St James's Church of England High School Review 2026: Faith-led culture, strong personal development, clear routines

In a part of Farnworth where many families want a secondary that feels structured and values-led, St James’s makes a clear offer: a Church of England ethos, daily worship woven into routines, and a strong emphasis on conduct and character alongside GCSE outcomes. The most recent inspection profile supports that positioning, with behaviour and attitudes and personal development graded at the highest level, while overall effectiveness remained Good.

Leadership stability is another anchor. Mrs Catherine Anderson became headteacher in September 2019, having been deputy headteacher at the school since September 2017.

For September 2026, the published admission number for Year 7 is 210, and the admissions route blends local authority coordination with a school supplementary form that matters in oversubscription.

St James’s describes itself as a family, and the way it frames values is explicit, not vague. The school’s stated vision sits under the line Caring for Others † Achieving Excellence, and the wider language is theological as well as pastoral, with an emphasis on each young person being valued and supported to fulfil their potential.

The chaplaincy is not presented as an optional extra. Daily collective worship is positioned as integral, and the chaplaincy is described as inclusive for students of different backgrounds or beliefs. At lunchtime, it also functions as a quieter space for board games, conversation, or reflection, which is often what parents mean when they ask whether a school has calm corners as well as busy corridors.

A distinctive pastoral detail is the school dog, Nala. The school sets out the rationale in practical terms, including supervised student leadership opportunities, reading to Nala, and structured “calm moments” for students who find that helpful on difficult days. It also states that risk assessment, insurance, and supervision arrangements are in place, with reasonable adjustments for allergies or anxieties around dogs.

St James’s is a secondary school for ages 11 to 16, so the headline measures are GCSE indicators rather than A-level outcomes. In the FindMySchool GCSE ranking based on official data, the school is ranked 1,814th in England and 11th in Bolton, placing it in line with the middle 35% of schools in England (25th to 60th percentile).

On attainment and curriculum measures, the school’s Attainment 8 score is 47.9 and the EBacc average point score is 4.17. The proportion of pupils achieving grades 5 or above in the EBacc is 15.3%.

Progress 8 sits at -0.07. In plain terms, that indicates progress that is slightly below the England average when comparing pupils with similar starting points.

Parents comparing options locally can use the FindMySchool Local Hub to view these measures side by side and check how different schools balance EBacc entry, attainment, and progress.

A useful window into teaching culture is how the school structures independent work. From September 2025, Key Stage 3 uses a defined homework model of 50 minutes, five times a week, with an explicit split between core platforms and revision, plus daily reading for pleasure. The published core elements include Sparx for maths, Century for English, and KayScience for science.

Key Stage 4 has its own model, built around 30 minutes, eight times a week, and the school is direct about expectations increasing in the run-up to mock exams.

Subject information pages add helpful specificity. For English, the school sets out that GCSE English Language and English Literature follow AQA, and names current set texts such as An Inspector Calls, A Christmas Carol, Romeo and Juliet, and the Power and Conflict poetry anthology. These kinds of details matter because they indicate curriculum clarity and can help families support reading at home without turning Year 10 into a constant battle over what to revise.

STEM

STEM enrichment is framed as participation in external maths and STEM initiatives, including partnerships with organisations such as the Advanced Mathematics Support Programme (AMSP), Mathematics Education Innovation (MEI), and NRICH. For students who respond well to problem solving and structured challenge, this kind of enrichment can broaden aspirations, particularly when it is linked to careers rather than treated as an abstract extension club.

With no sixth form on site, transition planning at 16 is central. The school publishes careers and enrichment guidance aimed at building experiences that support post-16 applications, including volunteering and broader enrichment as preparation for interviews and written applications.

Locally, one visible destination route is The Sixth Form Bolton, which explicitly references welcoming students from St James’s. Parents should still treat post-16 choice as a separate decision, weighing travel time, course mix, and support, rather than assuming a single default pathway.

