St James' Church of England Primary School

St James’ Church of England Primary School has demonstrated solid performance in its first inspection, achieving a good overall effectiveness rating. The school excels in fostering a warm and supportive environment where pupils thrive academically and socially, guided by a strong ethical framework rooted in its church connections. The ambitious, bespoke curriculum effectively promotes personal development and has allowed students to flourish, especially in behavior and attitudes, which were rated outstanding. The school actively engages families and the community, emphasizing holistic development and setting high aspirations for all students.

Strengths

• Strong relationships and warm school environment.
• Outstanding behavior and attitudes of pupils.
• Effective curriculum that exceeds national requirements.
• High-quality training for staff enhances teaching.
• Vibrant reading culture with extensive support for literacy.
• Strong community engagement and parental involvement.
• Impeccable behavior and engagement of pupils.

Areas for Improvement

• Need for improved focus on spelling, handwriting, and writing stamina.
• Published writing outcomes are not yet reflective of pupils' abilities.

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 attended 95.6% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 8.5% 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, 1.0% of pupils at St James' Church of England Primary 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' Church of England Primary School had 23.3 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, 13.7% of pupils at St James' Church of England Primary School were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 2.0% 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 School received £5,963 and spent £5,927 for each of its 409 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £260,000 (£637 per pupil).

Across all 25 schools of The Diocese of Gloucester Academies Trust, income was £6,887 and spending £6,916 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 Cheltenham · Gloucestershire local authority: places and applications

St James' Church of England Primary School is part of The Diocese of Gloucester Academies Trust, which runs 25 schools. The nearest others:

• Christ Church CofE Primary School Cheltenham
• St James' Church of England Junior School Gloucester
• Hatherley Infant School Gloucester
• Winchcombe Abbey Church of England Primary School Cheltenham
• Field Court Church of England Infant Academy Gloucester
• Clearwater Church of England Primary Academy Gloucester
• North Cerney Church of England Primary Academy Cirencester
• Hardwicke Parochial Primary Academy Gloucester
• Whiteshill Primary School Stroud
• St Matthew's Church of England Primary School Stroud

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

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

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

St James' Church of England Primary School was last inspected in November 2023.

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

St James' Church of England Primary School has 408 pupils on roll.

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

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

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

In 2025, 59% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is St James' Church of England Primary School?

St James' Church of England Primary School is at Merestones Road, Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, GL50 2RS.