St James' Church of England Primary School

About St James' Church of England Primary School

St James' Church of England Primary School in Rochdale is a school that local families clearly want to get into. For the 2025/26 intake, the school received 64 applications for just 30 places, giving an oversubscription ratio of 2.13. Of those applications, 29 were first-preference choices, and 29 first-preference offers were made — meaning every family who put it as their top pick secured a spot. That level of demand suggests a strong reputation among parents in the area. The school is a state primary for mixed genders aged 4 to 11, with a Church of England religious character, and is led by headteacher Jade Lord. It currently has 214 pupils on roll, slightly above its official capacity of 210, and 25.2% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, which is above the national average.

Academically, St James' sits in the middle of the pack locally. In the 2023/24 Key Stage 2 results, 62% of pupils reached the expected standard in reading, writing and maths combined — above the Rochdale local authority average of 58%. The school ranks 25th out of 52 primary schools in the borough, placing it in the bottom half but not far from the median. In individual subjects, reading was a relative strength: 86% of pupils met the expected standard and 24% achieved a higher standard. Maths saw 69% at expected and 17% at higher, while writing had 83% at expected and 17% at higher. The school's most recent Ofsted inspection, in February 2022, rated it Good across all five categories — quality of education, behaviour and attitudes, personal development, leadership and management, and early years provision. This was a notable improvement from its previous inspection in 2017, when it was judged to Require Improvement overall.

The school offers a solid range of facilities and activities for a primary of its size. There's a library, sports hall, playing fields, an outdoor playground, a sensory room, a chapel, and a Forest School area. Sports on offer include dance, tennis, gymnastics, netball, football, cricket and swimming, while clubs range from gardening and book club to chess, coding, choir and art club. For families with children who have additional needs, the school lists provisions for specific learning difficulties including dyslexia, moderate learning difficulty, social emotional and mental health needs, speech language and communication needs, hearing and visual impairments, and autistic spectrum disorder. The nearest Outstanding-rated primary school is Kentmere Primary Academy, 1.8 km away. St James' is a good fit for families who want a popular, improving Church of England primary with a broad extracurricular offer and strong SEND support, particularly those who can secure a first-preference place.

Key Details

Frequently Asked Questions About St James' Church of England Primary School

Helpful Guides for Parents