School profile

St John's Cathedral Catholic Primary School

Primary · Voluntary aided school · Portsmouth, PO1 1PX

Good

Map showing St John's Cathedral Catholic Primary School

Schools
Numbers on map: pupil ages
Outstanding
Good
Requires improvement
Inadequate
Not rated

National ranking

Key stage 2 2024/25

#1,240 of 15,057

Better than 91% of schools in England

Ranked by pupils meeting the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

St John's Cathedral Catholic Primary School Ofsted rating

Ofsted four-point inspection gradesInspected 12 Jul 2022

Ofsted rating
Good
Quality of education
Good
Behaviour and attitudes
Outstanding
Personal development
Outstanding
Leadership and management
Good
Early years
Outstanding
Safeguarding
Effective

School facts

PhasePrimary
TypeVoluntary aided school
Ages3 to 11
Pupils237
GenderMixed
Religious characterRoman Catholic
Head teacherMrs L Park
Local authorityPortsmouth
WebsiteVisit

Source: Get Information about Schools, URN 116385.

Key stage 2 results

2024/25

Year 6 results in national curriculum tests and teacher assessments. The expected standard is the level pupils should reach by the end of primary school.

MeasureThis schoolPortsmouthEngland
Expected standard in reading, writing and maths83%, better than England, better than Portsmouth54%63%
Higher standard in reading, writing and mathsScore of 110 or more in reading and maths, greater depth in writing.13%, better than England, better than Portsmouth3%8%
Average reading scoreScaled score from 80 to 120; 100 meets the expected standard.107, similar to England, better than Portsmouth104106
Average maths scoreScaled score from 80 to 120; 100 meets the expected standard.107, better than England, better than Portsmouth103105
Average grammar, punctuation and spelling scoreScaled score from 80 to 120; 100 meets the expected standard.109, better than England, better than Portsmouth103105
Expected standard in reading93%, better than England, better than Portsmouth69%76%
Expected standard in writing83%, better than England, better than Portsmouth67%73%
Expected standard in maths87%, better than England, better than Portsmouth66%75%
Pupils taking tests30--

Source: DfE, Compare school performance, Compare school performance 2024-2025.

Pupils

2025/26

Pupils at the January school census.

MeasureThis school
Total pupils237
Girls119
Boys118
Eligible for free school mealsPupils from low-income families who can get free school meals.24.5%
First language not English60.3%
School places2024/25Capacity, not including nursery.210
Pupils excluding nurseryPupils who take up school places.213
Unfilled placesShare of school places not taken.0%
SEN supportPupils with special educational needs who get extra help at school.30
EHC planEducation, health and care plan: a legal plan for pupils with more complex needs.18
Average class size28.9

Source: DfE, Schools, pupils and their characteristics and School capacity, Academic year 2025/26, published 04 Jun 2026.

Pupils ethnicity

2025/26

Share of pupils in each ethnic group, as recorded at the January school census.

Pupils ethnicity

African
29.1%
Other White
24.5%
White British
19.8%
White and Black African
5.1%
Indian
5.1%
Other mixed
3%
White and Asian
2.5%
Other Asian
2.1%
Other ethnic group
2.1%
Other Black
1.3%

Source: DfE, Schools, pupils and their characteristics, Academic year 2025/26, published 04 Jun 2026.

Teachers and staff

2025/26

Staff numbers are full-time equivalent (FTE). Teacher turnover shows where the school's teachers were by the following year's census.

MeasureThis school
Pupils per teacher19.3
Pupils per adultAdults include teaching assistants.9.8
Teachers (FTE)11.94
Teaching assistants (FTE)10.57
Support staff (FTE)15.43
Teachers in census year (FTE)2024/2512.4
Teachers who stayed (FTE)2024/259
Teachers who moved to another state school (FTE)2024/250
Teachers who left state schools (FTE)2024/253.4

Source: DfE, School workforce in England, Reporting year 2025, published 04 Jun 2026.

Admissions

2026/27

Applications and offers for the main entry points. Offers from oversubscribed schools depend on each school's admissions criteria; check the local authority admissions page.

