School Chooser

St John's Highbury Vale CofE Primary School

Primary · ages 4-11MixedChurch of England206 pupils Free breakfast clubLondonIslington
School Chooser Score
80
Above
similar schools
Likely range 59 to 91
Out of 100. Better than 79% of the 50 schools most like it. Slipping year on year.
OfstedGoodLast Ofsted inspection, September 2023
Reached the expected level at 1162%England 63%
Attendance96.2%England 94.8%
Pupils from low-income families26%About the same as most schools in England
Places4 spare206 pupils, 210 places
Pupils per teacher25.8School workforce census

St John's Highbury Vale CofE Primary School is a Church of England school (voluntary aided) in London for boys and girls aged 4 to 11. It has 206 pupils and room for 210. About 26 in every 100 pupils come from a low-income family, about the same as most schools in England. We give it 80 out of 100. That puts it above schools like it, ahead of 79% of the 50 schools most like it. Ofsted's last grade was good, back in 2023.

Conewood Street, London, N5 1DL020 7226 4906stjhv.islington.sch.ukMs Hasina Khan headteacherAll details

What Ofsted found

Ofsted's last full inspection was on 20 September 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”
Good
WellbeingOfsted calls this “personal development”
Outstanding
LeadershipOfsted calls this “leadership and management”
Good
Early years
Good
Safeguarding
Effective
Yes

Results

Year 6 results (SATs), summer 2025

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

Reached the expected level at 1162%
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 score105.0
England 104.6
Official name: Maths average scaled score
Trend
Reached the expected level at 11
2017 to 2025
2017: 80%80%20172018: 73%73%20182019: 90%90%20192023: 77%77%20232024: 81%81%20242025: 62%62%2025
Since 2017: -18%Declining overall
All Year 6 measures, year by year
Measure202520242023201920182017IslingtonEngland
Pupils tested262730303030
Reached the expected level at 11Expected standard in reading, writing and maths62%81%77%90%73%80%67%63%
Working above the expected levelHigher standard in reading, writing and maths12%22%10%30%20%27%13%8%
Reading scoreReading average scaled score106.0110.0107.0108.0108.0108.0106.8105.6
Maths scoreMaths average scaled score105.0110.0108.0108.0106.0108.0105.8104.6
Grammar and spelling scoreGPS average scaled score106.0110.0110.0110.0109.0110.0106.7105.2
Expected level: readingReading expected standard73%89%83%90%83%83%
Expected level: mathsMaths expected standard81%89%83%90%73%90%
Expected level: writingWriting expected standard (teacher assessed)65%89%83%90%80%90%
Reading progressReading progress score+2.7+3.8+4.5+2.9
Maths progressMaths progress score+3.9+2.9+2.5+3.0
Expected level: low-income pupilsExpected standard, disadvantaged46%63%62%67%38%
Expected level: other pupilsExpected standard, non-disadvantaged77%89%88%100%86%

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. 1 of the 4 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
46%77%
Gap 31 ptsEngland 21 pts
Reached the expected level at 11Boys vs girls
50%71%
Gap 21 ptsEngland 5 pts
Reached the expected level at 11Pupils learning English vs all pupils
70%62%
Gap 8 ptsEngland 4 pts
Reached the higher level at 11Low-income pupils vs all pupils
8%12%
Gap 4 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.

Nearly full207 pupils for 210 places, 2024/25
99% full

Fewer than one place in twenty is empty, so in most years more families apply than there are places. Living close by, or already having a child here, makes a real difference. Pupil numbers have grown by 4% since 2021/22, so places are getting harder to come by.

Will my child get a place?

The last child to get a place lived 150 m away in 2026, 500 m away in 2025, 560 m away in 2024. Children in care, brothers and sisters of current pupils, faith and other priority groups are placed first. After that, the closer you live, the better your chances. 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 150 m from the school. Living closer than that didn't guarantee a place, but living much further away meant missing out that year.

EntryHow far the last child livedSource
2026 Primary150 mLA
2025 Primary500 mLA
2024 Primary560 mLA

The distances are the council's own, usually measured in a straight line from home to the school gate. If the distance is getting shorter each year, the school is getting harder to get into. See which councils we have this data for.

What a home within 500 m of the school costs

Typical sale price within 500 m of the school£710,000half sold for £525k to £1.3m
Homes sold305December 2023 to December 2025, Land Registry
Compared with the district+6%a typical home in the district sells for £669,772

Every home sold within that distance of the school (the typical cut-off over the last three years), of any type, from HM Land Registry records. If homes here cost more than the district average, that is the price people pay to live close enough to get in.

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 roll206Census January 2026
Places21098% full
Pupils from low-income families26%26% have had free school meals at some point in the last six years
Pupils learning English16%First language is not English
Pupils getting extra support24%50 pupils with SEN support
Pupils with an EHC plan4%9 pupils with a plan
Average class size29.47 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)28%£91,450 extra funding in 2026/27; England 24%
Boys and girls93 / 113
White British pupils34%

Infant classes (Reception to Year 2) average 29.0 pupils (England 25.5); junior classes (Years 3 to 6) average 29.8 (England 27.3).

The most common needs among pupils getting extra support: Autistic spectrum disorder (17), SEN support but no specialist assessment of type of need (12), emotional and mental health (12), language and communications needs (9), Physical disability (3), Moderate learning difficulty (2).

How the mix of pupils has changed
Census202620252024202320222021
Pupils on roll206208201196203203
Pupils from low-income familiesFree school meals26%30%28%28%26%22%
Pupils learning EnglishEnglish as an additional language16%24%23%23%23%25%
Pupils getting extra supportSEN support24%22%19%14%17%
Pupils with an EHC planEducation, health and care plans4%3%4%4%3%

Attendance and behaviour

In 2024/25 pupils were in school 96.2% of the time. Across similar schools in England it was 94.8%.

