St James Church of England Primary School, Northampton

Good
Primary
Academy converter
Mixed
Church of England
Ages 311

Data last updated 11 Sept 2026

Location

Very likely (~550m)Possible (~786m)Unlikely (~1.0km)Confidence: high

Estimated admission likelihood based on school density and oversubscription data

Key Information

DfE GIAS
Head:Mrs Sarah Beach
Pupils:445 / 450 capacity
LA:West Northamptonshire
Phone:01604751475
Address:Harlestone Road, St James, Northampton, NN5 7AG
Trust:PETERBOROUGH DIOCESE EDUCATION TRUST
Admissions:Not applicable
Status:open
Opened:1 February 2015

Ofsted Rating

Ofsted · 8 months ago

Report card - no overall grade (new Ofsted framework from Sep 2024)

Achievement
Expected Standard
Behaviour
Expected Standard
Personal Development
Strong Standard
Leadership
Expected Standard
Early Years
Expected Standard
Inspected 20 January 2026View full report
URN:141724
UKPRN:10048697
Diocese:Diocese of Peterborough
Constituency:Northampton North
Urban/Rural:Urban: Nearer to a major town or city

Ofsted Insights

What This School Does Well

St James excels at making every child feel valued and known as an individual from day one. The school offers an impressive range of experiences - from visits to religious sites and local charity work to residential trips - that broaden pupils' understanding of different cultures and build their confidence. Teachers and staff are deeply committed to supporting all pupils, with particularly strong provision for children with additional needs.

Key Strengths

  • Strong personal development programme with trips, community involvement and leadership roles
  • Inclusive culture with excellent support for pupils with SEND and those who speak English as an additional language
  • Calm, respectful school environment where pupils behave well and enjoy positive relationships with staff
  • Effective pastoral care and support for pupil wellbeing
  • Ambitious, well-sequenced curriculum that helps pupils build knowledge progressively

Areas for Improvement

  • Teachers could provide more targeted support to help pupils deepen their thinking in some lessons
  • Some pupils need better support with foundational skills like letter formation and mathematical operations
  • Leaders could be more evaluative about the impact of certain strategies, particularly for attendance and achievement of different pupil groups

Safeguarding

Safeguarding standards are met - leaders have created an open culture of safeguarding where concerns are actively identified and acted upon, making pupils safer and helping them feel safe.

Extracurricular Activities

Charity events, community projects supporting adults with dementia, pantomime, religious festival celebrations (Diwali, Eid), Sikh temple visits, Remembrance Day and Black History Month observances, residential visits, summer schools with trips to country parks and bicycle rides, school gatherings with singing

St James Church of England Primary School is a welcoming and inclusive school where pupils achieve well and progress from various starting points. The school provides an impressive personal development offer that prepares pupils well for life in modern Britain.

At a Glance

25.9%

Free School Meals

No

Boarding

Yes

Nursery

No

Sixth Form

ASD - Autistic Spectrum Disorder, SEMH - Social, Emotional and Mental Health

SEN Provision

No

Special Measures

Primary Performance (KS2)

Academic year 2025/26

KS2 Results (% meeting expected standard)

2024
2025
Reading+7ppMaths-3ppWriting+4pp

Reading has improved from 79% to 86%. Maths has remained stable at around 78%. Writing has improved from 72% to 76%.

Class Sizes

28.6

Avg class size

27.6

Infant (KS1)

29.9

KS2

14

Total classes

1 class with more than 30 pupils

2024/25 academic year

Getting There

Train Stations

Northampton Rail Station
833m · 14 min walk

Bus Stops

Vicarage Road (adj)
44m · 1 min walk
Newcombe Road (adj)
123m · 2 min walk
St James Works (opp)
168m · 3 min walk
Sandhill Road (adj)
182m · 3 min walk
Bingo Hall (opp)
231m · 4 min walk
Can you get into this school?
Enter your postcode to find out

Commute Calculator

Find out if this school is reachable from your home - before you apply

Sign up free to see your commute to this school

What are my chances?

Enter your postcode to estimate your probability of getting a place.

Capacity & Demand

School Occupancy

99%

Near capacity

445 pupils

450 capacity

5 spare places available

Area Demand Pressure - Northampton

Low pressure
New homes approved:5,421
Projected new pupils:1,355

Based on MHCLG housing supply data for Northampton

Admissions Demand - West Northamptonshire

Low demand0.76x oversubscription

Places available

5,771

Applications

4,413

Got 1st preference

94.5%

Got preferred school

99.0%

Primary admissions across West Northamptonshire (2025/26)

Inspection History(4)

20 January 2026Report card
Achievement
Behaviour
Personal Development
Leadership
Early Years
5 October 2021
Quality of EducationGood
Behaviour & AttitudesGood
Personal DevelopmentGood
Leadership & ManagementGood
Early YearsGood
23 January 2018
Requires ImprovementReport
Leadership & ManagementRequires Improvement

House Prices

Moving into the catchment? See what homes near this school actually cost

Sign up free to see house prices near this school

SEN Provision

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

Sign up free to see special needs support at this school

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.

Sign up free to see who goes to this school

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.

Sign up free to see teacher and staff data

School Funding

Annual funding per pupil, total budget, pupil premium grants, and how the school's resources compare to similar schools nationally.

Sign up free to see how this school is funded

Pupil Absence
2024/25

5.13133%

Overall absence

14.89362%

Persistent absence

376

Enrolments

Authorised3.89328%
Unauthorised1.23805%
Persistent (10%+)14.89362%
Severe (50%+)1.8617%

Absence trend

4.35865%
18/19
3.85076%
20/21
6.76915%
21/22
7.92471%
22/23
5.2056%
23/24
5.13133%
24/25
Overall absence rate

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

Reviews

No reviews yet - be the first to leave one.

Leave a Review

You need to be signed in to leave a review.

Secondary Schools Nearby

Secondary schools pupils are likely to move to

Showing 10 of 11 linked schools

Nearby Schools

Do you work at this school?

Claim your profile free to get a verified badge, update your contact details, and see how many parents are viewing your page.