St James Church of England First School, Wimborne
St James Church of England First School is a primary school for pupils aged 2 to 9 in Wimborne, part of Diocese of Salisbury Academy Trust. It has a Church of England religious character. It was 98% full in 2025.
- Demand
- Oversubscribed
- Attendance
- In line with England
Reception applications for September 2027 close in 81 days
Deadline Friday 15 January 2027. Apply to Dorset (the council where you live). Offers on 16 April.
Data last updated 26 Oct 2026
St James Church of England First School in detail
St James Church of England First School in its own words
From the headteacher's welcome: "As Headteacher, I have the incredible privilege to lead and serve our school. One that has fantastic students, a dedicated staff team and supportive parents."
Clubs and activities named on the school's website include choir and cheerleading.
The school runs a breakfast club and after-school care.
Headteacher's welcome (school website)Clubs (school website)Wraparound care (school website)
Source: The school's own website
Getting a place at St James Church of England First School
For September 2026 entry, 25 families put St James Church of England First School as their first choice and 53 named it as one of their preferences, for 25 places offered. That is one first choice for every place. 1 family who put it first was not offered a place there.
Admissions history and your chances at St James Church of England First School
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other state primary schools to St James Church of England First School are Witchampton Church of England First School (2.3 miles, Good); Colehill First School (2.6 miles, Good); Hayeswood First School (2.9 miles, Good); and Wimborne First School and Nursery (3.1 miles, Good).
Witchampton Church of England First SchoolColehill First SchoolHayeswood First SchoolWimborne First School and Nursery
The trust
St James Church of England First School is one of 28 schools run by Diocese of Salisbury Academy Trust, an academy trust.
Across the trust's primary schools, 62% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths in 2024/25.
What parents say
80 parents answered Ofsted's Parent View survey about St James Church of England First School (as of September 2025): 94% would recommend the school, 95% say their child is happy there and 58% of those with a view say bullying is dealt with well.
The strongest agreement was that their child feels safe (96%); the weakest, that the school deals with bullying well (among parents with a view) (58%).
Who goes there
4.5% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, well below the average state school (25%), and 3% speak English as an additional language, against 18.8% on average, according to the 2026 school census.
In 2026, 6 pupils (4.5%) received SEN support and 4 (3%) 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.
Staffing
St James Church of England First School had 8 teachers in 2026, one for every 14 pupils: more teachers per pupil than a typical primary school, at about one for every 20.
Getting there
There is no railway, tram or Underground station within about three miles of St James Church of England First School.
4 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is St James First School (sw-bound), 70 metres away.
The area around the school
In August 2026, police recorded 4 crimes within a mile of the school, most often anti-social behaviour and public order offences. That is well below the typical figure around schools in Dorset (25).
Suspensions and exclusions
St James Church of England First School recorded no suspensions or permanent exclusions in 2024/25.
Sources: DfE school-level applications and offers; council admissions booklets; DfE appeals statistics; DfE multi-academy trust performance data; Ofsted Parent View; DfE school census and special educational needs statistics; DfE school workforce census; NaPTAN (Department for Transport); English Indices of Deprivation 2025 (MHCLG); data.police.uk street-level crime; DfE exclusions statistics
Key Information
DfE GIASOfsted Rating
Ofsted · 2 years agoOverall
Quality of Education
Behaviour & Attitudes
Personal Development
Leadership & Management
Early Years
St James Church of England First School has had no graded Ofsted inspection since it took its current form in January 2021. Before that, as St James' Church of England Voluntary Controlled First School (URN 113761), it was rated Outstanding in January 2014.
Ofsted Insights
From Ofsted's February 2025 inspection report.
What This School Does Well
The school excels at teaching reading and phonics, with pupils developing into confident readers early on. Teachers create an ambitious curriculum that builds pupils' subject knowledge and vocabulary across topics like Vikings and Antarctica. The school also shines in personal development, with an impressive range of clubs and activities including gardening, choir and chess, while pupils take on meaningful roles as school councillors and play leaders.
Key Strengths
- Excellent reading provision with expert phonics teaching and pupils leaving as confident readers
- Ambitious curriculum with clear knowledge and vocabulary for pupils to learn
- Strong support for pupils with special educational needs, enabling them to learn alongside peers
- Impressive personal development programme including clubs, roles and community involvement
- Positive school culture with effective behaviour reward system and supportive staff
Areas for Improvement
- Some staff not consistently correcting mistakes in pupils' written work, causing repeated errors in punctuation and letter formation
- A few recently revised subjects are at an earlier stage of implementation with less secure pupil knowledge
- Need to ensure consistency in teaching fundamental writing skills across all staff
Safeguarding
The arrangements for safeguarding are effective, with the school creating an open and positive culture that puts pupils' interests first.