Attendance96.2%
England 94.8%
Official name: 100 minus overall absence
Pupils missing a lot of school9.3%
England 12.8%
Official name: Persistent absence
Suspensions per 100 pupils0.52024/25, no permanent exclusions
Missed without permission0.8%of school time, 2024/25
Attendance year by year
Measure2024/252023/242022/232021/222020/212018/19England
Sessions missedOverall absence3.8%4.3%5.0%5.5%2.8%2.8%5.2%
Missed with permissionAuthorised absence3.0%3.6%3.7%4.3%2.1%2.4%
Missed without permissionUnauthorised absence0.8%0.6%1.3%1.2%0.7%0.5%
Pupils missing a lot of schoolPersistent absence9.3%7.7%13.0%16.3%7.5%3.3%12.8%
SuspensionsSuspension rate0.50.00.00.01.0
Permanent exclusionsPermanent exclusions00000

Staff and money

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

Teachers8.0full-time equivalent, 8 people
Pupils per teacher25.8Pupils for every full-time teacher
Fully qualified teachers100%hold qualified teacher status
Teaching assistants9.7full-time equivalent
Average teacher pay£55,855
Teachers who left in the year11%2024/25, for any reason including retirement
Vacancies0
Sick days per teacher1.42024/25

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£9,274England £7,738. Total £1.9m
Income per pupil£9,527England £7,697. Total £2.0m
Spent on teachers per pupil£3,085England £3,480
Money in reserve3%Very little put by: £56k, £267 per pupil. England 6%
Money in against money out+£53kit took in more than it spent this year
Where the money goes£9,274spent 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 m1,09812 months to June 2026, mostly violence and sexual offences
Local crime rate129 per 1,000 people42% higher than the England average
Typical house price£665,000Islington
Nearest bus stop150 mRiversdale Road / Blackstock Road, 8 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
Gillespie Primary SchoolCouncil210 m227Outstanding 202399Compare
St Joan of Arc RC Primary SchoolRoman Catholic320 m427Good 202485Compare
Ambler Primary School and Children's CentreCouncil490 m515No overall grade 202495Compare
Parkwood Primary SchoolCouncil770 m190Good 202433Compare
Drayton Park Primary SchoolCouncil820 m277Not inspected90Compare
Pakeman Primary SchoolCouncil920 m338Report card 202630Compare
Pooles Park Primary SchoolAcademy0.7 miles184Inadequate 20220Compare
Betty Layward Primary SchoolCouncil0.7 miles450Good 202389Compare

Compared with schools like it

Our score compares St John's Highbury Vale CofE Primary School with the 47 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 47 schools are dotted all over the country, so we don't list them. What matters is where this school sits among them.

Beats79%of schools with a similar mix of pupils
In the top quarter of its group. Its score of 80 is 29 points above the typical school in the group.
0Lowest of the group 1 · middle 51 · highest 97100

How the score was worked out

The score is out of 100. A 80 means that once everything below is added up, this school comes out ahead of 80% of primary schools in England. Results bounce around from year to year, especially in small schools, so we also show a likely range: 59 to 91. 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%above
+0.10
2025, 2024 and 2023 results; 26 pupils
Ofsted inspection20%in line
+0.01
Ofsted grade, 3.0 years old
Progress pupils make20%above
+0.19
DfE progress measure; 26 pupils
Direction of travel over five years10%below
-0.09
results and attendance falling year on year
Attendance and behaviour10%above
+0.07
2024/25; 182 pupils
Results, allowing for the mix of pupils10%well above
+0.13
Attainment relative to schools with a similar intake; 26 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 Highbury Vale CofE Primary School a good school?

Yes, going by the figures. St John's Highbury Vale CofE Primary School scores 80 out of 100. That is above schools that take in a similar mix of pupils, and ahead of 79% of the 50 schools most like it in England. The score could fairly be anywhere from 59 to 91, 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 Highbury Vale CofE Primary School's Ofsted rating?

Ofsted rated St John's Highbury Vale CofE Primary School good at its last full inspection on 20 September 2023.

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

In summer 2025, 62% 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 Highbury Vale CofE Primary School have?

206 pupils aged 4 to 11 were on the roll in January 2026. It has 210 places, so it is 98% full.

Is St John's Highbury Vale CofE Primary School oversubscribed, and how far away can you live?

Yes. For September 2026 the last place went to a child living 150 m away. Children in care, brothers and sisters of current pupils and other priority groups come before distance, so the cut-off moves every year.

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

Pupils were in school 96.2% of the time in 2024/25. Similar schools in England managed 94.8%. 9% of pupils missed at least a tenth of the year.

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

The average class had 29.4 pupils in January 2026. Across England it was 25.4. No class had more than 30 pupils.

Does St John's Highbury Vale CofE Primary School have a breakfast club?

Yes. It is on the government's free breakfast club programme, so every pupil can have a free half-hour breakfast club before school.

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

Contact and details

Address
Conewood Street, London, N5 1DL
Telephone
020 7226 4906
Website
www.stjhv.islington.sch.uk
Headteacher
Ms Hasina Khan
Free breakfast club
Yes: on the government's programme, so every pupil can have a free half-hour breakfast club before school (listed since September 2026).
Type of school
Church of England school (voluntary aided) (Voluntary aided school, local authority maintained schools)
Phase
Primary school, ages 4-11
Gender
Mixed
Religious character
Church of England, Diocese of London
Local authority
Islington
Ward
Arsenal
Constituency
Islington North
Setting
Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
URN
100440 · LAESTAB 2063471 · UKPRN 10074287

Where these figures come from