St James' CofE Primary School, Coldwaltham, Pulborough
St James' CofE Primary School, Coldwaltham is a primary school for pupils aged 4 to 11 in Pulborough. It has a Church of England religious character. It was rated Good at its last graded Ofsted inspection, in March 2017. Ofsted's ungraded inspection in January 2025 did not change this grade. Its 2025 Key Stage 2 results were the 7th-highest of the 8 schools in Pulborough with published results, and 12,897th of 14,452 across England. It was 50% full in 2025.
- SATs results
- Below England average
- Ofsted
- Good (2017)
- Demand
- Every first choice offered
- Attendance
- Below England average
Reception applications for September 2027 close in 81 days
Deadline Friday 15 January 2027. Apply to West Sussex (the council where you live). Offers on 16 April.
Data last updated 26 Oct 2026
St James' CofE Primary School, Coldwaltham in detail
Results
In 2025, 80% of Year 6 pupils at St James' CofE Primary School, Coldwaltham reached the expected standard in reading and 40% in maths. At the average state primary the figures were 76% and 72% in West Sussex and 77% and 75% across England.
Results rose from 64% in reading and 27% in maths in 2024.
With small year groups, a few pupils can move these figures by several points.
Getting a place at St James' CofE Primary School, Coldwaltham
For September 2026 entry, 8 families put St James' CofE Primary School, Coldwaltham as their first choice and 21 named it as one of their preferences, for 8 places offered. That is one first choice for every place. Every family who put it first was offered a place there for 2026 entry.
Admissions history and your chances at St James' CofE Primary School, Coldwaltham
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other state primary schools to St James' CofE Primary School, Coldwaltham are Fittleworth CofE Village School (1.7 miles, Good, 58% reading, 53% maths); Bury CofE Primary School (2.3 miles, Good, 83% reading, 83% maths); Amberley CofE Primary School (2.3 miles, Good); and St Mary's Church of England Primary School (2.4 miles, Good, 58% reading, 56% maths).
St James' CofE Primary School, Coldwaltham's 2025 results were higher than 2 of these 3 schools.
Fittleworth CofE Village SchoolBury CofE Primary SchoolAmberley CofE Primary SchoolSt Mary's Church of England Primary School
What parents say
23 parents answered Ofsted's Parent View survey about St James' CofE Primary School, Coldwaltham (as of September 2025): 96% would recommend the school, 96% say their child is happy there and 90% of those with a view say bullying is dealt with well.
The strongest agreement was that pupils behave well (100%); the weakest, that the school has high expectations for their child (78%).
Who goes there
9.1% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, well below the average state school (25%), and 0% speak English as an additional language, against 18.8% on average, according to the 2026 school census.
The largest ethnic groups are White British (91%) and Mixed (7%).
Staffing
St James' CofE Primary School, Coldwaltham had 5 teachers in 2026, one for every 10 pupils: more teachers per pupil than a typical primary school, at about one for every 20.
Getting there
The nearest railway station is Pulborough Rail Station, about 1.7 miles away in a straight line.
3 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Church (outside), 110 metres away.
The area around the school
In August 2026, police recorded 5 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 West Sussex (103).
Suspensions and exclusions
In 2024/25, St James' CofE Primary School, Coldwaltham issued 7 suspensions, 13.2 for every 100 pupils (the average state school: 6.3), and no permanent exclusions.
Sources: DfE school performance data (averages: state mainstream schools); DfE school-level applications and offers; council admissions booklets; DfE appeals statistics; 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 agoThis judgement is from March 2017, 9 years ago, longer than Ofsted's usual 4-year cycle: the school may have changed since.
Overall
Quality of Education
Behaviour & Attitudes
Personal Development
Leadership & Management
Early Years
Ofsted Insights
From Ofsted's January 2025 inspection report.
What This School Does Well
This is a small, peaceful school where children thrive in a caring community environment. Teachers have strong subject knowledge and reading is a priority with excellent outcomes. The school offers wonderful enrichment through clubs, woodland learning, and visits to broaden pupils' horizons beyond the village.
