St James' CofE Infant and Nursery School
High Street, Whitehaven, CA28 7PZ
- Phase
- Primary
- School type
- Voluntary controlled school
- Ages
- 3 to 7
- Gender
- Mixed
- Religious character
- Church of England
- Headteacher
- Mrs Alex Moore
- Diocese
- Diocese of Carlisle
- Nursery provision
- Has Nursery Classes
- Constituency
- Whitehaven and Workington
- Setting
- Urban: Further from a major town or city
- Capacity
- 150
- Pupils on roll
- 133
- URN
- 112297
- Local authority
- Cumberland
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 01946691970
About this school
St James' CofE Infant and Nursery School is a Church of England voluntary controlled primary school in Whitehaven. It teaches children aged 3 to 7 and has 133 pupils on roll.
Ofsted has inspected St James' CofE Infant and Nursery 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
Confirmed by a short inspection, not a full one
Ofsted's most recent visit was a short inspection on 27 March 2024, where inspectors confirmed the school remains Good and saw signs of improvement; a full inspection will follow. 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.
Trends over time
How St James' CofE Infant and Nursery 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 | England average |
|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 4.1% | 6.8% |
| 2023/24 | 3.5% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 3.8% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 138 |
| 2023/24 | 128 |
| 2024/25 | 125 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
How St James' CofE Infant and Nursery School compares
Its absence rate was lower than 89% of England schools in 2024/25.
| School | KS2 RWM (2024/25) | Absence | FSM (6 years) | Pupils | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| This school | — | 3.8% | 13.3% | 133 | — |
| St James' CofE Junior School | 74% | 3% | 15.5% | 156 | 0.1 miles |
| St Begh's Catholic Junior School | 47% | 6.1% | 38.7% | 240 | 0.5 miles |
| Bransty Primary School | 44% | 5.2% | 22.3% | 205 | 0.6 miles |
| Monkwray Junior School | 41% | 5.2% | 39.7% | 109 | 0.9 miles |
| Jericho Primary School | 89% | 4.3% | 11.3% | 363 | 0.9 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)
- 13.33%
- English as an additional language
- 11.2%
- Overall absence
- 3.77%
- Persistent absence
- 2.74%
Location
Nearby schools
-
St James' CofE Junior School0.1 miles
Primary · Whitehaven
-
St Begh's Catholic Junior School0.5 miles
Primary · Whitehaven
-
Bransty Primary School0.6 miles
Primary · Whitehaven
-
Monkwray Junior School0.9 miles
Primary · Whitehaven
-
Jericho Primary School0.9 miles
Primary · Whitehaven
Other schools in Whitehaven
- Bransty Primary School Primary
- Hensingham Primary School Primary
- Jericho Primary School Primary
- Kells Infant School Primary
- Lowca Community School Primary
- Monkwray Junior School Primary
- Moresby Primary School Primary
- St Begh's Catholic Junior School Primary
- St Bridget's CofE School Primary
- St Gregory and St Patrick's Catholic Infant School Primary
- St James' CofE Junior School Primary
- St Mary's Catholic Primary School Primary
Common questions
- What ages does St James' CofE Infant and Nursery School teach?
- St James' CofE Infant and Nursery School teaches children aged 3 to 7. It is a primary school in Whitehaven.
- Who is the headteacher of St James' CofE Infant and Nursery School?
- The headteacher of St James' CofE Infant and Nursery School is Mrs Alex Moore, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- Has St James' CofE Infant and Nursery School been inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected St James' CofE Infant and Nursery 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' CofE Infant and Nursery School?
- St James' CofE Infant and Nursery School has 133 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 3 to 7.
- Is St James' CofE Infant and Nursery School full?
- St James' CofE Infant and Nursery School has capacity for 150 pupils and 133 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' CofE Infant and Nursery School a faith school?
- Yes. St James' CofE Infant and Nursery School is designated Church of England, in the Diocese of Carlisle.
- Does St James' CofE Infant and Nursery School have a nursery?
- Yes. The schools register records St James' CofE Infant and Nursery School as having nursery classes.
- What is St James' CofE Infant and Nursery School's absence rate?
- St James' CofE Infant and Nursery School's overall absence rate is 3.8% in the latest published census, at or below the England average of 6.2%.
- Does St James' CofE Infant and Nursery School publish exam results?
- OfferDay shows exam results for a school only where the Department for Education has published them, and none are shown for St James' CofE Infant and Nursery School. That is usual for infant, nursery, special and independent schools, and for schools without recent published results.
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.