St James' CofE Academy

General Information

Address: Main Road, Biddenham, Bedford, MK40 4BD
Phone: 01234352721
Website: Visit school website
Headteacher: Mrs Alison Barden
Age range: 5-11 years
Sixth form: No
Intake: Mixed
Religious character: Church of England
Number of pupils: 194
School capacity: 210
Pupils eligible for free school meals: 35
% eligible for free school meals: 18.0%
Nursery provision: No

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.

Behaviour information for this school has not been added yet.

Attendance

Overall absence: 4.9%
Persistently absent pupils: 12.5%
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.

SEN provision information for this school has not been added yet.

Pupils on SEN Support: 10.8%
Pupils with an EHC Plan: 1.5%
Data year: 2025/26

Most common needs - SEN Support

Social, emotional and mental health: 6 pupils
Speech, language and communications needs: 5 pupils
SEN support but no specialist assessment of type of need: 5 pupils
Specific learning difficulty: 3 pupils
Other difficulty or disability: 2 pupils

Most common needs - EHC Plan

Social, emotional and mental health: 1 pupil
Speech, language and communications needs: 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 –

Behaviour

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Openness

–

Teaching Quality

–

School Ethos

–

Ability to Deal with Problems

–

Headteacher Approval

–

Would recommend –

Give this school your first review

Educational Attainment

No overall grade given 2025 report

About this Ofsted rating

Ofsted stopped giving single overall grades for a period between September 2024 and November 2025 - this school's most recent inspection falls in that window, so there's no single rating to show, even though it was inspected. The full report (linked below) still has the detail.

Educational attainment data for this school has not been added yet.

View full Ofsted inspection report

Financials

Financial summary information for this school has not been added yet.

Spending per pupil: £5,979 (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.

Ranked #41 of 53 Spending Per Pupil schools of this type in the area

#39Bromham CofE Primary School£6,052
#40Great Denham Primary School£6,012
#41St James' CofE Academy£5,979
#42Shortstown Primary School£5,959
#43Kempston Rural Primary School£5,921

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.

#1Willow Grove Primary School£13,547
#2Wilden CofE VA Primary School£12,410
#3Ravensden CofE Primary Academy£11,101
#4Kymbrook Primary School£9,795
#5Christopher Reeves CofE VA Primary School£9,313
#6Eileen Wade Primary School£9,268
#7Carlton CofE Primary School£8,672
#8Pinchmill Primary School£8,496
#9Sheerhatch Primary School£8,335
#10Roxton Church of England Academy£8,263
#11Priory Primary School£8,179
#12Turvey Primary School£8,136
#13Thurleigh Primary School£8,065
#14Riseley CofE Primary School£7,836
#15St Lawrence Church of England Primary School£7,691
#16King's Oak Primary School£7,458
#17Goldington Green Academy£7,374
#18Renhold VC Primary School£7,199
#19Edith Cavell Primary School£7,096
#20St Francis of Assisi Catholic Primary and Pre-School£6,984
#21Bedford Road Primary Academy£6,968
#22Livingstone Primary School£6,898
#23Great Barford Church of England Primary Academy£6,857
#24Shackleton Primary School£6,830
#25Putnoe Primary School£6,816
#26Westfield Primary School£6,777
#27Springfield Primary School£6,765
#28Broadmead Lower School£6,694
#29Brickhill Primary School£6,666
#30Harrold Primary Academy£6,582
#31Queen's Park Academy£6,550
#32Oakley Primary Academy£6,536
#33Scott Primary School & Nursery£6,495
#34Balliol Primary School£6,435
#35Cauldwell School£6,358
#36Sharnbrook Primary£6,353
#37The Hills Academy£6,341
#38Castle Newnham School£6,268
#39Bromham CofE Primary School£6,052
#40Great Denham Primary School£6,012
#41St James' CofE Academy£5,979
#42Shortstown Primary School£5,959
#43Kempston Rural Primary School£5,921
#44Camestone School£5,903
#45Cotton End Forest School£5,830
#46St John Rigby Catholic Primary School£5,768
#47Hazeldene School£5,707
#48Wixams Tree Primary Academy£5,650
#49Great Ouse Primary Academy£5,615
#50Wootton Primary School£5,596
#51Elstow School£5,560
#52Ursula Taylor Church of England School£5,521
#53Lakeview School£2,428

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