DISCOVER YOUR ST JAMES
Emma Bell, Headteacher
Education is always about head and heart. At St James, we believe that our unique approach nurtures both.
Our school motto challenges our pupils to speak the truth, live generously and aim for the best and we are incredibly proud of our pupils who balance their academic achievements with emotional resilience and a global conscience.
Rooted in kindness and a belief in the limitless potential of the human spirit, our curriculum inspires and encourages each pupil to develop her own individual passions and to develop the skills to reach her goals.
With dedicated, expert teaching staff and compassionate pastoral care, our diverse community is one of mutual respect and trust, building confidence through genuinely open-minded enquiry and collaboration.
This prospectus provides only a flavour of our broad curriculum and wide range of additional learning opportunities. Please do come and see us to find out more.
We very much look forward to meeting you and your daughter to assist her in discovering her path at St James.
Emma Bell Headteacher
Pupils are highly self-motivated learners with excellent attitudes to learning, reflecting well the school’s values and aims.
Independent Schools Inspectorate 2019
the SCHOOL
We are an independent day school for girls aged 11–18 located in West Kensington and easily accessible via the tube, train or bus network.
We are a two-form entry school, welcoming girls into Year 7 from our own prep school alongside those who transfer from other schools following the 11+ process.
Our teachers are, first and foremost, specialists in their subjects, but they are also dedicated to supporting the wellbeing and development of our pupils. Indeed, positive relationships permeate our school, and we are proud of the camaraderie that exists amongst the pupil body and between students and staff.
Pupils grow to become well-rounded, self-confident individuals during their time with us, emerging with a strong sense of their own unique strengths and talents, and equipped with a blend of academic, spiritual and emotional intelligence.
Pupils say that they value the sense of community in school and credit the clarity of teaching, encouragement and support for their success.
Independent Schools Inspectorate 2019
the CURRICULUM
Our curriculum is carefully planned to ensure our pupils experience a broad range of subjects, developing a true love of learning. From the starting point in Year 7, they will typically go on to focus on nine subjects at GCSE and three at A Level.
Languages
The study of language has always been at the heart of a St James education, with Latin and French offered to all pupils in Years 7 – 9. New pupils follow an enlightening introductory course in Sanskrit in Year 7, and the study of Spanish begins in Year 8, when pupils with particular linguistic interests also have the option to study Classical Greek.
Science and Technology
Sciences are taught by experts in our dedicated laboratories separately as biology, chemistry and physics from Year 8 onwards. Coding, Virtual Reality, digital design and the safe use of technology all form part of a comprehensive approach to information and communication technology (ICT) and Computing at GCSE.
Drama
Drama is an important part of the curriculum for Years 7 – 9. There are also a variety of drama clubs, each of which will put on a school production, as well as opportunities to collaborate with the Boys’ School for combined performances. Drama and Theatre are offered at GCSE and A level.
Music
There is a strong emphasis on music within the school. Many pupils play an instrument and participate in the school orchestras and choirs, and all pupils regularly sing together. At the end of each year, the Girls’ and Boys’ Schools collaborate in a choral and orchestral concert, and every two years they are involved in a staged musical production.
Art
Art is an integral part of the timetable for every pupil from Years 7 – 9 and is an option at GCSE and A Level. Pupils work from observation, imagination and memory, developing a visual vocabulary that enables them to express their ideas and creativity through drawing, painting, printmaking and sculpture. Textiles is also part of the curriculum in Year 7 and can be integrated into examination work in later years.
Careers and Employer Engagement
Careers learning is an integral part of our PSHE curriculum throughout a pupil’s journey at St James, and whole class learning is complemented by assemblies, individual guidance, a range of external speakers and opportunities. Our new innovative ‘Explore Your Future’ and ‘Experience Your Future’ programmes inspire and support our pupils to discover a pathway as individual as they are. Through research, visits and speakers, pupils develop the skills and understanding to prepare them for work experience and mentoring in the senior years in conjunction with our extraordinary alumnae network and opportunities to interact with leading employers.
School visits and trips
Each year, Years 7 – 12 take part in an off-site activity either in the UK or overseas. Pupils are also offered the chance to go on biennial trips to Iceland and Germany as well as a school skiing excursion. Given our privileged central London location, frequent visits to historical sites, art galleries, concerts and the theatre form part of pupils’ cultural enrichment.
Co-curricular activities
Further to their curriculum-based learning, pupils are given extensive opportunities to enjoy new learning experiences. These include a wide variety of sports, the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award, choirs, orchestras, a classical society, art, drama, dance, debating, politics, cookery and STEM clubs. Peripatetic music teachers also offer private lessons in singing and various instruments.
The main factors behind pupils’ excellent achievement are the high quality of teaching, which is intellectually rigorous, resulting in enjoyable, but often challenging lessons; and the suitability of the curriculum, which provides sufficient breadth and depth for very able pupils.
Independent Schools Inspectorate 2019
SPIRITUAL development
As a non-denominational school, we welcome pupils of all faiths and none here at St James. But while there is certainly no requirement to adopt a particular religion or belief, we wholeheartedly believe in the importance of spiritual enrichment, and the fundamental role it plays in pupils’ development.
