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St James' CofE Junior School

Primary · Whitehaven · CA28 7HG

Data updated

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Expected standard

Report-card inspection (current system, from November 2025)

The headline grade shown is the Achievement area of the school's report card.

Safeguarding: MetCurriculum & teaching: Expected standardAchievement: Expected standardAttendance & behaviour: Expected standardPersonal development: Strong standardInclusion: Expected standardLeadership & governance: Expected standardEarly years: Not applicablePost-16: Not applicable

Inspected 2 June 2026 · report published 5 July 2026

Read the Ofsted report ↗

At a glance

156 pupils · 87% of 180 capacity (January 2026 census)

School type
Voluntary controlled school
Age range
7–11
Gender
Mixed
Religious character
Church of England
Free school meals
14.1% of pupils (January 2026)
English as additional language
3.2% of pupils (2024/2025)
SEN support
12.3% of pupils (2024/2025)
EHC plan
4.5% of pupils (2024/2025)
Website
www.stjamesjun.cumbria.sch.uk
URN
112298

In figures

At its report-card inspection on 2 June 2026, under the system Ofsted introduced in November 2025, the Achievement area was judged Expected standard. In the 2025/26 autumn and spring terms its pupils missed 3.3% of sessions, against 6.6% across England.

Key stage 2 results (2024/2025)

39 pupils at the end of key stage 2 in 2024/2025

Reaching the expected standard in reading, writing & maths
74%
England 62%
Reaching the higher standard
13%
England 8%
Average scaled score (reading)
107
England 106
Average scaled score (maths)
108
England 105

Source: DfE performance tables 2024/2025 · what “suppressed” means

Schools with a similar intake

Meeting the expected standard in reading, writing and maths, 2024/2025

This school74%
Median of its 12 closest peers62%
Cumberland average56.3%
England62%

On meeting the expected standard in reading, writing and maths, this school is ahead of the schools that teach a comparable intake.

They are matched on intake, not location, so most are not local: see nearby schools for those you could apply to.

SchoolOfstedResult
St Mary's Roman Catholic Primary School, HaslingdenRossendale · 78 miles awayOutstanding71%
St Gerard's Catholic Primary SchoolRotherham · 120 miles awayGood79%
Burford Primary SchoolBurford · 206 miles awayGood50%
Banwell Primary SchoolBanwell · 225 miles awayNeeds attention59%
St Wilfrids Catholic Primary SchoolLittlehampton · 288 miles awayExpected standard65%
Durley Church of England Controlled Primary SchoolSouthampton · 267 miles awayOutstanding (2019)71%
Ashchurch Primary SchoolTewkesbury · 187 miles awayGood79%
St Blaise CofE Primary SchoolABINGDON · 224 miles awayGood56%
Wellesley Primary SchoolBristol · 215 miles awayGood57%
Durweston Church of England Primary SchoolBlandford Forum · 260 miles awayStrong standard80%
Patrington CofE Primary AcademyHull · 157 miles awayGood55%
Bishops Castle Primary SchoolBishops Castle · 144 miles awayGood50%

It is not a ranking. Source: DfE performance tables 2024/2025 · how the matching works

Pupils by ethnicity (January 2026)

White British 91% (Cumberland 88%, England 60%) · Black African 3% (Cumberland 2%, England 5%) · Not recorded 3% (Cumberland 2%, England 1%) · Any other ethnic group 1% (Cumberland 1%, England 3%) · Asian Bangladeshi 1% (Cumberland 0%, England 2%) · Mixed White and Asian 1% (Cumberland 1%, England 2%) · Mixed White and Black African 1% (Cumberland 0%, England 1%)

Source: DfE schools, pupils and their characteristics, January 2026 census · how to read these figures

Attendance (2025/26 autumn and spring terms)

Sessions missed (overall absence)
3.3%
England 6.6%
Pupils missing 10%+ of sessions (persistent absence)
5.1%
England 17.5%

Suspensions and permanent exclusions (2024/25)

3.23 suspensions per 100 pupils and 0 permanent exclusions · England, primary schools: 2.47 suspensions and 0.03 permanent exclusions per 100 pupils · Cumberland: 1.65 suspensions and 0.04 permanent exclusions per 100 pupils

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Source: DfE pupil absence data, autumn and spring terms, and DfE suspensions and permanent exclusions, school-level file · how absence is measured · how to read exclusions

Staffing

Pupils per qualified teacher
22.3
England 18.5

Full-time-equivalent, 2025/26.

