

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

Contact and details

Address
Markfield Road, Caterham, CR3 6RN
Telephone
01883 342009
Website
www.stjohns-primary.surrey.sch.uk
Head Teacher
Mr Robert Veale
Type of school
Church of England school (voluntary aided) (Voluntary aided school, local authority maintained schools)
Phase
Primary school, ages 2-11, with nursery
Gender
Mixed
Religious character
Church of England, Diocese of Southwark
Local authority
Surrey
Ward
Harestone
Constituency
East Surrey
Setting
Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
URN
125164 · LAESTAB 9363313 · UKPRN 10076736
Formerly
St John's CofE (Aided) Infant School

Where these figures come from