St James Church School
Cranmer Road, Taunton, TA1 1XU
- Phase
- Primary
- School type
- Academy sponsor led
- Ages
- 3 to 11
- Gender
- Mixed
- Religious character
- Church of England
- Trust
- THE BATH AND WELLS DIOCESAN ACADEMIES TRUST
- Headteacher
- Mr Nigel Johnson
- Religious ethos
- None
- Diocese
- Diocese of Bath and Wells
- Nursery provision
- Has Nursery Classes
- Sponsor
- Diocese of Bath and Wells Multi Academy Trust
- Constituency
- Taunton and Wellington
- Setting
- Urban: Further from a major town or city
- Capacity
- 420
- Pupils on roll
- 479
- URN
- 139324
- Local authority
- Somerset
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 01823272553
About this school
St James Church School is a Church of England primary academy in Taunton. It teaches children aged 3 to 11 and has 479 pupils on roll.
Ofsted has inspected St James Church 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 did not give an overall grade. Between September 2024 and September 2025 inspections graded each area of a school's work without a single overall judgement, ahead of the move to report cards. How Ofsted report cards work
- Quality of education
- Good
- Behaviour and attitudes
- Good
- Personal development
- Good
- Leadership and management
- Good
- Early years
- Good
- 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 | 59 | 51 | 62 |
| Met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths | 22% | 43% | 49% |
| Reached the higher standard in reading, writing and maths | 5% | 4% | 3% |
| Expected standard in reading | 44% | 65% | 68% |
| Expected standard in maths | 36% | 57% | 66% |
| Expected standard in grammar, punctuation and spelling | 56% | 69% | 65% |
| Average scaled score in reading | 100.0 | 103.0 | 103.0 |
| Average scaled score in maths | 99.0 | 100.0 | 101.0 |
| Reading progress | -2.10 | - | - |
| Writing progress | -2.70 | - | - |
| Maths progress | -2.90 | - | - |
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 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 | Somerset average | England average |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 22% | 54.1% | 57.9% |
| 2023/24 | 43% | 55.4% | 58.8% |
| 2024/25 | 49% | 57.3% | 60.3% |
Department for Education KS2 performance data, published school results.
| Year | This school | England average |
|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 7.6% | 6.8% |
| 2023/24 | 7.2% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 6.2% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 485 |
| 2023/24 | 498 |
| 2024/25 | 489 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
How St James Church School compares
St James Church School ranked 122nd of 155 primary schools in Somerset for KS2 results in 2024/25. Its KS2 result was higher than 20% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 35% of England schools in 2024/25.
| School | KS2 RWM (2024/25) | Absence | FSM (6 years) | Pupils | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| This school | 49% | 6.2% | 30.4% | 479 | — |
| Holy Trinity Church of England Primary School | 52% | 5.8% | 29.7% | 363 | 0.3 miles |
| St George's Catholic School | 63% | 4.6% | 9.9% | 219 | 0.4 miles |
| North Town Academy | 58% | 3.8% | 11.5% | 470 | 0.6 miles |
| St Andrew's Church School | 47% | 4.4% | 15.7% | 223 | 0.7 miles |
| Minerva Primary School | 67% | 7.4% | 57.6% | 140 | 0.7 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)
- 30.36%
- English as an additional language
- 48.3%
- Overall absence
- 6.23%
- Persistent absence
- 14.25%
Location
Nearby schools
-
Holy Trinity Church of England Primary School0.3 miles
Primary · Taunton
-
St George's Catholic School0.4 miles
Primary · Taunton
-
North Town Academy0.6 miles
Primary · Taunton
-
St Andrew's Church School0.7 miles
Primary · Taunton
-
Minerva Primary School0.7 miles
Primary · Taunton
Other schools in Taunton
St James Church School ranks 25th of the 36 ranked primary schools in Taunton.
- Bishop Henderson Church of England Primary School, Taunton Primary
- Bishops Hull Primary School Primary
- Bishops Lydeard Church School Primary
- Blackbrook Primary School Primary
- Cheddon Fitzpaine Church School Primary
- Churchstanton Primary School Primary
- Cotford St Luke Primary School Primary
- Creech St Michael Church of England Primary School Primary
- Crowcombe CofE VA Primary School Primary
- Curry Mallet Church of England Primary School Primary
- Hatch Beauchamp Church of England Primary School Primary
- Holway Park Community Primary School Primary
Common questions
- What ages does St James Church School teach?
- St James Church School teaches children aged 3 to 11. It is a primary school in Taunton.
- Who is the headteacher of St James Church School?
- The headteacher of St James Church School is Mr Nigel Johnson, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- Has St James Church School been inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected St James Church 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 Church School?
- St James Church School has 479 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 3 to 11.
- Is St James Church School full?
- St James Church School has capacity for 420 pupils and 479 on roll (114%), 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 St James Church School a faith school?
- Yes. St James Church School is designated Church of England, in the Diocese of Bath and Wells.
- Does St James Church School have a nursery?
- Yes. The schools register records St James Church School as having nursery classes.
- Is St James Church School part of an academy trust?
- St James Church School is part of THE BATH AND WELLS DIOCESAN ACADEMIES TRUST. Schools in a trust or federation share leadership and governance, but each keeps its own inspection record and results.
- How have St James Church School's results changed over recent years?
- Its share of pupils reaching the expected standard in reading, writing and maths was 22% in 2022/23 and 49% 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 School compare with other schools in Somerset?
- St James Church School ranked 122nd of 155 primary schools in Somerset for key stage 2 results. Its KS2 result was higher than 20% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 35% 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 School's absence rate?
- St James Church School's overall absence rate is 6.2% in the latest published census, above the England average of 6.2%.
- What are St James Church School's exam results?
- Where the Department for Education has published them, St James Church 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 1 July 2026.