Key Strengths
- Reading is taught well with strong outcomes for all pupils, including those needing catch-up support
- Pupils with SEND receive careful identification and appropriate support to ensure inclusion and success
- The curriculum has been fully ordered and sequenced from Reception to Year 6 with clear learning objectives
- Strong school values embedded in everyday life with warm relationships and good behaviour throughout
- Excellent enrichment opportunities including clubs, creative writing, mindfulness and outdoor woodland learning
Areas for Improvement
- Some inconsistency in how teachers check what pupils already know before teaching, affecting achievement levels
- Subject leaders do not yet have consistent systems to monitor how well the curriculum is being taught across school
- The outdoor space in early years is not fully developed to support all aspects of learning and active play
Safeguarding
Safeguarding arrangements are effective with staff creating an open and positive culture that puts pupils' interests first.
Extracurricular Activities
Creative writing clubs, mindfulness, outdoor learning in the woods, visits including to London
St James' CofE Primary School is a small, happy and harmonious place where pupils feel valued and safe. The school has made considerable improvements since its previous inspection and now has a clearly sequenced curriculum with rising expectations of achievement.
At a Glance
9.1%
Free School Meals
No
Boarding
No
Nursery
No
Sixth Form
No
Special Measures
What Parents Think
23 responsesSource: Ofsted Parent View, responses as at September 2025 - % who strongly agree or agree
Primary Performance (KS2)
Academic year 2024/25KS2 Results (% meeting expected standard)
Reading has improved from 64% to 80% (2024 to 2025). Maths has improved from 27% to 40% (2024 to 2025). Writing has improved from 45% to 50% (2024 to 2025).
Class Sizes
14.7
Avg class size
13.5
KS2
3
Total classes
2025/26 academic year
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 5 nearby primary schools
Keep up with St James' CofE Primary School, Coldwaltham
Before and after school care
Clubs on Ofsted's childcare register at or near St James' CofE Primary School, Coldwaltham.
- After school club at St JamesAt the school · Not yet graded
Term dates
St James' CofE Primary School, Coldwaltham is a voluntary controlled school, so its term dates are set by West Sussex. Training (INSET) days, when pupils are not in school, vary by school: check the school's own calendar.
2026 to 2027
- Autumn term: Tuesday 1 September to Friday 18 December 2026 (half term Monday 26 October to Friday 30 October 2026)
- Spring term: Monday 4 January to Thursday 25 March 2027 (half term Monday 15 February to Friday 19 February 2027)
- Summer term: Monday 12 April to Wednesday 21 July 2027 (half term Monday 31 May to Friday 4 June 2027)
Getting There
Bus Stops
Free school transport
Check free transport to St James' CofE Primary School, Coldwaltham from your postcode →
You apply to the council where you live. St James' CofE Primary School, Coldwaltham is in West Sussex; for families living there:
Apply to West Sussex for free school transport. Its policy is on the council's website.
Safety and surroundings
Road collisions within 500 m (2021 to 2025)
- Collisions
- 4
- Fatal
- 0
- Serious
- 0
- Children hurt
- 0
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 4 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 0 serious and 4 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 West Sussex is 11 (the median across 337 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' CofE Primary School, Coldwaltham
Will you get a place at St James' CofE Primary School, Coldwaltham? Get the admissions report
Your home postcode, set against St James' CofE Primary School, Coldwaltham's admissions figures, in one report saved to your account.
What the report includes for St James' CofE Primary School, Coldwaltham:
- The straight-line distance from your home to St James' CofE Primary School, Coldwaltham.
- West Sussex publishes last distance offered figures, but none for St James' CofE Primary School, Coldwaltham that we hold, so the report covers demand, alternatives and dates.
- Applications, first choices and offers at St James' CofE Primary School, Coldwaltham for 2014 to 2026 entry.
- How many families in West Sussex 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.
£9.99 once
One school, inc. VAT. Or £19.99 for up to three schools.
Pro £9 a month, every report included, cancel any time
A report for any school, plus everything else in Pro.
