St James Church of England Primary School
Harlestone Road, St James, Northampton, NN5 7AG
- Phase
- Primary
- School type
- Academy converter
- Ages
- 3 to 11
- Gender
- Mixed
- Religious character
- Church of England
- Trust
- PETERBOROUGH DIOCESE EDUCATION TRUST
- Headteacher
- Mrs Sarah Beach
- Diocese
- Diocese of Peterborough
- Nursery provision
- Has Nursery Classes
- Sponsor
- Diocese of Peterborough
- SEN provision
- ASD - Autistic Spectrum Disorder, SEMH - Social, Emotional and Mental Health
- Constituency
- Northampton North
- Setting
- Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
- Capacity
- 450
- Pupils on roll
- 445
- URN
- 141724
- Local authority
- West Northamptonshire
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 01604751475
About this school
St James Church of England Primary School is a Church of England primary academy in Northampton. It teaches children aged 3 to 11 and has 445 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
Ofsted no longer gives schools a single overall grade. Each area of the school's work is graded on a five-point scale, and safeguarding is judged separately.
- Inclusion
- Expected standard
- Curriculum and teaching
- Expected standard
- Achievement
- Expected standard
- Attendance and behaviour
- Expected standard
- Personal development and wellbeing
- Strong standard
- Leadership and governance
- Expected standard
- Early years
- Expected standard
- Safeguarding
- Met
Exam results
Key stage 2 (end of primary school)
| Measure | 2022/23 | 2023/24 | 2024/25 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils at the end of key stage 2 | 57 | 58 | 59 |
| Met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths | 42% | 72% | 69% |
| Reached the higher standard in reading, writing and maths | 2% | 7% | 19% |
| Expected standard in reading | 58% | 79% | 86% |
| Expected standard in maths | 65% | 81% | 78% |
| Expected standard in grammar, punctuation and spelling | 61% | 74% | 81% |
| Average scaled score in reading | 101.0 | 107.0 | 106.0 |
| Average scaled score in maths | 101.0 | 104.0 | 107.0 |
| Reading progress | -2.60 | - | - |
| Writing progress | +0.40 | - | - |
| Maths progress | -1.30 | - | - |
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 | West Northamptonshire average | England average |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 42% | 57.9% | 57.9% |
| 2023/24 | 72% | 60.9% | 58.8% |
| 2024/25 | 69% | 60.3% | 60.3% |
Department for Education KS2 performance data, published school results.
| Year | This school | England average |
|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 7.9% | 6.8% |
| 2023/24 | 5.2% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 5.1% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 448 |
| 2023/24 | 446 |
| 2024/25 | 445 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
How St James Church of England Primary School compares
St James Church of England Primary School ranked 50th of 140 primary schools in West Northamptonshire for KS2 results in 2024/25. Its KS2 result was higher than 63% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 56% of England schools in 2024/25.
| School | KS2 RWM (2024/25) | Absence | FSM (6 years) | Pupils | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| This school | 69% | 5.1% | 24.6% | 445 | — |
| Earl Spencer Primary School | 56% | 6.3% | 27.9% | 352 | 0.5 miles |
| Lyncrest Primary School | 45% | 4.9% | 9.5% | 228 | 0.5 miles |
| Spring Lane Primary School | 62% | 6.9% | 30.9% | 434 | 0.6 miles |
| Castle Academy | 69% | 4.5% | 19.9% | 455 | 0.7 miles |
| Chiltern Primary School | 49% | 6.1% | 23.7% | 133 | 0.8 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.
Inspection history
-
Graded inspection report20 January 2026
- 5 October 2021
School context
From the 2024/25 school census and absence figures.
- Free school meals (last 6 years)
- 24.63%
- English as an additional language
- 59.8%
- Overall absence
- 5.13%
- Persistent absence
- 14.89%
Location
Nearby schools
-
Earl Spencer Primary School0.5 miles
Primary · Northampton
-
Lyncrest Primary School0.5 miles
Primary · Northampton
-
Spring Lane Primary School0.6 miles
Primary · Northampton
-
Castle Academy0.7 miles
Primary · Northampton
-
Chiltern Primary School0.8 miles
Primary · Northampton
Other schools in Northampton
St James Church of England Primary School ranks 39th of the 99 ranked primary schools in Northampton.
- Abington Vale Primary School Primary
- All Saints CofE VA Primary School Primary
- Ashton CofE Primary School Primary
- Barry Primary School Primary
- Blackthorn Primary School Primary
- Blisworth Community Primary School Primary
- Boothville Primary School Primary
- Boughton Primary School Primary
- Briar Hill Primary School & Nursery Primary
- Bridgewater Primary School Primary
- Brington Primary School Primary
- Brixworth CofE VC Primary School 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 3 to 11. It is a primary school in Northampton.
- Who is the headteacher of St James Church of England Primary School?
- The headteacher of St James Church of England Primary School is Mrs Sarah Beach, 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 445 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 3 to 11.
- Is St James Church of England Primary School full?
- St James Church of England Primary School has capacity for 450 pupils and 445 on roll (99%), 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 Peterborough.
- Does St James Church of England Primary School have a nursery?
- Yes. The schools register records St James Church of England Primary School as having nursery classes.
- Who runs St James Church of England Primary School?
- St James Church of England Primary School is part of PETERBOROUGH DIOCESE EDUCATION TRUST. Schools in a trust or federation share leadership and governance, but each keeps its own inspection record and results.
- What SEN provision does St James Church of England Primary School have?
- The schools register lists St James Church of England Primary School's special educational needs provision as: ASD - Autistic Spectrum Disorder; SEMH - Social, Emotional and Mental Health. Contact the school to discuss how it would support a particular child.
- 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 69% 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 50th of 140 primary schools in West Northamptonshire for key stage 2 results. Its KS2 result was higher than 63% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 56% 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 5.1% 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.