St James Academy, Walsall
St James Academy is a primary school for pupils aged 3 to 11 in Walsall, part of Lighthouse Multi Academy Trust.
- Demand
- Every first choice offered
Reception applications for September 2027 close in 81 days
Deadline Friday 15 January 2027. Apply to Walsall (the council where you live). Offers on 16 April.
Data last updated 26 Oct 2026
St James Academy in detail
Results
St James Academy has no published results of its own yet. Before it took its current form in 2025, as St James Primary School (URN 131581), 67% of its Year 6 pupils reached the expected standard in reading and 63% in maths in the 2025 Key Stage 2 assessments.
Getting a place at St James Academy
For September 2026 entry, 27 families put St James Academy as their first choice and 48 named it as one of their preferences, for 27 places offered. That is one first choice for every place. Every family who put it first was offered a place there for 2026 entry.
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other state primary schools to St James Academy are St Bernadette's Catholic Primary School (0.3 miles, Good, 78% reading, 78% maths); Millfield Primary School (0.4 miles, Good, 96% reading, 85% maths); Watling Street Primary School (0.7 miles, Good, 73% reading, 70% maths); and Holy Trinity Church of England Primary School (0.8 miles, Good, 59% reading, 59% maths).
St Bernadette's Catholic Primary SchoolMillfield Primary SchoolWatling Street Primary SchoolHoly Trinity Church of England Primary School
The trust
St James Academy is one of 9 schools run by Lighthouse Multi Academy Trust, an academy trust.
Who goes there
46.4% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, well above the average state school (25%), and 6.4% speak English as an additional language, against 18.8% on average, according to the 2026 school census.
The largest ethnic groups are White British (81%) and Mixed (9%).
In 2026, 43 pupils (19.5%) received SEN support and 24 (10.9%) had an education, health and care plan, against 16.2% and 4.6% at the average state school. The most common need among them is speech, language and communication needs.
Getting there
There is no railway, tram or Underground station within about three miles of St James Academy.
13 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Short Street (before), 160 metres away.
The area around the school
In August 2026, police recorded 140 crimes within a mile of the school, most often violence and sexual offences, vehicle crime and criminal damage and arson. That is well below the typical figure around schools in Walsall (297).
Secondary schools nearby
The secondary schools closest to St James Academy are Brownhills Ormiston Academy (0.5 miles), Shire Oak Academy (1 mile) and Erasmus Darwin Academy (1.4 miles).
Brownhills Ormiston AcademyShire Oak AcademyErasmus Darwin Academy
Sources: DfE school performance data; GIAS establishment links; DfE school-level applications and offers; council admissions booklets; DfE appeals statistics; DfE school census and special educational needs statistics; NaPTAN (Department for Transport); English Indices of Deprivation 2025 (MHCLG); data.police.uk street-level crime
Location
Every family who put it first was offered a place for 2026 entry, so distance did not limit places that year.
Key Information
DfE GIASOfsted Rating
St James Academy has not been inspected by Ofsted since it took its current form in September 2025. Before that, as St James Primary School (URN 131581), it was rated Good in September 2018.
At a Glance
46.4%
Free School Meals
No
Boarding
Yes
Nursery
No
Sixth Form
No
Special Measures
Class Sizes
22.0
Avg class size
26.7
Infant (KS1)
23.4
KS2
10
Total classes
2025/26 academic year
Results at St James Primary School before it took its current form in 2025 (KS2)
Academic year 2024/25Published for St James Primary School (URN 131581), the school St James Academy replaced. There are no figures for St James Academy yet, so these are shown separately.
KS2 Results (% meeting expected standard)
Reading has declined from 72% to 67% (2024 to 2025). Maths has declined from 76% to 63% (2024 to 2025). Writing has declined from 69% to 63% (2024 to 2025).
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 5 nearby primary schools
Keep up with St James Academy
Before and after school care
Clubs on Ofsted's childcare register at or near St James Academy.
- Maverick Holiday Camps630m away · Not yet graded
Term dates
St James Academy is an academy, so it sets its own term dates: check the school's website. As a guide, see Walsall's term dates for its community schools.
Getting There
Bus Stops
Free school transport
Check free transport to St James Academy from your postcode →
You apply to the council where you live. St James Academy is in Walsall; for families living there:
Apply to Walsall for free school transport. Its policy is on the council's website.
