Church Cowley St James Church of England Primary School

Oxford · OX4 3QH

General information Primary School · 3-11 years Who goes here 459 pupils, 28.2% FSM

Parent score Rate this school No reviews yet - be the first SEN 16.6% on SEN support Behaviour 7.7% absence rate Staff 25% turnover Financials £6,817 per pupil Environment Buildings and facilities

We haven't asked this school for its behaviour and staffing figures yet. Sign up to tell us you'd like them, and we'll email you when they arrive.

Notify me

Your email address

Leave this empty

We'll email you a link to confirm first. Your address is only used for news about this school, and every email has a link to stop them. Privacy

Church Cowley St James Church of England Primary School

General Information

Address: Bartholomew Road, Cowley, Oxford, OX4 3QH – View on map
Phone: 01865778484
Website: Visit school website
Headteacher: Mr Stephen Dew
Age range: 3-11 years
Demand for places (Reception, September 2026): 70 families put it first for 60 places – 12 for every 10 places. 86% of them were offered a place. No places went to families living outside the council area. Children putting it first, for every 10 places: 2023 9 · 2024 10 · 2025 10 · 2026 12
Sixth form: No
Intake: Mixed
Religious character: Church of England
Nursery provision: Yes

Who goes here

459 pupils out of 480 places At or near capacity

Pupils eligible for free school meals: 112
% eligible for free school meals: 28.2%
Pupil mix: 9 in 10 (more mixed than the Oxford average)
English as an additional language: 55% (England 22%)

Staff

Teachers leaving each year

Teacher turnover: 25% a year (Oxford 17.9%, typical in England 13.9%)
Where they went: about 58% moved to another school, 42% left state schools altogether (retirement, other careers, independent schools, abroad)
Data years: 2022/23 to 2024/25 (average of 3 years, DfE school workforce census)

Teachers who moved school or left state schools in the year after each November, as a share of all the school's teachers. Some turnover is healthy – retirements, promotions, moving house.

Behaviour

Awaiting Data

About this Behaviour status

We've asked this school for real behaviour figures under Freedom of Information and haven't had a response yet.

Across Oxfordshire: suspensions by reason

Suspensions for sexual misconduct: 9 (0.2 per 1,000 pupils; England 0.2)
Permanent exclusions for sexual misconduct: 0
Suspensions for bullying: 18 (0.3 per 1,000 pupils; England 0.2)
Suspensions for abuse against sexual orientation or gender identity: 2 (0.0 per 1,000 pupils; England 0.0)
Data year: 2024/25 (DfE suspensions and exclusions statistics)

These are figures for all state primary schools in Oxfordshire (the council area this school is in), not this school's own – the government doesn't publish them school by school. A suspension can have up to three reasons. Most sexual harassment between pupils never leads to a suspension, so these figures show only part of the picture.

Attendance

Overall absence: 7.7%
Persistently absent pupils: 22.4%
Data year: 2024/25

About persistent absence

A pupil is counted as "persistently absent" if they miss 10% or more of their possible school sessions - roughly one day in every two weeks. Schools and Ofsted both pay close attention to this figure specifically, since it can highlight a pattern the overall absence rate alone might hide.

SEN

No dedicated Unit or Resourced Provision

SEN Unit and Resourced Provision

Most mainstream schools don't have a dedicated SEN Unit or Resourced Provision - it isn't a mark against a school that doesn't, just a different kind of setup than one that does.

Pupils on SEN Support: 16.6%
Pupils with an EHC Plan: 2.8%
Data year: 2025/26

Most common needs - SEN Support

Speech, language and communications needs: 30 pupils
Social, emotional and mental health: 18 pupils
Moderate learning difficulty: 10 pupils
Autistic spectrum disorder: 9 pupils
Hearing impairment: 4 pupils

Most common needs - EHC Plan

Autistic spectrum disorder: 4 pupils
Speech, language and communications needs: 4 pupils
Physical disability: 1 pupil
Hearing impairment: 1 pupil
Social, emotional and mental health: 1 pupil

These figures show the makeup of the school.

About these SEND figures

These figures give a sense of the makeup of the school - they aren't a judgement on the quality of support provided.

