St James and St John CofE Primary School
Main Street, Chackmore, Buckingham, MK18 5JE
- Phase
- Primary
- School type
- Voluntary controlled school
- Ages
- 4 to 11
- Gender
- Mixed
- Religious character
- Church of England
- Headteacher
- Mrs Louise Woods
- Diocese
- Diocese of Oxford
- Constituency
- Buckingham and Bletchley
- Setting
- Smaller rural: Nearer to a major town or city
- Capacity
- 166
- Pupils on roll
- 144
- URN
- 110410
- Local authority
- Buckinghamshire
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 01280812291
About this school
St James and St John CofE Primary School is a Church of England voluntary controlled primary school in Buckingham. It teaches children aged 4 to 11 and has 144 pupils on roll.
Ofsted has inspected St James and St John CofE Primary School, and its latest judgement is set out below. Where the Department for Education has published them, its results and pupil characteristics appear below. Seeing a school for yourself shows what no page can, so arrange a visit before you apply.
Ofsted judgement
Overall judgement at the last full inspection
This inspection took place under the previous framework, which gave a single overall grade. Ofsted now publishes report cards instead, so newer inspections of other schools will look different. How Ofsted report cards work
- Quality of education
- Good
- Behaviour and attitudes
- Good
- Personal development
- Good
- Leadership and management
- Good
- Early years
- Outstanding
- Safeguarding
- Effective
Exam results
Key stage 2 (end of primary school)
| Measure | 2022/23 | 2023/24 | 2024/25 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils at the end of key stage 2 | 21 | 28 | 16 |
| Met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths | 33% | 54% | 69% |
| Reached the higher standard in reading, writing and maths | 10% | 14% | 19% |
| Expected standard in reading | 76% | 61% | 88% |
| Expected standard in maths | 71% | 61% | 75% |
| Expected standard in grammar, punctuation and spelling | 76% | 68% | 81% |
| Average scaled score in reading | 107.0 | 103.0 | 108.0 |
| Average scaled score in maths | 104.0 | 103.0 | 106.0 |
| Reading progress | +0.70 | - | - |
| Writing progress | -6.60 | - | - |
| Maths progress | -2.10 | - | - |
Progress measures ended nationally after the 2022/23 school year, when the key stage 1 assessments they were based on were stopped. Blank progress figures in later years are not missing school data.
Trends over time
How St James and St John CofE Primary 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 | Buckinghamshire average | England average |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 33% | 59.4% | 57.9% |
| 2023/24 | 54% | 61.6% | 58.8% |
| 2024/25 | 69% | 63.8% | 60.3% |
Department for Education KS2 performance data, published school results.
| Year | This school | England average |
|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 5% | 6.8% |
| 2023/24 | 5.7% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 4.4% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 147 |
| 2023/24 | 151 |
| 2024/25 | 134 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
How St James and St John CofE Primary School compares
St James and St John CofE Primary School ranked 64th of 142 primary schools in Buckinghamshire for KS2 results in 2024/25. Its KS2 result was higher than 63% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 76% of England schools in 2024/25.
| School | KS2 RWM (2024/25) | Absence | FSM (6 years) | Pupils | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| This school | 69% | 4.4% | 8.2% | 144 | — |
| Maids Moreton Church of England School | 63% | 3.1% | 10.9% | 97 | 1.2 miles |
| Buckingham Primary School | 71% | 3.8% | 18.4% | 354 | 1.2 miles |
| George Grenville Academy | 40% | 6.4% | 40.3% | 186 | 1.6 miles |
| Bourton Meadow Academy | 66% | 4.6% | 11.9% | 571 | 1.9 miles |
| Lace Hill Academy | 76% | 4.8% | 17.4% | 218 | 2.4 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.
Inspection history
- 30 April 2024
-
Ungraded inspection report29 September 2022
School context
From the 2024/25 school census and absence figures.
- Free school meals (last 6 years)
- 8.21%
- English as an additional language
- 1.5%
- Overall absence
- 4.35%
- Persistent absence
- 6.3%
Location
Nearby schools
-
Maids Moreton Church of England School1.2 miles
Primary · Maids Moreton
-
Buckingham Primary School1.2 miles
Primary · Buckingham
-
George Grenville Academy1.6 miles
Primary · Buckingham
-
Bourton Meadow Academy1.9 miles
Primary · Buckingham
-
Lace Hill Academy2.4 miles
Primary · Buckingham
Other schools in Buckingham
St James and St John CofE Primary School ranks 5th of the 12 ranked primary schools in Buckingham.
- Bourton Meadow Academy Primary
- Buckingham Primary School Primary
- Finmere Church of England Primary School Primary
- George Grenville Academy Primary
- Lace Hill Academy Primary
- North Marston Church of England School Primary
- Padbury Church of England School Primary
- Roundwood Primary School Primary
- Steeple Claydon School and Pre-School Primary
- Thornborough Infant School Primary
- Twyford C of E School Primary
- Winslow Church of England School Primary
Common questions
- What ages does St James and St John CofE Primary School teach?
- St James and St John CofE Primary School teaches children aged 4 to 11. It is a primary school in Buckingham.
- Who is the headteacher of St James and St John CofE Primary School?
- The headteacher of St James and St John CofE Primary School is Mrs Louise Woods, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- Has St James and St John CofE Primary School been inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected St James and St John CofE Primary 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 and St John CofE Primary School?
- St James and St John CofE Primary School has 144 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 4 to 11.
- Is St James and St John CofE Primary School full?
- St James and St John CofE Primary School has capacity for 166 pupils and 144 on roll (87%), 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 and St John CofE Primary School a faith school?
- Yes. St James and St John CofE Primary School is designated Church of England, in the Diocese of Oxford.
- Does St James and St John CofE Primary School have a nursery?
- No. The schools register records St James and St John CofE Primary School as having no nursery classes.
- How have St James and St John CofE Primary School's results changed over recent years?
- Its share of pupils reaching the expected standard in reading, writing and maths was 33% in 2022/23 and 69% 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 and St John CofE Primary School compare with other schools in Buckinghamshire?
- St James and St John CofE Primary School ranked 64th of 142 primary schools in Buckinghamshire for key stage 2 results. Its KS2 result was higher than 63% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 76% 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 and St John CofE Primary School's absence rate?
- St James and St John CofE Primary School's overall absence rate is 4.4% in the latest published census, at or below the England average of 6.2%.
- What are St James and St John CofE Primary School's exam results?
- Where the Department for Education has published them, St James and St John CofE Primary 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.