Safety and surroundings
Road collisions within 500 m (2021 to 2025)
- Collisions
- 28
- Fatal
- 2
- Serious
- 6
- Children hurt
- 4
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 28 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: 2 fatal, 6 serious and 20 slight.
4 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 4 on foot.
2 of the collisions happened on a weekday between 08:00 and 09:30 or 14:45 and 16:30, holidays included.
The typical figure for schools in Walsall is 20.5 (the median across 134 schools, same distance and years).
Serious and slight counts use the Department for Transport's severity adjustment, which allows for changes in how police forces record injuries; they are estimates, rounded to whole numbers. Distances are in a straight line. Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19), Open Government Licence v3.0.
Commute and house prices
Your chances of a place at St James Academy
Will you get a place at St James Academy? Get the admissions report
Your home postcode, set against St James Academy's admissions figures, in one report saved to your account.
What the report includes for St James Academy:
- The straight-line distance from your home to St James Academy.
- We hold no last distance offered figures from Walsall, so the report covers demand, alternatives and dates.
- Applications, first choices and offers at St James Academy for 2026 entry.
- How many families in Walsall got their first choice, and how often appeals there succeed.
- The nearest state schools to your home, with Ofsted rating, demand and last distance offered where published.
- Key dates for September 2027 entry and how to apply.
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Capacity & Demand
School Occupancy
93%
Near capacity
220 pupils
236 places
16 spare places
as recorded on GIAS
Area Demand Pressure - Walsall
Based on MHCLG Live Table 122 (2024-25, last 5 years) for Walsall
Across Walsall council
Places available
3,855
Applications
3,340
Got 1st preference
93.8%
Got preferred school
98.3%
All primary applications across Walsall council (2026/27), not just this school.
This school: Every first choice offered
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
43
SEN Support
24
EHC Plans
30.5%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
220
Total Pupils
116
Boys
104
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
14
Teachers
15.7:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£50,823
Mean salary
2026 data
Absence at St James Primary School before it took its current form in 20252024/25
Published for St James Primary School (URN 131581), the school St James Academy replaced. There are no figures for St James Academy yet, so these are shown separately.
7.7%
Overall absence
18.1%
Persistent absence
188
Enrolments
Absence trend
Source: DfE pupil absence statistics. Persistent absence = pupils missing 10%+ sessions.
Secondary Schools Nearby
Secondary schools pupils are likely to move to
St James Academy
Questions parents ask about St James Academy
Are there exam results for St James Academy?
St James Academy has no published results of its own yet. Before it took its current form in 2025, as St James Primary School (URN 131581), 67% of its Year 6 pupils reached the expected standard in reading and 63% in maths in the 2025 Key Stage 2 assessments.
What is St James Academy's Ofsted rating?
St James Academy has not been inspected by Ofsted since it took its current form in September 2025. Before that, as St James Primary School (URN 131581), it was rated Good in September 2018.
What is the catchment area for St James Academy?
No fixed boundary. When St James Academy is oversubscribed, Walsall allocates places by its published criteria, usually ending with home-to-school distance.
How big are the classes at St James Academy?
Classes at St James Academy average 22 pupils (2025/26).
How many pupils go to St James Academy?
St James Academy has around 220 pupils on roll. 46% are eligible for free school meals.
How do I apply to St James Academy?
Apply through Walsall's coordinated admissions process, naming St James Academy on your application. Applications for Reception places starting in September 2027 close on Friday 15 January 2027, and offers are made on Friday 16 April 2027.
Does St James Academy have a breakfast club or after-school club?
Ofsted's childcare register lists an out-of-school club within a kilometre of St James Academy: Maverick Holiday Camps (630m away, registered, not yet graded). The school may also run its own clubs, which don't have to register with Ofsted.
How many road collisions happen near St James Academy?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 28 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: 2 fatal, 6 serious and 20 slight. 4 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 4 on foot. 2 of the collisions happened on a weekday between 08:00 and 09:30 or 14:45 and 16:30, holidays included. The typical figure for schools in Walsall is 20.5 (the median across 134 schools, same distance and years).
Where is St James Academy?
St James Academy is at Great Charles Street, Brownhills, Walsall, West Midlands, WS8 6AE.
Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)