Southam St James CofE Academy

Southam St James CofE Academy is an inclusive primary school where pupils feel supported and relationships are warm. Inspectors found behaviour, personal development and early years provision to be stronger than the quality of education and leadership and management, which still need improvement. The school has acted since its previous inspection, including improving attendance and prioritising reading, but curriculum delivery remains inconsistent in some subjects. The school has designed an ambitious curriculum and recently revised many subjects, but this is not yet delivered consistently. Staff sometimes do not check pupils' understanding well enough, so misconceptions can persist, and expectations for handwriting and accurate recording are too low. Reading is a clear strength, with effective phonics teaching, and pupils with SEND are increasingly well supported. Some parents remain concerned that their issues are not fully addressed. The inspection was a graded inspection under the current framework, so no overall effectiveness grade was given. The school is part of the Diocese of Coventry Multi Academy Trust and was previously judged to require improvement.

Strengths

• Inclusive culture where pupils feel included and supported through warm relationships.
• Pupils typically behave well, and behaviour has improved since the previous inspection.
• Safeguarding arrangements are effective, and pupils know how to keep themselves safe.
• Strong phonics teaching and a prioritised reading approach help most pupils become fluent readers.
• Early years provision is strong, with children settled, safe and developing language through story time.
• Pupils with SEND are increasingly identified early and supported to take part in all aspects of school life.
• Attendance has improved significantly, with persistent absence reduced.
• Broad personal development opportunities build responsibility, citizenship and understanding of healthy relationships.

Areas for Improvement

• Curriculum delivery is inconsistent, limiting how well pupils know and remember some subjects.
• Staff do not check pupils' understanding effectively, so misconceptions can persist.
• Expectations for handwriting and accurate recording are too low, hindering writing fluency and mathematics.
• Some parents feel their concerns about their children's education are not fully addressed.
• Leadership and management require improvement, and the school has not ensured the revised curriculum is delivered as intended.

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 Southam St James CofE Academy attended 95.1% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 16.0% 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, 3.0% of pupils at Southam St James CofE 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 Southam St James CofE Academy had 17.2 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 17.8% 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, 11.4% of pupils at Southam St James CofE Academy were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 2.7% 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 Southam St James CofE Academy received £7,290 and spent £6,869 for each of its 166 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £64,000 (£386 per pupil).

Across all 22 schools of The Diocese of Coventry Multi-Academy Trust, income was £7,560 and spending £7,478 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 Southam · Warwickshire local authority: places and applications

Southam St James CofE Academy is part of The Diocese of Coventry Multi-Academy Trust, which runs 22 schools. The nearest others:

• Long Itchington CofE Academy Southam
• Leamington Hastings Church of England Academy Rugby
• Dunchurch Boughton Church of England Infant Academy and Nursery Rugby
• Dunchurch Boughton Church of England Junior Academy Rugby
• Ryton-On-Dunsmore Provost Williams Church of England Academy Coventry
• Harris Church of England Academy Rugby
• All Saints Church of England Academy Warwick
• St Oswald's CofE Academy Rugby
• Stretton Church of England Academy Coventry
• St Bartholomew's Church of England Academy Coventry

What is Southam St James CofE Academy's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Southam St James CofE Academy is Requires Improvement, from an inspection in September 2025.

When was Southam St James CofE Academy last inspected by Ofsted?

Southam St James CofE Academy was last inspected in September 2025.

How many pupils does Southam St James CofE Academy have?

Southam St James CofE Academy has 149 pupils on roll.

What age range does Southam St James CofE Academy cover?

Southam St James CofE Academy for pupils aged 4 to 11.

What are Southam St James CofE Academy's SATs (KS2) results?

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

Where is Southam St James CofE Academy?

Southam St James CofE Academy is at Tollgate Road, Southam, Warwickshire, CV47 1EE.