St John’s CofE Primary School, Welwyn Review 2026: Village primary with strong outcomes and a distinctive outdoor offer

A village primary where the River Mimram borders the playing field, and where woodland and a riverside nature reserve are used as learning spaces rather than background scenery. The original school buildings date from 1872 and 1893, and the site has grown steadily, with additions across the 20th century plus a purpose-built nursery opened in 1981.

Results are a clear strength. In 2024, 78% of pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and mathematics combined, above the England average of 62%. At the higher standard, 38.7% achieved greater depth, far above the England average of 8%. This is backed by strong scaled scores, 109 in reading, 107 in maths, and 108 in grammar, punctuation and spelling.

Leadership has recently changed. Mr Arnold Worton-Geer was appointed in September 2024, and the school has used the transition to sharpen priorities while keeping a warm, relationship-led culture.

The school’s Christian identity is visible in how it frames daily life. Its current vision, “Finding the light in ourselves and each other”, is rooted in John 8:12 and is presented as a practical guide to choices, belonging, and respect for difference rather than a narrow badge of faith.

The tone is notably inclusive for a voluntary aided Church of England school. External church-school evaluation describes a community where pupils and adults thrive, diversity is respected, and wellbeing is treated as a priority, with pupils confident about seeking help from trusted adults.

There is also a strong “everyone gets a go” feel to enrichment. Clubs range from school-led options (including Choir, Gardening, Netball, and STEM) through to paid external activities such as French, Mindfulness, Chess, Lego club, Art Skool, and Ovation Drama Club. That mix matters in practice because it gives families different routes into enrichment, from free staff-led clubs to specialist paid provision.

St John’s sits above England averages on multiple Key Stage 2 measures, and the profile is not narrowly concentrated in one area.

• Expected standard (reading, writing, maths combined, 2024): 78%, compared with 62% across England.

• Higher standard (greater depth in reading, writing, maths, 2024): 38.7%, compared with 8% across England.

• Scaled scores (2024): Reading 109, Maths 107, Grammar, punctuation and spelling 108.

In FindMySchool’s England-wide ranking for primary outcomes, the school is ranked 2,062nd in England and 1st locally in Welwyn (FindMySchool ranking based on official data). This places performance comfortably within the top quarter of schools in England.

For parents, the implication is twofold. First, the headline outcome suggests secure basics across the cohort, not a narrow peak. Second, the higher-standard proportion is unusually strong, which typically indicates a curriculum that extends pupils beyond minimum expectations, and assessment that identifies who is ready for challenge.

Reading is a central pillar. The most recent inspection notes that leaders start purposeful story choices from Nursery, and that the school identifies pupils who find reading difficult and targets support to help them catch up. A new phonics scheme has been introduced, and the next step is consistency, ensuring all staff apply the programme with the same precision so that a small number of pupils do not fall behind in early decoding.

The wider curriculum aims for knowledge to build cumulatively from early years to Year 6, with careful sequencing and regular checks for understanding. Subject breadth looks real rather than nominal, with examples across class planning that include Spanish, computing, and topic-based humanities alongside core literacy and maths.

Outdoor learning is integrated rather than occasional. Forest School runs approximately every six weeks for each class, with an emphasis on resilience, independence, and responsibility through practical activities. That rhythm is frequent enough to build skills over time, not just provide an annual experience day.

As a state primary, progression is shaped by Hertfordshire secondary admissions patterns rather than a single “destination list”. The school has longstanding links with local secondaries, and school documentation has explicitly referenced Monks Walk Secondary School as the most common next step for many pupils.

Transition support is not only about administrative handover. The school’s SEND information describes close work with secondary schools so that pupils’ needs and effective strategies transfer smoothly, supported by structured transition materials and programmes.

For families considering selective or independent routes at 11, the best evidence here is the school’s attainment profile. Strong higher-standard outcomes tend to correlate with confident readers, fluent writers, and secure maths foundations, which helps whichever secondary route a family chooses.

This is a voluntary aided school, so admissions combine Local Authority coordination with a school-led policy.