Teacher retention (2024/25)

89% of teachers stayed at the school the following year · 11% moved to another state school

Vacancies (November 2025)

0% of teaching posts vacant, 0% filled temporarily · England, council-maintained primaries: 0.18% vacant, 0.36% temporary

Teacher sickness absence (reported in the November 2024 census)

50% of teachers took sickness absence, 1.8 days each on average · England, all state-funded schools: 61.8%, 8.1 days

Teacher pay (November 2025)

Mean salary of full-time qualified teachers £52,866; 28.6% on the leadership pay range · England, primary schools: £50,856, 17.3%

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Source: DfE School Workforce Census · how these figures are counted

Spending per pupil (2025-26)

This school£7,560
Typical primary school£7,202

Where the money went (2025-26)

Share of spending, with the median for primary schools in brackets: Staff 75% (76%) · premises 6% (5%) · occupation (energy, rates, cleaning) 9% (8%) · supplies and services 11% (9%) · educational supplies 7% (4%) · bought-in professional services 2% (3%) · catering 5% (5%)

Reserves (2025-26)

Revenue reserve £98,214; in-year balance +£21,255

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Higher spending is not a measure of quality. Source: council-maintained school finance return, 2025-26, DfE · how spending is compared

Inspection history since 2015

Source: Ofsted management information · ungraded visits and the two inspection systems

The area around the school

Child poverty (IDACI)
4/10more deprived than most of England
Overall deprivation (IMD)
1/10among the most deprived tenth of England
Census 2021This areaEngland
Adults with a degree or higher24.7%33.9%
Adults with no qualifications31.2%18.1%
In managerial or professional work25.6%33.2%
Households deprived in two or more ways34.2%18.1%
Residents in very good health31.1%48.5%
Homes owned by the occupier33.9%62.3%
Social housing38.2%17.1%
Privately rented27.7%20.5%
Detached houses3.4%22.9%
Flats76.2%22.2%
Homes with four or more bedrooms7%21.1%
Households with no car or van54.8%23.5%

These figures describe the area, not the pupils. Source: Census 2021 (ONS) and English Indices of Deprivation 2025 (MHCLG) for small area E01019280 · how to read area figures

What homes cost nearby

Median sale price
£158,000280 sales within 1 km, January 2024 to September 2026
Typical range
£112,000–£230,000the middle half of sales
England median
£300,000all sales over the same period
Detached (46)£256,000
Semi-detached (93)£175,000
Terraced (79)£140,000
Flat (62)£90,000

Homes around this school are among the cheapest tenth of school neighbourhoods in England, comparing the median within 1 km across every state school.

Source: HM Land Registry sales within 1 km since January 2024 · how sales are counted. Contains HM Land Registry data © Crown copyright and database right 2026. This data is licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Postcodes located with OS Code-Point Open: contains OS data © Crown copyright and database right 2026; contains Royal Mail data © Royal Mail copyright and database right 2026; contains National Statistics data © Crown copyright and database right 2026.

Roads around the school

Child pedestrian casualties
1an urban school averages 2.0
Collisions at school-run times
1an urban school averages 5.7
All reported collisions
16an urban school averages 30.5
Of those, serious or fatal
5an urban school averages 6.1

A high count usually reflects traffic, not an unsafe school. Source: DfT road casualty statistics (STATS19), collisions within 500 m, 2021–2025 · what is counted

Nearby schools