MeasureThis school
Offers made (Reception)Places offered on national offer day.30
Applications (Reception)Includes every preference parents listed.108
First preference applications (Reception)Families who put this school as their first choice.47
First preference offers (Reception)First-choice applicants who were offered a place.30
Applications from another local authority (Reception)3

Source: DfE, Primary and secondary school applications and offers, Academic year 2026/27, published 18 Jun 2026.

Attendance

2025/26

Share of possible sessions missed.

MeasureThis schoolPortsmouthEngland
Overall absence3.8%, better than England, better than Portsmouth5.1%5.1%
Persistent absencePupils missing 10% or more of sessions.4.9%, better than England, better than Portsmouth13.2%13.2%
Severe absencePupils missing 50% or more of sessions.0%, better than England, better than Portsmouth1.1%1%

Source: DfE, Pupil absence in schools in England, Autumn and spring term 2025/26, published 15 Oct 2026.

Suspensions and exclusions

2024/25

Suspension rate is the number of suspensions per 100 pupils, so one pupil can be counted more than once. A permanently excluded pupil is removed from the school roll.

MeasureThis school
Suspension rate0%
Pupils with one or more suspensions0%
Permanent exclusion rate0%
Permanent exclusions0

Source: DfE, Suspensions and permanent exclusions in England, Academic year 2024/25, published 09 Jul 2026.

Nearby schools

Ratings include official Ofsted judgements and Area360 summaries of inspection grades. Open a school’s profile for its inspection grades and results.

Schools near St John's Cathedral Catholic Primary School
DistancePhaseNameTypeRatingLinks
0.1 miPrimaryArundel Court Primary Academy and NurseryAcademy converter
Requires improvement
0.2 miSecondarySt Edmund's Catholic SchoolVoluntary aided school
Outstanding
0.3 miPrimaryArk Ayrton Primary AcademyAcademy sponsor led
Good
0.3 miSecondaryArk Charter AcademyAcademy sponsor led
Good
0.4 miPrimaryPenbridge Infant SchoolAcademy converter
Good
0.4 miSecondaryPriory SchoolAcademy sponsor led
Good
0.4 miPrimaryArk Dickens Primary AcademyAcademy sponsor led
Good
0.4 miNot applicableMadani AcademyOther independent school
Good
0.5 miSecondaryThe Portsmouth AcademyAcademy sponsor led
Good
0.6 miPrimaryManor Infant and Nursery SchoolCommunity school
Good

Frequently asked questions about St John's Cathedral Catholic Primary School

What is St John's Cathedral Catholic Primary School's Ofsted rating?

St John's Cathedral Catholic Primary School is rated Good by Ofsted, last inspected on 12 Jul 2022.

How does St John's Cathedral Catholic Primary School rank in England?

St John's Cathedral Catholic Primary School ranks 1,240 of 15,057 schools in England for Key stage 2 2024/25 (better than 91% of schools).

What are St John's Cathedral Catholic Primary School's SATs results?

In 2024/25, 83% of pupils at St John's Cathedral Catholic Primary School met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths (England 63%).

How hard is it to get into St John's Cathedral Catholic Primary School?

For Reception entry in 2026/27, St John's Cathedral Catholic Primary School made 30 offers from 108 applications (3.6 per offer), and 30 of 47 first-preference applicants got a place. Applications include every preference parents listed.

How many pupils attend St John's Cathedral Catholic Primary School?

St John's Cathedral Catholic Primary School has 237 pupils aged 3 to 11.

What is the capacity of St John's Cathedral Catholic Primary School?

St John's Cathedral Catholic Primary School had 210 school places in 2024/25.

How big are classes at St John's Cathedral Catholic Primary School?

At St John's Cathedral Catholic Primary School, the average class had 28.9 pupils in 2025/26, and there were 19.3 pupils per teacher.

What is attendance like at St John's Cathedral Catholic Primary School?

In 2025/26, pupils at St John's Cathedral Catholic Primary School missed 3.8% of sessions (England 5.1%), and 4.9% were persistently absent, missing 10% or more of sessions (England 13.2%).

Figures are the latest published by the Department for Education for each measure. Small numbers are suppressed by the publisher to protect pupils' privacy. Read how Area360 school ratings and rankings work.