Parent score - no reviews yet –

Be the first to review — win £100 of books for your school Every honest review enters you into our prize draw

Behaviour

–

Openness

–

Teaching Quality

–

School Ethos

–

Ability to Deal with Problems

–

Headteacher Approval

–

SafeguardingSafeguarding (parent rating)How parents rate the school on keeping children safe - how safe their child feels, and how well concerns are listened to and acted on. It's parents' experience, not an inspection result; Ofsted checks safeguarding separately.

–

Wraparound CareWraparound Care (parent rating)How parents rate the school's breakfast and after-school clubs - availability, cost and quality. Only asked for infant, junior and primary schools, where it matters most for working parents.

–

Would recommend –

Educational Attainment

Good 2023 report

About this Ofsted rating

Ofsted changed how it rates schools in the last couple of years, so ratings from different years aren't always on the same scale - that's why we show the year alongside every rating.

Year 6 SATs results

Met the expected standard in reading, writing & maths: 59% (England 62%)
Reached the higher standard: 5% (England 8%)
Compared with the area: 5 percentage points below the Oxford average (64%)
Compared with schools with similar pupils: As expected (3-year average 57% against an expected 61%)
3-year average (expected standard): 57%
Expected standard by subject: Reading 73% · Writing 70% · Maths 73% · Grammar, punctuation & spelling 75%
Average test scores: reading 103, maths 104
Based on: 56 Year 6 pupils, 2024/25

View the School Context Comparator – how this school's SATs results compare with schools teaching similar pupils.

SATs results over time

This schoolOxford averageEngland→ Broadly steady No clear rise or fall since 2022/23 (changes this small are normal from one year group to the next). In 2024/25 this school was 5 percentage points below the Oxford average (64%).

Year 6 SATs: joint 20th of 33 junior and primary schools in the area

#18St Mary and St John Church of England Primary School62%
#19Cutteslowe Primary School60%
=20Church Cowley St James Church of England Primary School59%
=20Tyndale Community School59%
=22West Oxford Community Primary School58%

Click to see the full ranking

Year 6 SATs ranking

Junior and primary schools in this area, ranked by the % of Year 6 pupils meeting the expected standard in reading, writing and maths (official DfE results, 2024/25). Schools with the same result share a place (shown as =). In small schools one or two children can move a school several places, so treat close positions as roughly equal.

Rank School Score

#1Wolvercote Primary School86%
#2Our Lady's Roman Catholic Primary School81%
#3St Aloysius' Catholic Primary School79%
=4East Oxford Primary School78%
=4St Joseph's Catholic Primary School, Oxford78%
#6St Philip and James' Church of England Aided Primary School Oxford75%
#7Windale Primary School73%
#8St Michael's CofE Primary School, Oxford City72%
=9John Henry Newman Academy69%
=9St Barnabas' Church of England Aided Primary School69%
=11New Marston Primary School68%
=11Wood Farm Primary School68%
=13Bayards Hill School67%
=13St Andrew's Church of England Primary School, Oxford67%
#15St John Fisher Catholic Primary School, Littlemore65%
#16Larkrise Primary School64%
#17Pegasus School63%
#18St Mary and St John Church of England Primary School62%
#19Cutteslowe Primary School60%
=20Church Cowley St James Church of England Primary School59%
=20Tyndale Community School59%
=22West Oxford Community Primary School58%
=22Windmill Primary School58%
=24Sandhills Community Primary School57%
=24St Nicholas' Primary and Nursery School57%
#26Orchard Meadow Primary School56%
=27Barton Park Primary School55%
=27St Francis Church of England Primary School55%
#29St Ebbe's Church of England Aided Primary School54%
#30St Christopher's Church of England School, Cowley53%
#31New Hinksey Church of England Primary School48%
#32Rose Hill Primary School34%
#33St Frideswide Church of England Primary School33%

View full Ofsted inspection report

3rd of 29 primary schools in Oxford for Ofsted rating

#1Barton Park Primary SchoolGood
#2Bayards Hill SchoolGood
#3Church Cowley St James Church of England Primary SchoolGood
#4Cutteslowe Primary SchoolGood
#5East Oxford Primary SchoolGood

Click to see the full ranking

Ofsted Rating ranking

Based on real Ofsted ratings (via official DfE data) for schools on the same four-word grading scale.

