St James Church of England Primary Academy
Primary · Academy sponsor led · Ages 3–11 · Rochester, Medway
Last distance offered · Reception 2026
Every applicant was offered a place
From Medway Council · offers on 16 April 2026
Nearby schools' earlier years 🔒
St James Church of England Primary Academy is a primary school in Rochester, Medway for ages 3–11 (academy sponsor led). Its latest Ofsted outcome is School remains Good, from the inspection on 24 May 2023. Medway has published a last distance offered for this school for Reception 2026 entry.
St James Church of England Primary Academy catchment area: last distance offered
Parents often call this the catchment area: it's how far from the school the last child offered a place lived. It changes every year.
| Entry | Last distance offered |
|---|---|
| Reception 2026 | Every applicant was offered a place |
What the pass includes · How to read it: one past year, not a catchment
What the figures show
- Every applicant was offered a place for Reception 2026, as at 43 of the 66 other Medway primary schools with a published Reception 2026 outcome.
- There were 12 first-choice applications for 12 Reception 2026 offers, and every first-choice family was offered a place.
- In 2024/25, 38% of pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths (England 62%), and 3% reached the higher standard (England 8%).
Worked out by Catchmently from the published figures on this page and those for other Medway schools. Distances are as published; how they were measured differs between admission authorities.
Key facts
- Address
- High Street, Isle of Grain, Rochester, ME3 0BS
- Type
- Academy sponsor led
- Phase
- Primary
- Ages
- 3–11
- Religious character
- Church of England
- Council
- Medway
- Pupils on roll
- 176 January 2026 school census
- Free school meals
- 28.4% of pupils eligible
- Pupils per teacher
- 21.1
Official record: Get Information about Schools · as at 15 September 2026
Ofsted
School remains Good Inspected 24 May 2023
Strengths
- “A warm welcome awaits everyone entering this thriving school.”
- “Pupils greet adults with a smile, always holding doors open for others.”
- “Relationships are kind, polite and respectful.”
To improve
- “Phonics achievement was lower than national averages last year, so reading has a high priority to help all pupils achieve well.”
- “In some subjects, pupils sometimes find it hard to recall and use the vocabulary they need.”
- “However, pupils need further support to securely understand and use the words they need to explain and develop their learning.”
Safeguarding: Effective
Quoted from the Ofsted report published 7 July 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) | 38% | 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: 12 first-preference applications, 12 offers in total, 12 offers to first-preference applicants.
Department for Education, school-level applications and offers, figures on national offer day. Earlier years are in the pass.
Nearby primary schools
Straight-line distance, in Medway.
- Leigh Academy Peninsula East 3.5 mi Good Last distance published
- Leigh Academy High Halstow 6.6 mi Outstanding Last distance published
- Hoo St Werburgh Primary School and the Marlborough 7.4 mi Good Last distance published
- Riverside Primary School 7.6 mi Standards maintained Last distance published
- Thames View Primary School 7.8 mi Good Last distance published
- Saxon Way Primary School 8.2 mi Standards maintained Last distance published
- St Margaret's Church of England Junior School 8.2 mi School remains Good
- St Margaret's Infant School 8.2 mi Improved significantly Last distance published