St James Church of England Primary School
Paringdon Road, Harlow, CM18 7RH
- Phase
- Primary
- School type
- Academy sponsor led
- Ages
- 5 to 11
- Gender
- Mixed
- Religious character
- Church of England
- Trust
- THE DIOCESE OF CHELMSFORD VINE SCHOOLS TRUST
- Headteacher
- Mrs Casey Cox
- Religious ethos
- None
- Diocese
- Diocese of Chelmsford
- Sponsor
- Diocese of Chelmsford
- Constituency
- Harlow
- Setting
- Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
- Capacity
- 218
- Pupils on roll
- 211
- URN
- 141657
- Local authority
- Essex
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 01279432459
About this school
St James Church of England Primary School is a Church of England primary academy in Harlow. It teaches children aged 5 to 11 and has 211 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. 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 11 October 2023, where inspectors confirmed the school remains Good. 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 | 31 | 32 | 32 |
| Met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths | 42% | 56% | 53% |
| Reached the higher standard in reading, writing and maths | 0% | 0% | 13% |
| Expected standard in reading | 52% | 59% | 63% |
| Expected standard in maths | 71% | 81% | 66% |
| Expected standard in grammar, punctuation and spelling | 45% | 63% | 56% |
| Average scaled score in reading | 100.0 | 102.0 | 104.0 |
| Average scaled score in maths | 102.0 | 103.0 | 103.0 |
| Reading progress | -0.40 | - | - |
| Writing progress | -0.20 | - | - |
| Maths progress | +3.00 | - | - |
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 has moved over recent years against the local and national picture. Every figure is shown in the table beneath its chart.
| Year | This school | Essex average | England average |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 42% | 58.9% | 57.9% |
| 2023/24 | 56% | 59.5% | 58.8% |
| 2024/25 | 53% | 60.7% | 60.3% |
Department for Education KS2 performance data, published school results.
| Year | This school | England average |
|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 5.8% | 6.8% |
| 2023/24 | 5.4% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 5.3% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 197 |
| 2023/24 | 205 |
| 2024/25 | 206 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
How St James Church of England Primary School compares
St James Church of England Primary School ranked 296th of 388 primary schools in Essex for KS2 results in 2024/25. Its KS2 result was higher than 26% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 54% of England schools in 2024/25.
| School | KS2 RWM (2024/25) | Absence | FSM (6 years) | Pupils | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| This school | 53% | 5.3% | 23.3% | 211 | — |
| Longwood Primary Academy | 77% | 5.1% | 40.7% | 423 | 0.2 miles |
| Kingsmoor Academy | 79% | 5% | 30.7% | 280 | 0.3 miles |
| Milwards Primary School and Nursery | 77% | 3.8% | 32.5% | 226 | 0.4 miles |
| Abbotsweld Primary Academy | 73% | 4.7% | 32.5% | 307 | 0.7 miles |
| St Luke's Catholic Academy | 53% | 3.7% | 15.6% | 231 | 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)
- 23.3%
- English as an additional language
- 25.2%
- Overall absence
- 5.29%
- Persistent absence
- 12.82%
Location
Nearby schools
-
Longwood Primary Academy0.2 miles
Primary · Harlow
-
Kingsmoor Academy0.3 miles
Primary · Harlow
-
Milwards Primary School and Nursery0.4 miles
Primary · Harlow
-
Abbotsweld Primary Academy0.7 miles
Primary · Harlow
-
St Luke's Catholic Academy0.7 miles
Primary · Harlow
Other schools in Harlow
St James Church of England Primary School ranks 25th of the 30 ranked primary schools in Harlow.
- Abbotsweld Primary Academy Primary
- Church Langley Community Primary School Primary
- Churchgate Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School, Harlow Primary
- Cooks Spinney Primary Academy and Nursery Primary
- Freshwaters Primary Academy Primary
- Hare Street Community Primary School and Nursery Primary
- Harlowbury Primary School Primary
- Henry Moore Primary School Primary
- Holy Cross Catholic Primary School, Harlow Primary
- Jerounds Primary Academy Primary
- Katherines Primary Academy and Nursery Primary
- Kingsmoor Academy Primary
Common questions
- What year groups does St James Church of England Primary School teach?
- St James Church of England Primary School teaches children aged 5 to 11. It is a primary school in Harlow.
- Who is the headteacher of St James Church of England Primary School?
- The headteacher of St James Church of England Primary School is Mrs Casey Cox, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- When was St James Church of England Primary School last inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected St James Church of England 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 big is St James Church of England Primary School?
- St James Church of England Primary School has 211 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 5 to 11.
- Is St James Church of England Primary School full?
- St James Church of England Primary School has capacity for 218 pupils and 211 on roll (97%), so it is close to full. 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 a faith school?
- Yes. St James Church of England Primary School is designated Church of England, in the Diocese of Chelmsford.
- Does St James Church of England Primary School have a nursery?
- No. The schools register records St James Church of England Primary School as having no nursery classes.
- Who runs St James Church of England Primary School?
- St James Church of England Primary School is part of THE DIOCESE OF CHELMSFORD VINE SCHOOLS 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 of England Primary School's results changed over recent years?
- Its share of pupils reaching the expected standard in reading, writing and maths was 42% in 2022/23 and 53% 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 rank locally?
- St James Church of England Primary School ranked 296th of 388 primary schools in Essex for key stage 2 results. Its KS2 result was higher than 26% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 54% 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's absence rate?
- St James Church of England Primary School's overall absence rate is 5.3% in the latest published census, at or below the England average of 6.2%.
- What are St James Church of England Primary School's exam results?
- Where the Department for Education has published them, St James Church of England 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 1 July 2026.