St James' Church of England Primary School

Rochdale · OL12 9JW

General information Primary School · 4-11 years Who goes here 210 pupils, 29.5% FSM

Educational attainment Ofsted report card

Parent score Rate this school No reviews yet - be the first SEN 16.2% on SEN support Behaviour 5.4% absence rate Staff 23.8% turnover Financials £5,930 per pupil Environment Buildings and facilities

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St James' Church of England Primary School

General Information

Address: Crossfield Road, Wardle, Rochdale, OL12 9JW – View on map
Phone: 01706378268
Website: Visit school website
Headteacher: Ms Jade Lord
Age range: 4-11 years
Demand for places (Reception, September 2026): 23 families put it first for 24 places – 10 for every 10 places. Every one of them was offered a place. No places went to families living outside the council area. Children putting it first, for every 10 places: 2023 11 · 2024 11 · 2025 10 · 2026 10
Sixth form: No
Intake: Mixed
Religious character: Church of England
Nursery provision: No

Who goes here

210 pupils out of 210 places At or near capacity

Pupils eligible for free school meals: 62
% eligible for free school meals: 29.5%
Pupil mix: 1 in 10 (less mixed than the Rochdale average)
English as an additional language: 1% (England 22%)

Staff

Teachers leaving each year

Teacher turnover: 23.8% a year (Rochdale 13.1%, typical in England 13.9%)
Where they went: about 60% moved to another school, 40% 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. This is a small staff, so one or two teachers leaving moves the figure a lot.

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 Rochdale: suspensions by reason

Suspensions for sexual misconduct: 1 (0.0 per 1,000 pupils; England 0.2)
Permanent exclusions for sexual misconduct: 1
Suspensions for bullying: 2 (0.1 per 1,000 pupils; England 0.2)
Suspensions for abuse against sexual orientation or gender identity: 0 (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 Rochdale, 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: 5.4%
Persistently absent pupils: 14.1%
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: 16.2%
Pupils with an EHC Plan: 2.4%
Data year: 2025/26

Most common needs - SEN Support

Social, emotional and mental health: 14 pupils
Specific learning difficulty: 6 pupils
Speech, language and communications needs: 6 pupils
Autistic spectrum disorder: 2 pupils
Vision impairment: 2 pupils

Most common needs - EHC Plan

Social, emotional and mental health: 1 pupil
Speech, language and communications needs: 1 pupil
Multi-sensory impairment: 1 pupil
Physical disability: 1 pupil
Autistic spectrum disorder: 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 –

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Behaviour

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Openness

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Teaching Quality

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School Ethos

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Ability to Deal with Problems

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Headteacher Approval

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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.

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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.

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Would recommend –

Educational Attainment

Ofsted report card April 2026

Ofsted's new report cards grade each part of school life separately, instead of giving one overall word.

Safeguarding Met
Inclusion Expected standard
Curriculum and teaching Expected standard
Achievement Expected standard
Attendance and behaviour Expected standard
Personal development and wellbeing Expected standard
Early years Expected standard
Leadership and governance Expected standard

Before this, under the old system, Ofsted rated the school Good (2022). The report card above replaces that grade.

How Ofsted report cards work

Since November 2025, Ofsted grades each area of a school on its own five-point scale, and no longer gives a single word like “Good” or “Outstanding”. Safeguarding (keeping children safe) is simply met or not met.

Exceptional The very best practice nationally
Strong standard Above what Ofsted expects
Expected standard What Ofsted expects of every school
Needs attention Some weaknesses the school needs to fix
Urgent improvement Serious weaknesses needing urgent action

“Expected standard” is a sound result – it's what Ofsted expects a good school to do. Report cards aren't directly comparable with the old single grades, which is why we don't turn them into one.

Year 6 SATs results

Met the expected standard in reading, writing & maths: 57% (England 62%)
Reached the higher standard: 7% (England 8%)
Compared with the area: 3 percentage points below the Rochdale average (60%)
Compared with schools with similar pupils: As expected (3-year average 66% against an expected 62%)
3-year average (expected standard): 66%
Expected standard by subject: Reading 79% · Writing 79% · Maths 68% · Grammar, punctuation & spelling 71%
Average test scores: reading 104, maths 103
Based on: 28 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 schoolRochdale averageEngland↘ Falling Down 20 percentage points since 2022/23. In 2024/25 this school was 3 percentage points below the Rochdale average (60%).

Year 6 SATs: 31st of 55 junior and primary schools in the area

=29Smithy Bridge Foundation Primary School59%
=29St Peter's Roman Catholic Primary School, Rochdale59%
#31St James' Church of England Primary School57%
=32Boarshaw Community Primary School56%
=32Newhey Community Primary School56%

