St James' Church of England Primary School, London
St James' Church of England Primary School is a primary school for pupils aged 3 to 11 in London. It has a Church of England religious character. It was rated Good at its last graded Ofsted inspection, in November 2014. Ofsted's ungraded inspection in July 2024 did not change this grade. Its 2025 Key Stage 2 results were the 695th-highest of the 959 schools in London with published results, and 7,353rd of 14,452 across England. It was 89% full in 2025.
- SATs results
- In line with England
- Ofsted
- Good (2014)
- 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 Southwark (the council where you live). Offers on 16 April.
Data last updated 26 Oct 2026
St James' Church of England Primary School in detail
St James' Church of England Primary School in its own words
In its own words: "We are a caring family that offers a stimulating, inclusive and nurturing environment where all children feel safe, cared for and valued - made equally by God. We aim to be a constant pillar of support, kindness and love within the community. We strive to bring out a creative side in all subjects and embrace different ways of learning."
From the headteacher's welcome: "A very warm welcome to St. James' Church of England Primary School, Bermondsey. I am deeply proud of our highly inclusive, creative, diverse and vibrant school. Along with a hugely supportive and dedicated staff team, we put the needs of our children and community at the centre of all we do, encouraging all children to fulfil their very best potential."
Clubs and activities named on the school's website include cooking and sewing.
The school runs after-school care.
Vision and values (school website)Headteacher's welcome (school website)Clubs (school website)Wraparound care (school website)
Source: The school's own website
Results
In 2025, 79% of Year 6 pupils at St James' Church of England Primary School reached the expected standard in reading and 75% in maths. At the average state primary the figures were 81% and 80% in Southwark and 77% and 75% across England.
Results fell from 80% in reading and 82% in maths in 2024.
Getting a place at St James' Church of England Primary School
For September 2026 entry, 33 families put St James' Church of England Primary School as their first choice and 79 named it as one of their preferences, for 37 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 School
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other state primary schools to St James' Church of England Primary School are St Joseph's Catholic Primary School (0.1 miles, 84% reading, 80% maths); Riverside Primary School (0.2 miles, Good, 85% reading, 91% maths); Boutcher Church of England Primary School (0.5 miles, Outstanding, 100% reading, 94% maths); and Tower Bridge Primary School (0.5 miles, Good, 69% reading, 69% maths).
St James' Church of England Primary School's 2025 results were higher than 1 of these 4 schools.
St Joseph's Catholic Primary SchoolRiverside Primary SchoolBoutcher Church of England Primary SchoolTower Bridge Primary School
Who goes there
72.7% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, well above the average state school (25%), and 25.1% speak English as an additional language, against 18.8% on average, according to the 2026 school census.
The largest ethnic groups are Black (43%), White British (23%) and Mixed (17%).
In 2026, 80 pupils (19.9%) received SEN support and 33 (8.2%) 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 Primary School had 29 teachers in 2026, one for every 13 pupils: more teachers per pupil than a typical primary school, at about one for every 20.
Getting there
The nearest Underground station is Bermondsey Underground Station, about 260 metres away (roughly a 3-minute walk).
10 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is St James's Road, 20 metres away.
Suspensions and exclusions
St James' Church of England Primary School recorded no suspensions or permanent exclusions in 2024/25.
Secondary schools nearby
The secondary schools closest to St James' Church of England Primary School are St Michael's Catholic College (0.1 miles), The Charter School Bermondsey (0.2 miles), Harris Academy Bermondsey (0.3 miles) and City of London Academy (Southwark) (0.6 miles).
St Michael's Catholic CollegeThe Charter School BermondseyHarris Academy BermondseyCity of London Academy (Southwark)
Sources: DfE school performance data (averages: state mainstream schools); DfE school-level applications and offers; council admissions booklets; DfE appeals statistics; DfE school census and special educational needs statistics; DfE school workforce census; NaPTAN (Department for Transport); DfE exclusions statistics
Key Information
DfE GIASOfsted Rating
Ofsted · 2 years agoThis judgement is from November 2014, 11 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
From Ofsted's July 2024 inspection report.
What This School Does Well
St James' is a welcoming and inclusive school where children feel safe and supported. The school excels at teaching reading using a structured phonics approach, helping all children become confident readers. Leadership is ambitious for every pupil, particularly those with additional needs, and creates a positive environment where children are motivated to learn and behave well.
Key Strengths
- Excellent phonics programme with highly structured reading approach that supports all pupils, including those with SEND and English language learners
- Strong support for pupils with SEND with ambitious expectations and tailored adaptations to help them succeed
- Well-designed curriculum with careful sequencing in many subjects, with opportunities to revisit and recap learning
- Good behaviour and positive relationships throughout the school, with pupils motivated and respectful to each other
- Strong emphasis on mathematics with secure foundational skills developed from the early years
Areas for Improvement
- Some curriculum changes are recent and not yet fully embedded, meaning pupils' learning in these subjects is not as secure as in others
- Need for greater consistency in identifying what needs to be taught and when across all subjects
- Staff need continued support to understand what needs to be taught and why in newly revised curriculum areas
Safeguarding
Safeguarding arrangements are effective, with clear systems in place to keep pupils safe.
