ABOUT US

• St James is a very popular school because of its Christian character and good reputation. The ethos and climate of the school is very good.
• It is a very effective school where standards for seven and eleven year olds are well above average in English, mathematics and science.
• Overall the quality of teaching is good and sometimes better.
• The Headteacher’s leadership and management are very good and governors, senior managers and staff very well support her.
• The school offers very good value for money.

As a Voluntary Aided Church of England School, we aim to provide a broad, balanced and differentiated curriculum for all our pupils, set firmly within the guiding principles of a Christian education. Each child is considered to be a unique person, created by God, whose individual talents and potential must be fully developed. Everything in school is designed to promote the highest standards of spiritual, academic, moral, cultural and social education. We aim to provide an ethos, in which pupils can learn and be happy, as well as providing a firm and lasting foundation of knowledge and values to serve them as they grow up and take their place in the society of the twenty-first century.

The school provides an education for pupils from 4 to 11.5 years. The school is popular and oversubscribed with 420 pupils on role. The school is now two-form entry. The school operates fourteen classes into phases as follows:

Reception classes and Year 1 classes (Mrs Smith)

Year 2, 3 and 4 classes (Miss Lewis)

Year 5 and 6 classes (Mr Garner)

The teacher in brackets has responsibility for leading the particular phase.

With the exception of the Reception year which has a separate curriculum, Years 1 and 2 coincides with National Curriculum Key Stage 1 and Years 3, 4, 5 and 6 falls within Key Stage 2. Classes are organised to include the full ability range. Where appropriate, particularly in English and Mathematics, the children are ability grouped within the class. The children are normally based with their class teacher. The specialist skill of teachers is used wherever possible. This happens in Sport, Music, Art, Science, English and Mathematics to varying degrees. Music is taught by Miss Curran to each class.

The curriculum is planned through Schemes of Work in which subjects are co-ordinated into activities aimed at motivating children to learn. Basic skills are taught separately and within other subjects where appropriate. Cross-curricular links are made where possible. Staff plan their work in consultation with each other to ensure that there is breadth, balance and continuity in what the children learn. A leader exists for each subject. Responsibilities include policy development, management of resources, monitoring and evaluation of standards and pupil progress.

The teaching staff has a commitment to giving of their voluntary time to provide extra - curricular opportunities. The school is proud of its achievements in netball, football and athletics and cross-country running. Many of our pupils have gone on to represent their Secondary Schools and some have achieved success at county level and above. All children have the opportunity to attend trials for the school teams and many achieve the opportunity to represent the school who might not be able to do so in a larger institution. The school also has a flourishing Choir. Additionally a range of recorder, instrumental groups, chess club, environmental club, PE club and drama activities take place on a regular basis. An Art Club offers the opportunity for groups of children to take part in Arts Projects.