St James the Great Roman Catholic Primary School

About St James the Great Roman Catholic Primary School

St James the Great Roman Catholic Primary School sits in Southwark, one of 67 primary schools in the borough, and ranks 9th among them — comfortably inside the top 10. That puts it ahead of the vast majority of its local peers, though it sits below the three highest-scoring schools in the area: Boutcher Church of England Primary School, The Cathedral School of St Saviour and St Mary Overie, and Riverside Primary School. The nearest school rated Outstanding by Ofsted is Angel Oak Academy, less than a kilometre away. St James itself has held a Good rating across both its most recent graded inspection in 2017 and its ungraded inspection in 2022, where inspectors confirmed the school remains Good. Leadership and management, early years provision, and overall effectiveness were all judged Good. The school is Roman Catholic and mixed, taking children from age 3 through to 11, with nursery provision on site.

Academically, St James performs well above the local average. In the 2023/24 Key Stage 2 results, 83% of pupils reached the expected standard in reading, writing and maths combined, compared with a Southwark average of 68%. The school’s score of 83 on the KS2 expected standard metric places it in the top 10% of primaries in the local authority and in the top 8% nationally. Reading scores are particularly strong: 97% of pupils reached the expected standard and 52% achieved a higher standard, with an average scaled score of 109. Maths followed closely, with 93% at expected and an average score of 107. Writing saw 86% at expected and 24% at a higher level. Progress scores are not available in the data, so it is not possible to say how much value the school adds relative to pupils’ starting points, but the raw attainment figures are clearly above the norm for the area.

The school is oversubscribed: for 2025/26 entry, there were 37 applications for 17 places, a ratio of 2.18 applicants per place, and all 16 first-preference applicants were offered a spot. Facilities include a dining hall, ICT suite, sensory room, playing fields, library, music rooms and a chapel. Sports on offer include cricket, netball, gymnastics, athletics, rounders, cross country and tennis, while clubs cover art, coding and book club. The school’s SEND provision is broad, supporting pupils with moderate learning difficulties, speech and language needs, hearing impairment, physical disability, autistic spectrum disorder, and social, emotional and mental health needs. With 40.1% of pupils eligible for free school meals, St James serves a diverse and relatively disadvantaged community, yet its outcomes suggest it is a strong choice for families in Southwark seeking a Catholic primary with solid academic results and a wide range of facilities.

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