School profile

St James School

Secondary · Academy converter · Exeter, EX4 8NN

Good

Map showing St James School

Schools
Numbers on map: pupil ages
Outstanding
Good
Requires improvement
Inadequate
Not rated

National ranking

GCSE 2025/26

#1,088 of 3,312

Better than 67% of schools in England

Ranked by Attainment 8 score, state-funded mainstream schools.

St James School Ofsted rating

Ofsted four-point inspection gradesInspected 24 Mar 2015

Ofsted rating
Good
Leadership and management
Good

School facts

PhaseSecondary
TypeAcademy converter
Ages11 to 16
Pupils985 of 953 places
GenderMixed
Admissions policyNon-selective
Head teacherMiss Emily Harper
TrustTHE TED WRAGG MULTI ACADEMY TRUST
Local authorityDevon
Opened01 May 2016
WebsiteVisit

Source: Get Information about Schools, URN 142805.

GCSE results

2025/26

GCSE and equivalent results at the end of year 11. Attainment 8 averages results across 8 subjects.

MeasureThis schoolDevonEngland
Attainment 8 score49.245.646.2
Grade 4 or above in English and maths70.2%65.3%64.8%
Grade 5 or above in English and maths50.5%45.3%46.3%
Grade 7 or above in English and maths15.7%12.4%14.2%
5 or more GCSEs at grade 9-4, including English and maths63.1%60%60.2%
Pupils at the end of key stage 4198--

Source: DfE, Key stage 4 performance, Academic year 2025/26, published 15 Oct 2026.

Pupils

2025/26
MeasureThis school
Pupils985
Girls474
Boys511
Eligible for free school meals28.1%
First language not English18.5%
SEN support215
EHC plan52
Average class size27.5

Source: DfE, Schools, pupils and their characteristics, Academic year 2025/26, published 04 Jun 2026.

Pupils ethnicity

2025/26

Pupils ethnicity

White British
71%
Other White
8.5%
Other ethnic group
5.5%
African
2.7%
Indian
1.8%
White and Asian
1.6%
Other mixed
1.5%
White and Black African
0.9%
Bangladeshi
0.9%
White and Black Caribbean
0.7%

Source: DfE, Schools, pupils and their characteristics, Academic year 2025/26, published 04 Jun 2026.

Attendance

2025/26

Share of possible sessions missed. Persistent absence means missing 10% or more of sessions; severe absence means missing 50% or more.

MeasureThis schoolDevonEngland
Overall absence8.8%9.4%8%
Persistent absence23.5%24.9%21.6%
Severe absence3.7%5.1%3.6%

Source: DfE, Pupil absence in schools in England, Autumn and spring term 2025/26, published 15 Oct 2026.

Admissions

2026/27

Applications and offers for the main entry points. Offers from oversubscribed schools depend on each school's admissions criteria; check the local authority admissions page.

MeasureThis school
Offers made (Year 7)191
Applications (Year 7)355
First preference applications (Year 7)189
First preference offers (Year 7)182
Applications from another local authority (Year 7)1

Source: DfE, Primary and secondary school applications and offers, Academic year 2026/27, published 18 Jun 2026.

Capacity

2024/25
MeasureThis school
School places953
Pupils on roll985
Unfilled places0%

Source: DfE, School capacity, Academic year 2024/25, published 19 Mar 2026.

Teachers and staff

2025/26
MeasureThis school
Pupils per teacher19.8
Pupils per adult13.1
Teachers (FTE)49.8
Teaching assistants (FTE)15.41
Support staff (FTE)35.75
Teachers in census year (FTE)2024/2549
Teachers who stayed (FTE)2024/2540.9
Teachers who moved to another state school (FTE)2024/254
Teachers who left state schools (FTE)2024/254.1

Source: DfE, School workforce in England, Reporting year 2025, published 04 Jun 2026.

Suspensions and exclusions

2024/25
MeasureThis school
Suspension rate22.6%
Pupils with one or more suspensions8.5%
Permanent exclusion rate0%
Permanent exclusions0

Source: DfE, Suspensions and permanent exclusions in England, Academic year 2024/25, published 09 Jul 2026.

Destinations after GCSEs

2023/24

Where pupils went after year 11, sustained for at least two terms.

MeasureThis school
Sustained destination92.2%
Staying in education84.5%
Further education81.3%
Not sustained5.2%
Employment4.1%
Apprenticeship3.6%
School sixth form2.6%
Sixth form college0%

Source: DfE, Key stage 4 destination measures, Academic year 2024/25, published 15 Oct 2026.

Nearby schools

Ratings include official Ofsted judgements and Area360 summaries of inspection grades. Open a school’s profile for its inspection grades and results.

Schools near St James School
DistancePhaseNameTypeRatingLinks
0.2 miPrimaryWillowbrook SchoolAcademy sponsor led
Requires improvement
0.5 miPrimaryWhipton Barton Infants and Nursery SchoolAcademy converter
Good
0.6 miPrimaryWhipton Barton Junior SchoolAcademy converter
Good
0.8 miPrimaryStoke Hill Junior SchoolCommunity school
Good
0.8 miPrimaryStoke Hill Infant and Nursery SchoolCommunity school
Good
0.8 miSecondarySt Luke's Church of England SchoolAcademy sponsor led
Good
1.0 miPrimaryPinhoe Church of England Primary School & NurseryVoluntary aided school
Good
1.0 miPrimaryLadysmith Junior SchoolAcademy converter
Requires improvement
1.0 miPrimaryLadysmith Infant & Nursery SchoolAcademy converter
Requires improvement
1.1 miPrimarySt Michael's Church of England Primary AcademyAcademy sponsor led
Good

Frequently asked questions about St James School

What is St James School's Ofsted rating?

St James School is rated Good by Ofsted, last inspected on 24 Mar 2015.

How does St James School rank in England?

St James School ranks 1,088 of 3,312 schools in England for GCSE 2025/26 (better than 67% of schools).

How many pupils attend St James School?

St James School has 985 pupils aged 11 to 16, with capacity for 953.

Figures are the latest published by the Department for Education for each measure. Small numbers are suppressed by the publisher to protect pupils' privacy. Read how Area360 school ratings and rankings work.