St James' Church of England Primary Academy, Bournemouth
St James' Church of England Primary Academy is a primary school for pupils aged 4 to 11 in Bournemouth, part of Diocese of Chichester Academy Trust. It has a Church of England religious character. It was rated Good at its last graded Ofsted inspection, in March 2013. Ofsted's ungraded inspection in January 2023 did not change this grade. Its 2025 Key Stage 2 results were the 12th-highest of the 27 schools in Bournemouth with published results, and 5,545th of 14,452 across England. It was 97% full in 2025.
- SATs results
- In line with England
- Ofsted
- Good (2013)
- Demand
- Every first choice offered
- Attendance
- In line with England
Reception applications for September 2027 close in 81 days
Deadline Friday 15 January 2027. Apply to Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole (the council where you live). Offers on 16 April.
Data last updated 26 Oct 2026
St James' Church of England Primary Academy in detail
St James' Church of England Primary Academy in its own words
Coming up: an open day on Saturday 7 November 2026. Check the school's website before you go, as dates can change.
All school open days in Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole
Open days on the school's site (school website)
Source: The school's own website
Results
In 2025, 81% of Year 6 pupils at St James' Church of England Primary Academy reached the expected standard in reading and 80% in maths. At the average state primary the figures were 77% and 75% in Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole; and 77% and 75% across England.
Results were similar in 2024 (77% in reading, 82% in maths).
Getting a place at St James' Church of England Primary Academy
For September 2026 entry, 32 families put St James' Church of England Primary Academy as their first choice and 191 named it as one of their preferences, for 46 places offered. It had fewer first-choice applications than places. Every family who put it first was offered a place there for 2026 entry.
Admissions history and your chances at St James' Church of England Primary Academy
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other state primary schools to St James' Church of England Primary Academy are Pokesdown Community Primary School (0.3 miles, Good, 76% reading, 68% maths); Avonwood Primary School (0.5 miles, Outstanding, 88% reading, 88% maths); Corpus Christi Catholic Primary School (0.5 miles, Good, 75% reading, 82% maths); and Stourfield Junior School (0.6 miles, Good, 82% reading, 78% maths).
St James' Church of England Primary Academy's 2025 results were higher than 3 of these 4 schools.
Pokesdown Community Primary SchoolAvonwood Primary SchoolCorpus Christi Catholic Primary SchoolStourfield Junior School
The trust
St James' Church of England Primary Academy is one of 28 schools run by Diocese of Chichester 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.
Who goes there
16.6% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, well below the average state school (25%), according to the 2026 school census.
Getting there
The nearest railway station is Pokesdown Rail Station, about 280 metres away (roughly a 4-minute walk).
9 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is St James School (ne-bound), 50 metres away.
Suspensions and exclusions
In 2024/25, St James' Church of England Primary Academy issued 11 suspensions, 2.7 for every 100 pupils (the average state school: 6.3), and no permanent exclusions.
Secondary schools nearby
The secondary schools closest to St James' Church of England Primary Academy are Avonbourne Girls Academy (0.5 miles), Avonbourne Boys' Academy (0.5 miles), St Peter's Catholic Comprehensive School (1.4 miles) and Twynham School (1.7 miles).
Avonbourne Girls AcademyAvonbourne Boys' AcademySt Peter's Catholic Comprehensive SchoolTwynham School
Sources: DfE school performance data (averages: state mainstream schools); DfE school-level applications and offers; council admissions booklets; DfE appeals statistics; DfE multi-academy trust performance data; DfE school census and special educational needs statistics; NaPTAN (Department for Transport); DfE exclusions statistics
Key Information
DfE GIASOfsted Rating
Ofsted · 4 years agoThis judgement is from March 2013, 13 years ago, longer than Ofsted's usual 4-year cycle: the school may have changed since.
Overall
Latest (ungraded) inspection: The school remains Good.
Ofsted Insights
Ofsted rated this school Good at its March 2013 inspection - up from Requires Improvement.
Rated Good for
Leadership & management.
At a Glance
16.6%
Free School Meals
No
Boarding
No
Nursery
No
Sixth Form
No
Special Measures
Primary Performance (KS2)
Academic year 2024/25KS2 Results (% meeting expected standard)
Reading has improved from 77% to 81% (2024 to 2025). Maths has remained stable at around 80% (2024 to 2025). Writing has remained stable at around 81% (2024 to 2025).
Class Sizes
28.5
Avg class size
27.0
Infant (KS1)
29.9
KS2
13
Total classes
1 class with more than 30 pupils
2025/26 academic year
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 5 nearby primary schools
Latest from St James' Church of England Primary Academy
Our brilliant new Year Sixes
2 Oct 2026
Year 6's Fabulous Fractions
29 Sep 2026
Year 4 Rockstar Day!
