Church Cowley St James Church of England Primary School

About Church Cowley St James Church of England Primary School

Church Cowley St James Church of England Primary School is a popular choice among local families, with 138 applications for 58 places in the 2025/26 admissions round, giving an oversubscription ratio of 2.38. Of those, 57 first-preference families received offers, indicating strong demand for this state primary in Oxford. The school is led by headteacher Stephen Dew and currently has 469 pupils on roll, just shy of its 480-capacity. It holds a Good rating from Ofsted, a grade it has maintained across both its most recent inspections. The most recent ungraded inspection in September 2023 confirmed the school continues to provide a Good standard of education, with leadership and management, early years provision, and overall effectiveness all rated Good. Parents considering this school will find a Church of England ethos and a mixed, 3-11 age range, with nursery provision available on site.

Academically, the school's Key Stage 2 results for 2023/24 show 56% of pupils meeting the expected standard in reading, writing and maths combined. This is below the Oxfordshire local authority average of 61%. In individual subjects, reading and maths average scores were 104 and 103 respectively, with 74% reaching the expected standard in reading and 76% in maths. Writing saw 69% at expected. Higher-standard attainment was more limited: 22% in reading, 13% in maths, and just 2% in writing. Nationally, the school ranks in the bottom 50% of primary schools on the combined expected standard metric, sitting at the 67th percentile. Within Oxfordshire, it ranks 20th out of 31 schools in the city, and 137th out of 242 primary schools across the wider local authority.

The school offers a solid range of facilities including a library, sports hall, forest school area, outdoor playground and a chapel. Sports provision covers tennis, rounders, athletics, football, gymnastics, cross country and dance, while clubs include art, drama, gardening, eco club, book club and coding. SEND support is comprehensive, with provisions for specific learning difficulties, moderate learning difficulties, social emotional and mental health needs, speech language and communication needs, hearing and visual impairments, physical disability and autistic spectrum disorder. This makes it a practical option for families who want a mainstream setting with strong SEND infrastructure. The school is oversubscribed, so families should be prepared to apply early and consider their catchment area. It suits those who value a Church of England primary with a broad extracurricular offer and a clear commitment to inclusive support.

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