Junior schools start at Year 3, so children join here from an infant school.
Every child joining in Year 3 needs a place applied for through the council where they live, by 15 January in Year 2.
Official inspection reports and grades
Inspected 22 September 2026
Compared with the local authority and England
The share of pupils reaching the standard expected for their age, and the share going beyond it.
| Measure | School | Westmorland and Furness | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Reading, writing & maths — expected | 31% | 58% | 63% |
| Reading, writing & maths — higher | 0% | 6% | 8% |
| Grammar, punctuation & spelling — expected | 42% | 71% | 73% |
| Grammar, punctuation & spelling — higher | 12% | 23% | 30% |
A score of 100 is the expected standard; 110 or more is a higher standard.
| Subject | School | Westmorland and Furness | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Reading | 100 | 105 | 106 |
| Maths | 99 | 104 | 105 |
| Grammar, punctuation & spelling | 99 | 105 | 105 |
School workforce census, 2025/26.
Ofsted inspected St James' CofE Junior School on 22 September 2026 using a report card, which grades each area separately and gives no overall grade. The school met Ofsted's safeguarding standards. It was graded Expected standard for inclusion, for leadership and governance, for personal development and wellbeing and for attendance and behaviour; Needs attention for achievement and for curriculum and teaching.
Apply through the council where you live by 15 January for a Year 3 place starting that September. Children moving up from an infant school still need to apply. You can usually list between 3 and 6 schools in order of preference, and offers are sent on 16 April, or the next working day. As a Church of England school it may also ask for a supplementary form, and its admissions policy says whether it does.
No. Distance only counts when St James' CofE Junior School has more applicants than places. Then its admission criteria, set by its governing body, decide who is offered a place first. Children in care or adopted from care come first by law. Most schools put brothers and sisters of current pupils next, then distance or a catchment area. As a Church of England school, it can give priority to children on grounds of faith. How far away the last place went changes every year, depending on who applies.
St James' CofE Junior School had 121 pupils aged 7 to 11 at the latest school census. Its official capacity is 240. It is a mixed school.