St James' Roman Catholic Primary School

St James' Roman Catholic Primary School at a glance

Located in Orpington, Bromley, St James' Roman Catholic Primary School is a primary school, classified by the DfE as a converter academy with a Roman Catholic religious character. The school educates roughly 218 pupils aged 5 to 11. Ofsted judged the school to be 'Outstanding' when it was last inspected in January 2026. In the most recent Key Stage 2 SATs, 94% of pupils reached the expected standard in reading, writing and maths combined — well above the national average of 61%. Results have held broadly steady on the previous year. On our composite score, which combines the DfE attainment measures above, this places it among the top 1% of primary schools in England.

Pupils achieved an average scaled score of 110 in reading and 112 in maths (national averages are about 105 and 104). 31% reached the higher standard across all three subjects (around 8% do so nationally). Competition for places is real here - 73% of first-choice applicants were offered a Reception place for September 2026 (41 first choices for 30 places). Overall pupil absence was 2.9%. There are about 25.3 pupils per teacher. Its intake is relatively advantaged, with around 4% of pupils eligible for free school meals in the last six years versus about 24% nationally. When comparing schools, it is still worth visiting in person to see whether the atmosphere and approach suit your child. This overview is generated automatically from the latest published DfE performance tables and Ofsted data; figures are rounded, and you can check the originals via the official links above.