Rank School Score

#1Barton Park Primary SchoolGood
#2Bayards Hill SchoolGood
#3Church Cowley St James Church of England Primary SchoolGood
#4Cutteslowe Primary SchoolGood
#5East Oxford Primary SchoolGood
#6John Henry Newman AcademyGood
#7Larkrise Primary SchoolGood
#8New Hinksey Church of England Primary SchoolGood
#9New Marston Primary SchoolGood
#10Orchard Meadow Primary SchoolGood
#11Our Lady's Roman Catholic Primary SchoolGood
#12Pegasus SchoolGood
#13Sandhills Community Primary SchoolGood
#14St Andrew's Church of England Primary School, OxfordGood
#15St Christopher's Church of England School, CowleyGood
#16St Ebbe's Church of England Aided Primary SchoolGood
#17St Francis Church of England Primary SchoolGood
#18St Frideswide Church of England Primary SchoolGood
#19St John Fisher Catholic Primary School, LittlemoreGood
#20St Joseph's Catholic Primary School, OxfordGood
#21St Mary and St John Church of England Primary SchoolGood
#22St Michael's CofE Primary School, Oxford CityGood
#23St Nicholas' Primary and Nursery SchoolGood
#24St Philip and James' Church of England Aided Primary School OxfordGood
#25Tyndale Community SchoolGood
#26West Oxford Community Primary SchoolGood
#27Windale Primary SchoolGood
#28Wolvercote Primary SchoolGood
#29Wood Farm Primary SchoolGood

Financials

Spending per pupil: £6,817 (2024-25)

About this spending figure

A higher or lower position here isn't a sign of a better or worse school - schools have different needs and circumstances - but it can help reassure you that a school has sufficient funding behind your child's education.

20th of 33 primary schools in Oxford for spending per pupil

#18Tyndale Community School£6,921
#19St Francis Church of England Primary School£6,890
#20Church Cowley St James Church of England Primary School£6,817
#21Wolvercote Primary School£6,767
#22Cutteslowe Primary School£6,757

Click to see the full ranking

Spending Per Pupil ranking

Based on official DfE financial return data (Consistent Financial Reporting / Academies Accounts Return) - not a ranking of school quality.

Rank School Score

#1Orchard Meadow Primary School£9,389
#2Windale Primary School£9,184
#3Bayards Hill School£8,756
#4New Hinksey Church of England Primary School£8,416
#5St Barnabas' Church of England Aided Primary School£8,272
#6St Christopher's Church of England School, Cowley£8,069
#7Rose Hill Primary School£7,839
#8St Ebbe's Church of England Aided Primary School£7,801
#9Barton Park Primary School£7,687
#10St Aloysius' Catholic Primary School£7,601
#11St Frideswide Church of England Primary School£7,571
#12St Nicholas' Primary and Nursery School£7,468
#13Wood Farm Primary School£7,379
#14New Marston Primary School£7,348
#15Pegasus School£7,344
#16St Andrew's Church of England Primary School, Oxford£7,154
#17John Henry Newman Academy£7,030
#18Tyndale Community School£6,921
#19St Francis Church of England Primary School£6,890
#20Church Cowley St James Church of England Primary School£6,817
#21Wolvercote Primary School£6,767
#22Cutteslowe Primary School£6,757
#23Sandhills Community Primary School£6,687
#24St Joseph's Catholic Primary School, Oxford£6,672
#25East Oxford Primary School£6,511
#26St Michael's CofE Primary School, Oxford City£6,489
#27St John Fisher Catholic Primary School, Littlemore£6,478
#28West Oxford Community Primary School£6,440
#29St Mary and St John Church of England Primary School£6,331
#30Larkrise Primary School£6,296
#31St Philip and James' Church of England Aided Primary School Oxford£5,863
#32Windmill Primary School£5,738
#33Our Lady's Roman Catholic Primary School£5,702

View on the Financial Benchmarking and Insights Tool (GOV.UK)

Have you rated Church Cowley St James Church of England Primary School yet? Your experience helps other parents.

Rate this school