For Year 7 entry in September 2026, the admission number is 210. Applications are coordinated through Bolton local authority. For the September 2026 intake, online applications open on 01 September 2025 and close on 31 October 2025 (11:59pm). Offers are issued on 02 March 2026.

Because St James’s is a Church of England school, faith-related oversubscription criteria can apply. The school strongly advises applicants to complete its supplementary form alongside the local authority application, because that is how the school can apply its published criteria if demand exceeds places. The published supplementary form for September 2026 entry states it should be returned by 03 November 2025.

If you are trying to assess how realistic a place is, distance can still matter in many admissions scenarios even when faith criteria are involved. Families can use FindMySchool Map Search to measure their home-to-school distance precisely and sense-check travel feasibility, then match that against the school’s published oversubscription criteria.

The pastoral model is presented through several strands that reinforce each other: a faith framework, structured safeguarding leadership, and practical wellbeing mechanisms.

The safeguarding team is named, including the designated safeguarding lead and deputies, which often signals clear internal accountability rather than an anonymous “pastoral team” label. In addition, the school’s approach to Nala is described with explicit boundaries and risk management, which is relevant for parents who like the idea of pastoral innovation but want assurance that it is controlled and inclusive for students with allergies or fears.

Charity and service are positioned as routine rather than occasional, with a stated focus on local, national, and global charities, including Farnworth and Kearsley Foodbank, MS Society, and Unicef. For some families, this is a strong fit because it translates values into visible action and gives students ready-made ways to contribute.

Extracurricular life is unusually well signposted, with named groups that help parents picture what participation looks like week to week.

Drama includes Lower School Drama Club and SPIRIT Theatre Company, plus an annual school production and links with visiting practitioners from Bolton Octagon. The school also references theatre trips, workshops, and periodic London and New York theatre trips. The implication is that drama is structured as a programme, not just a one-off show.

Music similarly offers identifiable ensembles, including the School Orchestra, Lower School Choir, and Senior Singers, alongside strings groups and concert visits or residential weekends. For students who gain confidence through performance routines, these groups can become a core part of school identity.

For pupils who prefer practical, hands-on clubs, there are options such as Bicycle Repair Club and Vend-a-Spend, a pupil-run school shop selling stationery and other items, as well as Chess Club, Art Club, and subject clubs including maths and science.

Sport is described in terms of participation opportunities across breakfast, lunchtime, and after school, with specialist coaching in areas such as cricket, dance, and trampolining, plus competition entry within Bolton and beyond.

This is a state school with no tuition fees.

The published school day runs from morning registration at 8.35am to a 3:05pm finish, equating to 32 hours and 5 minutes per week.

For travel, the school highlights nearby Bee Network services 501 and 521, as well as school day only services including 938 to 943 that cover areas such as Little Lever, Moses Gate, Stoneclough, Kearsley, Westhoughton, and Atherton. Families should still trial the journey at peak time, since reliability can shift across the year.

• Faith-informed admissions. The supplementary form is not a minor detail for September 2026 entry, it is part of how the school applies oversubscription criteria, and it has a stated return deadline of 03 November 2025.

• No sixth form on site. Students will make a post-16 move, which can be positive for choice, but it does mean planning early for courses, travel, and support.

• Progress is slightly below average. A Progress 8 score of -0.07 suggests outcomes are close to, but a little below, the England benchmark for similar starting points. Families should look for evidence that teaching consistency is strong across subjects, not just in pockets.

• Open events are not consistently dated on the main calendar. The admissions pages cover the mechanics, but parents may need to check for updated open event details rather than relying on a single published date.

St James’s is best understood as a values-led 11 to 16 school: clear routines, visible faith life, and a strong emphasis on behaviour, personal development, and service. The academic picture is broadly typical for England on headline positioning, with slightly below-average progress, so fit matters. This school suits families who want a Church of England setting where worship and chaplaincy are integral, and who value structured expectations alongside a broad set of clubs, ensembles, and practical opportunities.