29 Sep 2026
Book Swap
29 Sep 2026
🛠️ Mechanically Magnificent!
29 Sep 2026
Eco-Club's Bee Friendly project!
25 Sep 2026
From St James' Church of England Primary Academy's website. School Signal is not affiliated with the school.
Social & online
Keep up with St James' Church of England Primary Academy
Before and after school care
Clubs on Ofsted's childcare register at or near St James' Church of England Primary Academy.
- Foundation Sports And Play900m away · Not yet graded
Term dates
St James' Church of England Primary Academy is an academy, so it sets its own term dates: check the school's website. As a guide, see Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole's term dates for its community schools.
Getting There
Train Stations
Bus Stops
Free school transport
Check free transport to St James' Church of England Primary Academy from your postcode →
You apply to the council where you live. St James' Church of England Primary Academy is in Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole; for families living there:
- Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole's school travel policy: Home to school transport policy
Safety and surroundings
Road collisions within 500 m (2021 to 2025)
- Collisions
- 44
- Fatal
- 1
- Serious
- 10
- Children hurt
- 5
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 44 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: 1 fatal, 10 serious and 33 slight.
5 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 2 on foot and 3 on a bicycle.
9 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 Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole is 24 (the median across 117 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 Primary Academy
Will you get a place at St James' Church of England Primary Academy? Get the admissions report
Your home postcode, set against St James' Church of England Primary Academy's admissions figures, in one report saved to your account.
What the report includes for St James' Church of England Primary Academy:
- The straight-line distance from your home to St James' Church of England Primary Academy.
- Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole publishes last distance offered figures, but none for St James' Church of England Primary Academy that we hold, so the report covers demand, alternatives and dates.
- Applications, first choices and offers at St James' Church of England Primary Academy for 2015 to 2026 entry.
- How many families in Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole 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
97%
Near capacity
407 pupils
420 places
13 spare places in 2025
2025, DfE school capacity data
Area Demand Pressure - Bournemouth
Based on MHCLG Live Table 122 (2024-25, last 5 years) for Bournemouth
Across Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole council
Places available
3,809
Applications
3,148
Got 1st preference
92.2%
Got preferred school
99.3%
All primary applications across Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole council (2026/27), not just this school.
This school: Every first choice offered
Inspection History(3)
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
71
SEN Support
18
EHC Plans
22.0%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
404
Total Pupils
210
Boys
194
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
20
Teachers
20.2:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£47,398
Mean salary
2026 data
School Funding
£5,003
Per pupil
£2209k
Total funding
£83k
Pupil premium
2025-26 financial year allocations
Pupil Absence2024/25
4.8%
Overall absence
10.3%
Persistent absence
358
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' Church of England Primary Academy
Questions parents ask about St James' Church of England Primary Academy
What are SATs results like at St James' Church of England Primary Academy?
Of the pupils at St James' Church of England Primary Academy who took the 2025 Key Stage 2 assessments, 81% reached the expected standard in reading and 80% did so in maths.
What is St James' Church of England Primary Academy's Ofsted rating?
St James' Church of England Primary Academy's most recent Ofsted inspection, in January 2023, was ungraded, so it gave no overall grade. At its last graded inspection, in March 2013, it was rated Good.
What is the catchment area for St James' Church of England Primary Academy?
No fixed boundary. When St James' Church of England Primary Academy is oversubscribed, Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole 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 Primary Academy?
St James' Church of England Primary Academy was close to full in 2025, at 97% of its capacity.
How big are the classes at St James' Church of England Primary Academy?
Classes at St James' Church of England Primary Academy average 28.5 pupils (2025/26). 1 class has more than 30 pupils - infant classes are capped at 30 by law, with limited exceptions.
How many pupils go to St James' Church of England Primary Academy?
St James' Church of England Primary Academy has around 404 pupils on roll. 17% are eligible for free school meals.
What is attendance like at St James' Church of England Primary Academy?
4.8% of sessions were missed at St James' Church of England Primary Academy in 2024/25. 10.3% of pupils were persistently absent (missing 10% or more of sessions).
How do I apply to St James' Church of England Primary Academy?
Apply through Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole's coordinated admissions process, naming St James' Church of England Primary 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' Church of England Primary 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' Church of England Primary Academy: Foundation Sports And Play (900m 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' Church of England Primary Academy?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 44 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: 1 fatal, 10 serious and 33 slight. 5 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 2 on foot and 3 on a bicycle. 9 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 Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole is 24 (the median across 117 schools, same distance and years).
Where is St James' Church of England Primary Academy?
St James' Church of England Primary Academy is at Pokesdown Hill, Christchurch Road, Bournemouth, Dorset, BH7 6DW.
Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)