Church Cowley St James Church of England Primary School
Voluntary controlled primary school in Oxford (Oxfordshire).
Location
iSchool location from Get Information about Schools. Nearby schools are coloured by phase. Open Map+ for a full-screen map with neighbourhood deprivation (England only).About
Church Cowley St James Primary School is a voluntary controlled (VC) Church of England School and has been serving its community for over 170 years. As the community has grown, so has the school. We are largely oversubscribed, admitting pupils from a wide variety of backgrounds from the ages of 3 to 11, with two classes of 30 children in each year group.
Our school is one of the largest primary schools in Oxford City, admitting approximately 460 children through its doors every day. We are an all-through primary school (Reception class to Year 6) with our own 72 place Nursery.
Situated in bright, vibrant, Cowley we are proud of our church and motor industry heritage, large cultural mix and the diverse ethnicity of the school; it really makes the school a brilliant place to work and learn. CCSJ is committed to being an inclusive place for children to learn and to meet friends from all walks of life.
We welcome pupils from a wide range of backgrounds to come together here, to share new experiences and to learn from one another.
In the school’s own words, from the school website.
Enrichment
3 activitiesiFound on the school website by WhatSchool. Not verified by Governance Register; the school website is the authority.- Forest School
- Times Tables Rock Stars
- Retrieval Practice
Awards
1 awardiFound on the school website by WhatSchool. Not verified by Governance Register; the school website is the authority.- Eco SchoolsEnvironment
Key facts
- URN
- 123139
- Type
- Voluntary controlled school
- Phase
- Primary
- Ages
- 3 to 11
- Gender
- Mixed
- Religious character
- Church of England
- Sixth form
- Does not have a sixth form
- Nursery
- Has Nursery Classes
- Local authority
- Oxfordshire
- Constituency
- Oxford East
- Setting
- Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
Governing body (9 current, 2 former)
Maintained school governing body.
Leadership
| Name | Role | How appointed | Term |
|---|---|---|---|
| Helen Lundebye | Chair of Governors | Appointed by GB/board | since 2024 · until 2028 |
Full governing body
| Name | Role | How appointed | Term |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sayema Monam | Governor | Appointed by LA | since 2026 · until 2030 |
| Claire Gilbert | Governance Professional - Local Authority Maintained SchoolGovernance professional | since 2025 | |
| Dr Daniel De Burca | Governor | Elected by parents | since 2025 · until 2028 |
| Adam Evans | Governor | Elected by parents | since 2025 · until 2028 |
| Mrs Samantha Adams | Governor | Appointed by GB/board | since 2024 · until 2028 |
| Mr Thomas Peacock | Governor | Elected by school staff | since 2024 · until 2028 |
| Mr Raj Desai | Governor | Appointed by LA | since 2023 · until 2027 ends 2027 |
| Geoff Bayliss | Governor | Ex-officio foundation governor (appointed by foundation by virtue of the office they hold) | since 2015 |
| Mrs Samantha Adams Former | Governance Professional - Local Authority Maintained SchoolGovernance professional | since 2024 · term ended 2025 | |
| Mr Peter Samuel Hill Former | Governor | Foundation/sponsor members | since 2022 · term ended 2026 |
Source: Department for Education, Get Information about Schools (governance records, as at 25 October 2026). Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Names are shown as published; there are no addresses or contact details. Current and former are worked out from term end dates when the page loads. Object or ask for removal · Report an issue with this record