St James' CofE Academy
Main Road, Biddenham, Bedford, MK40 4BD
- Phase
- Primary
- School type
- Academy converter
- Ages
- 5 to 11
- Gender
- Mixed
- Religious character
- Church of England
- Trust
- DIOCESE OF ST ALBANS MULTI-ACADEMY TRUST
- Head Teacher
- Mrs Alison Barden
- Diocese
- Diocese of St Albans
- Sponsor
- Diocese of St Albans
- Constituency
- North Bedfordshire
- Setting
- Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
- Capacity
- 210
- Pupils on roll
- 194
- URN
- 148982
- Local authority
- Bedford
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 01234352721
About this school
St James' CofE Academy is a Church of England primary academy in Bedford. It teaches children aged 5 to 11 and has 194 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 5 February 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 | 28 | 31 | 28 |
| Met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths | 71% | 52% | 54% |
| Reached the higher standard in reading, writing and maths | 4% | 6% | 11% |
| Expected standard in reading | 93% | 61% | 79% |
| Expected standard in maths | 86% | 65% | 64% |
| Expected standard in grammar, punctuation and spelling | 93% | 61% | 75% |
| Average scaled score in reading | 109.0 | 104.0 | 105.0 |
| Average scaled score in maths | 108.0 | 102.0 | 103.0 |
| Reading progress | +3.70 | - | - |
| Writing progress | -0.50 | - | - |
| Maths progress | +2.40 | - | - |
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' CofE Academy has moved over recent years against the local and national picture. Every figure is shown in the table beneath its chart.
| Year | This school | Bedford average | England average |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 71% | 50.7% | 57.9% |
| 2023/24 | 52% | 53.8% | 58.8% |
| 2024/25 | 54% | 52.7% | 60.3% |
Department for Education KS2 performance data, published school results.
| Year | This school | England average |
|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 4.4% | 6.8% |
| 2023/24 | 4.6% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 4.9% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 200 |
| 2023/24 | 201 |
| 2024/25 | 192 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
How St James' CofE Academy compares
St James' CofE Academy ranked 31st of 51 primary schools in Bedford for KS2 results in 2024/25. Its KS2 result was higher than 28% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 61% of England schools in 2024/25.
| School | KS2 RWM (2024/25) | Absence | FSM (6 years) | Pupils | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| This school | 54% | 4.9% | 19.3% | 194 | — |
| Great Denham Primary School | 72% | 4.3% | 16% | 677 | 0.5 miles |
| St Francis of Assisi Catholic Primary and Pre-School | 44% | 5.6% | 31.4% | 271 | 0.6 miles |
| Westfield Primary School | 48% | 5.8% | 23% | 298 | 0.7 miles |
| Queen's Park Academy | 61% | 5.5% | 36.8% | 446 | 0.8 miles |
| Great Ouse Primary Academy | 67% | 5.1% | 22.2% | 455 | 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.
School context
From the 2024/25 school census and absence figures.
- Free school meals (last 6 years)
- 19.27%
- English as an additional language
- 13.5%
- Overall absence
- 4.91%
- Persistent absence
- 12.5%
Location
Nearby schools
-
Great Denham Primary School0.5 miles
Primary · Bedford
-
St Francis of Assisi Catholic Primary and Pre-School0.6 miles
Primary · Bedford
-
Westfield Primary School0.7 miles
Primary · Bedford
-
Queen's Park Academy0.8 miles
Primary · Bedford
-
Great Ouse Primary Academy0.8 miles
Primary · Bedford
Other schools in Bedford
St James' CofE Academy ranks 30th of the 53 ranked primary schools in Bedford.
- Balliol Primary School Primary
- Bedford Road Primary Academy Primary
- Brickhill Primary School Primary
- Broadmead Lower School Primary
- Bromham CofE Primary School Primary
- Camestone School Primary
- Carlton CofE Primary School Primary
- Castle Newnham School Primary
- Cauldwell School Primary
- Cotton End Forest School Primary
- Cranfield Church of England Academy Primary
- Edith Cavell Primary School Primary
Common questions
- What year groups does St James' CofE Academy teach?
- St James' CofE Academy teaches children aged 5 to 11. It is a primary school in Bedford.
- Who is the head teacher of St James' CofE Academy?
- The head teacher of St James' CofE Academy is Mrs Alison Barden, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- When was St James' CofE Academy last inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected St James' CofE Academy, 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' CofE Academy?
- St James' CofE Academy has 194 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 5 to 11.
- Is St James' CofE Academy full?
- St James' CofE Academy has capacity for 210 pupils and 194 on roll (92%), 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' CofE Academy a faith school?
- Yes. St James' CofE Academy is designated Church of England, in the Diocese of St Albans.
- Does St James' CofE Academy have a nursery?
- No. The schools register records St James' CofE Academy as having no nursery classes.
- Who runs St James' CofE Academy?
- St James' CofE Academy is part of DIOCESE OF ST ALBANS MULTI-ACADEMY TRUST. Schools in a trust or federation share leadership and governance, but each keeps its own inspection record and results.
- How have St James' CofE Academy's results changed over recent years?
- Its share of pupils reaching the expected standard in reading, writing and maths was 71% in 2022/23 and 54% 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' CofE Academy rank locally?
- St James' CofE Academy ranked 31st of 51 primary schools in Bedford for key stage 2 results. Its KS2 result was higher than 28% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 61% 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' CofE Academy's absence rate?
- St James' CofE Academy's overall absence rate is 4.9% in the latest published census, at or below the England average of 6.2%.
- What are St James' CofE Academy's exam results?
- Where the Department for Education has published them, St James' CofE Academy'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.