St James' CofE Junior School

About St James' CofE Junior School

St James' CofE Junior School is a smaller-than-average primary in Cumberland, with 155 pupils against a capacity of 180, so there is some headroom in the roll. The proportion of pupils eligible for free school meals stands at 14.8%, which is below the national average for primary schools and suggests a relatively less disadvantaged intake than many schools nationally. The school is a Church of England state primary for mixed genders, taking children from ages 7 to 11, and sits within the Cumberland local authority. Demand appears moderate given the capacity not being fully taken up, and the school does not appear to be oversubscribed based on the available data. The headteacher is Alex Moore, and the school's religious character as CofE may appeal to families looking for a faith-based setting, though the data does not specify any particular admissions criteria tied to faith. The school is not a boarding school and has no nursery or sixth form provision.

Academically, St James' performs well above the local average. In the 2023/24 Key Stage 2 results, 75% of pupils reached the expected standard in reading, writing and maths combined, compared with a Cumberland LA average of just 54%. This places the school 13th out of 111 primary schools in the authority, comfortably in the top 25% nationally. The school's ranking score of 75 puts it behind local top performers like Jericho Primary School (89) and Irthington Village School (88), but still a strong showing. In individual subjects, 95% of pupils met the expected standard in maths, with an average score of 107, while reading and writing expected rates were 83% and 88% respectively. The proportion reaching the higher standard in all three subjects was 10%, with maths the strongest at 30% higher standard. Ofsted rated the school Good in its most recent graded inspection in 2016, and an ungraded inspection in 2022 confirmed it remains Good. This is a notable improvement from its previous Requires Improvement rating in 2014.

The school offers a solid range of facilities including an ICT suite, dining hall, art studios, sports hall, forest school and a chapel. Sports provision covers football, cricket, rounders and netball, while clubs extend to drama, choir, chess and coding. For families with children who have additional needs, the school lists SEND support for specific learning difficulties like dyslexia, social, emotional and mental health needs, speech, language and communication issues, and autistic spectrum disorder. The school is a Church of England setting, which may suit families who value a faith-based environment, though the data does not specify any religious admissions criteria. With its strong academic performance relative to the local authority, manageable size and good range of facilities, St James' is likely to appeal to families in the Cumberland area seeking a well-performing junior school with a supportive, inclusive ethos, particularly those whose children are already settled in a local infant school.

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