St James' Church of England Primary Academy
About St James' Church of England Primary Academy
St James' Church of England Primary Academy sits within the Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole local authority, where it ranks 20th out of 50 primary schools on the key stage 2 expected standard measure. That places it in the top 40 per cent of its LA peers, though it sits behind the three highest-scoring local primaries: St. Walburga's Catholic Primary School, Winton Primary School and Corpus Christi Catholic Primary School. The school is a state-funded, mixed-gender primary for children aged 4 to 11, with a Church of England religious character. It has 404 pupils on roll, very close to its capacity of 420, and 15.1 per cent of pupils are eligible for free school meals. The headteacher is Alastair Brown. In its most recent graded inspection in 2013, the school was rated Good overall, with Good for leadership and management. A subsequent ungraded inspection in 2023 confirmed that the school remains Good. That is a notable improvement from its previous graded inspection in 2010, when overall effectiveness was judged as Requires improvement.
Key Details
The full report on this school
The inspection in plain English, admissions context, and how this school compares to nearby alternatives — all in one full school report.
- Ofsted inspection in plain EnglishStrengths, concerns and what inspectors flagged
- Parent View survey resultsWhat parents told Ofsted — when the school has 10+ responses
- Where Ofsted and parents disagreeGaps to probe + questions to ask at the open day
- Admissions & catchmentAdmission criteria, distance cutoffs (where the LA publishes them)
- Nearby schools comparedBackup options with Ofsted, demand and distance
- Attendance & behaviour dataPersistent absentees, suspensions and exclusions vs national
Ofsted Inspection Breakdown
25 Jan 2023Latest monitoring visit (25 Jan 2023): School remains Good
Source: Ofsted, 22 Apr 2013. Ratings: 1=Outstanding, 2=Good, 3=Requires Improvement, 4=Inadequate.
Facilities
5Facilities may vary. Contact the school for current availability.
Extracurriculars
10Sports
Clubs & Activities
Activities may vary by term. Contact the school for current offerings.
SEND Support
Source: Department for Education, 2024/25. Support availability based on current student population.
School day
Teaching hours
08:40 – 15:10
Source: stjamescebournemouth.com. Extracted automatically — confirm with the school before relying on these times.
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