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St James' CofE Primary School

Primary Ages 3-11 190 pupils London
Ofsted: Good
All schools in Newham

St James' CofE Primary School is a voluntary controlled school in Newham for pupils aged 3 to 11. It has a Church of England religious character. It has 190 pupils on roll. The latest Ofsted rating for St James' CofE Primary School is Good, from an inspection in May 2023. In 2025, 67% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths. About 48% of its places were empty in 2024/25, far more than at most primary schools, so a place should be easier to come by.

Ofsted inspection: May 2023. KS2 results: 2025.

Type Primary / Voluntary controlled school
Age Range 3-11
Religion Church of England
Address Tower Hamlets Road
Forest Gate
London
E7 9DA
Phone 02085344030
Reference Number 102764

General Makeup

Number of pupils 190
Boy/Girl ratio Boys: 45.26%
Girls: 54.74%
Percentage of students eligible for free school meals 56.8%
Percentage of students where English is not their first language 68.9%

Class Sizes

Average size of one teacher classes 23.8
Average size of Key Stage 2 classes taught by one teacher 23.8

Year Groups

Year Boys Girls Total
1 Unknown Unknown Unknown
2 Unknown Unknown Unknown
3 21 23 44
4 16 31 47
5 26 23 49
6 23 27 50

Ethnicities

Ethnicity Percentage
White, Other 12.6%
African 12.6%
Mixed, Other 6.8%
Asian, Other 4.7%
Indian 3.2%
Caribbean 3.2%
Pakistani 3.2%
Unclassified 2.6%
White & Black (Caribbean) 1.6%
White, British 1.1%
White & Black (African) 1.1%

St James' CofE Junior School is performing solidly as a good school, maintaining a positive environment where pupils feel safe, happy, and engaged in their learning. The school has a strong focus on Christian values, fostering a sense of community among its diverse student body. Leaders have crafted a broad and balanced curriculum designed to cater to the needs of all students, including those with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND). The school promotes a love for reading and ensures that support is readily available to those who need it, enabling students to develop essential skills effectively.

Overall Ofsted Rating Good
Last Report Date 21 Mar 2023
Date Report
21 Mar 2023 School inspection
23 May 2017 Short inspection
10 Jan 2013 Full inspection:
30 Jun 2010 Full inspection:
25 Jun 2008 Full inspection:
27 Feb 2008 Monitoring visit
11 Dec 2007 Monitoring visit
03 Jul 2007 Monitoring visit
22 Feb 2007 Full inspection:
01 Jul 2002 Full inspection

Strengths

  • Pupils behave very well in lessons and around the school.
  • Leaders have developed a clear vision based on inclusive Christian values.
  • The curriculum is broad, balanced, and ambitious for all pupils.
  • Reading is prioritized, with strong support for those needing assistance.
  • Pupils enjoy a wide range of enriching activities and trips.

Areas for Improvement

  • Important subject content is sometimes not clearly identified by leaders, leading to gaps in knowledge for some pupils.

How many students meet the standards

Reading, Writing & Maths School Score Percentile (local) Percentile (nationwide)
Pupils meeting the expected standard 67%
Pupils meeting a higher standard 14%

Average Scaled Score

Results are converted into scaled scores to allow accurate comparisons of performance over time even if the difficulty of the test varies over time. Scaled scores range from 80 to 120.

Subject School Percentile (local) Percentile (nationwide)
Reading 106
Maths 107

Progress Scores

A progress score is a way to measure how well a student progressed in comparison to other students of a similar starting ability. A score of zero means would mean that a student made the same progress as others that had a similar starting a ability. A positive score would mean that the student made more progress than other students of similar starting ability. The scores below are for the whole school so is the average progress score across all students.

Metric School Score Percentile (local) Percentile (nationwide)
Reading -0.8
Writing 0
Maths -0.8

How many students meet the standards

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Average Scaled Score

Results are converted into scaled scores to allow accurate comparisons of performance over time even if the difficulty of the test varies over time. Scaled scores range from 80 to 120.

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Progress Scores

A progress score is a way to measure how well a student progressed in comparison to other students of a similar starting ability. A score of zero means would mean that a student made the same progress as others that had a similar starting a ability. A positive score would mean that the student made more progress than other students of similar starting ability. The scores below are for the whole school so is the average progress score across all students.

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Places and pupil numbers

In 2024–25 St James' CofE Primary School had 203 pupils for 390 places. 187 places (47.9%) were unfilled.

Pupils and places

Reception intake in the “Forest Gate Primary” planning area

Newham counted 895 Reception pupils in this area in 2024–25 and forecasts 911 in 2029–30, up 2%.

