Southam St James CofE Academy, Southam

Requires Improvement
Primary
Academy converter
Mixed
Church of England
Ages 411

Data last updated 11 Sept 2026

Location

Very likely (~1.0km)Possible (~1.5km)Unlikely (~1.9km)Confidence: high

Estimated admission likelihood based on school density and oversubscription data

Key Information

DfE GIAS
Head:Laura Richards
Pupils:149 / 210 capacity
LA:Warwickshire
Phone:01926812127
Address:Tollgate Road, Southam, CV47 1EE
Trust:THE DIOCESE OF COVENTRY MULTI-ACADEMY TRUST
Admissions:Not applicable
Status:open
Opened:1 October 2018

Ofsted Rating

Ofsted · 1 year ago
-

Overall

Requires Improvement

Quality of Education

Good

Behaviour & Attitudes

Good

Personal Development

Requires Improvement

Leadership & Management

Good

Early Years

Inspected 15 July 2025View full report
URN:146151
UKPRN:10080974
Diocese:Diocese of Coventry
Constituency:Kenilworth and Southam
Urban/Rural:Larger rural: Nearer to a major town or city

Ofsted Insights

What This School Does Well

St James is a warm, inclusive school where children feel safe and supported. The school does an excellent job teaching reading and has successfully improved attendance so more pupils stay engaged with their learning. Pupils develop strong values and take active roles in the school community through house captains, pupil council, and helping in the local parish.

Key Strengths

  • Reading is prioritised and taught effectively, with most pupils becoming confident, fluent readers by key stage 2
  • Behaviour has improved significantly and pupils typically behave well, supported by clear expectations
  • Early years provision is good, with children developing warm relationships with staff and strong language skills
  • Attendance has improved substantially, with significantly fewer pupils persistently absent
  • Pupils with SEND are well supported with early identification and effective external agency partnerships

Areas for Improvement

  • Inconsistent delivery of the revised curriculum means pupils do not achieve as well as they could in some subjects
  • Teachers do not check pupils' understanding effectively, so misconceptions go unaddressed
  • Expectations for handwriting quality and careful recording in mathematics are not high enough
  • Some parents feel their concerns about their children's education are not fully addressed

Safeguarding

Safeguarding arrangements are effective, with staff creating an open and positive culture that puts pupils' interests first.

Extracurricular Activities

Local author visits, local library visits and reading competitions, house captains roles, pupil council, helping local parish church, singing in local care home

Southam St James CofE Academy is a primary school where pupils feel included and behaviour has improved since the last inspection. However, the quality of education requires improvement because the ambitious curriculum is not being delivered consistently across all subjects.

At a Glance

26.8%

Free School Meals

No

Boarding

No

Nursery

No

Sixth Form

No

Special Measures

What Parents Think

64 responses
Would recommend72%
Child is happy91%
Well taught75%
Good progress70%
Feels safe88%
Well behaved70%
Bullying dealt with19%
Kept informed81%
Handles concerns69%
Wider development70%

Source: Ofsted Parent View - % who strongly agree or agree

Primary Performance (KS2)

Academic year 2025/26

KS2 Results (% meeting expected standard)

2024
2025
Reading+9ppMaths+13ppWriting+9pp

Reading has improved from 69% to 78%. Maths has improved from 54% to 67%. Writing has improved from 65% to 74%.

Class Sizes

24.0

Avg class size

19.0

Infant (KS1)

26.5

KS2

3

Total classes

2024/25 academic year

Getting There

Bus Stops

Bowling Green (Adj)
200m · 3 min walk
Springs Crescent (Adj)
222m · 4 min walk
Southam Primary School (Adj)
334m · 5 min walk
Merestone Close (Adj)
348m · 6 min walk
Crown Inn (Adj)
385m · 6 min walk
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Capacity & Demand

School Occupancy

71%

Available places

149 pupils

210 capacity

61 spare places available

Area Demand Pressure - Southam

High pressure
New homes approved:751
Projected new pupils:188

Based on MHCLG housing supply data for Southam

Admissions Demand - Warwickshire

Low demand0.86x oversubscription

Places available

7,187

Applications

6,166

Got 1st preference

90.6%

Got preferred school

98.0%

Primary admissions across Warwickshire (2025/26)

Inspection History(3)

15 July 2025
Quality of EducationRequires Improvement
Behaviour & AttitudesGood
Personal DevelopmentGood
Leadership & ManagementRequires Improvement
Early YearsGood
25 January 2023
Requires ImprovementReport
Quality of EducationRequires Improvement
Behaviour & AttitudesRequires Improvement
Personal DevelopmentGood
Leadership & ManagementRequires Improvement
Early YearsGood
14 September 2016
Requires Improvement
Leadership & ManagementRequires Improvement

House Prices

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SEN Provision

How many pupils have special educational needs, what types of support the school provides, and how it compares to similar schools.

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Pupil Demographics

The school's pupil mix - ethnicity breakdown, free school meals eligibility, and English as an additional language. Useful context when evaluating school fit.

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Teachers & Staff

Teacher qualification rates, pupil-to-teacher ratio, staff turnover, and salary data. Shows how well-resourced and stable the school's workforce is.

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School Funding

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Pupil Absence
2024/25

4.93825%

Overall absence

16.02564%

Persistent absence

156

Enrolments

Authorised2.04634%
Unauthorised2.89191%
Persistent (10%+)16.02564%
Severe (50%+)1.28205%

Absence trend

2.81394%
18/19
2.36736%
20/21
7.26235%
21/22
6.40609%
22/23
8.16282%
23/24
4.93825%
24/25
Overall absence rate

Source: DfE pupil absence statistics. Persistent absence = pupils missing 10%+ sessions.

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