At St James, we are committed to offering our pupils opportunities that complement their academic education.
Our Year 7 remain in the UK, and travel to the beautiful Peak District where they focus on friendship and stepping out of their comfort zone.
Year 8 travel to what was the centre of the Ancient World, the navel of civilisation – Greece.
For Year 9 it is time to walk the walk. The Camino de Santiago in Spain is walked by way of pilgrimage of St James. At the end, pupils may have even found their own path.
Embarking on their final activity week Year 10 travel to Italy to discover the legacy of the Renaissance, they also take time to reflect on their personal legacy.
We do this through a range of exciting and challenging activities throughout the year including; overseas battlefield trips, live firing on ranges, a remembrance service parade and at least one weekend fieldcraft training activity per term. While we do not actively recruit for the military, if a student expresses an interest we are highly successful in supporting them with this.
In recent years we have 3 students apply for the prestigious army scholarship for Sandhurst with all three applications being successful.
In our Friday club time we offer: Table Tennis, Lego Club, Graphic Design, Role Play, Five aside football, Adventurous Sports.
During the week, we offer Student Council and Eco Committee, Lower School and Upper School Choir, lunch time recitals and even a board game club.
On a Sports level we offer an Aspirant Athlete Academy program in the Sports hall before school, and during lunch time or after school a basketball club and badminton club, climbing, and cricket nets. We pride ourselves in our Cadet program too.
It is a program that we start in Year 9 with the individual having until they are 25 to complete the award. DofE consists of four components: Volunteering, Skills, Physical and Expedition.
Our Bronze award participants currently have their expeditions in and around the Surrey Hills. This gives them a taste of outdoor life but in a local environment. At the Silver level participants head off for a 3-day / 2-night excursion to the Brecon beacons in south Wales. A challenge as participants in effect live ‘off-grid’ for 3 days.
It is not just about expeditions. The DofE also helps to introduce the boys to volunteering. Serving others is key to the philosophy of St James. Many pupils have now experienced how rewarding and fulfilling it is to volunteer their time to charitable and community groups. We have pupils volunteering to help elderly/vulnerable neighbours, support for homeless, litter picking, sports coaching and many other activities.
For us at St James, these trips are more than just travel experiences. We see them as rites of passage that encourage our students to grow, mature, and develop resilience. Each journey is a step towards adulthood, helping to shape young men of character, empathy, and insight.
These experiences help young people to build lasting friendships, discover new perspectives, and deepen their understanding of themselves and the world around them. At St James, we’re proud to support our students on this journey of discovery and growth.
-Rick Clarke | Head
The Pause
At St James, we feel it is important to introduce our pupils to stillness and allow them to discover how to be inwardly free and deeply at ease within themselves. A short period of 5-10 minutes at the beginning and middle of every day is allocated to quietude in which pupils may meditate, contemplate or simply be still – according to their own spiritual inclinations.