St James CofE Primary School
About St James CofE Primary School
St James CofE Primary School in Elmbridge is a state primary for children aged 4 to 11, and it is a school in high demand. With 418 pupils on roll against a capacity of 420, it is effectively full, and the 2025/26 admissions data tells a clear story of popularity: the school received 189 applications for just 60 places, an oversubscription ratio of 3. 15 to one. Of those, 57 were first-preference applications, meaning most families who wanted a place put it at the top of their list. The school serves a community where 17. 5% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, a figure that sits above the national average for primary schools and suggests a genuinely mixed intake. As a Church of England school, it has a religious character, but the data does not specify whether this affects admissions criteria. What is clear is that St James is a school that local families are actively competing to get into, and its near-full roll reflects that sustained interest.
Key Details
The full report on this school
What 174 parents told Ofsted, the inspection in plain English, 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
11 Jun 2025Latest monitoring visit (11 Jun 2025): Standards maintained
Source: Ofsted, 7 Mar 2016. Ratings: 1=Outstanding, 2=Good, 3=Requires Improvement, 4=Inadequate.
SEND Support
Source: Department for Education, 2024/25. Support availability based on current student population.
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