St James Church of England Primary School, Handsworth

St James Church of England Primary School in Handsworth remains a good school, with a strong emphasis on love as its core value. The school effectively supports a diverse student population, many of whom join below age-related expectations and some with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND). The strong teamwork among staff and high expectations for all students contribute to their significant progress, particularly for disadvantaged pupils. The environment is welcoming, with positive behaviors and strong relationships between staff and students enhancing the educational experience. The school is well integrated into its community and prepares pupils for modern British society through a broad curriculum and various extracurricular opportunities.

Strengths

• Strong emphasis on love as a core school value
• High expectations for all pupils, leading to significant progress
• Effective support for pupils with SEND
• Well-designed and sequenced curriculum tailored to pupils' needs
• Strong subject knowledge among staff
• Positive relationships between staff and pupils
• Effective reading curriculum fostering a love for reading
• Wide range of extracurricular clubs and activities
• Strong partnerships with parents

Areas for Improvement

• Staff sometimes do not effectively challenge pupils ready for new learning

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 Church of England Primary School, Handsworth attended 92.3% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 23.8% of pupils were persistently absent, missing at least one session in ten (nationally 13.0%).

Sessions missed

Pupils persistently absent

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, 0.7% of pupils at St James Church of England Primary School, Handsworth were suspended at least once (nationally 1.1%). No pupils were permanently excluded.

Pupils suspended at least once

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 Church of England Primary School, Handsworth had 19.5 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 0.0% were no longer at the school a year later (nationally 15.7%).

Pupils per teacher

Teachers who left the school within a year

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, 18.8% of pupils at St James Church of England Primary School, Handsworth were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 2.4% had an education, health and care (EHC) plan (nationally 4.1%).

Pupils by main type of need

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 Church of England Primary School, Handsworth received £7,983 and spent £8,183 for each of its 409 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £459,000 (£1,122 per pupil).

Income per pupil

Spending per pupil

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

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What is St James Church of England Primary School, Handsworth's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for St James Church of England Primary School, Handsworth is Good, from an inspection in September 2024.

When was St James Church of England Primary School, Handsworth last inspected by Ofsted?

St James Church of England Primary School, Handsworth was last inspected in September 2024.

How many pupils does St James Church of England Primary School, Handsworth have?

St James Church of England Primary School, Handsworth has 409 pupils on roll.

What age range does St James Church of England Primary School, Handsworth cover?

St James Church of England Primary School, Handsworth for pupils aged 4 to 11.

What are St James Church of England Primary School, Handsworth's SATs (KS2) results?

In 2025, 71% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is St James Church of England Primary School, Handsworth?

St James Church of England Primary School, Handsworth is at Sandwell Road, Birmingham, West Midlands, B21 8NH.