Extracurricular Activities
School performance of Bugsy Malone, music lessons including recorder and violin, leadership roles such as house captains and buddies
St James' Church of England Primary School is a good school where pupils' well-being thrives in a happy and supportive environment. Staff and parents work closely together to ensure pupils achieve their best.
At a Glance
72.7%
Free School Meals
No
Boarding
Yes
Nursery
No
Sixth Form
No
Special Measures
Primary Performance (KS2)
Academic year 2024/25KS2 Results (% meeting expected standard)
Reading has remained stable at around 79% (2024 to 2025). Maths has declined from 82% to 75% (2024 to 2025). Writing has remained stable at around 80% (2024 to 2025).
Class Sizes
24.6
Avg class size
25.0
Infant (KS1)
24.4
KS2
14
Total classes
1 class with more than 30 pupils
1 unlawfully large infant class
2025/26 academic year
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 5 nearby primary schools
Latest from St James' Church of England Primary School
Latest Newsletter - Friday 2nd October 2026
1 Oct 2026
Newsletter - Friday 25th September 2026
24 Sep 2026
Reception Starters in September 2026
18 Jun 2026
Cybersecurity Top Tips
4 Feb 2026
Layer Up for Online Safety
4 Feb 2026
Stepping Away from Digital Distraction
4 Feb 2026
From St James' Church of England Primary School's website. School Signal is not affiliated with the school.
Social & online
Keep up with St James' Church of England Primary School
Before and after school care
Clubs on Ofsted's childcare register at or near St James' Church of England Primary School.
- Southwark After-School Club750m away · Not yet graded
Term dates
St James' Church of England Primary School is a voluntary aided school, so it sets its own term dates: check the school's website. As a guide, see Southwark's term dates for its community schools.
Getting There
Tube / Metro / Tram
Ferry Terminals
Bus Stops
Free school transport
Check free transport to St James' Church of England Primary School from your postcode →
You apply to the council where you live. St James' Church of England Primary School is in Southwark; for families living there:
- Southwark's school travel policy: travel assistance policy
Safety and surroundings
Road collisions within 500 m (2021 to 2025)
- Collisions
- 147
- Fatal
- 0
- Serious
- 29
- Children hurt
- 2
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 147 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 29 serious and 118 slight.
2 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 2 on foot.
33 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 Southwark is 154.5 (the median across 122 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 School
Will you get a place at St James' Church of England Primary School? Get the admissions report
Your home postcode, set against St James' Church of England Primary School's admissions figures, in one report saved to your account.
What the report includes for St James' Church of England Primary School:
- The straight-line distance from your home to St James' Church of England Primary School.
- Southwark publishes last distance offered figures, but none for St James' Church of England Primary School that we hold, so the report covers demand, alternatives and dates.
- Applications, first choices and offers at St James' Church of England Primary School for 2014 to 2026 entry.
- How many families in Southwark 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
89%
Available places
372 pupils
420 places
48 spare places in 2025
2025, DfE school capacity data
Area Demand Pressure - London
Based on MHCLG Live Table 122 (2024-25, last 5 years) for London
Across Southwark council
Places available
3,137
Applications
2,248
Got 1st preference
84.3%
Got preferred school
98.0%
All primary applications across Southwark council (2026/27), not just this school.
This school: Every first choice offered
Inspection History(8)
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
80
SEN Support
33
EHC Plans
28.0%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
403
Total Pupils
212
Boys
191
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
29
Teachers
13.9:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£52,205
Mean salary
2026 data
School Funding
£7,999
Per pupil
£3435k
Total funding
£397k
Pupil premium
2025-26 financial year allocations
Pupil Absence2024/25
5.1%
Overall absence
12.3%
Persistent absence
333
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 School
Questions parents ask about St James' Church of England Primary School
What are SATs results like at St James' Church of England Primary School?
Of the pupils at St James' Church of England Primary School who took the 2025 Key Stage 2 assessments, 79% reached the expected standard in reading and 75% did so in maths.
What is St James' Church of England Primary School's Ofsted rating?
St James' Church of England Primary School's most recent Ofsted inspection, in July 2024, was ungraded, so it gave no overall grade. At its last graded inspection, in November 2014, it was rated Good.
What is the catchment area for St James' Church of England Primary School?
No fixed boundary. When St James' Church of England Primary School is oversubscribed, Southwark 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 School?
St James' Church of England Primary School was not full in 2025: it ran at 89% of its 420 places.
How big are the classes at St James' Church of England Primary School?
Classes at St James' Church of England Primary School average 24.6 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 School?
St James' Church of England Primary School has around 403 pupils on roll. 73% are eligible for free school meals.
What is attendance like at St James' Church of England Primary School?
5.1% of sessions were missed at St James' Church of England Primary School in 2024/25. 12.3% of pupils were persistently absent (missing 10% or more of sessions).
How do I apply to St James' Church of England Primary School?
Apply through Southwark's coordinated admissions process, naming St James' Church of England Primary 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.
Does St James' Church of England Primary School 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 School: Southwark After-School Club (750m 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 School?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 147 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 29 serious and 118 slight. 2 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 2 on foot. 33 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 Southwark is 154.5 (the median across 122 schools, same distance and years).
Where is St James' Church of England Primary School?
St James' Church of England Primary School is at Old Jamaica Road, Bermondsey, London, SE16 4SU.
Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)