201020112012201320142015201620172018201920212022202320242025
Places 360360360360360390390390390390390390390390390
Pupils 298305304316316327314312281245233209215208203
Unfilled 17.2%15.3%15.6%12.2%12.2%16.2%19.5%20.0%27.9%37.2%40.3%46.4%44.9%46.7%47.9%

Admissions: local authority offers data from the Department for Education. A school is oversubscribed when at least 5% of the families who put it first were not offered a place, and undersubscribed when everyone who put it first got in but 10% or more of its places were unfilled in the Department's school capacity survey (the latest survey is used for entry years it does not cover). Places: Department for Education, School capacity, from local authorities' annual survey as at 1 May. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024–25); the survey was not run in 2020. Places include sixth form places. Forecasts are the local authority's own for the school's planning area, an area it uses to plan places that is not the school's catchment area. The forecast starts from a head count in 2025; the dashed line is the Department's estimate of places in that area, including those the authority has firm plans for. Planned places are cumulative, and only those with firm plans are counted.

In 2024–25 pupils at St James' CofE Primary School attended 95.5% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 11.0% of pupils were persistently absent, missing at least one session in ten (nationally 13.0%).

Sessions missed

Pupils persistently absent

20142015201620172018201920212022202320242025
Authorised absence 2.2%2.6%2.5%2.4%2.5%2.5%1.8%1.3%2.5%1.6%2.8%
Unauthorised absence 1.8%1.6%1.4%1.2%1.4%1.2%1.7%3.4%2.9%2.4%1.7%
Severely absent pupils 1.6%1.4%2.7%2.8%1.0%1.5%1.6%3.0%0.4%3.8%0.0%

Source: Department for Education, Pupil absence in schools in England. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024/25). Persistent absence means missing 10% or more of sessions; severe absence means 50% or more. No figures were published for 2019/20.

In 2024–25, 0.5% of pupils at St James' CofE Primary School were suspended at least once (nationally 1.1%). No pupils were permanently excluded.

Pupils suspended at least once

2010201120122013201420152016201720182019202020212022202320242025
Suspensions per 100 pupils 5.34.02.60.32.70.91.80.00.00.00.00.00.00.02.50.5
Permanent exclusions 0000000000000010

Source: Department for Education, Suspensions and permanent exclusions in England. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024/25). A pupil can be suspended more than once, so suspensions per 100 pupils can be higher than the share of pupils suspended. Very small numbers are hidden by the DfE. Exclusion figures dropped in 2020 and 2021 because of school closures.

In 2025–26 St James' CofE Primary School had 19.0 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 18.2% were no longer at the school a year later (nationally 15.7%).

Pupils per teacher

Teachers who left the school within a year

2011201220132014201520162017201820192020202120222023202420252026
Pupils per adult 12.913.513.914.111.511.411.29.99.39.89.911.411.110.211.810.8
Teachers who left state teaching 12.7%7.2%20.8%10.1%11.6%12.2%8.0%6.7%15.4%33.8%15.1%0.0%18.4%11.1%9.1%–
Teachers who took any sick leave 70.6%76.5%58.8%50.0%73.7%45.0%70.0%81.3%42.9%–72.7%90.9%41.7%50.0%23.1%–
Sick days per teacher 5.75.98.82.22.01.04.36.915.7–12.79.67.93.70.7–

Source: Department for Education, School workforce in England. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024/25). Pupils per teacher counts full-time-equivalent pupils and teachers. Turnover is the share of a year's teachers (full-time equivalent) who were not at the school the following year, whether they moved to another school or left state-funded teaching. Turnover and sickness figures run one year behind the ratios. Sick leave is the share of teachers who took at least one day in the year, so it swings widely at small schools, where a few teachers can make it 0% or 100%. The national figures are for all state schools of the same type.

In 2025–26, 11.6% of pupils at St James' CofE Primary School were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 3.2% had an education, health and care (EHC) plan (nationally 4.1%).

Pupils by main type of need

SEN support EHC plan
Speech, language and communication needs 15 2
Autistic spectrum disorder 3 3
Other difficulty or disability 1 1
Vision impairment 2 0
Social, emotional and mental health 1 0

Source: Department for Education, Special educational needs in England (the 2025–26 school census). SEN support is extra help in school without an EHC plan. National figures are for all state-funded primary schools. Counts are as published, with small numbers not hidden.

In 2025–26 St James' CofE Primary School received £10,325 and spent £9,878 for each of its 190 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £271,000 (£1,428 per pupil).

Income per pupil

Spending per pupil

20192020202120222023202420252026
Revenue reserve £353,000£396,000£330,000£398,000£310,000£200,000£186,000£271,000
per pupil £1,423£1,665£1,428£1,878£1,423£981£896£1,428
In-year balance £243,000£43,000-£66,000£68,000-£88,000-£110,000-£14,000£85,000
per pupil £981£182-£287£322-£404-£539-£66£447

Source: Department for Education, Financial Benchmarking and Insights Tool. Each year is the one the financial year ends in (2024 is 2023–24).