For Reception entry in September 2026, the school’s published admission number is 30. Applications are made through Hertfordshire’s coordinated system, with key dates set out clearly: the deadline is 15 January 2026, and offers are issued on 16 April 2026.

If applications exceed places, the oversubscription criteria operate in priority order. In summary, they include:

• looked-after and previously looked-after children

• medical or social need

• siblings

• children who have attended the school’s nursery (capped within the policy)

• children of staff

• active church involvement within the parish (capped within the policy)

• other applicants by distance

The admissions policy also defines a local priority area and uses straight-line distance as the tie-break where needed, with random allocation only for genuinely identical distances.

Demand is real. In 2024, there were 69 applications for 25 offers for the primary entry route captured a ratio of 2.76 applications per place, and the school is marked as oversubscribed.

Practical tip: if you are relying on distance, use the FindMySchoolMap Search to check your home-to-gate measurement precisely, and keep a backup plan in your shortlist.

Pastoral support is best understood as a combination of culture plus systems.

On culture, pupils feel safe, behaviour is calm, and bullying is described as rare, with pupils confident that adults will act quickly when problems arise. On systems, wellbeing is treated as a priority and the school has put specific staff support in place, including mental health first aider provision.

SEND support appears structured and broad. The school’s published SEND information describes targeted approaches including Emotional Literacy Support Assistant work, lunchtime nurture provision, and social skills groups, plus staff training that reflects the current realities of mainstream need, including autism, ADHD, anxiety, and trauma-informed practice. The practical implication is that children with additional needs are expected to access the same broad curriculum as peers, with adaptations made thoughtfully rather than by narrowing entitlement.

The extracurricular offer has three clear pillars.

1. Outdoors and nature-based learning.

Forest School sessions run on a roughly six-week cycle, building independence and resilience through repeated exposure to outdoor problem-solving rather than one-off events. The site itself supports this well, with woodland, a riverside nature reserve, a pond, and growing spaces including allotments and a vegetable plot.

1. Clubs with a good balance of free and specialist options.

School-led clubs include Choir, Gardening, Netball, and STEM, with additional external clubs such as French, Mindfulness, Chess, Lego club, Art Skool, and Ovation Drama Club. For families, this breadth matters because it gives both low-cost access and specialist extension, depending on what a child responds to.

1. Community connection and pupil leadership.

Pupils have structured opportunities to take responsibility, and school documentation references pupil parliament as part of how children learn about democracy and voice. In a small primary, these roles can be particularly meaningful because children see the impact of their contributions more directly.

The school day starts at 08:40. Finish time is 15:25 Monday to Thursday, and 14:10 on Friday, with published break and lunch timings across key stages.

Wraparound provision is available. Breakfast club runs from 07:40 until the start of the school day, and after-school provision operates for pupils as well. Nursery sessions are also clearly structured, with the nursery day beginning at 08:40, and afternoon sessions available for those who stay beyond the morning.

For travel, the school describes the village setting as rural yet well connected, with proximity to the A1(M) and rail links nearby, and local job-pack information notes fast rail access a short walk away from Welwyn North station.

• Admissions complexity. As a voluntary aided school, entry is not purely “nearest distance wins”. Families applying under faith-based criteria may need to supply additional information, and the policy includes caps on some categories.

• Leadership transition. A new headteacher appointed in September 2024 can be a positive reset, but it also means routines and priorities may still be bedding in.

• Early reading consistency. The phonics programme has been newly implemented, and a key improvement focus is ensuring practice is consistently strong across staff so that all pupils become fluent readers quickly.

• Open day dates can go out of date quickly. The school publishes open events, but timings tend to follow an autumn pattern; confirm the current schedule directly before planning visits.

St John’s CofE Primary School, Welwyn combines above-average outcomes with an outdoor offer that is unusually grounded in the site itself, woodland, nature reserve, and Forest School as a recurring programme. Admissions are competitive and criteria-driven, but families who match the policy and secure a place can expect strong academic foundations, a caring culture, and plenty of structured enrichment.

Who it suits: families who want a Church of England school that is inclusive in tone, values outdoor learning as a genuine strand, and prioritises secure literacy and maths alongside a broad curriculum.