St James' Catholic High School
Great Strand, Colindale, London, NW9 5PE
- Phase
- Secondary
- School type
- Voluntary aided school
- Ages
- 11 to 18
- Gender
- Mixed
- Religious character
- Roman Catholic
- Headteacher
- Mr Anthony Ellul
- Admissions policy
- Non-selective
- Diocese
- Archdiocese of Westminster
- Constituency
- Hendon
- Setting
- Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
- Capacity
- 1,400
- Pupils on roll
- 1,243
- URN
- 101364
- Local authority
- Barnet
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 02083582800
About this school
St James' Catholic High School is a Roman Catholic voluntary aided secondary school in London. It teaches children aged 11 to 18 and has 1,243 pupils on roll.
Ofsted has inspected St James' Catholic High School, and its latest judgement is set out below. Where the Department for Education has published them, its results and pupil characteristics appear below. Numbers and a report only go so far, so visit in person before you apply.
Ofsted judgement
Confirmed by a short inspection, not a full one
Ofsted's most recent visit was a short inspection on 5 May 2022, where inspectors confirmed the school remains Good. The school's last full inspection took place before September 2019, so its area grades are not part of Ofsted's current published data. Older reports are on the school's Ofsted page.
Exam results
Key stage 4 (GCSEs)
| Measure | 2022/23 | 2023/24 | 2024/25 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils at the end of key stage 4 | 206 | 227 | 206 |
| Attainment 8 score | 50.6 | 50.7 | 51.4 |
| Progress 8 score | +0.27 +0.07 to +0.46 | +0.32 +0.13 to +0.52 | - |
| Grade 5 or above in English and maths | 51% | 55.5% | 55.8% |
| Grade 4 or above in English and maths | 72% | 71.4% | 74.8% |
| Entered the English Baccalaureate | 66% | 68.3% | 52.4% |
| English Baccalaureate average point score | 4.7 | 4.8 | 4.7 |
Progress 8 is paused nationally for the 2024/25 and 2025/26 school years. Those pupils sat no key stage 2 tests during the Covid pandemic, so there is no starting point to measure progress from. A blank figure here is not missing school data.
Trends over time
How St James' Catholic High School has moved over recent years against the local and national picture. Every figure is shown in the table beneath its chart.
| Year | This school | Barnet average | England average |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 50.6 | 47.9 | 39.8 |
| 2023/24 | 50.7 | 49.4 | 39.5 |
| 2024/25 | 51.4 | 46.9 | 39 |
Department for Education KS4 performance data, published school results.
| Year | This school | England average |
|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 9.8% | 6.8% |
| 2023/24 | 8.7% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 7.6% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 1,252 |
| 2023/24 | 1,253 |
| 2024/25 | 1,254 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
How St James' Catholic High School compares
St James' Catholic High School ranked 22nd of 27 secondary schools in Barnet for Attainment 8 in 2024/25. Its Attainment 8 score was higher than 80% of England secondary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 20% of England schools in 2024/25.
| School | Attainment 8 (2024/25) | Absence | FSM (6 years) | Pupils | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| This school | 51.4 | 7.6% | 32.7% | 1,243 | — |
| Saracens High School | 47.1 | 5.8% | 58.8% | 1,170 | 0.3 miles |
| Hasmonean High School for Girls | 63.7 | 7.3% | 9.1% | 570 | 0.4 miles |
| Copthall School | 47.4 | 8.4% | 45.2% | 829 | 0.7 miles |
| Hasmonean High School for Boys | 56.5 | 8.1% | 10.3% | 788 | 1.2 miles |
| Hendon School | 44.9 | 9.5% | 44.9% | 1,145 | 1.4 miles |
Results reflect each school's cohort as much as its teaching, and free school meals share is context, not a judgement. Small gaps between neighbouring schools are rarely meaningful on their own.
School context
From the 2024/25 school census and absence figures.
- Free school meals (last 6 years)
- 32.7%
- English as an additional language
- 64.8%
- Overall absence
- 7.56%
- Persistent absence
- 20.7%
Location
Nearby schools
-
Saracens High School0.3 miles
Secondary · London
-
Hasmonean High School for Girls0.4 miles
Secondary · London
-
Copthall School0.7 miles
Secondary · London
-
Hasmonean High School for Boys1.2 miles
Secondary · London
-
Hendon School1.4 miles
Secondary · London
Other schools in London
St James' Catholic High School ranks 115th of the 258 ranked secondary schools in London.
- Acland Burghley School Secondary
- Ada Lovelace Church of England High School Secondary
- Addey and Stanhope School Secondary
- AIM Academy North London Secondary
- Alexandra Park School Secondary
- All Saints Catholic College Secondary
- All Saints Catholic High School Secondary
- Ark Acton Academy Secondary
- Ark All Saints Academy Secondary
- Ark Bolingbroke Academy Secondary
- Ark Burlington Danes Academy Secondary
- Ark Elvin Academy Secondary
Common questions
- What ages does St James' Catholic High School teach?
- St James' Catholic High School teaches children aged 11 to 18. It is a secondary school in London.
- Who is the headteacher of St James' Catholic High School?
- The headteacher of St James' Catholic High School is Mr Anthony Ellul, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- Has St James' Catholic High School been inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected St James' Catholic High School, and its latest judgement is set out in the inspection section on this page, with the framework and the date it was made.
- How many pupils are at St James' Catholic High School?
- St James' Catholic High School has 1,243 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 11 to 18.
- Is St James' Catholic High School full?
- St James' Catholic High School has capacity for 1,400 pupils and 1,243 on roll (89%), so it has space against its published capacity. Places are allocated through the local authority's admissions process, so capacity alone does not tell you whether a place is available.
- Is St James' Catholic High School a faith school?
- Yes. St James' Catholic High School is designated Roman Catholic, in the Archdiocese of Westminster.
- Is St James' Catholic High School a selective school?
- No. St James' Catholic High School is recorded as non-selective in the schools register.
- How have St James' Catholic High School's results changed over recent years?
- Its Attainment 8 score was 50.6 in 2022/23 and 51.4 in 2024/25. The year-by-year figures, alongside local and national averages, are charted in the trends section on this page.
- How does St James' Catholic High School compare with other schools in Barnet?
- St James' Catholic High School ranked 22nd of 27 secondary schools in Barnet for Attainment 8. Its Attainment 8 score was higher than 80% of England secondary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 20% of England schools in 2024/25. Results reflect each cohort as well as the school, so treat rankings as a starting point.
- What is St James' Catholic High School's absence rate?
- St James' Catholic High School's overall absence rate is 7.6% in the latest published census, above the England average of 6.2%.
- What are St James' Catholic High School's exam results?
- Where the Department for Education has published them, St James' Catholic High School's key stage results are shown in the results section on this page, with the last three years so you can see the trend rather than a single year.
School details come from the Department for Education's Get Information About Schools register. Inspection outcomes come from Ofsted, and exam results from the Department for Education's school performance service. This page was last updated on 29 June 2026.