Our Lady and St John's Catholic Primary School Review 2026: High expectations, Catholic life, strong KS2 outcomes

A Catholic primary with a clear sense of purpose, Our Lady and St John's combines structured learning with a genuinely strong wider curriculum. The most recent Ofsted inspection took place on 5 and 6 June 2024; the overall judgement remained Good, and the evidence gathered suggested the school could be judged Outstanding at its next graded inspection.

On published outcomes, the school’s 2024 Key Stage 2 results are notably strong. 81% of pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths combined, compared with an England average of 62%. FindMySchool’s ranking (based on official data) places the school 2,484th in England and 16th in Hounslow for primary outcomes, which sits comfortably within the top 25% of schools in England.

Families should expect competition for places. For the main entry point, demand is 65 applications for 29 offers, a ratio of 2.24 applications per place, and the school is classed as oversubscribed.

Catholic identity is not a badge here, it shapes the day. Prayer and collective worship sit within a predictable rhythm, with daily class worship or assembly, and additional prayer points around lunch and the end of the day. The parish church next door is used for Masses at the beginning and end of term and for key points in the liturgical year, which gives the school a practical faith base rather than a purely classroom one.

The feel is purposeful and calm, with pupils expected to take their learning seriously and contribute to the life of the school. Leadership roles for pupils are a visible part of that culture, with responsibilities such as head boy and head girl, playground leadership and school council work used to build confidence and a sense of service.

Importantly for a Catholic school in a diverse London borough, there is explicit space for learning about other faiths. The school sets out a planned approach, including Judaism studied in the autumn term and a further faith focus in the summer term (for example Islam, Sikhism and Hinduism), with Early Years weaving this learning through the year. This matters for families who want a clear Catholic ethos while also wanting their child to understand the wider world respectfully.

Nursery provision starts at age 3 and sits within the same ethos and routines. The nursery offer is clearly framed as part of the school, with an emphasis on communication, personal development and early learning skills, plus transition links into Reception.

The published data points to a school with strong attainment by the end of Year 6. In 2024, 81.33% of pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths combined, compared with an England average of 62%. At the higher standard, 36.67% reached the higher level in reading, writing and maths, well above the England average of 8%.

Scaled scores reinforce that picture. Reading was 109, maths 107, and grammar, punctuation and spelling (GPS) 107, which are all above the typical national reference point of 100. The percentage meeting the expected standard was 80% in reading, 87% in maths, and 83% in GPS.

FindMySchool’s primary ranking (based on official data) places the school 2,484th in England and 16th in Hounslow, which translates to performance above the England average and within the top quarter of schools nationally.

For parents comparing options locally, the FindMySchool Local Hub and Comparison Tool can be useful for checking how these results sit against nearby schools serving similar year groups.

The curriculum is set out as broad and ambitious, with learning broken into small, well sequenced steps so pupils build secure knowledge over time. That sounds like generic language until you look at the concrete examples the school highlights through external review: early number work is built methodically from Reception into the older year groups, and subject learning is planned so pupils revisit and extend concepts rather than rushing from topic to topic.

Reading has a high profile. The approach described in formal evaluation places early reading from the start of school, with books matched to the sounds pupils know and extra help used to help pupils catch up quickly when needed. For families, the practical implication is that children who need a more systematic start to reading should find a clear structure rather than an ad hoc approach.

In computing, the school describes consistent access to devices, including laptops and iPads, interactive whiteboards in classrooms, and discrete weekly computing sessions for Year 1 to Year 6, alongside planned online safety teaching at the start of each half term. This is a sensible model for primary, it makes digital learning routine without turning it into a standalone “screen subject”.

Early Years follows the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS), with purposeful play and adult guided experiences across the seven areas of learning. The nursery description places particular weight on communication and language plus personal, social and emotional development, which is a good fit for children who need confidence and vocabulary built early.

As a primary school, the key transition is Year 6 into secondary. The school provides a dedicated guidance page for families on secondary transfer, including the pattern of autumn term deadlines and the expectation that families apply through the local authority process.

Because secondary choices depend heavily on home address, admissions criteria, and family preference, it is more useful to treat this as a “process and preparation” conversation rather than trying to name destination schools without published destination data. The school’s approach to broader development is designed to support transition readiness, with pupils taking on responsibility and learning about respectful relationships and staying safe, which aligns well with what children meet in larger secondary settings.

For families weighing whether the school is realistic from their address, FindMySchoolMap Search can help you understand your likely admissions position, even though the last offered distance figure is not published for this school in the available dataset.

Reception entry (September 2026)

Applications for Reception follow the London eAdmissions route through the local authority, with a parallel school requirement typical of voluntary aided Catholic schools. The school states that the Reception application process opens 1 September 2025 and closes 15 January 2026, and families are expected to submit a Supplementary Information Form and Catholic evidence documents to the school by the deadline.

Offer day is published by Hounslow as Thursday 16 April 2026, with an acceptance deadline of 30 April 2026, and an appeal deadline of 15 May 2026. This matters because Catholic evidence paperwork often needs lead time with your parish, so families should not leave this to the last week.

