Prospectus 2023 - St James Preparatory School

Prospectus

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Welcome

At St James we take pride in being different. We have an extraordinary school and there are many things that make us stand out from the crowd.

We attract families who want to ensure their child achieves their full potential academically, but not at the expense of developing a love of the arts and a spirit of individual enquiry.

Our families look for a place for their children to grow up to be grateful and open-minded, inspired to give something back to the world.

You can only really pick up the unique atmosphere of the school by visiting it, and I would encourage you to come to one of our many Open Events to see for yourself.

When you step from the bustling London streets into the sheltered courtyard, you will find your tensions start to fall away. The warm greeting from the reception desk will make you feel at home, and the children will lift your spirits with their lively conversation and delightful manners.

We pride ourselves in our unique St James curriculum. Not only do we have specialist teaching in Forest School, Art, Sport, ICT and Drama, but our teaching is further enriched with the study of Shakespeare, vegetarian cooking lessons, sewing and Sanskrit.

We are fortunate to have a brilliant team of teachers who are exemplary role models for the children. As the Tatler Guide states, ‘children flourish both emotionally and academically under the care of universally praised teaching staff who make learning fun in this happy environment’.

We also want parents to feel as much a part of the community as the children, so we offer numerous opportunities for everyone to get involved.

As a result of our unique educational approach, children leaving us at the end of Year 6 are kind, generous, confident and well-balanced individuals.

If you would like to come and discover this hidden gem for yourself, we would love to welcome you.

Hilary Wyatt Headmistress

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es m a J t S y l Unique Mindfulness and Meditation

Mindfulness, drawing on the traditions of meditative practice, has always been seen as a valuable and effective way to instill calm and bring focus.

Pupils at St James are familiar with a daily mindfulness practice – ‘The Pause’, a short period of quiet reflection and stillness taking place at the beginning and end of each lesson, at assemblies and lunchtime.

The Pause allows all pupils to join the present moment, refocus and digest the fruits of their learning.

St James believes that quality of attention and power of concentration are essential to an effective and happy way of life. We encourage pupils and staff to appreciate the importance of the present moment, to be inwardly free and deeply at ease with ourselves amidst the fast pace of everyday life.

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The Good Schools Guide describes St James Preparatory School as

A kind and gentle place, which instils a love of learning and an unusual sense of calm in a turbulent world.

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Sanskrit Since 1975, the family of St James Schools have taught Sanskrit and are now considered a centre of excellence for teaching Sanskrit globally. Sanskrit is a classical language predating Latin and Greek and acts as a model, teaching children the fundamental principles of language.

Of all classical languages, Sanskrit has the most complete and systematised grammar and is considered the underlying grammatical system of all Indo-European languages. Although Sanskrit is a core part of our curriculum, St James is a multi-religious school. We draw on the wisdom of global traditions which we believe unites us all. We begin from the premise that all human beings have the same essence which is full of knowledge, vitality and happiness.

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Sanskrit really sets the school apart, and it is so much more than just a language that the children learn through it.

A St James Parent

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Vegetarianism St James Schools have been at the forefront of promoting environmental-friendly practices for over four decades. The decision to create a vegetarian school in 1975 was a reflection of the belief that humans should be kind to themselves, others, and the environment to grow holistically. This philosophy remains at the core of our ethos and values.

Eco Consciousness The school, led by our Eco Committee, has been recognised for its outstanding environmental work.

It has received several awards, including the Green Flag Status by the Eco Schools Group and a bronze medal from City Kids, and has been shortlisted for Independent School of the Year for Environmental Achievement by the Independent School Parent.

The pupil Eco Committee meets weekly to work on various projects, including improving our recycling system, reducing energy and plastic use, and planning special assemblies to raise environmental awareness.

Our most recent green initiative was the creation of a vegetable patch, which holds six different planting stations for pupils to grow their own plants and vegetables.

With these initiatives, we aim not only to reduce our environmental impact but also to educate and empower our pupils, staff and parents to make more sustainable choices.

