St James School Review 2026: Calm classrooms, ambitious curriculum, and a structured enrichment programme

St James School in St Thomas, Exeter positions itself around a simple, memorable standard, Work Hard. Be Kind. That message is reinforced through routines, house identity, and a consistent approach to behaviour and learning. The school sits within The Ted Wragg Multi Academy Trust, with a strong emphasis on relationships, attendance, and a broad set of experiences alongside GCSE study.

This is a state secondary for students aged 11 to 16, so there are no tuition fees. Instead, the practical question for most families is how admissions work in Devon, and how to get a realistic feel for the culture before applying. The published admissions timetable for September 2026 entry points families to an autumn application window and an early March allocation date.

The school’s culture is built to be predictable. Students belong to one of four houses, Bristol, Bath, Oxford and Goldsmiths, and house points reward both conduct and learning habits. That structure matters because it supports a calm climate, particularly in a mixed-ability intake where consistency helps students settle and focus.

Leadership is clearly anchored. The headteacher is Miss Emily Harper, and governance information indicates a headteacher start date of 01 September 2023.

St James also leans into belonging for families, not just students. The school describes regular headteacher tours and family coffee mornings, which is a practical indicator that leadership wants contact to be routine rather than only crisis-driven.

A final note on identity, St James is actively building a record of its own story through a history project, with school archives that include headteachers’ log books from 1863 to 1977. That does not mean the current school has operated unchanged since the nineteenth century, but it does show long-standing educational roots on the St James community timeline.

St James is ranked 1,178th in England for GCSE outcomes and 3rd locally in Exeter, based on FindMySchool rankings using official data. That places performance broadly in line with the middle 35% of schools in England (25th to 60th percentile), rather than at either extreme.

On outcomes, the headline measures give a mixed but generally positive picture:

• Attainment 8 is 49.3, a broadly solid level of overall GCSE achievement across subjects.

• Progress 8 is 0.09, which indicates students make slightly above-average progress from their starting points.

• The average EBacc APS is 4.56, above the England average of 4.08.

• 29% of pupils achieve grade 5 or above across the EBacc subjects.

For parents, the key implication is that the school’s academic story is not about selective intake or narrow exam drilling. It is about steady progress, with strengths in core academic coverage, plus a clear message that consistency of outcomes across subjects remains an area to keep an eye on.

Teaching and curriculum at St James are designed around sequencing and knowledge retention. Homework is framed explicitly as retrieval practice, with tasks intended to build long-term memory and study habits, and there is also a homework club option for students who benefit from structure after lessons.

Reading sits as a visible strand, with a defined St James canon and a central library positioned as both a study space and a place to support reading for pleasure. This approach can suit students who need help building routine reading habits, not just those already confident readers.

Where St James is most distinctive is the way enrichment is built into the weekly model. Electives are not treated as optional extras for the most confident students. They are integrated, timetabled, and explicitly balanced across creative, active, and service or skill categories.

Where Students Go Next

Because St James is an 11 to 16 school with no sixth form, destination planning starts early. Families should expect Year 11 guidance to focus on post-16 routes across Exeter and Devon, including further education and sixth-form pathways elsewhere, and on ensuring students understand technical and apprenticeship routes as well as academic ones.

A practical way to evaluate this area is to look for the quality of careers encounters and the depth of employer engagement, not just headline “college progression” claims. St James references meaningful employer encounters through its wider personal development expectations, which is a helpful indicator of intent, even where published destination statistics are not provided.

Admissions are coordinated through Devon’s standard secondary application process. For September 2026 entry, the published application window runs from 01 September 2025 to 31 October 2025, with the Year 7 allocation date listed as 02 March 2026. Appeals timings are also set out, with an appeal deadline of 20 April 2026 and hearings expected by 23 June 2026 for the normal round.

