Our school motto encourages all to ‘Aim for the Best’ and enrichment opportunities are offered to all pupils, encouraged by form tutors and class teachers.
Pupils are encouraged to enhance their studies in a range of ways, including the study of additional mathematics, attendance at our Minerva lectures or by taking part in the Horizons Research Project.
Each year, pupils enter school and national competitions such as the UK Maths Trust Challenge, Science Olympiads and National Linguascope French competition, challenging themselves and achieving excellent outcomes. School notice boards and assemblies celebrate pupils’ achievements, and the displays encourage pupils to ask questions and investigate further for themselves, often through quizzes. There is also a range of after-school activities available to extend interest in subject areas beyond the classroom.
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.
