The Academy At St. James, Bradford
The Academy At St. James is a primary school for pupils aged 2 to 11 in Bradford, part of Bradford Diocesan Academies Trust. It has a Church of England religious character. It was rated Good at its last graded Ofsted inspection, in May 2022. Its 2025 Key Stage 2 results were the 85th-highest of the 110 schools in Bradford with published results, and 12,253rd of 14,452 across England. It was 69% full in 2025.
- SATs results
- Below England average
- Ofsted
- Good (2022)
- 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 Bradford (the council where you live). Offers on 16 April.
Data last updated 26 Oct 2026
The Academy At St. James in detail
Results
In 2025, 68% of Year 6 pupils at The Academy At St. James reached the expected standard in reading and 59% in maths. At the average state primary the figures were 74% and 73% in Bradford and 77% and 75% across England.
Results rose from 48% in reading and 52% in maths in 2024.
Getting a place at The Academy At St. James
For September 2026 entry, 24 families put The Academy At St. James as their first choice and 38 named it as one of their preferences, for 27 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 The Academy At St. James
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other state primary schools to The Academy At St. James are St Matthew's Catholic Primary School, a Voluntary Academy (0.3 miles, 71% reading, 71% maths); Ley Top Primary School (0.3 miles, Requires improvement, 65% reading, 47% maths); Beckfoot Allerton Primary School and Nursery (0.5 miles, Requires improvement, 61% reading, 54% maths); and Clayton St John CofE Primary School (1 mile, Requires improvement, 65% reading, 49% maths).
The Academy At St. James's 2025 results were higher than 3 of these 4 schools.
St Matthew's Catholic Primary School, a Voluntary AcademyLey Top Primary SchoolBeckfoot Allerton Primary School and NurseryClayton St John CofE Primary School
The trust
The Academy At St. James is one of 21 schools run by Bradford Diocesan Academies Trust, an academy trust.
Across the trust's primary schools, 59% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths in 2024/25.
Who goes there
42.6% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, well above the average state school (25%), according to the 2026 school census.
Getting there
The nearest railway station is Frizinghall Rail Station, about 2.8 miles away in a straight line.
12 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Rayner Mount, 110 metres away.
The area around the school
In August 2026, police recorded 237 crimes within a mile of the school, most often violence and sexual offences, anti-social behaviour and criminal damage and arson. That is well below the typical figure around schools in Bradford (404).
Suspensions and exclusions
In 2024/25, The Academy At St. James issued 20 suspensions, 5.9 for every 100 pupils (the average state school: 6.3), and no permanent exclusions.
Secondary schools nearby
The secondary schools closest to The Academy At St. James are Beckfoot Thornton (0.4 miles) and Dixons Allerton Academy (0.7 miles).
Sources: DfE school performance data (averages: state mainstream schools); 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; 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 · 3 months agoReport card - no single overall grade (Ofsted's framework since November 2025)
Safeguarding standards: met
Ofsted Insights
Ofsted rated this school Good at its May 2022 inspection.
Rated Outstanding for
Leadership & management.
Rated Good for
Quality of education, Behaviour & attitudes, Personal development, Early years.
At a Glance
42.6%
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 improved from 48% to 68% (2024 to 2025). Maths has improved from 52% to 59% (2024 to 2025). Writing has improved from 52% to 66% (2024 to 2025).
Class Sizes
23.0
Avg class size
27.7
Infant (KS1)
27.2
KS2
12
Total classes
2025/26 academic year
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 5 nearby primary schools
Keep up with The Academy At St. James
Before and after school care
The Academy At St. James 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 Bradford
Clubs on Ofsted's childcare register at or near The Academy At St. James.
- Kanga Kare Allerton890m away · Not yet graded
Getting There
Bus Stops
Free school transport
Check free transport to The Academy At St. James from your postcode →
You apply to the council where you live. The Academy At St. James is in Bradford; for families living there:
- Bradford's school travel policy: Home to school travel and transport policy for children of compulsory school age
Safety and surroundings
Road collisions within 500 m (2021 to 2025)
- Collisions
- 18
- Fatal
- 0
- Serious
- 7
- Children hurt
- 3
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 18 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 7 serious and 11 slight.
3 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 1 on a bicycle and 2 in a vehicle or otherwise.
2 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 Bradford is 30 (the median across 233 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 The Academy At St. James
Will you get a place at The Academy At St. James? Get the admissions report
Your home postcode, set against The Academy At St. James's admissions figures, in one report saved to your account.
What the report includes for The Academy At St. James:
- The straight-line distance from your home to The Academy At St. James.
- Bradford publishes last distance offered figures, but none for The Academy At St. James that we hold, so the report covers demand, alternatives and dates.
- Applications, first choices and offers at The Academy At St. James for 2017 to 2026 entry.
- How many families in Bradford 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
69%
Available places
288 pupils
420 places
132 spare places in 2025
2025, DfE school capacity data
Area Demand Pressure - Bradford
Based on MHCLG Live Table 122 (2024-25, last 5 years) for Bradford
Across Bradford council
Places available
7,475
Applications
6,301
Got 1st preference
92.3%
Got preferred school
98.6%
All primary applications across Bradford council (2026/27), not just this school.
This school: Every first choice offered
Inspection History(4)
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
42
SEN Support
18
EHC Plans
19.4%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
310
Total Pupils
161
Boys
149
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
13
Teachers
23.8:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£49,576
Mean salary
2026 data
School Funding
£6,176
Per pupil
£2028k
Total funding
£200k
Pupil premium
2025-26 financial year allocations
Pupil Absence2024/25
6.1%
Overall absence
16.8%
Persistent absence
268
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
The Academy At St. James
Questions parents ask about The Academy At St. James
What are SATs results like at The Academy At St. James?
Of the pupils at The Academy At St. James who took the 2025 Key Stage 2 assessments, 68% reached the expected standard in reading and 59% did so in maths.
What is The Academy At St. James's Ofsted rating?
The Academy At St. James's most recent Ofsted inspection, in July 2026, produced a report card, which grades each area but gives no overall grade. At its last graded inspection, in May 2022, it was rated Good.
What is the catchment area for The Academy At St. James?
No fixed boundary. When The Academy At St. James is oversubscribed, Bradford allocates places by its published criteria, usually ending with home-to-school distance.
Is it hard to get a place at The Academy At St. James?
The Academy At St. James was not full in 2025: it ran at 69% of its 420 places.
How big are the classes at The Academy At St. James?
Classes at The Academy At St. James average 23 pupils (2025/26).
How many pupils go to The Academy At St. James?
The Academy At St. James has around 310 pupils on roll. 43% are eligible for free school meals.
What is attendance like at The Academy At St. James?
6.1% of sessions were missed at The Academy At St. James in 2024/25. 16.8% of pupils were persistently absent (missing 10% or more of sessions).
How do I apply to The Academy At St. James?
Apply through Bradford's coordinated admissions process, naming The Academy At St. James 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 The Academy At St. James have a breakfast club or after-school club?
The Academy At St. James 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 The Academy At St. James: Kanga Kare Allerton (890m away, registered, not yet graded).
How many road collisions happen near The Academy At St. James?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 18 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 7 serious and 11 slight. 3 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 1 on a bicycle and 2 in a vehicle or otherwise. 2 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 Bradford is 30 (the median across 233 schools, same distance and years).
Where is The Academy At St. James?
The Academy At St. James is at Chelwood Drive, Allerton, Bradford, West Yorkshire, BD15 7YD.
Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)