St James also publishes transition information for incoming Year 7. For 2026 transition, the school lists a pre-transition day and transition evening on Tuesday 07 July, with transition days on Wednesday 08 July and Thursday 09 July. These are useful details because they signal planned induction rather than an informal “see you in September” handover.

For families trying to judge fit, open events typically sit in the early autumn. St James published an open evening update in October 2025, which suggests a recurring September to October pattern, but families should check the current year’s dates directly rather than relying on last year’s calendar.

If proximity and travel time are part of your decision, FindMySchool’s Map Search is the most efficient way to test feasibility across multiple Exeter options before you commit to a shortlist.

Pastoral support at St James is tied closely to behaviour routines and attendance. The school’s model aims for a calm, purposeful learning environment, backed by clear consequences and support when students struggle with disruption. The most recent Ofsted inspection (14 and 15 November 2023) confirmed the school continues to be Good, and safeguarding arrangements are effective.

In inclusion, St James describes accurate identification of special educational needs and disabilities, with teachers expected to know student needs and to support access to the curriculum. The implication for parents is straightforward, ask how individual support is implemented day-to-day in mainstream lessons, since the biggest determinant of impact is classroom consistency rather than policy language.

The school also publishes a practical set of family financial supports for eligible students, such as help with uniform, learning equipment, and partial support towards trips. This matters because it reduces the risk that enrichment becomes participation-by-income, especially in a model where electives and experiences are central.

Enrichment is a structural feature at St James rather than a bolt-on. Electives run weekly and the school reports 49 different activities, with external coaches and significant off-site participation each week. The aim is breadth, not just depth for a small number of specialists.

What makes the programme tangible is the specificity of what students can actually do. Examples referenced include bike maintenance, sign language, sea safety, knitting, performance poetry, and preparation for a school show. That blend matters because it creates different entry points for different personalities, creative confidence for some, practical competence for others, and teamwork for those drawn to physical challenges.

For students who respond well to longer-term goals, St James links its electives model to the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award, enabling students to align weekly commitments with the volunteering, physical and skills sections. Ten Tors is another clear pillar, with the school reporting Year 10 participation and training as a structured challenge rather than a one-off trip.

Culture and belonging also show up in student groups and events. St James references culture day, a diversity group, and a culture club, which is more meaningful than generic “celebrating diversity” claims because it implies planned activity rather than occasional assemblies.

The published school day runs from Lesson 1 at 08.35 to Lesson 5 finishing at 15.00, with break and staggered lunch and canon time across year groups. Wednesdays include timetabled electives within the afternoon model.

As an 11 to 16 secondary, St James does not operate the kind of wraparound childcare common in primaries, but it does offer structured after-school study support through homework club, and enrichment runs beyond the final lesson for many students through the electives and wider programme.

For transport planning, families typically evaluate this school alongside other Exeter secondaries and local post-16 providers, so trial runs at peak time are worthwhile, particularly if you are weighing walking versus bus routes.

• Outcomes consistency by subject. Curriculum ambition is clear, but external review notes that implementation is not consistently effective across all subject areas, and outcomes are not consistently high. This is worth probing through subject-level questions at open events.

• Progression at 16. With no sixth form, every student transitions out after Year 11. That suits families who want choice at 16, but it also means post-16 planning needs to start earlier than it might in an 11 to 18 school.

• Application timelines are not flexible. Devon’s secondary deadline of 31 October is the key date for September entry, and late applications can be disadvantaged. Families new to the system should diarise early.

• A structured culture can feel firm. Clear consequences and tight routines create calm classrooms, but some students take time to adjust if they are coming from looser primary settings. The best test is to ask how support works for students who struggle initially.

St James School suits families who want a state secondary with clear routines, a calm learning climate, and enrichment that is built into the weekly structure rather than reserved for a small minority. The academic profile is steady, with slightly above-average progress and a strong emphasis on building knowledge and reading habits. The main decision points are admissions timing, and whether a move at 16 aligns with your child’s preferred pathway.