St James' Church of England Primary School, Clitheroe
Greenacre Street, Clitheroe, BB7 1ED
- Phase
- Primary
- School type
- Voluntary aided school
- Ages
- 4 to 11
- Gender
- Mixed
- Religious character
- Church of England
- Headteacher
- Mr Jonathan Leeming
- Diocese
- Diocese of Blackburn
- Constituency
- Pendle and Clitheroe
- Setting
- Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
- Capacity
- 315
- Pupils on roll
- 262
- URN
- 119419
- Local authority
- Lancashire
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 01200423599
About this school
St James' Church of England Primary School, Clitheroe is a Church of England voluntary aided primary school in Clitheroe. It teaches children aged 4 to 11 and has 262 pupils on roll.
You can read Ofsted's latest judgement for the school 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
Ofsted's most recent visit was a short inspection on 19 March 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 | 52 | 47 | 45 |
| Met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths | 44% | 55% | 51% |
| Reached the higher standard in reading, writing and maths | 2% | 0% | 2% |
| Expected standard in reading | 63% | 70% | 73% |
| Expected standard in maths | 67% | 64% | 64% |
| Expected standard in grammar, punctuation and spelling | 50% | 62% | 71% |
| Average scaled score in reading | 103.0 | 104.0 | 104.0 |
| Average scaled score in maths | 102.0 | 101.0 | 101.0 |
| Reading progress | -1.40 | - | - |
| Writing progress | -2.00 | - | - |
| Maths progress | -1.50 | - | - |
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' Church of England Primary School, Clitheroe has moved over recent years against the local and national picture. Every figure is shown in the table beneath its chart.
| Year | This school | Lancashire average | England average |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 44% | 58.3% | 57.9% |
| 2023/24 | 55% | 58.3% | 58.8% |
| 2024/25 | 51% | 58.8% | 60.3% |
Department for Education KS2 performance data, published school results.
| Year | This school | England average |
|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 5% | 6.8% |
| 2023/24 | 4.6% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 4.2% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 291 |
| 2023/24 | 287 |
| 2024/25 | 277 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
How St James' Church of England Primary School, Clitheroe compares
St James' Church of England Primary School, Clitheroe ranked 330th of 445 primary schools in Lancashire for KS2 results in 2024/25. Its KS2 result was higher than 24% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 79% of England schools in 2024/25.
| School | KS2 RWM (2024/25) | Absence | FSM (6 years) | Pupils | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| This school | 51% | 4.2% | 18.4% | 262 | — |
| St Michael and St John's Roman Catholic Primary School, a Voluntary Academy | — | — | — | 133 | 0.2 miles |
| Edisford Primary School | 81% | 4.1% | 11.3% | 212 | 0.5 miles |
| Clitheroe Brookside Primary School | 50% | 4.8% | 25.2% | 87 | 0.6 miles |
| Clitheroe Pendle Primary School | 68% | 3.2% | 7.5% | 349 | 0.7 miles |
| Barrow URC Primary School | 73% | 4% | 6.2% | 206 | 1.7 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)
- 18.41%
- English as an additional language
- 9.4%
- Overall absence
- 4.21%
- Persistent absence
- 7.69%
Location
Nearby schools
-
St Michael and St John's Roman Catholic Primary School, a Voluntary Academy0.2 miles
Primary · Clitheroe
-
Edisford Primary School0.5 miles
Primary · Clitheroe
-
Clitheroe Brookside Primary School0.6 miles
Primary · Clitheroe
-
Clitheroe Pendle Primary School0.7 miles
Primary · Clitheroe
-
Barrow URC Primary School1.7 miles
Primary · Clitheroe
Other schools in Clitheroe
St James' Church of England Primary School, Clitheroe ranks 9th of the 12 ranked primary schools in Clitheroe.
- Barrow URC Primary School Primary
- Bolton by Bowland Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School Primary
- Chatburn Church of England Primary School Primary
- Clitheroe Brookside Primary School Primary
- Clitheroe Pendle Primary School Primary
- Edisford Primary School Primary
- Gisburn Primary School Primary
- Grindleton Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School Primary
- Slaidburn Brennands Endowed Primary School Primary
- St Joseph's Roman Catholic Primary School, Hurst Green Primary
- St Mary's Roman Catholic Primary School, Sabden Primary
- St Michael and St John's Roman Catholic Primary School, a Voluntary Academy Primary
Common questions
- What year groups does St James' Church of England Primary School, Clitheroe teach?
- St James' Church of England Primary School, Clitheroe teaches children aged 4 to 11. It is a primary school in Clitheroe.
- Who is the headteacher of St James' Church of England Primary School, Clitheroe?
- The headteacher of St James' Church of England Primary School, Clitheroe is Mr Jonathan Leeming, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- When was St James' Church of England Primary School, Clitheroe last inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected St James' Church of England Primary School, Clitheroe, and its latest judgement is set out in the inspection section on this page, with the framework and the date it was made.
- How big is St James' Church of England Primary School, Clitheroe?
- St James' Church of England Primary School, Clitheroe has 262 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 4 to 11.
- Is St James' Church of England Primary School, Clitheroe full?
- St James' Church of England Primary School, Clitheroe has capacity for 315 pupils and 262 on roll (83%), 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' Church of England Primary School, Clitheroe a faith school?
- Yes. St James' Church of England Primary School, Clitheroe is designated Church of England, in the Diocese of Blackburn.
- Does St James' Church of England Primary School, Clitheroe have a nursery?
- No. The schools register records St James' Church of England Primary School, Clitheroe as having no nursery classes.
- How have St James' Church of England Primary School, Clitheroe's results changed over recent years?
- Its share of pupils reaching the expected standard in reading, writing and maths was 44% in 2022/23 and 51% 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' Church of England Primary School, Clitheroe rank locally?
- St James' Church of England Primary School, Clitheroe ranked 330th of 445 primary schools in Lancashire for key stage 2 results. Its KS2 result was higher than 24% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 79% 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' Church of England Primary School, Clitheroe's absence rate?
- St James' Church of England Primary School, Clitheroe's overall absence rate is 4.2% in the latest published census, at or below the England average of 6.2%.
- What are St James' Church of England Primary School, Clitheroe's exam results?
- Where the Department for Education has published them, St James' Church of England Primary School, Clitheroe'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 30 June 2026.