Welcome

On behalf of all the staff, children, parents and governors I would like to warmly welcome you to St James’s CE Primary School. We are delighted that you have requested a prospectus, which sets out to provide you with an insight into our school. Here at our school a love of learning is promoted within a safe and happy environment in which every person matters. Christian values are at the heart of all aspects of school life. Our aim is to provide the highest quality education for all in a caring, supportive and vibrant learning environment. We encourage our pupils to take responsibility for their learning, to grow in confidence and become independent. It is our vision that the children who leave St James’s are happy and successful and well prepared for the next stage of learning as well as being ready to make a valued contribution to society. Please feel free to contact us if you need any further information or would like to visit our school. We will be pleased to give you whatever assistance we can. Mrs S. Sixsmith. Headteacher.

Our School Creed

This is our school founded on Christian faith. Let peace and happiness live here. Let us respect each other and the world around us. Let us be responsible members of the St James’s family. Let us show God’s love and kindness in all that we do. Let us choose the path of honesty on our journey. Let us fill our school community with friendship. Let us reach our goals with perseverance.

Aims We aim to:

be an active witness to the Gospel, where all can experience the love of Jesus Christ;

ensure that everyone loves learning and always wants to learn more; encourage all to have high self esteem and

the confidence to try; support pupils in achieving high standards

and reaching their full potential in all areas of learning;

provide a safe, caring and happy learning environment;

to develop independent and investigative learners;

provide daily opportunities for pupils and staff to come together in collective worship, reflect and be still;

develop children’s spirituality and love of life;

promote healthy lifestyles and living; develop a community spirit through partnership between home, school and the wider community; promote understanding and respect for the

Christian faith and for the spiritual, cultural and moral values of others;

value, celebrate and embrace diversity and individuality;

develop the whole child as an individual who is created in God’s image;

live our Christian values throughout school life, at the centre of everything we do;

develop a real community in which everyone feels they belong and have a part to play.

Early Years and Foundation Stage

Children can join St James’s Pre-school the term after they turn three years of age. Our highly trained and experienced staff help them to quickly settle in and enjoy the inside and outside learning opportunities on offer. Pupils begin Reception in the September before their fifth birthday. Staff continue to track pupils’ development closely and provide opportunities for them to achieve their next steps across the curriculum. Pupils learn through play and adult-led activities and their progress is documented in their Learning Journeys which are available for parents to view at any time. We also encourage parents to contribute to these with learning that has taken place at home.

Our Curriculum At St James’s we believe in developing a love of learning through an exciting and balanced curriculum. Topics are chosen and lessons are designed to motivate and engage learners. Pupils develop, apply and practise a range of core skills in Reading, Writing, Maths, Science and ICT not only in subject specific lessons but also across the curriculum. Each term an overview of the curriculum in each year group is added to the school website.

Personalised support At St James’s we are quick to identify when the normal support within a lesson isn’t sufficient for a particular child. Using our extensive in-house knowledge and skills, and in addition through buying in the services of learning and behaviour experts we are able to develop an individual programme of support. We then work closely with parents to monitor a child’s progress and offer guidance on how they can be further supported at home.

In the Foundation Stage pupils are also able to learn within our on-site Forest School. In these sessions children are able to go on bug hunts, do mud painting, make shelters and even experience sitting around a campfire

Both the St James’s Pre-school and Reception provide exciting and stimulating learning environments, in which pupils can explore, investigate and create. In the Early years and Foundation Stage we aim to develop a love of learning and the skills of independence and enquiry, equipping the pupils fully for the future.

Values Education Our values education underpins everything we do here at

St James’s – through the curriculum, around school and

beyond into local communities and those further a field.

Parents, pupils, teachers and governors worked together

to chose our six core values which are regularly explored in

worship and in our daily lives. These are: Responsibility,

Respect, Friendship, Honesty, Kindness and Perseverance,

however many other Christian values are discussed and

modelled on a day-to-day basis. At St James’s we aim to

provide a caring environment in which children can grow

both academically and spiritually. We hope to help our

pupils become happy, confident learners who are fully

equipped in every way for the future.

School Visits and Visitors At St James’s we place great value on the

experiences we provide for our pupil outside of the

classroom, whether it be within our extensive

school grounds, local community or on a School vis-

it. We also regularly invite a range of visitors into

school. Children talk fondly of the places they have

been, people they have listened to and the learning

that took place. These experiences enrich our

curriculum and stimulate learning back in the

classroom.

Staying Safe Staying safe inside and outside of school is an

important part of our curriculum. Children learn

about the different ways to stay safe and have the

opportunity to talk about any worries they might

have. We are proud to have achieved our 360°

E-safety Award which demonstrates all of the work

we do in educating pupils on how to stay safe when

working on computers and in particular when they

are online. We were also one of the first schools in

Dudley to be awarded ‘ Dudley Schools Anti-Bullying

Pledge Scheme Status’.

