St James AcademyThe Link Academy
Inspection, results, pupils and attendance side by side in Dudley.
Summary of the comparison
St James Academy and The Link Academy are secondary schools in Dudley.
St James Academy scores 53 out of 100 (grade D, below average) and The Link Academy scores 56 out of 100 (grade C, average). The Link Academy is ahead on our composite score.
St James Academy was judged Good and The Link Academy was judged strong.
On GCSE Attainment 8, the latest published figures are 36.8 for St James Academy and 40.4 for The Link Academy.
GCSE Attainment 8 has held broadly level at St James Academy (38.4 in 2021-22, 36.8 in 2024-25) and has fallen at The Link Academy (45.5 in 2021-22, 40.4 in 2024-25).
Side-by-side comparison
| Measure | DudleySt James Academy | DudleyThe Link Academy | England average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overview | |||
| Our score | D53/100 | C56/100Stronger figure | |
| Local ranking | 13th of 18 in Dudley | 9th of 18 in Dudley Stronger figure | |
| Inspection | Ofsted: Good | Ofsted: StrongStronger figure | |
| School type | Academy converter | Academy sponsor led | |
| Phase | Secondary | Secondary | |
| Age range | 11-16 | 11-16 | |
| Gender | Mixed | Mixed | |
| Pupils on roll | 859 | 1,014 | |
| Capacity | 900 | 1,050 | |
| Location | Dudley, DY1 3JE | Dudley, DY2 0PB | |
| GCSE results | |||
| Attainment 8 | 36.8 | 40.4 Stronger figure | 46.0 |
| Grade 5+ in English & maths | 37.3% Stronger figure | 32.8% | 45.4% |
| Grade 4+ in English & maths | 47.7% | 56.9% Stronger figure | 64.8% |
| Entering EBacc | 37.9% Stronger figure | 18.5% | 40.5% |
| EBacc average point score | 3.32 | 3.48 Stronger figure | 4.09 |
| Cohort | 153 | 195 | |
| Pupils | |||
| Pupils in the census | 859 | 1,014 | |
| Free school meals (ever 6) | 51.0% | 50.9% | |
| English as an additional language | 34.7% | 24.6% | |
| SEN support | 11.8% | 17.9% | |
| SEN with an EHC plan | 2.0% | 2.3% | |
| Attendance | |||
| Overall absence | 11.5% | 9.8% Stronger figure | 6.2% |
| Persistent absence | 35.2% | 32.1% Stronger figure | 15.8% |
marks the stronger figure on measures with a clear direction. Rows describing a school's intake, such as free school meals, English as an additional language and SEN, carry no marker: they describe who a school serves, not how well it serves them.
Historical trends
Each solid line is one school; the dashed line is the national average.
GCSE Attainment 8
GCSE Progress 8
Overall absence
Free school meal eligibility (ever 6)
Pupils on roll
Ethnicity over time
One panel per school: the largest groups across this comparison, one colour per group, on a shared scale.
St James Academy
The Link Academy
Full profiles: St James Academy · The Link Academy