St James Infant School, Daventry
St James Infant School is a primary school for pupils aged 3 to 8 in Daventry, part of Inmat. It was rated Good at its last graded Ofsted inspection, in February 2024. It was 92% full in 2025.
- Ofsted
- Good (2024)
- 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 West Northamptonshire (the council where you live). Offers on 16 April.
Data last updated 26 Oct 2026
St James Infant School in detail
St James Infant School in its own words
In its own words: "Let us introduce you to a very important member of our school - Kit . Kit represents our school values of respect, kindness, inclusion and teamwork and features daily in the lives of our children. She is used as part of our school ethos and is a valuable teaching aid, helping to remind children of our aims and values."
The school runs a breakfast club from 7:30am and after-school care, from £7.00 per session.
Vision and values (school website)Wraparound care (school website)
Source: The school's own website
Getting a place at St James Infant School
For September 2026 entry, 45 families put St James Infant School as their first choice and 79 named it as one of their preferences, for 45 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 Infant School
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other state primary schools to St James Infant School are Abbey CofE Academy (0.4 miles, Good, 74% reading, 68% maths); E-ACT The Grange School (0.5 miles, 53% reading, 63% maths); Falconer's Hill Infant School (0.5 miles, Good); and Falconer's Hill Academy (0.6 miles, Good, 71% reading, 68% maths).
Abbey CofE AcademyE-ACT The Grange SchoolFalconer's Hill Infant SchoolFalconer's Hill Academy
The trust
St James Infant School is one of 13 schools run by Inmat, an academy trust.
Across the trust's primary schools, 65% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths in 2024/25.
Who goes there
32.7% speak English as an additional language, against 18.8% on average, according to the 2026 school census.
The largest ethnic groups are White British (62%), Asian (9%) and Mixed (6%).
In 2026, 44 pupils (22.1%) received SEN support and 11 (5.5%) 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 Infant School had 10 teachers in 2026, one for every 16 pupils: more teachers per pupil than a typical primary school, at about one for every 20.
Getting there
There is no railway, tram or Underground station within about three miles of St James Infant School.
10 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Warwick Court (opposite), 70 metres away.
The area around the school
In August 2026, police recorded 223 crimes within a mile of the school, most often anti-social behaviour, violence and sexual offences and shoplifting. That is well above the typical figure around schools in West Northamptonshire (90), as is usual near a town centre.
Suspensions and exclusions
St James Infant School recorded no suspensions or permanent exclusions in 2024/25.
Secondary schools nearby
The secondary schools closest to St James Infant School are The Parker E-ACT Academy (0.6 miles) and DSLV E-ACT Academy (0.7 miles).
Sources: 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; DfE school workforce census; NaPTAN (Department for Transport); English Indices of Deprivation 2025 (MHCLG); data.police.uk street-level crime; DfE exclusions statistics
Location
Every family who put it first was offered a place for 2026 entry, so distance did not limit places that year.
Key Information
DfE GIASOfsted Rating
Ofsted · 3 years agoOverall
Quality of Education
Behaviour & Attitudes
Personal Development
Leadership & Management
Early Years
Ofsted Insights
Ofsted rated this school Good at its February 2024 inspection.
Rated Outstanding for
Early years.
Rated Good for
Quality of education, Behaviour & attitudes, Personal development, Leadership & management.
At a Glance
18.6%
Free School Meals
No
Boarding
Yes
Nursery
No
Sixth Form
No
Special Measures
Class Sizes
23.6
Avg class size
27.5
Infant (KS1)
8
Total classes
2025/26 academic year
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 5 nearby primary schools
Latest from St James Infant School
From St James Infant School's website. School Signal is not affiliated with the school.
Social & online
Keep up with St James Infant School
Before and after school care
St James Infant School is on the Department for Education's free breakfast clubs programme (list updated July 2026), which pays for a free breakfast club for pupils before school. Source: Free breakfast clubs: schools on the programme, Department for Education Free breakfast clubs in West Northamptonshire
Clubs on Ofsted's childcare register at or near St James Infant School.