Extracurricular Activities
gardening club, choir, chess, play leader roles, school councillor roles, musical instrument lessons, sporting competitions, stage performances
St James Church of England First School is a friendly, supportive school where pupils flourish and achieve strong outcomes. The school achieves good ratings across quality of education, behaviour and attitudes, personal development, and leadership and management.
At a Glance
4.5%
Free School Meals
No
Boarding
Yes
Nursery
No
Sixth Form
No
Special Measures
What Parents Think
80 responsesSource: Ofsted Parent View, responses as at September 2025 - % who strongly agree or agree
Class Sizes
24.0
Avg class size
24.0
Infant (KS1)
1
Total classes
2025/26 academic year
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 5 nearby primary schools
Keep up with St James Church of England First School
Getting There
Bus Stops
Free school transport
Check free transport to St James Church of England First School from your postcode →
You apply to the council where you live. St James Church of England First School is in Dorset; for families living there:
Apply to Dorset for free school transport. Its policy is on the council's website.
Safety and surroundings
Road collisions within 500 m (2021 to 2025)
- Collisions
- 1
- Fatal
- 0
- Serious
- 1
- Children hurt
- 0
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 1 road collision in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 1 serious and 0 slight.
No children aged 0 to 15 were among the people hurt.
0 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 Dorset is 3 (the median across 184 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 Church of England First School
Will you get a place at St James Church of England First School? Get the admissions report
Your home postcode, set against St James Church of England First School's admissions figures, in one report saved to your account.
What the report includes for St James Church of England First School:
- The straight-line distance from your home to St James Church of England First School.
- We hold no last distance offered figures from Dorset, so the report covers demand, alternatives and dates.
- Applications, first choices and offers at St James Church of England First School for 2021 to 2026 entry.
- How many families in Dorset 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
98%
Near capacity
113 pupils
115 places
2 spare places in 2025
2025, DfE school capacity data
Area Demand Pressure - Wimborne
Based on MHCLG Live Table 122 (2024-25, last 5 years) for Wimborne
Across Dorset council
Places available
3,692
Applications
2,795
Got 1st preference
93.9%
Got preferred school
99.0%
All primary applications across Dorset council (2026/27), not just this school.
This school: Oversubscribed
Inspection History
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
6
SEN Support
4
EHC Plans
7.5%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
134
Total Pupils
67
Boys
67
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
8
Teachers
16.8:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£39,736
Mean salary
2026 data
School Funding
£5,505
Per pupil
£669k
Total funding
£11k
Pupil premium
2025-26 financial year allocations
Pupil Absence2024/25
4.8%
Overall absence
12.2%
Persistent absence
90
Enrolments
Absence trend
Source: DfE pupil absence statistics. Persistent absence = pupils missing 10%+ sessions.
Questions parents ask about St James Church of England First School
What is St James Church of England First School's Ofsted rating?
St James Church of England First School has had no graded Ofsted inspection since it took its current form in January 2021. Before that, as St James' Church of England Voluntary Controlled First School (URN 113761), it was rated Outstanding in January 2014.
What is the catchment area for St James Church of England First School?
No fixed boundary. When St James Church of England First School is oversubscribed, Dorset allocates places by its published criteria, usually ending with home-to-school distance.
Is it hard to get a place at St James Church of England First School?
St James Church of England First School was close to full in 2025, at 98% of its capacity.
How big are the classes at St James Church of England First School?
Classes at St James Church of England First School average 24 pupils (2025/26).
How many pupils go to St James Church of England First School?
St James Church of England First School has around 134 pupils on roll. 5% are eligible for free school meals.
What is attendance like at St James Church of England First School?
4.8% of sessions were missed at St James Church of England First School in 2024/25. 12.2% of pupils were persistently absent (missing 10% or more of sessions).
How do I apply to St James Church of England First School?
Apply through Dorset's coordinated admissions process, naming St James Church of England First School 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.
How many road collisions happen near St James Church of England First School?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 1 road collision in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 1 serious and 0 slight. No children aged 0 to 15 were among the people hurt. 0 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 Dorset is 3 (the median across 184 schools, same distance and years).
Where is St James Church of England First School?
St James Church of England First School is at Gaunts Common, Wimborne, Dorset, BH21 4JN.
Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)