Mindfulness, drawing on the traditions of meditative practice, is deeply integrated into our school life as a valuable and effective way to instil calm, bring focus to studies, and help with an understanding of the great questions of human existence.
Before and after every lesson, pupils observe a brief period of silence during which they can prepare themselves to be receptive to the next event or activity. We also allocate five-to-ten minutes at the beginning of the day and after lunch to ‘Quiet Time’, providing the school with an opportunity to pause amidst the business of everyday life.
At a deeper level, pupils can opt to learn a specific method of mantra meditation through the School of Meditation, with mentors available to support their practice and discovery of meditation through termly one-to-one meetings.
More generally, our regular assemblies provide the opportunity to educate pupils across a range of spiritual, religious, social and cultural topics, which are brought alive by presentations from visiting speakers, pupils and teachers.
Pupils have extremely positive attitudes to learning and are highly self-motivated. Pupils’ behaviour is impeccable, with a generally calm demeanour, the result, pupils say, of their reflective practices in school.
Independent Schools Inspectorate 2019
EMOTIONAL development
At St James, we don’t just see pupils who are here to learn, we see people who are here to thrive. Caring for the emotional health of our pupils at an individual level is a fundamental part of our ethos, and personal development is embedded within our educational approach.
Teachers work collaboratively to guide all pupils, helping them discover and develop their particular interests, strengths and qualities. This provides them with the necessary support to develop their sense of identity and build selfconfidence as they progress through the school. Our pastoral care is structured to equip pupils with strategies to develop their own mental health and nurture emotional resilience.
We also provide pupils with classroom-based learning on spiritual, moral, social and health education topics through their PSHE lessons. In addition, we offer a series of workshops led by visiting speakers on subjects ranging from healthy living and nutrition to revision skills and relationships. Beyond this, we understand the importance of taking a unified approach to emotional wellbeing that connects school and home life. To achieve this, we provide online tools, hold regular meetings and seminars to help families navigate the world their daughters experience. We value the close communication we have with parents and carers on an ongoing basis.
Pupils are acutely self-aware, without being self-absorbed, because reflection and contemplative practice, together with consideration of others, are built into the everyday life of the school.
Independent Schools Inspectorate 2019
INTELLECTUAL development
Our aim is to provide an education that offers genuine intellectual breadth and depth to expand our pupils’ minds and horizons.
At St James, we offer a broad, discovery curriculum combining arts, humanities, languages and science, underpinned by a sense of enquiry and love of learning.
Our teachers support their pupils as they strive to fulfil their own potential and reach their very best levels of academic attainment. At a deeper level, we encourage them to be rigorous and proactive in their approach to learning, taking personal responsibility for their studies.
The value of this approach can be seen not only in our excellent public examination results but by the fact that, when they leave, our pupils are fully prepared to move beyond their educational experiences and into the world around them.
Setting by Ability
Pupils learn in sets for mathematics from Year 7, for Latin and French from Year 8 and for the sciences and English from Year 9. Aligning the pace of learning with their starting points and learning needs ensures pupils are challenged appropriately and given the individual attention required. Progress is reviewed at the end of every term, with adjustments made wherever necessary.
Academic Enrichment
Enrichment opportunities are offered to all pupils, and those who demonstrate exceptional interest and ability in academic work, art, dance or drama or notable sporting prowess are given further opportunities to maximise their potential in each year group. Pupils are encouraged to enhance their studies in a range of ways, including the study of additional mathematics, attendance at our Minerva lectures or by taking part in the Horizons Research Project.
Learning Development
Pupils with specific learning needs or those who would benefit from additional assistance are supported by our Head of Learning Development (SENDCo), who maintains close communication with parents, carers and subject and form teachers.
Leaders of subjects… identify quickly where extra help is needed or where a gifted pupil requires additional challenge and extension. This has led directly to the continued rise in attainment at both GCSE and A level.
Independent Schools Inspectorate 2019
PHYSICAL education
Throughout our teaching and during our school day, we encourage pupils to live a healthy, active lifestyle. Our ultimate aim is to nurture a spark of sporting enthusiasm in each pupil, and for them to pursue and enjoy their chosen discipline at university and beyond.
Our Physical Education (PE) programme offers the opportunity for pupils to participate in a wide range of sports, from team games to individual activities. In addition to our main sports of lacrosse, netball, athletics and football, in which we often compete at national level, pupils can also take part in handball, gymnastics, rounders, cricket and volleyball. PE is a GCSE option.
Each week, pupils in Years 7 – 11 have three lessons of PE and choose from a range of extra-curricular sports options. From Year 10 onwards, pupils are offered kickboxing or the use of the off-site facilities at a local gym. Sixth Formers can enjoy these opportunities too, in addition to their two lessons of PE each week.
