St James the Great RC Primary and Nursery School
St. James the Great School, Thornton Heath, CR7 8HJ
447 pupils · 106% of 420 capacity
- Phase
- Primary
- Type
- Academy converter
- Ages
- 3–11
- Gender
- Mixed
- Religious character
- Roman Catholic
- Trust
- ST BENEDICT CATHOLIC ACADEMY TRUST
- Local authority
- Croydon
- Free school meals
- 20.2%
Ofsted
Outstanding (2023) — Rated under the pre-September 2024 inspection system
This school has not yet been inspected under the report-card system introduced in November 2025. When it is, this section will show a grade for each area — Ofsted says the new grades do not map onto the old ones, so we do not predict them.
Inspected 1 November 2023, published 5 December 2023. Read the full Ofsted report
England has three coexisting inspection systems — how we translate them into one signal.
Exam results
| Measure | 2024/25 |
|---|---|
| Reaching the expected standard in reading, writing & maths | 71% |
| Reaching the higher standard | 7% |
“Not published (small cohort)” means the DfE suppressed the figure to protect small cohorts — it is not a zero.
Will my child get in?
Roughly one first choice per place — 1.17 first-choice applications per place (Sept 2026 entry)
| Entry | Places | 1st preferences | Total preferences | Offers |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sept 2026 entry | 59 | 69 | 172 | 59 |
| Sept 2025 entry | 60 | 71 | 173 | 60 |
| Sept 2024 entry | 60 | 69 | 189 | 60 |
| Sept 2023 entry | 60 | 73 | 154 | 60 |
| Sept 2022 entry | 60 | 64 | 155 | 60 |
| Sept 2021 entry | 60 | 67 | 175 | 60 |
| Sept 2020 entry | 60 | 69 | 176 | 60 |
| Sept 2019 entry | 60 | 80 | 199 | 60 |
First-choice demand varies year to year, and the school’s admission criteria — not demand — decide who is offered a place. Use this as a rough signal, never a prediction.
Nearby alternatives
- Beulah Junior School 0.5 km · Requires improvement (2024) · previous system
- Beulah Infants' School 0.6 km · Good — confirmed 2023 · previous system
- St Cyprian's Greek Orthodox Primary Academy 0.6 km · Requires improvement (2024) · previous system
- David Livingstone Academy 0.6 km · Standards maintained (2025)
- Kensington Avenue Primary School 0.7 km · Requires improvement (2023) · previous system
- Winterbourne Boys' Academy 1 km · Good — confirmed 2022 · previous system
Straight-line distance — not travel time, and not a catchment. Same phase, open schools only.
Data from DfE and Ofsted open data (OGL v3) — sources. School record updated 10 July 2026. Report incorrect data.