St James' Church of England Primary School
Romney Street, Ashton-under-Lyne, OL6 9HU
- Phase
- Primary
- School type
- Academy converter
- Ages
- 3 to 11
- Gender
- Mixed
- Religious character
- Church of England
- Trust
- FORWARD AS ONE CHURCH OF ENGLAND MULTI ACADEMY TRUST
- Headteacher
- Mr James Rolt
- Diocese
- Diocese of Manchester
- Nursery provision
- Has Nursery Classes
- Sponsor
- Forward As One Church of England Multi Academy Trust
- SEN provision
- SLCN - Speech, language and Communication
- Constituency
- Ashton-under-Lyne
- Setting
- Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
- Capacity
- 210
- Pupils on roll
- 230
- URN
- 147916
- Local authority
- Tameside
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 01613302008
About this school
St James' Church of England Primary School is a Church of England primary academy in Ashton-Under-Lyne. It teaches children aged 3 to 11 and has 230 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 13 November 2024, 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 | 27 | 28 | 28 |
| Met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths | 63% | 57% | 68% |
| Reached the higher standard in reading, writing and maths | 4% | 7% | 7% |
| Expected standard in reading | 74% | 82% | 86% |
| Expected standard in maths | 81% | 75% | 86% |
| Expected standard in grammar, punctuation and spelling | 78% | 71% | 86% |
| Average scaled score in reading | 105.0 | 105.0 | 105.0 |
| Average scaled score in maths | 105.0 | 104.0 | 105.0 |
| Reading progress | +2.80 | - | - |
| Writing progress | +0.10 | - | - |
| Maths progress | +3.90 | - | - |
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 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 | Tameside average | England average |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 63% | 56.3% | 57.9% |
| 2023/24 | 57% | 59.6% | 58.8% |
| 2024/25 | 68% | 59.1% | 60.3% |
Department for Education KS2 performance data, published school results.
| Year | This school | England average |
|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 5.3% | 6.8% |
| 2023/24 | 4.4% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 4.5% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 211 |
| 2023/24 | 229 |
| 2024/25 | 232 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
How St James' Church of England Primary School compares
St James' Church of England Primary School ranked 18th of 59 primary schools in Tameside for KS2 results in 2024/25. Its KS2 result was higher than 61% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 71% of England schools in 2024/25.
| School | KS2 RWM (2024/25) | Absence | FSM (6 years) | Pupils | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| This school | 68% | 4.5% | 57% | 230 | — |
| The Heys Primary School | 61% | 4.5% | 49.3% | 226 | 0.1 miles |
| Our Lady of Mount Carmel RC Primary School, Ashton-under-Lyne | 57% | 4% | 32.9% | 235 | 0.2 miles |
| Parochial CofE Primary and Nursery School, Ashton-under-Lyne | 63% | 4.7% | 43.2% | 212 | 0.3 miles |
| Hurst Knoll St James' Church of England Primary School | 47% | 5.5% | 59% | 187 | 0.3 miles |
| Canon Johnson CofE Primary School | 62% | 5.2% | 50.5% | 227 | 0.5 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)
- 57%
- English as an additional language
- 69%
- Overall absence
- 4.5%
- Persistent absence
- 9.38%
Location
Nearby schools
-
The Heys Primary School0.1 miles
Primary · Ashton-under-Lyne
-
Our Lady of Mount Carmel RC Primary School, Ashton-under-Lyne0.2 miles
Primary · Ashton-under-Lyne
-
Parochial CofE Primary and Nursery School, Ashton-under-Lyne0.3 miles
Primary · Ashton-under-Lyne
-
Hurst Knoll St James' Church of England Primary School0.3 miles
Primary · Ashton-under-Lyne
-
Canon Johnson CofE Primary School0.5 miles
Primary · Ashton-under-Lyne
Other schools in Ashton-Under-Lyne
St James' Church of England Primary School ranks 4th of the 19 ranked primary schools in Ashton-Under-Lyne.
- Ashton West End Primary Academy Primary
- Canon Burrows CofE Primary School Primary
- Canon Johnson CofE Primary School Primary
- Holden Clough Primary School Primary
- Holy Trinity CofE Primary School Primary
- Hurst Knoll St James' Church of England Primary School Primary
- Livingstone Primary School Primary
- Micklehurst All Saints CofE Primary School Primary
- Milton St John's CofE Primary School Primary
- Oasis Academy Broadoak Primary
- Our Lady of Mount Carmel RC Primary School, Ashton-under-Lyne Primary
- Parochial CofE Primary and Nursery School, Ashton-under-Lyne 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 Ashton-Under-Lyne.
- Who is the headteacher of St James' Church of England Primary School?
- The headteacher of St James' Church of England Primary School is Mr James Rolt, 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 230 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 210 pupils and 230 on roll (110%), 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 of England Primary School a faith school?
- Yes. St James' Church of England Primary School is designated Church of England, in the Diocese of Manchester.
- 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 FORWARD AS ONE CHURCH OF ENGLAND MULTI ACADEMY 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: SLCN - Speech, language and Communication. 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 63% in 2022/23 and 68% 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 18th of 59 primary schools in Tameside for key stage 2 results. Its KS2 result was higher than 61% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 71% 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 4.5% 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 10 July 2026.