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

#1All Souls Church of England Primary School87%
#2Ashfield Valley Primary School83%
=3St Andrew's Church of England Primary School and Nursery76%
=3St Michael's Church of England Primary School, Bamford76%
#5Whittaker Moss Primary School74%
=6Alkrington Primary School73%
=6Bowlee Park Community Primary School73%
=6Healey Foundation Primary School73%
=6Heybrook Primary School73%
=10Deeplish Primary Academy71%
=10Holy Trinity Church of England Primary School71%
=10Kentmere Primary Academy71%
#13Littleborough Community Primary School70%
#14All Saints Church of England Primary School69%
=15Brimrod Community Primary School68%
=15Hopwood Community Primary School68%
=17St Gabriel's Church of England Primary School67%
=17St Luke's Church of England Primary School67%
=19Greenbank Primary School66%
=19Hollin Primary School66%
=19St Joseph's Roman Catholic Primary School Rochdale, a Voluntary Academy66%
=19St Patrick's Roman Catholic Primary School66%
#23St Michael's Church of England Primary School, Alkrington65%
=24Milnrow Parish Church of England Primary School63%
=24Parkfield Primary School63%
=24Shawclough Community Primary School63%
#27Crossgates Primary School62%
#28Marland Hill Community Primary School60%
=29Smithy Bridge Foundation Primary School59%
=29St Peter's Roman Catholic Primary School, Rochdale59%
#31St James' Church of England Primary School57%
=32Boarshaw Community Primary School56%
=32Newhey Community Primary School56%
=32St John's Church of England Primary School, Thornham56%
=35Alice Ingham Roman Catholic Primary School, A Voluntary Academy55%
=35Castleton Primary School55%
=35Hamer Community Primary School55%
=35Moorhouse Academy55%
=39St Edward's Church of England Primary School54%
=39Woodland Community Primary School54%
#41St Peter's Church of England Primary School53%
=42Sandbrook Community Primary School51%
=42St Thomas More Roman Catholic Primary School, Middleton, Rochdale51%
#44Bamford Academy50%
=45Belfield Community School49%
=45Harwood Park Primary School49%
=47Our Lady & St Paul's RC Primary School, A Voluntary Academy48%
=47St Gabriel's Roman Catholic Primary School, Rochdale48%
=47St Mary's Roman Catholic Primary School, Middleton48%
#50Broadfield Community Primary School45%
#51Elm Wood Primary School43%
#52Lowerplace Primary School41%
#53Meanwood Community Nursery and Primary School39%
#54Stansfield Hall Church of England / Methodist Church Primary School37%
#55Rhodes Green CE Primary School0%

View full Ofsted inspection report

Financials

Spending per pupil: £5,930 (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.

55th of 65 primary schools in Rochdale for spending per pupil

#53Alkrington Primary School£5,978
#54Hopwood Community Primary School£5,970
#55St James' Church of England Primary School£5,930
#56St Andrew's Church of England Primary School and Nursery£5,777
#57St Mary's Church of England Primary School, Balderstone£4,894

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

#1Rhodes Green CE Primary School£9,371
#2Alice Ingham Roman Catholic Primary School, A Voluntary Academy£9,092
#3Harwood Park Primary School£8,413
#4Stansfield Hall Church of England / Methodist Church Primary School£8,139
#5Hamer Community Primary School£8,093
#6Parkfield Primary School£8,057
#7Marland Hill Community Primary School£8,051
#8Meanwood Community Nursery and Primary School£7,935
#9St John's Church of England Primary School, Thornham£7,875
#10Moorhouse Academy£7,762
#11All Souls Church of England Primary School£7,747
#12Broadfield Community Primary School£7,623
#13Our Lady & St Paul's RC Primary School, A Voluntary Academy£7,594
#14Brimrod Community Primary School£7,566
#15Sandbrook Community Primary School£7,553
#16Shawclough Community Primary School£7,482
#17Greenbank Primary School£7,272
#18Milnrow Parish Church of England Primary School£7,250
#19Boarshaw Community Primary School£7,233
#20All Saints Church of England Primary School£7,211
#21Castleton Primary School£7,208
#22Hollin Primary School£7,200
#23Healey Foundation Primary School£7,156
#24St Luke's Church of England Primary School£7,076
#25Woodland Community Primary School£7,049
#26St Edward's Church of England Primary School£7,034
#27Newhey Community Primary School£7,027
#28Lowerplace Primary School£7,024
#29St Gabriel's Roman Catholic Primary School, Rochdale£6,985
#30Heybrook Primary School£6,856
#31St Patrick's Roman Catholic Primary School£6,791
#32Belfield Community School£6,786
#33St Gabriel's Church of England Primary School£6,740
#34Heap Bridge Village Primary School£6,732
#35Bowlee Park Community Primary School£6,729
#36St Mary's Roman Catholic Primary School, Middleton£6,727
#37St Thomas More Roman Catholic Primary School, Middleton, Rochdale£6,699
#38Kentmere Primary Academy£6,606
#39Deeplish Primary Academy£6,517
#40St Michael's Church of England Primary School, Alkrington£6,516
#41Ashfield Valley Primary School£6,503
#42Littleborough Community Primary School£6,492
#43Holy Trinity Church of England Primary School£6,464
#44St Peter's Church of England Primary School£6,427
#45Crossgates Primary School£6,340
#46Bamford Academy£6,308
#47Elm Wood Primary School£6,295
#48St Peter's Roman Catholic Primary School, Rochdale£6,265
#49St Joseph's Roman Catholic Primary School Rochdale, a Voluntary Academy£6,211
#50Whittaker Moss Primary School£6,071
#51Smithy Bridge Foundation Primary School£6,069
#52St Michael's Church of England Primary School, Bamford£5,996
#53Alkrington Primary School£5,978
#54Hopwood Community Primary School£5,970
#55St James' Church of England Primary School£5,930
#56St Andrew's Church of England Primary School and Nursery£5,777
#57St Mary's Church of England Primary School, Balderstone£4,894
#58Norden Primary Academy£3,265
#59Spotland Primary Academy£3,248
#60St Thomas' Church of England Primary School£3,070
#61Holy Family Roman Catholic Primary School, a Voluntary Academy£2,357
#62Sacred Heart Roman Catholic Primary School, a Voluntary Academy£2,114
#63St Mary's Roman Catholic Primary School, a Voluntary Academy£1,731
#64Caldershaw Primary School£996
#65St Vincent De Paul Roman Catholic Primary School, A Voluntary Academy£927

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

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