Name Distance
Earlham Primary School
Earlham Grove, Forest Gate, London, E7 9AW
0.14 miles
Kay Rowe Nursery School
Forest Gate, London, E7 0PH
0.35 miles
Maryland Primary School
Gurney Road, London, E15 1SL
0.44 miles
Woodgrange Infant School
Sebert Road, London, E7 0NJ
0.49 miles
St Francis' Catholic Primary School
Maryland Park, Stratford, Main Entrance in Bow Street, London, E15 1HD
0.51 miles
Park Primary School
Park Primary School, Mathews Park Avenue, London, E15 4AE
0.52 miles
Godwin Junior School
Cranmer Road, Forest Gate, London, E7 0JW
0.54 miles
The Jenny Hammond Primary School
Elsham Road, Leytonstone, London, E11 3JH
0.62 miles
St Antony's Catholic Primary School
Upton Avenue, Forest Gate, London, E7 9PN
0.64 miles
Zakariya Primary School
72 Katherine Road, LONDON, E6 1EN
0.67 miles
Colegrave Primary School
Henniker Road, London, E15 1JY
0.71 miles
Sandringham Primary School
Sandringham Road, London, E7 8ED
0.73 miles
Elmhurst Primary School
Upton Park Road, Forest Gate, London, E7 8JY
0.76 miles
Acacia Nursery
Cecil Road, London, E11 3HF
0.8 miles
Ronald Openshaw Nursery School
Henniker Road, London, E15 1JP
0.82 miles
Downsell Primary School
Downsell Road, Leyton, London, E15 2BS
0.83 miles
West Ham Church Primary School
Portway, Stratford, London, E15 3QG
0.89 miles
Mayville Academy
Lincoln Street, London, E11 4PZ
0.92 miles
Selwyn Primary School
Selwyn Road, London, E13 0ES
0.93 miles
Rebecca Cheetham Nursery and Children's Centre
Marcus Street, London, E15 3JT
1.01 miles
Name Distance
Forest Gate Community School
Forest Lane, London, E7 9BB
0.22 miles
Quwwat Ul Islam Girls' School
16 Chaucer Road, Forest Gate, London, E7 9NB
0.43 miles
Sarah Bonnell School
Deanery Road, Stratford, London, E15 4LP
0.57 miles
Buxton School
234 Cann Hall Road, Leytonstone, London, E11 3NN
0.57 miles
Stratford School Academy
Upton Lane, Forest Gate, London, E7 9PR
0.6 miles
St Angela's Ursuline School
St George's Road, Forest Gate, London, E7 8HU
0.65 miles
Hafs Academy
Unit 3, 26 Maryland Road, Stratford, London, E15 1JW
0.65 miles
East London Independent School
Welfare Road, 1c Maryland Park, Stratford, London, E15 4HT
0.71 miles
St Bonaventure's RC School
Boleyn Road, Forest Gate, London, E7 9QD
0.75 miles
Azhar Academy Girls School
Block F, Tennyson Road, Forest Gate, Stratford, London, E15 4DR
0.79 miles
Stratford Circus
Theatre Square, London, E15 1BX
0.82 miles
Oasis School 21
Pitchford Street, Stratford, E15 4RZ
0.96 miles
John F Kennedy Special School
Pitchford Street, Stratford, London, E15 4RZ
1.05 miles
London Academy of Excellence
Hawthorne House, 2 Farthingale Walk, Stratford, London, E15 1LE
1.05 miles
Harris Academy Chobham
40 Cheering Lane, London, E20 1BD
1.08 miles
Lister Community School
St Mary's Road, Plaistow, London, E13 9AE
1.21 miles
The Mary Ward Centre (AE Centre)
275 - 285 High Street, Stratford, London, E15 2TF
1.28 miles
Connaught Special School
Kirton Road, London, E13 9BT
1.32 miles
Connaught School for Girls
Dyers Hall Road, Leytonstone, London, E11 4AE
1.33 miles
Plashet, City of London Academy
Plashet Grove, East Ham, London, E6 1DG
1.5 miles

All schools in Newham · Newham local authority: places and applications

What is St James' CofE Primary School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for St James' CofE Primary School is Good, from an inspection in May 2023.

When was St James' CofE Primary School last inspected by Ofsted?

St James' CofE Primary School was last inspected in May 2023.

How many pupils does St James' CofE Primary School have?

St James' CofE Primary School has 190 pupils on roll.

What age range does St James' CofE Primary School cover?

St James' CofE Primary School for pupils aged 3 to 11.

What are St James' CofE Primary School's SATs (KS2) results?

In 2025, 67% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is St James' CofE Primary School?

St James' CofE Primary School is at Tower Hamlets Road, Forest Gate, London, E7 9DA.

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