St Clement and St James CofE Primary School

About St Clement and St James CofE Primary School

St Clement and St James CofE Primary School is a small Church of England primary in Kensington and Chelsea, one of 28 state primaries in the borough. It ranks 24th out of those 28 schools on its KS2 reading, writing and maths combined expected standard, placing it in the bottom half of the local authority. The three top-performing peers in the area — Oratory Roman Catholic Primary, Fox Primary and Thomas Jones Primary — all share a ranking score of 93, a significant gap from this school’s score of 44. With just 126 pupils against a capacity of 210, the school is notably undersubscribed, yet it received 47 applications for 30 places in 2025/26, making it oversubscribed by a ratio of 1.57. Seventeen of those applicants put it as their first preference, and all 17 received an offer. The school serves a community with high levels of disadvantage: 51.6% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, far above the national average.

In its most recent Ofsted inspection in 2023, the school was rated Good overall, with Outstanding marks for early years provision, personal development, behaviour and attitudes, and leadership and management. This is a clear improvement from its previous Good inspection in 2014, where those sub-categories were not individually graded. At KS2 in 2023/24, 44% of pupils reached the expected standard in reading, writing and maths combined, well below the local authority average of 72%. However, reading scores were stronger: 89% met the expected standard and 22% reached the higher standard, with an average scaled score of 105. In writing, 74% met expectations and 15% reached the higher standard. Maths was weaker, with 48% at expected and an average score of 99. No pupils achieved the higher standard in maths, and none reached the higher standard in reading, writing and maths combined.

The school offers a solid range of facilities including a library, playing fields, sports hall, sensory room, ICT suite, music rooms and a chapel. Sports include gymnastics, tennis, cricket, athletics and football, while clubs range from choir and chess to eco club, film club and science club. SEND provision covers specific learning difficulties such as dyslexia, speech, language and communication needs, social, emotional and mental health needs, autistic spectrum disorder and other difficulties or disabilities. For families considering this school, the data suggests a school that may suit children who benefit from smaller cohorts and strong pastoral care, particularly given the Outstanding ratings for personal development and behaviour. The nearest Outstanding-rated school is Saint Francis of Assisi Catholic Primary, just half a kilometre away, which may be worth comparing for families prioritising academic outcomes.

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