Capacity & Demand
School Occupancy
50%
Available places
52 pupils
105 places
53 spare places in 2025
2025, DfE school capacity data
Area Demand Pressure - Pulborough
Based on MHCLG Live Table 122 (2024-25, last 5 years) for Pulborough
Across West Sussex council
Places available
9,608
Applications
8,127
Got 1st preference
92.4%
Got preferred school
99.2%
All primary applications across West Sussex council (2026/27), not just this school.
This school: Every first choice offered
Inspection History(8)
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
9
SEN Support
2
EHC Plans
25.0%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
44
Total Pupils
24
Boys
20
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
5
Teachers
8.8:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£52,282
Mean salary
2026 data
School Funding
£8,739
Per pupil
£489k
Total funding
£11k
Pupil premium
2025-26 financial year allocations
Pupil Absence2024/25
6.5%
Overall absence
10.6%
Persistent absence
47
Enrolments
Absence trend
Source: DfE pupil absence statistics. Persistent absence = pupils missing 10%+ sessions.
Questions parents ask about St James' CofE Primary School, Coldwaltham
What are SATs results like at St James' CofE Primary School, Coldwaltham?
Of the pupils at St James' CofE Primary School, Coldwaltham who took the 2025 Key Stage 2 assessments, 80% reached the expected standard in reading and 40% did so in maths.
What is St James' CofE Primary School, Coldwaltham's Ofsted rating?
St James' CofE Primary School, Coldwaltham's most recent Ofsted inspection, in January 2025, was ungraded, so it gave no overall grade. At its last graded inspection, in March 2017, it was rated Good.
What is the catchment area for St James' CofE Primary School, Coldwaltham?
No fixed boundary. When St James' CofE Primary School, Coldwaltham is oversubscribed, West Sussex allocates places by its published criteria, usually ending with home-to-school distance.
Is it hard to get a place at St James' CofE Primary School, Coldwaltham?
St James' CofE Primary School, Coldwaltham was not full in 2025: it ran at 50% of its 105 places.
How big are the classes at St James' CofE Primary School, Coldwaltham?
Classes at St James' CofE Primary School, Coldwaltham average 14.7 pupils (2025/26).
How many pupils go to St James' CofE Primary School, Coldwaltham?
St James' CofE Primary School, Coldwaltham has around 44 pupils on roll. 9% are eligible for free school meals.
What is attendance like at St James' CofE Primary School, Coldwaltham?
6.5% of sessions were missed at St James' CofE Primary School, Coldwaltham in 2024/25. 10.6% of pupils were persistently absent (missing 10% or more of sessions).
How do I apply to St James' CofE Primary School, Coldwaltham?
Apply through West Sussex's coordinated admissions process, naming St James' CofE Primary School, Coldwaltham 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' CofE Primary School, Coldwaltham have a breakfast club or after-school club?
Ofsted's childcare register lists an out-of-school club at the school: After school club at St James (registered, not yet graded). The school may also run its own clubs, which don't have to register with Ofsted.
What are St James' CofE Primary School, Coldwaltham's term dates?
St James' CofE Primary School, Coldwaltham is a voluntary controlled school, so its term dates are set by West Sussex. In 2026 to 2027: Autumn term: Tuesday 1 September to Friday 18 December 2026 (half term Monday 26 October to Friday 30 October 2026); Spring term: Monday 4 January to Thursday 25 March 2027 (half term Monday 15 February to Friday 19 February 2027); Summer term: Monday 12 April to Wednesday 21 July 2027 (half term Monday 31 May to Friday 4 June 2027).
How many road collisions happen near St James' CofE Primary School, Coldwaltham?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 4 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 0 serious and 4 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 West Sussex is 11 (the median across 337 schools, same distance and years).
Where is St James' CofE Primary School, Coldwaltham?
St James' CofE Primary School, Coldwaltham is at Church Lane, Coldwaltham, Pulborough, West Sussex, RH20 1LW.
Sources: West Sussex term dates; Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)