St James Catholic Primary School

About St James Catholic Primary School

St James Catholic Primary School is a mixed state primary in the Birmingham local authority, where it sits among a competitive field of 292 same-type schools. The school ranks 9th in Birmingham and 35th in the West Midlands region, placing it comfortably within the top five percent of primary schools nationally. Its closest peers in the local authority include Little Sutton Primary School, Cromwell Junior and Infant School, and Lift Lea Forest, all of which share similarly high ranking scores. With a capacity of 210 pupils and a current roll of 210, the school is full, and its Roman Catholic character gives it a distinct identity within the local landscape. Headteacher Matthew Ingram leads a school that has held an Outstanding rating from Ofsted since its most recent graded inspection in 2023, a grade it also achieved in its previous inspection back in 2009. The school serves a community where 21 percent of pupils are eligible for free school meals, slightly above the national average for primary schools.

Academically, St James Catholic Primary School delivers strong outcomes at Key Stage 2. In the 2023/24 academic year, 90 percent of pupils reached the expected standard in reading, writing and maths combined, well above the Birmingham local authority average of 63 percent. Reading and maths average scores both sat at 109, while 41 percent of pupils achieved the higher standard in reading and 41 percent in maths. Writing at the higher standard was lower, at 10 percent. The school’s Ofsted inspection in 2023 awarded the top grade of Outstanding across all five categories: quality of education, behaviour and attitudes, personal development, leadership and management, and early years provision. The early years provision was also rated Outstanding, consistent with its previous inspection. This consistency suggests a stable and effective approach from the early years through to Year 6, with no significant dips in performance across the school’s provision.

The school offers a range of facilities including an ICT suite, art studios, a sports hall, a chapel, and a forest school area, which supports outdoor learning. Sports provision includes rounders, athletics, cricket, netball and football, and there are clubs for choir, science and drama. The school has a broad SEND offer, with provisions for moderate learning difficulty, social, emotional and mental health needs, speech, language and communication needs, autistic spectrum disorder, and other difficulties or disabilities. For the 2025/26 intake, the school was oversubscribed: 95 applications were received for 30 places, with 29 offers going to first-preference applicants out of 37 first-preference applications, giving an oversubscription ratio of 3.17. This level of demand, combined with strong academic outcomes and a full roll, means St James Catholic Primary School is a popular choice for Birmingham families, particularly those seeking a faith-based primary with a proven track record.

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