St James' Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School

About St James' Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School

St James' Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School is a small state primary in the Leeds local authority, educating 158 pupils aged 3 to 11. It sits within a competitive local landscape: among the 221 primary schools in Leeds, it ranks 152nd on the key stage 2 expected standard measure, placing it in the bottom half of the authority. The top-performing peers nearby include Harewood Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School and Shadwell Primary School, both scoring 90 on the ranking metric, and St Philip's Catholic Primary School at 87. For families prioritising an Outstanding Ofsted rating, the nearest such school is Crossley Street Primary School, just 0.7 kilometres away. St James' itself holds a Good rating from its most recent graded inspection in January 2025, with inspectors noting that early years provision has improved to Outstanding since the previous inspection in 2019, when it was graded Requires Improvement.

Academically, the school's key stage 2 results for 2023/24 show that 50% of pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths combined, which is below the Leeds local authority average of 61%. In individual subjects, 50% met expectations in reading and maths, while 70% did so in writing. Higher-standard attainment is limited: 10% of pupils reached the higher standard in maths, 20% in writing, and none in reading. Average scaled scores were 101 in reading and 100 in maths, both close to the national baseline of 100. The school ranks in the bottom 50% nationally for its key stage 2 performance, sitting at the 79th percentile among primary schools. Ofsted's breakdown from the 2025 inspection rated quality of education, personal development, behaviour and attitudes, and leadership and management all as Good, with early years provision judged Outstanding.

The school is oversubscribed for 2025/26, receiving 53 applications for 19 places, with 12 first-preference offers made. Facilities include a library, gymnasium, sports hall, playing fields, sensory room, ICT suite, music rooms, chapel and an outdoor playground. Sports offered range from football and cricket to swimming and athletics, while clubs include drama, gardening, film club, choir, art club and eco club. SEND provisions cover specific learning difficulties, social, emotional and mental health needs, speech, language and communication needs, visual impairment and autistic spectrum disorder. Parent View responses from 37 families between September 2024 and September 2025 were overwhelmingly positive: 100% would recommend the school, with 73% strongly agreeing their child is happy and 78% strongly agreeing their child feels safe. This is a school that suits families who value a strong Church of England ethos, a broad range of extracurricular activities, and a setting where parents report high levels of satisfaction, even if academic outcomes sit below the local average.

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