Crigglestone St James CofE Primary Academy

About Crigglestone St James CofE Primary Academy

Crigglestone St James CofE Primary Academy is a state-funded Church of England primary in Wakefield, currently home to 312 pupils against a capacity of 315 — so it is essentially full. The proportion of pupils eligible for free school meals stands at 9.6%, which is notably lower than the national average for primary schools (typically around 23-24%), suggesting a relatively affluent local intake. Demand for places is strong: for the 2025/26 intake, the school received 81 applications for 33 places, an oversubscription ratio of 2.45 to one. Of those, 32 were first-preference applications, and 32 first-preference offers were made, meaning almost every family who put it first secured a spot. This is a school that local parents clearly want, but it is not so oversubscribed that it feels out of reach for those who prioritise it.

Academically, the school holds a Good rating from Ofsted across all categories, including quality of education, behaviour and attitudes, personal development, and early years provision — a clean sweep of 2s from its November 2023 inspection. At Key Stage 2, 54% of pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths combined, which is below the Wakefield local authority average of 64%. However, the school’s average scaled scores tell a more nuanced story: reading averaged 104 and maths 101, both above the national benchmark of 100. The proportion reaching the higher standard was modest — 2% in writing and maths combined, 7% in maths alone, and 22% in reading. Progress scores are not available in the data, so it is hard to say how much value the school adds, but the raw outcomes place it 72nd out of 97 primary schools in Wakefield, in the bottom half regionally and nationally.

The school offers a decent range of facilities including a sensory room, forest school area, outdoor playground, dining hall and chapel. Sports provision covers athletics, netball, gymnastics, cross country and cricket, while clubs include science, choir, chess and eco club. SEND support is well-documented, with provisions for specific learning difficulties (dyslexia), speech, language and communication needs, hearing and visual impairments, autistic spectrum disorder, and social, emotional and mental health needs. For families who want a Church of England primary that is full but not impossibly oversubscribed, and where the local competition includes an Outstanding-rated school just 1.7 km away (Crigglestone Dane Royd), St James offers a solid, well-regarded option with a strong sense of community and a clear set of specialist resources.

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