Facilities
Our on-site facilities include a spacious playground and gymnasium, and there is an excellent selection of outdoor facilities within a 15-minute coach journey. In the Autumn and Spring Terms for example, pupils travel to Will to Win in Chiswick for netball, and to King’s House Sports Ground for lacrosse. In the Summer Term, pupils take part in athletics at Linford Christie Stadium or play rounders at King’s House Sports Ground.
Good Health and Nutrition
We are proud to be a vegetarian school, serving up a delicious and nutritious menu that is carefully planned across the week. Food is freshly prepared each day in our state-of-the-art kitchens which cater for pupils with allergies or food intolerances. Pupils are also taught about the importance of a balanced and healthy diet and good personal hygiene, and they are supported in any healthcare or medical matters by our on-site school nurse.
Pupils have an excellent understanding of how to… lead a healthy lifestyle. This is demonstrated through their involvement regularly in school sports and clubs and their focus on good nutrition.
Independent Schools Inspectorate 2019
CHARACTER development
An education at St James is designed to be multi-layered, nurturing the intellectual, emotional, physical and spiritual aspects of human nature.
The result is that our pupils develop and emerge as well-rounded individuals with real depth of character.
They are of sound judgement and guided by a strong moral compass. They are creative, courageous and considered. They are focused yet flexible. Above all, they are confident in themselves but understand the value in working with, or on behalf of, others.
Community Action
Pupils are encouraged to put time and effort into both the school community and the wider local community, helping develop their sense of social awareness and highlighting the strengths of collaborative working.
Our Community Action Council provides a platform for pupils of all ages to contribute to a wide variety of projects. As they mature, they have opportunities to develop their involvement beyond participation, with the responsibility for planning and leadership resting with Sixth Form students.
Community Action activities can include: listening to prep school readers, helping teachers, teaching Latin in a local primary school, cooking and serving afternoon tea to elderly visitors from local nursing homes and visiting homes for the elderly.
The school also chooses a charity to support each year. In recent years this has included The Future Hope School in Kolkata, Willberry Wonder Pony, St Mungo’s and The Dusty Yak Foundation, all of which have benefited from the pupils’ fundraising efforts.
St James Challengers and The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award Scheme
The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award is an excellent vehicle to support the personal development of young people, bringing a clear sense of purpose and achievement. Our pupils are offered the chance to achieve the Bronze and Silver Awards and in Sixth Form, Gold, and we help them by organising expedition training and qualifying expeditions as well as providing advice and encouragement to meet the requirements.
Pupils develop strong leadership skills and their contribution to the life of the school and beyond is significant.
Independent Schools Inspectorate 2019
SIXTH FORM
The transition to Sixth Form is an important milestone in a student’s educational journey. It marks the point where they take greater control of their own direction, making choices that will shape their next steps and influence their futures.
Sixth Form brings students the freedom to choose the subjects they love, opportunities to take on leadership roles, and greater independence. It also brings more responsibilities as they grow accustomed to pursuing their studies of their own volition, applying the intellectual curiosity, critical thinking and commitment that A Level study requires.
We know that the right level of support and encouragement enables our students to grow to become life-long learners, blessed with an open mind and a generous spirit. Our leavers take these strengths on to the country’s leading universities in the UK and overseas, where they are ideally placed to continue their learning and development at the highest level.
Sixth Form pupils rightly observe that the excellent Wider Perspectives programme focusing on enhanced, broader approaches to study opens their eyes and equips them well for achieving the highest grades.
The Academic Programme
At A Level, the value of an inquisitive mind really comes to the fore, and it is something that we aim to draw out through our teaching during this time.
Students in Year 12 will select three or four subjects to study from a diverse range of options, with the potential to blend the arts, languages and sciences if they choose. The majority will then concentrate on three subjects in their final A Level year, although there is the possibility of continuing with all four.
Every two weeks students spend an afternoon participating in our Wider Perspectives Programme. Its strong focus on citizenship, PSHE and careers helps prepare students for life beyond Sixth Form. Year 12 students also have the opportunity to complete the Extended Project Qualification, which is based on conducting a piece of independent research on a topic of their choice or undertaking a project to make an artefact.
Academic wellbeing and progress are supervised at an individual level by a designated tutor, who keeps in close contact with subject teachers. Leadership and direction are provided by the Head of Sixth Form.
The Broader Curriculum
The maturity of students in the Sixth Form years is reflected in the broader curriculum, which includes stimulating subject matter such as philosophy lessons that examine some of the fundamental questions humanity has attempted to answer throughout history. Students also follow an advanced programme for PSHE, careers and citizenship, take part in Model United Nations debates, and continue their physical education in the form of a weekly sports session.
Responsibility and Leadership
As senior members of the school community, Sixth Formers are offered and create opportunities to develop their leadership skills. They are encouraged to volunteer in the wider community and to take on roles within the school, such as Form Prefects or Mental Health Champions, which are an important part of the pastoral care offered to younger pupils.
Collaboration with ST JAMES SENIOR BOYS’ SCHOOL
Our link with St James Senior Boys’ School enables our pupils to benefit from a variety of collaborative activities, including lectures, debates, Model United Nations conferences, musical productions, and a variety of social events.
Uniquely ST JAMES