Philosophy Lessons All children at St James study Philosophy every week exploring different values and virtues. Children are encouraged to ask ‘big questions’ and to debate and challenge ideas in a respectful and inclusive way. Lessons are conducted in an atmosphere of trust, in which the children can express themselves freely. The discussions help them to understand how to be kind, helpful and thoughtful members of the school and society.

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Community Our three St James Schools form a closely-knit community, fostering a spirit of unity and enriching the educational experience for pupils, staff, and parents alike.

Our schools often gather to celebrate pupils’ achievements, raise funds for various charities or support our local communities.

There are lots of different ways parents can get involved and feel part of the community.

They can attend assemblies, workshops, morning choir, Sanskrit, Calligraphy or art sessions. They can also join our active parent charity fundraising group.

More often, perhaps, than elsewhere, parents select St James for its ethos. ‘It’s incredibly gentle and nurturing and cultivates a sense of tolerance,’ said one mother.

‘I don’t think I’ve ever heard my children say a bad word about another child or a teacher.’ ‘If you’re looking at the whole child, a happy and confident child, I can’t think of anywhere better,’ said another. ‘It’s a very moral culture, which emphasises kindness.’

The Good Schools Guide

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Early Years Creative Curriculum

We offer a stimulating, creative curriculum that gives children the confidence to open doors for themselves in the future.

Your child will have every opportunity to flourish, whether it’s in the classroom, on the games field or the stage. Whether your child’s strengths lie in foreign languages, such as Sanskrit, ICT or Performing Arts,

we aim to unearth and support their unique passions and abilities.

We balance the academic, pastoral, sporting, creative and spiritual elements of our curriculum to create a vibrant learning environment.

Our specialist subject teachers support learning from Nursery upwards, working with class teachers to give our whole curriculum an edge and the stamp of excellence. Our overall teaching quality is rated as excellent by the Independent Schools Inspectorate.

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e g a t S n o i t a Found School life for Reception children at St James is happy, lively and engaging. We realise that the transition to school from Nursery can be very daunting and as such we approach the Early Years Curriculum with as much fun, wonder and exploration as possible. We want the children to learn without even realising that they are learning.

Lessons are not just confined to the classroom.

We believe that nature should be part of every child’s education. We are very lucky to have access to Forest School sites where pupils can play, learn, and discover.

Nursery, Reception and Year 1 pupils take part in Forest School on a weekly basis, experiencing the seasons and a wide range of outdoor educational experiences.

Children also participate in numerous workshops and trips, enjoying all that London and our local community have to offer.

By the end of Reception, the children are motivated learners who have developed a self-awareness and consideration for others, as well as a curiosity and love for learning that will stand them in good stead for Year 1 and beyond.

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Parents approve of the broad curriculum.

‘It really caters to children’s curiosity’ said one.

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The Good Schools Guide

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Lower Schoo l

A strong focus continues to be placed on Literacy and Numeracy, with the children building and developing confidence in these core subjects. While most of the children’s teaching is with their Class Teacher, they also have the benefit of specialist teachers in Sports, Music, Drama, Art and Sanskrit.

Teachers are committed to nurturing not only the talents that are already apparent, but the potential of every child, and focus on discovering each child’s unique interests, strengths and areas for development.

Children enter Year 3 as confident learners with strong communication skills, well equipped to deal with the joys and challenges they will face as they progress through the school.

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St James is the perfect school for my child. It is process oriented, it instils curiosity and love for learning and its ethos is an inspiration.

A St James Parent

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l oo h c S r e p p U

Years 3 to 6 are exciting and challenging times for the children in equal measures. We broaden the curriculum, introducing new subjects and more in-depth work.

The children spend more time with specialist teachers and begin to make significant steps towards a more independent style of learning.

They begin to participate in team sports and represent the school at inter-school matches and ISA fixtures.

A particular highlight of these years are the residential class holidays which the children join for the first time.

