St James School

Academy converter·Secondary school Exeter, Devon·EX4 8NN
Composite score
58.6
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#1,360
National rank
#123
In South West
#12
In Devon
Top 43%
Nationally

Performance (KS4 GCSE)

Attainment 8 score
46.9
National avg ≈ 46
Progress 8 score
—
% achieving 9–5 in English & Maths
53%
% achieving 9–4 in English & Maths
69%
% EBacc grade 5+
32%
EBacc average points score
4.42

Getting a place

Offered a place after putting it first
96%
189 first choices, 191 places
First choices per place
0.99
fewer first choices than places
Applications naming the school
355
any preference, for 191 places
Last place offered lived
1.13 mi
straight line, 2026 intake · 1814 m
First preferences per place, last five years▼ 0.19
00.511.5
1 per place
1.0920221.2820231.2920241.1820250.992026

Red dashed line = one first choice per place. How to read this

The cut-off distance is how far the last child offered a place lived, not a catchment boundary: it moves every year with the number of applicants, and in 2026 the last place went under “category 10 (last/lowest-priority oversubscription category, last place by dista”. Published by the council in its 2026 allocation figures, and checked against that document before we show it.

Application figures: DfE, school level applications and offers (2026 intake).

School profile

Age range
11–16
Pupils on roll
989
Gender
Mixed
Admissions
Non-Selective

Pupil background

% FSM ever-6
27.5%
Typical secondary: 27.5%
% EAL
19.0%
Typical secondary: 12.0%

Special educational needs

% SEN support
23.9%
Typical secondary: 13.7%
% with an EHC plan
5.6%
Typical secondary: 2.9%

Attendance

Overall absence
9.6%
Typical secondary: 8.9%
Persistently absent
24.5%
Typical secondary: 25.7%

Staffing & funding

Pupils per teacher
20.2
Typical secondary: 16.7
Spend per pupil
£7,034
Typical secondary: £7,815

“Typical” = the median secondary school in England. What this means

What pupils do next

The share of this school's Year 11 leavers in education, training or employment for at least two terms afterwards.

In education, training or work
89%
189 pupils tracked
Stayed in education
81%
Apprenticeship
1%
Employment
7%

DfE, KS4 destination measures.

Nearby secondary schools

Location

About St James School

St James School is a secondary school in Exeter, Devon, classified by the DfE as a converter academy. Around 989 pupils aged 11 to 16 attend the school. The school's average Attainment 8 score in the latest GCSE results was 46.9 — broadly in line with the national average (national average: 46). Its Attainment 8 score has fallen by 2.4 points compared with the previous year. On our composite score, which combines the DfE attainment measures above, this places it in the top 43% of secondary schools nationally.

53% of pupils achieved a grade 5 or above in both English and maths, above the national average of about 45%. 69% achieved a standard pass (grade 4+) in English and maths. 96% of the families who made St James School their first choice were offered a Year 7 place for September 2026, even though the school made at least as many offers as it had first choices - the rest withdrew, moved or fell outside a priority group. In 2026 the furthest child offered a place lived 1.13 miles from the school in a straight line, according to the council's published allocation figures; the distance changes every year with demand. After Year 11, 89% of its leavers went on to education, an apprenticeship or work that they stayed in for at least two terms. Overall pupil absence was 9.6%. There are about 20.2 pupils per teacher. St James School does not currently have a recent graded Ofsted judgement on record (often the case for newer or recently converted schools), so it is worth asking when its next inspection is expected. 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.

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