St James' Catholic Primary School, Skelmersdale
Primary · Voluntary aided school · Ages 2–11 · Skelmersdale, Lancashire
St James' Catholic Primary School, Skelmersdale is a primary school in Skelmersdale, Lancashire for ages 2–11 (voluntary aided school). Its latest Ofsted outcome is Good, from the inspection on 22 February 2023.
Key facts
- Address
- Ashurst Road, Ashurst, Skelmersdale, WN8 6TN
- Type
- Voluntary aided school
- Phase
- Primary
- Ages
- 2–11
- Sector
- See recorded establishment type
- Religious character
- Roman Catholic
- Council
- Lancashire
- Pupils on roll
- 229 January 2026 school census
- Free school meals
- 16.6% of pupils eligible
- Pupils per teacher
- 24.7
Official record: Get Information about Schools · as at 15 September 2026
Ofsted
Good Inspected 22 February 2023
Strengths
- “There is a genuine warmth in the interactions between pupils and staff at this nurturing school.”
- “One member of staff summed this up best as the ‘loving approach’ that pupils and staff take towards their relationships with each other.”
- “This helps pupils to feel well cared for and happy.”
To improve
- “However, in some subjects, leaders have not developed the same level of guidance.”
- “In these subjects, teachers are less clear on how best to teach important knowledge.”
- “This means that teachers do not deliver some subject curriculums consistently well.”
Safeguarding: Effective
Quoted from the Ofsted report published 27 April 2023 (read the report). Crown copyright, Open Government Licence v3.0.
Exam results
| Measure | School | England |
|---|---|---|
| Key stage 2 · reading, writing and maths, expected standard (2024/25) | 78% | 62% |
Department for Education school performance data. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
Applications and offers
- 2026 Reception entry: 38 first-preference applications, 29 offers in total, 29 offers to first-preference applicants.
Department for Education, school-level applications and offers, figures on national offer day. Earlier years are in the pass.
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Nearby primary schools
Straight-line distance, in Lancashire.
- Dalton St Michael's Church of England Primary School 0.4 mi Good
- Cobbs Brow School 0.5 mi Not judged
- Woodland Community Primary School 0.6 mi Requires improvement
- St John's Catholic Primary School, Skelmersdale 0.9 mi School remains Good
- Crow Orchard Primary School 1.0 mi School remains Good
- St Edmund's Catholic Primary School 1.1 mi Good
- Delph Side Community Primary School 1.3 mi Not judged
- Trinity Church of England/Methodist School 1.3 mi Standards maintained