The children’s final years at St James are a wonderful time – they flourish as leaders in the school and grow in maturity both socially and academically.

Each Year 6 pupil is made a Prefect, and they have positions of responsibility, including Head Pupils, House Captains, Eco and School Council leaders.

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A key focus from Year 4 is preparing children for the 11+ entrance exams and the transition to Senior School.

They have weekly verbal reasoning and non-verbal reasoning lessons and increasing input in smaller teaching groups. Although we are entirely committed to supporting the children in preparing for the tests, this is not at the expense of a wide and varied curriculum.

The resilience and self-reliance that the children have developed over their time at school, in addition to thoughtful discussions during their weekly Philosophy classes or school assemblies, allows them to approach the next stage of their educational journey with confidence.

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At our

Our vision is to create an environment where children make the maximum possible personal progress by learning thinking and behaviour habits to help them thrive. We have developed four CORE virtues to help our children grow into sociable and happy young people. These are: CARING, OPEN, RESPONSIBLE and ELASTIC. CARING Caring for self by ensuring that they are eating, exercising and sleeping properly, and caring for others by helping, praising, sharing and playing cooperatively with them.

OPEN Being open minded and open hearted.

RESPONSIBLE Being responsible for their actions.

ELASTIC By bending and not breaking when things get difficult.

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“

It’s a hidden gem, a school that focuses on building honest, kind and considerate future generations.

A St James Parent

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These CORE virtues are embedded in all that we do.

Our unique CORE self-assessment system allows children and staff to see visible personal progress.

We also actively promote the five fundamental British values of democracy, rule of law, individual liberty, respect and tolerance.

We provide an imaginative and carefully balanced curriculum with bespoke PSHE and Philosophy lessons every week to encourage personal understanding and the most effective ways to think and behave. These lessons improve the children’s personal and social intelligence to live full, healthy, safe and responsible lives. It gives them all the tools to flourish and reach their fullest potential.

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The Art s

At St James we love and celebrate the Arts from Nursery all the way through to Senior School.

Our specialist Music, Art and Drama teachers are dedicated to instilling a love of the arts and supporting all pupils in engaging and exploring within their own creativity.

Music Music plays a fundamental and exciting role in our school community.

All children starting from Reception can play instruments, join ensembles and explore in depth the beauty of all kinds of music, from classical to pop.

Events, concerts and performances are a key part of our music curriculum, and we encourage all pupils to step into the spotlight as we give them a safe and supportive space to perform and express themselves.

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Art We are incredibly proud of our outstanding Art department and our school buildings are enlivened with children’s artwork and our Artists of the Week exhibitions.

Pupils enjoy being exposed to a range of different artistic techniques and study the work of artists, architects and designers throughout history, both from their own and from other cultures.

Alongside the beauty of two-dimensional art, great emphasis is placed on three-dimensional art. We have an on-site kiln to fire pottery and the children produce vibrant large and small-scale sculptures.

In addition to our weekly timetabled art classes, we also teach the children needlework, hold an Art Club, and visit many of the great museums and art galleries within London.

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Drama and Performing Arts Every pupil at St James can participate in our packed schedule of drama performances, from the Nativity play to our Shakespeare Festival, competing at the Sanskrit Speech Competition or presenting at Speech Day. Children from Year 1 upwards benefit from weekly drama classes with our specialist teacher in the Senior Girl’s Drama Studio. The classes teach the children to express themselves with confidence, as well as developing their strength of the English language and teamwork skills.

We ensure that every child has a speaking part and experiences the pride of successfully performing to an audience.

Performing Arts at St James is very highly regarded with many pupils progressing to specialist Arts and Drama schools and developing careers within the arts world.

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Parents love all this creative energy, and the positive vibes being put out into the world.

Tatler Schools Guide 2024

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n o i it r t u N & g Coo kin Pupils and staff enjoy eating together in our large airy refectory, where they are served hot vegetarian food, freshly prepared on the premises using top quality, wholesome ingredients. We also invite nutritionists to talk to the children and hold themed lunches throughout the year which are a real highlight for them.