Collective Worship Pupils take part in Collective Worship everyday at St James’s as a whole school, Key Stage or class. It is a special part of our day where children and staff can stop, reflect and worship whatever their faith. Special visitors, parents, governors and members of the clergy regularly join us in worship. Outdoor worship takes place in the form of our Summer Communion Service and for special event such as ‘Go Wild’ week and our Harvest Festival. Pupils across school take leading roles in assemblies and some plan their own acts of worship. In addition all children can suggest pray-ers, hymns and themes using our suggestion box. Within our school grounds we have a Prayer Garden which was designed and created by pupils. Our aim was to create a special place where pupils could visit, reflect, pray and think about what a wonderful world we live in!

Pupil Voice We are very proud of our strong

pupil voice at St James’s. Each class

has a School Councillor, Eco Warrior

and Worship Committee

representative who pass on ideas,

comments and questions during

meetings and feedback to their clas-

ses afterwards. In addition we have Learning Ambassadors who aim to help all pupils love learning

and be the best learner they can be. In Year 6 pupils also have the opportunity to be House Cap-

tains and Librarians. Our pupil voice groups ensure all pupils have a say in what goes on at St

James’s and help make important decisions.

St James’s additional groups and out of hours childcare Playgroup Playgroup runs for children 2 years+ on Mondays to Thursdays (9 – 11.30 am)

Parents & Toddlers Parents and Toddlers runs on Friday only (9am to 10.30am) An adult must stay with the child during this session.

Before and After School Club St. James’s also boasts a wonderful range of out of hours care and activities. Every morning from 7.45 we run a breakfast club and every evening from the end of school until 5.30, there is an after school club.

Holiday Club The St James’s holiday club runs during some school holidays during the year.

Please contact the school office for more information.

Parent Partnership At St James’s we value the importance of developing strong relationships with parents and

working alongside them to enhance their child’s education. We run Parent workshops to share

ways in which your child can be supported at home; invite parents to contribute ideas at parent

forums and through questionnaires and hold termly parents evenings. In addition parents are

invited to events such as assemblies and performances and to take part in activities with their

child, for example in ‘Stay and Play’ sessions. We have a thriving PTFA who organise a wide

range of events such as Chocolate bingo, jumble sales and children’s discos to raise funds for

the school.

Parents “St James’s has a very welcoming feel to it. Reception class teachers and TA’s are particularly caring and nurturing to nervous new starters. Staff as a whole are very supportive of children’s individual needs and regularly invite parents in to celebrate their children’s achievements.” “I always describe St James’s to anyone I meet as a ‘Happy School’.” “It is friendly and inclusive and gives the children good opportunities to express themselves.”

“I believe it has strong values, good discipline and a good relationship with the community.”

“The staff at St James’s have made my child feel that she can succeed at anything.”

“Since she has started at St James’s her confidence has grown so much. We only wish that she could have been at this school from the beginning of her education.”

“My son has loved coming to school and has really shown us how determined he can be to succeed knowing that people believe in him.”

Children “The teachers are fun, the children are friendly. I like coming to school.” “We have supportive people like teachers and adults in the class and a good reward system. Pupils are well behaved and people are very happy here.” “There are lots of fun activities in every year group. We learn about lots of different things and the Year 5 Young Apprentice challenge is awesome!” “If you get something wrong in your work the teachers help you and go through it until you understand.” “I’m really proud of St James’s!” “I like belonging somewhere where people are kind and happy.”

Quotes

Governors “Our vision is that every child will be given the support and encouragement that will enable them to reach their full potential. To adequately prepare, as independent learners, to prosper from the next stage of their education and to demonstrate in their everyday lives the core values of the school.”

Ofsted 2014 “Teachers create a positive climate for learning. Pupils enjoy positive working relationships with their teachers and their achievements are celebrated in the colourful displays around the school.” “The curriculum is broad and stimulating and has significant strengths in a number of areas including music.” “Pupils appreciate the extra responsibilities they are given, and say they enjoy playing a role in the running of the school. Pupils make effective and positive contributions to school life through the school council, learning ambassadors, eco warriors, buddies and worship groups. Pupils explain how membership of these groups has helped with their communication and presentation skills, in becoming good leaders and raising their self-esteem.”

www.st-james.dudley.sch.uk Please visit our website for more information on a range of topics such as our Admissions policy, school uniform and curriculum overviews.

Quotes

“St James’s has confident and respectful children who live and learn from the bedrock of Christian values that they can take into their adult lives.” “Committed Christian leadership and staff result in a strong, supportive and caring community” “Highly engaging and challenging Religious Education lessons result in knowledgeable and deep thinking learners.” “Pupils are polite, well mannered and self-assured.”

SIAMS Church School Inspectors 2014

St James’s CE Primary School Kingsway Wollaston

Stourbridge DY8 4RU

Tel: 01384 818810

Email: info@st-james.dudley.sch.uk

www.st-james.dudley.sch.uk