Outdoor Education
Outdoor education and caring for the environment is an important part of life at St James. As a school in central London, we consider ourselves very lucky to have two Forest School sites at which the children can play, learn and discover. One is an area that we developed with the council in Marcus Garvey Park, just outside our school gates. The other is at Gunnersbury Park Nature Reserve.
Reception and Year 1 visit the sites on a weekly basis, whatever the weather, experiencing the seasons and a wide range of outdoor educational activities. Year 6 have a residential holiday at Bushcraft in Oxfordshire where they spend four nights camping and living without running water or electricity. It’s both a great adventure and a very practical way of heightening awareness of the use of the world’s limited natural resources.
In 2021, St James Prep was awarded Green Flag Status, and in 2023, the school was awarded Bronze for City Kids Green awards, and was shortlisted for the Independent School Awards for Environmental Achievement award.
This is thanks to the student led Eco Committee who enthusiastically worked to reduce the energy the school uses, improve the litter recycling system and reduce plastic use. The committee have also written an Eco Code, so St James Prep can have the highest standards for years to come.