St James the Great RC Primary and Nursery School

St James the Great RC Primary and Nursery School has been rated as outstanding, demonstrating excellent performance across all evaluated areas. The school has a strong curriculum that is ambitious and well-structured, supporting all pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities. Pupils show enthusiasm for learning, maintain high standards of behavior, and benefit from a wealth of personal development opportunities that prepare them effectively for their future. The strong leadership fosters a collaborative environment that values staff input and aims for continual improvement.

Strengths

• Exceptional curriculum designed to meet the needs of all pupils.
• High-quality early years provision that lays a strong foundation for learning.
• Strong emphasis on personal development and leadership opportunities for pupils.
• Effective support for pupils with SEND to access the curriculum.
• Positive behaviour and strong engagement from pupils.

Areas for Improvement

• Recent challenges in writing outcomes, but improvements are being implemented.

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 the Great RC Primary and Nursery School attended 96.3% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 4.2% 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, 0.2% of pupils at St James the Great RC Primary and Nursery School 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 the Great RC Primary and Nursery School had 25.9 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 17.2% 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, 10.1% of pupils at St James the Great RC Primary and Nursery School were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 3.8% 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 2024–25 St James the Great RC Primary and Nursery School received £7,703 and spent £7,556 for each of its 442 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £112,000 (£254 per pupil).

Across all 10 schools of St Benedict Catholic Academy Trust, income was £7,250 and spending £6,743 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). Academy figures include a share of the trust's central services, shared out by pupil numbers, and are rounded to the nearest £1,000. Premises costs were defined differently from 2024, so compare them across that gap with care.

• Primary Schools
• Secondary Schools

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

St James the Great RC Primary and Nursery School is part of St Benedict Catholic Academy Trust, which runs 10 schools. The nearest others:

• St Thomas Becket Catholic Primary School London
• Our Lady and St Philip Neri Catholic Primary School London
• St Anthony's Catholic Primary School London
• Bonus Pastor Catholic College Bromley
• St Matthew Academy London
• St George's Cathedral Catholic Primary School London
• St Joseph's Catholic Primary School London
• St Michael's Catholic College London
• St Paul's Academy London

What is St James the Great RC Primary and Nursery School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for St James the Great RC Primary and Nursery School is Outstanding, from an inspection in December 2023.

When was St James the Great RC Primary and Nursery School last inspected by Ofsted?

St James the Great RC Primary and Nursery School was last inspected in December 2023.

How many pupils does St James the Great RC Primary and Nursery School have?

St James the Great RC Primary and Nursery School has 447 pupils on roll.

What age range does St James the Great RC Primary and Nursery School cover?

St James the Great RC Primary and Nursery School for pupils aged 3 to 11.

What are St James the Great RC Primary and Nursery School's SATs (KS2) results?

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

Where is St James the Great RC Primary and Nursery School?

St James the Great RC Primary and Nursery School is at St. James The Great School, Windsor Road, Thornton Heath, Surrey, CR7 8HJ.