- Kidz Zone Club - The Grange860m away · Not yet graded
Term dates
St James Infant School is an academy, so it sets its own term dates: check the school's website. As a guide, see West Northamptonshire's term dates for its community schools.
Getting There
Bus Stops
Free school transport
Check free transport to St James Infant School from your postcode →
You apply to the council where you live. St James Infant School is in West Northamptonshire; for families living there:
- West Northamptonshire's school travel policy: Free school travel assistance (4-to-16 year olds)
- How to apply: Apply for free school travel assistance (4-to-16 year olds)
Safety and surroundings
Road collisions within 500 m (2021 to 2025)
- Collisions
- 14
- Fatal
- 1
- Serious
- 3
- Children hurt
- 1
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 14 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: 1 fatal, 3 serious and 10 slight.
1 child aged 0 to 15 was hurt: 1 on foot.
5 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 Northamptonshire is 7 (the median across 208 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 Infant School
Will you get a place at St James Infant School? Get the admissions report
Your home postcode, set against St James Infant School's admissions figures, in one report saved to your account.
What the report includes for St James Infant School:
- The straight-line distance from your home to St James Infant School.
- We hold no last distance offered figures from West Northamptonshire, so the report covers demand, alternatives and dates.
- Applications, first choices and offers at St James Infant School for 2018 to 2026 entry.
- How many families in West Northamptonshire 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
92%
Near capacity
155 pupils
168 places
13 spare places in 2025
2025, DfE school capacity data
Area Demand Pressure - Daventry
Based on MHCLG Live Table 122 (2024-25, last 5 years) for Daventry
Across West Northamptonshire council
Places available
5,708
Applications
4,335
Got 1st preference
94.6%
Got preferred school
99.5%
All primary applications across West Northamptonshire council (2026/27), not just this school.
This school: Every first choice offered
Inspection History(3)
Ungraded inspection: The school remains Good, but Ofsted raised concerns; its next inspection will be a full graded one.
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
44
SEN Support
11
EHC Plans
27.6%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
199
Total Pupils
110
Boys
89
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
10
Teachers
19.9:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£43,694
Mean salary
2026 data
School Funding
£5,787
Per pupil
£1068k
Total funding
£55k
Pupil premium
2025-26 financial year allocations
Pupil Absence2024/25
5.2%
Overall absence
17.2%
Persistent absence
116
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 Infant School
Questions parents ask about St James Infant School
What is St James Infant School's Ofsted rating?
St James Infant School was rated Good at its most recent Ofsted inspection in February 2024.
What is the catchment area for St James Infant School?
No fixed boundary. When St James Infant School is oversubscribed, West Northamptonshire allocates places by its published criteria, usually ending with home-to-school distance.
Is it hard to get a place at St James Infant School?
St James Infant School was not full in 2025: it ran at 92% of its 168 places.
How big are the classes at St James Infant School?
Classes at St James Infant School average 23.6 pupils (2025/26).
How many pupils go to St James Infant School?
St James Infant School has around 199 pupils on roll. 19% are eligible for free school meals.
What is attendance like at St James Infant School?
5.2% of sessions were missed at St James Infant School in 2024/25. 17.2% of pupils were persistently absent (missing 10% or more of sessions).
How do I apply to St James Infant School?
Apply through West Northamptonshire's coordinated admissions process, naming St James Infant 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 Infant School have a breakfast club or after-school club?
St James Infant School is on the Department for Education's free breakfast clubs programme (list updated July 2026), which pays for a free breakfast club for pupils before school. Ofsted's childcare register lists an out-of-school club within a kilometre of St James Infant School: Kidz Zone Club - The Grange (860m away, registered, not yet graded).
How many road collisions happen near St James Infant School?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 14 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: 1 fatal, 3 serious and 10 slight. 1 child aged 0 to 15 was hurt: 1 on foot. 5 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 Northamptonshire is 7 (the median across 208 schools, same distance and years).
Where is St James Infant School?
St James Infant School is at 90 St James Street, Daventry, Northamptonshire, NN11 4AG.
Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)