St James Academy

St James Academy at a glance

Located in Dudley, St James Academy is a secondary school, classified by the DfE as a converter academy. The school educates roughly 859 pupils aged 11 to 16. Ofsted judged the school to be 'Good' at its most recent inspection. The school's average Attainment 8 score in the latest GCSE results was 36.8 — below the national average (national average: 46). Its Attainment 8 score has fallen by 1.3 points compared with the previous year. On our composite score, which combines the DfE attainment measures above, this places it in the lower half of secondary schools nationally.

37% of pupils achieved a grade 5 or above in both English and maths, below the national average of about 45%. 48% achieved a standard pass (grade 4+) in English and maths. 98% of the families who made St James Academy 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 2.20 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, 86% of its leavers went on to education, an apprenticeship or work that they stayed in for at least two terms. Overall pupil absence was 12.4%. There are about 21.2 pupils per teacher. The school serves a community with above-average levels of disadvantage: about 51% of pupils have been eligible for free school meals in the last six years, compared with roughly 24% nationally — useful context when reading the results above. When you visit, you might ask how the school stretches its higher-attaining pupils and supports those who need to catch up. 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.