Demand is material. The dataset shows 65 applications for 29 offers for the main primary entry route, which equates to 2.24 applications per place, and the school is labelled oversubscribed. This does not mean admission is impossible, but it does mean families should treat it as competitive, especially in a densely populated part of west London.

Nursery entry (September 2026)

Nursery provision is for children aged 3 to 4, starting from the term after a child’s third birthday, and the school references funded early education of 15 hours, and up to 30 hours where eligible (with guidance that some families may need to use another provider if extended hours are not available within the nursery).

The school publishes nursery session times as 8.30am to 11.30am for mornings, and 8.30am to 3pm for a full day option (term time only). It also notes there is a cost for lunch provision, but does not publish a price. The nursery application deadline for September 2026 entry is published as 6 March 2026.

Open mornings for Nursery September 2026 entry are listed across late January and February 2026. As of today (27 January 2026), one of those dates has already passed, and the remaining sessions sit shortly ahead. If you miss them, the school indicates private tours are available by arrangement.

Pastoral support is described through a combination of Catholic practice, a structured behaviour culture, and explicit wellbeing work. Behaviour expectations are taught from early years and linked to values such as integrity and positive behaviour, which supports calm classrooms and reduced disruption.

A useful external marker is safeguarding. The June 2024 inspection states that safeguarding arrangements are effective. Beyond compliance, the daily routines also matter for primary aged children: consistent worship, clear roles for older pupils, and a regular pattern of assemblies help pupils feel secure and known.

The school also lists wellbeing and sport related awards, including a Healthy Schools Gold Award (dated September 2024 on the school site), which is best treated as supporting evidence that wellbeing is being taken seriously at leadership level, rather than a guarantee of any single family’s experience.

Wraparound and clubs are unusually well specified, which helps working families plan. The school runs breakfast and after school provision, plus a timetable of named clubs led by staff.

Examples include football (Reception to Year 3), drama (separate groups for Year 1 to Year 2 and Year 3 to Year 6), multi sport (Year 4 to Year 6), dance and gymnastics (Reception to Year 6), dodgeball (split across age ranges), street dance (Reception to Year 6), and ballet (Year 1 to Year 6). This breadth is a practical strength for children who learn best when the week has variety, and for parents who want after school structure without relying on external clubs.

Music is also positioned as a pillar rather than a nice extra. The school describes a choir that meets regularly and performs, whole school performances across year groups, and peripatetic music lessons offered in school. The Music Mark award for 2022 to 2023 supports the idea that music is organised and resourced, rather than being dependent on one enthusiastic teacher.

Trips are used to build independence and social confidence. Year 6 has a three night residential in the summer term, and the school also references a two night Year 5 residential at the start of the autumn term in a recent year. For many pupils, this is their first sustained “away from home” experience, and it can be a strong preparation for secondary school, particularly for children who need a structured step up.

Catholic service work is also visible. Mini Vinnies is presented as the religious and spiritual voice of the school for Years 3 to 6, and the school links this to service activities such as collections for people experiencing homelessness. Work linked to Laudato Si and the CAFOD LiveSimply Award is also referenced as pupil led through Mini Vinnies, which gives environmental and social action a faith based frame rather than treating it as a bolt on initiative.

Wraparound care is clearly published. Breakfast club runs 7.30am to 8.30am. After school provision is listed 3.00pm to 4.15pm, with an extended session 4.15pm to 5.15pm. Nursery session times are also published, with morning sessions 8.30am to 11.30am and a full day option 8.30am to 3.00pm, plus wraparound availability that covers Nursery as well. The school does not clearly publish the core compulsory school day start and finish times for Reception to Year 6 on the pages reviewed, so families should confirm these directly.

For travel, the school sits close to Brentford rail station and Boston Manor Underground station on the Piccadilly line, which can make it workable for families commuting across west London.

• Catholic admissions evidence. Reception entry requires the local authority application plus a supplementary school process, including Catholic practice documentation where relevant. Families who are not practising Catholics should read the 2026 to 2027 admissions policy carefully before assuming the criteria will work in their favour.

• Competition for places. With 65 applications and 29 offers, and an oversubscribed status, admissions can be tight. Have realistic backup options and use FindMySchool tools to compare nearby schools and plan contingencies.

• Nursery is term time and lunch is an extra cost. Nursery offers funded hours and clear session times, but it is term time only and lunch is charged separately. The school does not publish the lunch cost, so budget planning requires a direct check.

• A “next inspection” could change the headline judgement. The latest ungraded inspection retained Good, but indicated the next graded inspection could move higher. That is positive, but it also means families may see public reporting shift again within the next couple of years.

This is a high performing Catholic primary with a calm culture, clear expectations for behaviour and learning, and unusually well defined wraparound and after school options. The published figures suggest strong attainment by the end of Year 6, and external review points to a school with momentum. Best suited to families who want faith and values to be part of daily school life, and who are prepared for a competitive admissions process.