For us education is not just about passing exams... St. James' fosters qualities that are just as important as grades, if not more so...

Connor-West family

Senior Department

All of us love St. James! We appreciate the small class sizes and the wonderful staff who really get to know each child as an individual rather than just another pupil. The care and attention that the staff apply makes the curriculum interesting and engaging. The staff work very hard and are always available. The fact I can email an individual teacher and receive a reply the same day is wonderful. St. James' has saved our son, who arrived feeling let down by a state school that didn’t make him feel good about himself. His last school was all about results, with no attention paid to the emotional wellbeing of the children. St. James' has built him back up to being a whole and fully rounded human being. Our daughter soon followed and has made new friends and grown in confidence and in her own ability. 

The staff find out the children’s passions and then encourage them to explore, with our son it's computers and with Iris it is sport and they are both excelling in their respective interests.

For us education is not just about passing exams, it is providing space for each child to find out who they are as people, encouraging them to express themselves in a safe and nurturing environment. St. James' fosters qualities that are just as important as grades, if not more so; kindness, respect for each other, an awareness that not all children are as privileged as them to be at a private school and a consideration of their strengths and what each of them can offer to society. 

We can’t speak highly enough of St James'. No school is perfect, but whenever a problem has arisen we have been able to speak to staff and they have listened to our concerns and then acted on them. I don’t think you can ask for more than that.