St James' CofE Junior School, Whitehaven
Data last updated 11 Sept 2026
Location
Estimated admission likelihood based on school density and oversubscription data
Key Information
DfE GIASOfsted Rating
Ofsted · 3 months agoReport card - no overall grade (new Ofsted framework from Sep 2024)
Ofsted Insights
What This School Does Well
St James' provides a nurturing environment where children thrive academically and personally. The school excels at helping children develop confidence, resilience and a strong sense of community responsibility through exceptional enrichment opportunities and caring staff who know each pupil well. Children achieve above average results in key subjects and benefit from high attendance rates and outstanding behaviour standards.
Key Strengths
- Strong focus on personal development with excellent opportunities in sports, music, arts and community engagement
- Pupils achieve above national average in key stage 2 reading, writing and mathematics
- Highly effective safeguarding culture where pupils feel safe and supported
- Exceptional behaviour and attendance rates, consistently above national average
- Excellent pastoral support that builds pupil resilience and reduces barriers to wellbeing
Areas for Improvement
- Pupils do not consistently apply their understanding in depth across the full curriculum
- Tasks set in lessons do not always enable pupils to demonstrate detailed, in-depth knowledge
- Targets and strategies for pupils facing learning barriers could be clearer and more precise
- Some inconsistency in how effectively curriculum delivery supports pupils' next steps in learning
Safeguarding
Safeguarding standards are met - leaders have established an open culture where safeguarding is everyone's responsibility, concerns are actively identified and acted upon, and pupils feel safe.
Extracurricular Activities
Animation, judo, archery, badminton, residential trips, bell ringing, first aid, water safety, musical instrument lessons, art gallery displays, cultural and charity events, enterprise projects, visiting elderly residents
St James' CofE Junior School is a well-led school where pupils flourish and develop strong personal values. The school maintains above-average attendance and achieves well in reading, writing and mathematics, though there is scope to help pupils apply their knowledge more deeply across the curriculum.
At a Glance
14.1%
Free School Meals
No
Boarding
No
Nursery
No
Sixth Form
No
Special Measures
Primary Performance (KS2)
Academic year 2025/26KS2 Results (% meeting expected standard)
Reading has remained stable at around 82%. Maths has declined from 95% to 85%. Writing has declined from 88% to 82%.
Class Sizes
25.8
Avg class size
25.8
KS2
6
Total classes
2024/25 academic year
Latest from St James' CofE Junior School
From St James' CofE Junior School's website. School Signal is not affiliated with the school.
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Capacity & Demand
School Occupancy
87%
Available places
156 pupils
180 capacity
24 spare places available
Area Demand Pressure - Whitehaven
Based on MHCLG housing supply data for Whitehaven
Admissions Demand - Cumberland
Places available
3,571
Applications
2,437
Got 1st preference
98.5%
Got preferred school
99.7%
Primary admissions across Cumberland (2025/26)
Inspection History(9)
House Prices
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SEN Provision
How many pupils have special educational needs, what types of support the school provides, and how it compares to similar schools.
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.
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.
School Funding
Annual funding per pupil, total budget, pupil premium grants, and how the school's resources compare to similar schools nationally.
Pupil Absence2024/25
3.00525%
Overall absence
4.375%
Persistent absence
160
Enrolments
Absence trend
Source: DfE pupil absence statistics. Persistent absence = pupils missing 10%+ sessions.
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St James' CofE Junior School
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