In 2019, an independent panel of judges from City Kids Magazine awarded our school first place in the City Kids Food Awards.

Our delicious vegetarian meals, fun-themed lunches and focus on understanding the importance of eating well and nutrition were just a few of the reasons we were selected.

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Cooking Curriculum Chef Allegra McEvedy MBE has overseen the creation of a cookery syllabus for all children and currently teaches pupils in our professionally designed Teaching Kitchen.

Described by The Independent as ‘a caterer with a conscience’, Allegra has been cooking professionally for over 25 years in some of London’s best restaurants, written 8 cookery books, co-founded LEON, been one of the judges on CBBC’s Junior Bake Off and co-hosted CBBC’s Step Up to The Plate.

She also owns the Albertine wine bar in Shepherds Bush.

In our Teaching Kitchen, children engage with ingredients and talk about seasonality, nutrition and ethical sourcing. They also learn teamwork, timekeeping and tidying up after themselves; all essential life skills. In their first lesson children learn how to make bread, butter and jam from scratch!

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Physical Education

We offer an impressive programme of Physical Education and Sports. In addition to our own well-equipped gym and play area, we make weekly use of the extensive sporting facilities at King’s House, Barn Elms and Fulham Pools.

We have a specialist Sports teacher who introduces the children to a wide range of sports, including netball, rugby, football, cricket, athletics, handball, fitness, cross-country running and gymnastics. From Year 1, children also have weekly swimming lessons, half termly. St James also offers a variety of sporting clubs such as karate and squash.

Pupils can represent the school at ISA Regional and National tournaments. We also host annual inter-schools events in cross country, netball and rugby. Each child will also participate in house competitions in their main team sports throughout the year.

Although our teams are highly competitive, we teach the children the importance of good sportsmanship, focusing on having fun and being your best, as well as recognising the success of peers and competitors.

Sport improves physical fitness, stamina, flexibility, agility, strength and balance. We encourage and support our children to reach their individual sporting ambitions, be it getting into our teams, local clubs or London Regional competitions.

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6 r a e Y d n Beyo Moving Up

St James Preparatory School is part of the family of St James Schools. The Senior Girls’ School shares the Prep School site in Kensington Olympia and the Senior Boys’ School enjoys 33 acres in Ashford, Surrey.

The happiness and wellbeing of all has underpinned the ethos of St James Schools since its foundation in 1975. Our three schools maintain that an all-rounded, balanced education is better for children and that academic success, creative development and spiritual thinking are not mutually exclusive. Because of this shared ethos, many parents greatly appreciate the option for their child to continue to St James Schools for an all-through education, and all Prep pupils receive offers to our Senior Schools.

We also recognise that continuing to our Senior Schools is not the preferred option for all parents. Our approach to the 11+ programme is rigorous to ensure that all doors are open for all our pupils, whichever path they choose to take. We are also entirely independent when advising parents on the best secondary schools for pupils and only consider the schools that will best suit a child’s interests and abilities.

St James has been a life changing move for my daughter.

She is a different child as a result of the support and opportunities provided. We didn’t hesitate for a second to continue her education at the senior school.

A St James Parent

Destinations Our pupils receive many offers from prestigious London schools.

Our most recent destinations include schools such as: City of London School for Girls, City of London School for Boys, Emanuel School, Latymer Upper School, Godolphin and Latymer School, Notting Hill and Ealing High School, St Paul’s Girls’ School and Wimbledon High School.

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The school focused on a set of schools that were a good fit for my daughter and were super supportive.

A St James Parent

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Uniquely ST JAMES St James Preparatory School Prospectus 27

St James Preparatory School Earsby Street, London W14 8SH 020 7348 1793 admissions@stjamesprep.co.uk stjamesprep.co.uk Registered Charity No: 270156 Printed 2023