Schools by area › Lancashire › Chorley St James' Church of England Primary School
Chorley St James' Church of England Primary School
Primary · Mixed · Ages 3–11 · Voluntary aided
Devonport Way, Chorley PR6 0TE · chorleystjamesblogs.net · 01257 264638
Overview
- Ofsted
- Outstanding
- 2019 framework · inspected Jun 2023
- Key stage 2, 2024/25
- 58%
- reached the expected standard in reading, writing and maths. Lancashire 60%, England 62%
- Demand for places
- 1.2
- first choices for each place · Reception, September 2026
- Pupils
- 229
- 49 over 180 places · 127%
- Local authority
- Lancashire
- Nursery class
- Yes
- Free school meals
- 14.1%
- First language not English
- 11.8%
- School census 2025/26
The official school record (Department for Education)
Admissions
For Reception in September 2026, 35 families put the school first and 29 places were offered; 83% of those families were offered a place there. Admission depends on the school’s own rules.
First choices against places
| Reception | Places | First choices | Per place | % offered |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| September 2026Sept 2026 | 29 | 35 | 1.2▲ | 83% |
| September 2025Sept 2025 | 29 | 31 | 1.1▲ | 90% |
| September 2024Sept 2024 | 30 | 34 | 1.1▲ | 88% |
| September 2023Sept 2023 | 30 | 35 | 1.2▲ | 83% |
| September 2022Sept 2022 | 30 | 31 | 1▲ | 97% |
Results
In 2024/25, 58% of pupils reached the expected standard in reading, writing and maths at the end of key stage 2, and 6% the higher standard. Across Lancashire it was 60%, and across England 62%.
Expected standard reading, writing and maths
| 2024/25 | Trend | School | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Reading, writing and maths | |||
| ▼58% | 62% | ||
| ●6% | 8% | ||
| Average scaled score | |||
| ▼102 | 106 | ||
| ▼102 | 105 | ||
| ▼102 | 105 | ||
Ofsted
Chorley St James' Church of England Primary School was judged Outstanding at its last graded inspection, on 13 June 2023, under Ofsted’s 2019 framework.
- Overall
- Outstanding
- Inspected
- 13 Jun 2023
- Graded inspection
Safeguarding effectiveInspection reports
Graded areas
| Quality of education | Outstanding |
|---|---|
| Behaviour and attitudes | Outstanding |
| Personal development | Outstanding |
| Leadership and management | Outstanding |
| Early years | Outstanding |
Previously: Improving, ungraded inspection, Jan 2020
Earlier inspections
September 2019 to November 2025
Jan 2020Ungraded inspectionImproving
Safeguarding Effective
Before September 2019
Oct 2011Good
Outcomes for pupils Good Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Good Leadership and management Good Early years Good Mar 2009Requires improvement
Outcomes for pupils Requires improvement Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Requires improvement Leadership and management Requires improvement Early years Good
What parents said
98% of the parents who answered Ofsted’s Parent View survey would recommend the school (61 replies, to 1 April 2024).
- Recommend
- 98%
- Replies
- 61
- 27% · 1 Apr 2024
based on the 56% who raised concerns
based on the 16% who had a child bullied
based on 11 parents (18%) with SEND