St James Church of England Primary Academy

St James Church of England Primary Academy continues to deliver a good standard of education. The school is characterized by a warm and welcoming environment, with pupils demonstrating kindness and respect towards each other and their teachers. Strong relationships and high expectations contribute to a positive atmosphere where students take pride in their achievements. The curriculum is ambitious and well-structured, enabling pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), to excel, particularly in mathematics and early literacy skills. A recent focus on phonics aims to address past lower achievements in reading and ensure all pupils make progress in their reading skills.

Strengths

• Strong leadership fosters a nurturing and inclusive school culture.
• Effective teaching strategies support the development of mathematics skills.
• Pupils show respect for diverse cultures and celebrate equality.
• Exciting extracurricular activities engage and enrich pupils' learning experiences.
• Strong communication and collaboration with parents regarding children's education.

Areas for Improvement

• Phonics achievement has been lower than national averages, requiring targeted support.
• Some pupils struggle with vocabulary recall and usage in their learning.
• A small number of pupils have been persistently absent since the pandemic.

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 Academy attended 95.0% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 8.9% 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, 0.5% of pupils at St James Church of England Primary Academy 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 Academy had 21.1 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 11.1% 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, 15.9% of pupils at St James Church of England Primary Academy were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 5.7% 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 Church of England Primary Academy received £5,645 and spent £6,746 for each of its 180 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £112,000 (£624 per pupil).

Across all 4 schools of Medway Anglican Schools Trust, income was £5,942 and spending £6,103 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 Rochester · Medway local authority: places and applications

St James Church of England Primary Academy is part of Medway Anglican Schools Trust, which runs 4 schools. The nearest others:

• St Margaret's Church of England Junior School Gillingham
• All Saints Church of England Primary School Chatham
• St John's Church of England Infant School Chatham

What is St James Church of England Primary Academy's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for St James Church of England Primary Academy is Good, from an inspection in July 2023.

When was St James Church of England Primary Academy last inspected by Ofsted?

St James Church of England Primary Academy was last inspected in July 2023.

How many pupils does St James Church of England Primary Academy have?

St James Church of England Primary Academy has 176 pupils on roll.

What age range does St James Church of England Primary Academy cover?

St James Church of England Primary Academy for pupils aged 3 to 11.

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

In 2025, 38% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is St James Church of England Primary Academy?

St James Church of England Primary Academy is at High Street, Isle of Grain, Rochester, Kent, ME3 0BS.