St James Church of England Primary and Nursery School Review 2026: A growing Okehampton primary with Forest School and strong wraparound care

The latest graded inspection outcome is Good, and the published profile shows Good across quality of education, behaviour and attitudes, personal development, leadership and management, and early years provision, following inspection on 24 January 2023.

Recent key stage 2 performance figures are not available to report here, so the most reliable academic picture comes from curriculum and teaching evidence in official reports and the school’s own curriculum information.

What emerges is a school that has put real effort into curriculum planning and consistency. Leaders are described as ambitious, and teachers are reported to adapt work carefully so that pupils can experience success and achieve well, including pupils with SEND. That “adaptation” point is not just a generic compliment, it is the difference between a curriculum that looks good on paper and one that works for mixed cohorts in real classrooms.

There is also a clear improvement agenda. Leaders identify that in some subjects the curriculum is not yet clear enough about the knowledge and skills pupils should learn, which limits depth of understanding, and they have plans to strengthen this. Parents who want rapid acceleration in every subject may want to ask leaders which subjects are being reworked first and how sequencing is being tightened across the school.

Reading is positioned as a priority, with an explicit expectation that every pupil will be a fluent reader by the end of Year 2. Early years staff are described as having a sharp focus on developing language and communication, with phonics taught from the first day children arrive at school, and close monitoring for pupils who need to catch up.

The report also describes how teachers revisit prior learning so key knowledge sticks, with mathematics used as an example, where pupils apply number knowledge to solve problems and talk confidently about their work.

Beyond the inspection evidence, the school frames learning as extending beyond classrooms through structured educational visits, using an online system for planning and safeguarding of trips, and naming roles responsible for this area.

As a primary and nursery, the main transition point is Year 6 into secondary school. For many local families, Okehampton College is the obvious nearby secondary option in the town.

The most useful questions for parents are practical rather than promotional: which secondary schools are most common for recent leavers, how the school supports transition, and how it prepares pupils for the routines and independence expectations of Year 7. Those are best asked directly, because primary to secondary transition practice can vary meaningfully between schools even within the same local authority.

St James is a state school, so there are no tuition fees. Admissions for Reception follow Devon’s coordinated process.

For September 2026 entry, Devon’s published timetable shows applications opened 15 November 2025 and closed 15 January 2026, with offer day on 16 April 2026.

Demand indicators in the available admissions data show the Reception entry route as oversubscribed, with 52 applications for 30 offers, which is about 1.73 applications per place.

Nursery is different. The school describes Nursery applications as processed under its Nursery Admissions Policy, with applications made directly to the school using its application form. Specific Nursery fee figures should be checked via the official Nursery information, and eligible families may be able to use government funded hours depending on age and circumstances.

If you are weighing up proximity and admissions realism, FindMySchool’s Map Search is a practical way to sanity check your journey and likely day to day logistics before you anchor a housing decision around a single school option.

Pastoral strength is one of the clearest threads in the latest inspection. Adults are described as knowing pupils well, spotting changes in wellbeing quickly, and taking swift action. Pupils enjoy school and feel safe, and behaviour is positive with low-level disruption dealt with quickly when it occurs.

Safeguarding is explicitly confirmed as effective, with a culture where keeping pupils safe is described as everyone’s responsibility, staff training is secure, and leaders respond swiftly to support pupils and families when help is needed.

The SIAMS context also reinforces the wellbeing emphasis, with Diocese of Exeter reporting that St James Primary, Okehampton achieved a J1 outcome in the early 2025 period, which is the framework’s indicator that the school is living up to its foundation as a Church school and enabling pupils and adults to flourish.

The inspection describes high participation in extra curricular activities, including sport, drama and music.

On the school’s own curriculum and enrichment pages, the distinctive offers are clearer and more specific:

• Forest School runs on site as part of lunchtime provision, which is a strong fit for pupils who learn best through practical exploration and structured outdoor routines.

• Music tuition includes instrumental options such as trumpet, trombone, tuba, drum kit and piano, plus Rock-Steady, delivered through visiting professional musicians during the school day (often a deciding factor for families who want music without managing complex out of school logistics).

• Swimming for Years 5 and 6 is accessed at Parklands, offering a consistent route to water confidence and basic competence rather than leaving it to chance.

• Cooking and first aid are presented as life skills within the curriculum, a practical complement to the academic programme and often particularly engaging for pupils who thrive on hands-on learning.

Wraparound care is unusually detailed. Breakfast club runs from 7.30am and after school club runs from 3.25pm to 6.00pm, with a mix of calm indoor activities and organised games, plus snack provision. For working families this can be as important as any single curriculum feature, because it changes what a school week looks like in reality.

The school day runs from 8.45am to 3.25pm for Reception through Year 6, and Nursery starts at 9.00am.

Wraparound provision is clearly set out. Breakfast club starts 7.30am, and after school club runs to 6.00pm on school days.

For travel planning, this is an Okehampton school within Devon, so many families will be looking at walkability, drop-off traffic and local bus patterns rather than long-distance commuting. If you are using public transport, it is worth mapping typical peak time journeys from your address and doing a trial run at school-run time.

• Competition for places. The available admissions figures indicate oversubscription at Reception entry, with 52 applications for 30 offers. If you are outside likely priority groups, have a Plan B that you would genuinely accept.

• Curriculum sequencing is still being tightened in some subjects. Leaders recognise that not all subjects yet specify key knowledge clearly enough for deep understanding, and plans are in place to strengthen this. Families who prioritise breadth and depth across every subject should ask how this work is being phased.

• Nursery is a separate admissions route. Nursery applications are made directly to the school under its Nursery Admissions Policy, so timelines and availability can differ from Reception admissions.

• Faith character is real, but not narrow. The Church of England ethos is part of the school’s identity and is referenced in both inspection and school vision material; families should be comfortable with a Christian foundation and collective worship as part of the weekly rhythm.

St James Church of England Primary and Nursery School looks like a well organised, inclusive Okehampton primary with a calm culture, strong safeguarding practice, and a practical offer that supports family life through substantial wraparound care. The curriculum direction is ambitious, and the enrichment programme, especially Forest School and structured music options, adds texture beyond the basics.

Who it suits: families who want a Church of England primary with clear routines, strong early reading foundations, and reliable childcare wraparound, and who value outdoors learning and practical life skills alongside classroom learning.