St James' Church of England Primary School, Clitheroe

About St James' Church of England Primary School, Clitheroe

If you're looking for a Church of England primary in the Ribble Valley, the parent view at St James' is a mixed bag worth weighing carefully. Of the 60 families who responded to the Parent View survey between September 2024 and September 2025, 73% said they would recommend the school. That's a solid majority, but the detail reveals some sharp divides. On the positive side, 88% of parents agreed or strongly agreed that their child is happy, and 87% felt their child is safe. A huge 93% said their child can take part in clubs and activities. However, only 36% of parents agreed that concerns are dealt with properly, with 32% disagreeing or strongly disagreeing. The school is oversubscribed: for 2025/26 entry, there were 69 applications for 31 places, giving an oversubscription ratio of 2.23, and all 16 first-preference applicants were offered a place. That suggests strong local demand, but the parent feedback on handling concerns is a clear area to probe on a visit.

Academically, St James' sits in the bottom half of primary schools nationally, ranking in the 32nd percentile for the proportion of pupils reaching the expected standard in reading, writing and maths combined. In the 2023/24 Key Stage 2 results, 55% of pupils hit that combined expected standard, compared with the Lancashire local authority average of 60%. Reading was the strongest subject, with 70% reaching the expected standard and an average scaled score of 104, while maths lagged at 64% expected and an average score of 101. No pupils reached the higher standard in reading, writing and maths combined, and only 9% did so in maths alone. The school's most recent Ofsted inspection, an ungraded visit in March 2025, confirmed that standards are being maintained, and it has held a Good rating since its last graded inspection in June 2015. Leadership and management, early years provision, and overall effectiveness were all judged Good.

The school has a capacity of 315 and currently has 277 pupils on roll, with 18.4% eligible for free school meals. Facilities include a forest school, chapel, library, music rooms, sports hall, gymnasium, and playing fields, plus clubs like coding, chess, book club and eco club. Sports offered include cross country, cricket, netball, swimming and tennis. The school has identified SEND provisions for specific learning difficulties (dyslexia), social, emotional and mental health needs, speech, language and communication needs, and autistic spectrum disorder. However, the Parent View data on SEND support is notably concerning: of the 18% of respondents who said their child has SEND, 63% disagreed or strongly disagreed that the school gives them the support they need, with none saying they didn't know. This is a critical point for any family with a child who has additional needs. St James' is a popular, faith-based local school with decent facilities and a happy atmosphere for many children, but the academic results are below the LA average and the SEND support feedback is a significant red flag.

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