Kettleshulme St James CofE (VA) Primary School
Macclesfield Road, Kettleshulme. High Peak, SK23 7QU
- Phase
- Primary
- School type
- Voluntary aided school
- Ages
- 4 to 11
- Gender
- Mixed
- Religious character
- Church of England
- Headteacher
- Mrs Alicia Bellshaw
- Diocese
- Diocese of Chester
- Constituency
- Macclesfield
- Setting
- Smaller rural: Nearer to a major town or city
- Capacity
- 63
- Pupils on roll
- 66
- URN
- 111459
- Local authority
- Cheshire East
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 01663738020
About this school
Kettleshulme St James CofE (VA) Primary School is a Church of England voluntary aided primary school in Kettleshulme. High Peak. It teaches children aged 4 to 11 and has 66 pupils on roll.
Ofsted has inspected Kettleshulme St James CofE (VA) 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
Ofsted's most recent visit was a short inspection on 16 January 2025, where inspectors found that standards have been maintained. 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 2 (end of primary school)
| Measure | 2022/23 | 2023/24 | 2024/25 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils at the end of key stage 2 | 10 | 13 | 9 |
| Met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths | 70% | 69% | 44% |
| Reached the higher standard in reading, writing and maths | 10% | 0% | 22% |
| Expected standard in reading | 90% | 77% | 78% |
| Expected standard in maths | 70% | 85% | 67% |
| Expected standard in grammar, punctuation and spelling | 90% | 92% | 78% |
| Average scaled score in reading | 111.0 | 105.0 | 107.0 |
| Average scaled score in maths | 105.0 | 105.0 | 105.0 |
| Reading progress | +4.00 | - | - |
| Writing progress | +1.70 | - | - |
| Maths progress | -1.60 | - | - |
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 Kettleshulme St James CofE (VA) 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 | Cheshire East average | England average |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 70% | 61.4% | 57.9% |
| 2023/24 | 69% | 60.7% | 58.8% |
| 2024/25 | 44% | 61.9% | 60.3% |
Department for Education KS2 performance data, published school results.
| Year | This school | England average |
|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 7.7% | 6.8% |
| 2023/24 | 6.1% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 6.7% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 63 |
| 2023/24 | 64 |
| 2024/25 | 66 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
How Kettleshulme St James CofE (VA) Primary School compares
Kettleshulme St James CofE (VA) Primary School ranked 101st of 114 primary schools in Cheshire East for KS2 results in 2024/25. Its KS2 result was higher than 15% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 29% of England schools in 2024/25.
| School | KS2 RWM (2024/25) | Absence | FSM (6 years) | Pupils | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| This school | 44% | 6.7% | 19.7% | 66 | — |
| Taxal and Fernilee CofE Primary School | 79% | 4.1% | 14.3% | 192 | 1.4 miles |
| Whaley Bridge Primary School | 31% | 4.4% | 22.6% | 142 | 1.7 miles |
| Buxworth Primary School | 0% | 5.7% | 27.2% | 104 | 2.7 miles |
| Pott Shrigley CofE Primary School | 50% | 12.2% | 23.3% | 26 | 2.7 miles |
| Furness Vale Primary and Nursery School | 71% | 3.6% | 33.3% | 72 | 2.7 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)
- 19.7%
- English as an additional language
- 0%
- Overall absence
- 6.66%
- Persistent absence
- 15.15%
Location
Nearby schools
-
Taxal and Fernilee CofE Primary School1.4 miles
Primary · High Peak
-
Whaley Bridge Primary School1.7 miles
Primary · High Peak
-
Buxworth Primary School2.7 miles
Primary · High Peak
-
Pott Shrigley CofE Primary School2.7 miles
Primary · Macclesfield
-
Furness Vale Primary and Nursery School2.7 miles
Primary · High Peak
Common questions
- What ages does Kettleshulme St James CofE (VA) Primary School teach?
- Kettleshulme St James CofE (VA) Primary School teaches children aged 4 to 11. It is a primary school in Kettleshulme. High Peak.
- Who is the headteacher of Kettleshulme St James CofE (VA) Primary School?
- The headteacher of Kettleshulme St James CofE (VA) Primary School is Mrs Alicia Bellshaw, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- Has Kettleshulme St James CofE (VA) Primary School been inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected Kettleshulme St James CofE (VA) 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 Kettleshulme St James CofE (VA) Primary School?
- Kettleshulme St James CofE (VA) Primary School has 66 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 4 to 11.
- Is Kettleshulme St James CofE (VA) Primary School full?
- Kettleshulme St James CofE (VA) Primary School has capacity for 63 pupils and 66 on roll (105%), so it is at or above 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 Kettleshulme St James CofE (VA) Primary School a faith school?
- Yes. Kettleshulme St James CofE (VA) Primary School is designated Church of England, in the Diocese of Chester.
- Does Kettleshulme St James CofE (VA) Primary School have a nursery?
- No. The schools register records Kettleshulme St James CofE (VA) Primary School as having no nursery classes.
- How have Kettleshulme St James CofE (VA) Primary School's results changed over recent years?
- Its share of pupils reaching the expected standard in reading, writing and maths was 70% in 2022/23 and 44% in 2024/25. The year-by-year figures, alongside local and national averages, are charted in the trends section on this page.
- How does Kettleshulme St James CofE (VA) Primary School compare with other schools in Cheshire East?
- Kettleshulme St James CofE (VA) Primary School ranked 101st of 114 primary schools in Cheshire East for key stage 2 results. Its KS2 result was higher than 15% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 29% of England schools in 2024/25. Results reflect each cohort as well as the school, so treat rankings as a starting point.
- What is Kettleshulme St James CofE (VA) Primary School's absence rate?
- Kettleshulme St James CofE (VA) Primary School's overall absence rate is 6.7% in the latest published census, above the England average of 6.2%.
- What are Kettleshulme St James CofE (VA) Primary School's exam results?
- Where the Department for Education has published them, Kettleshulme St James CofE (VA) 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.