John Ball Primary School

About John Ball Primary School

John Ball Primary School is a primary school in London, Lewisham, classified by the DfE as a community school. Around 655 pupils aged 2 to 11 attend the school. The school holds an 'Outstanding' judgement from Ofsted. 71% of its pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths at the end of Key Stage 2, above the national average (national figure: 61%). Performance is little changed year on year. On our composite score, which combines the DfE attainment measures above, this places it in the top 42% of primary schools nationally.

Pupils achieved an average scaled score of 109 in reading and 106 in maths (national averages are about 105 and 104). 6% reached the higher standard across all three subjects (around 8% do so nationally). John Ball Primary School is oversubscribed: about 6 in 10 of the families who made it their first choice were offered a Reception place for September 2026, with 138 first choices for 91 places. In 2026 the furthest child offered a place lived 0.63 miles from the school in a straight line, according to the council's published allocation figures; the distance changes every year with demand. Overall pupil absence was 4.8%. There are about 22.3 pupils per teacher. Its intake is relatively advantaged, with around 12% of pupils eligible for free school meals in the last six years versus about 24% nationally. When comparing schools, it is still worth visiting in person to see whether the atmosphere and approach suit your child. This overview is generated automatically from the latest published DfE performance tables and Ofsted data; figures are rounded, and you can check the originals via the official links above.