St James Preparatory School A GSG School

What The Good Schools Guide says

Head

Since 2022, Hilary Wyatt, NPQH, BA, MA, PGCE. A teacher for over 30 years, Mrs Wyatt has worked in London prep schools for the past 15, seven as headteacher (most recently at the Lyceum, previously at Eaton Square and Durston House pre-prep). Since 2014, she’s also been an inspector for the Independent Schools Inspectorate. After a peripatetic childhood, she studied English at Sussex University, then did a PGCE at Southampton University. ‘I originally wanted to be an actress but was inspired by one of my teachers in America to go into teaching.’ Three decades on, she remains as ‘excited about education’ as ever. She moved to London from Winchester in 2005 for her two daughters to attend St James Senior Girls’ School (her husband remains chief operating officer of all three St James schools), so was fully attuned to the ethos on arrival. ‘You always fear someone new is going to wipe away the things that make the school distinctive, but Mrs Wyatt has the right energy,’ said one mother. ‘She embodies the spirit of St James, she’s a nice person, who abides by the philosophy. I really salute that,’ said another. In her spare time. she enjoys meditating, walking in Richmond Park and spending time with her grandson.

Entrance

Entrance from two into nursery. Though the school is broadly non-selective, applicants for reception are assessed through play sessions; for year 1 and beyond, they spend a day with their prospective year group and take standardised tests in English and maths. Not everyone is admitted. ‘If we think they’re a good egg and have potential, we make a decision, but we may reject someone who we don’t think can cope academically.’ Quite a number of new arrivals in years 5 and 6 attracted by the potential to sidestep 11+.

Exit

Ninety per cent of girls proceed to the all-girls senior school in the same building. Boys have the option to transfer to the all-boys school, a 40-minute bus ride away in Surrey, but more boys than girls make a move at this stage. Those who have the desire, ability and ambition are well supported to proceed elsewhere, with a regular exodus to leading London independent secondaries (Latymer Upper, City of London, St Paul’s, Notting Hill and Ealing, Godolphin & Latymer, Dulwich College), plus a handful to board and into the state sector. Guided advice from year 4 (‘We want to ensure every child is at a school where they’ll flourish,’ says the head), with weekly verbal and non-verbal reasoning lessons from year 5 and an 11+ club providing specialised preparation. Parents are happy with the help on offer. ‘They focused on a set of schools that were a good fit for my daughter and were super supportive,’ said father.

Our view

The school was started in the 1970s by members of the School of Economic Science (also known as the School of Philosophy), a global organisation influenced by Advaita Vedanta, an ancient philosophical system. Now distanced from the SES, St James continues to intertwine spiritual thinking with academic success and creative development, and the importance of happiness and wellbeing (as well as vegetarianism and mindfulness) – now widely appreciated elsewhere – underpins the education it offers.

The balance, however, does not preclude St James from being an academic school with excellent teaching. ‘My children have been to many schools, and St James has unbelievably brilliant teaching with lots of young teachers who sparkle with enthusiasm,’ said one mother. ‘The kids feel safe, but they’re always pushing them forward.’ In a school that does not pick and choose academically, differentiation is key, with small-group teaching in maths and English from year 5. ‘Teaching is very targeted,’ says the head. ‘For example, we have a gifted young mathematician, and the head of maths works with the class teacher to ensure he gets enough challenging work. We don’t want children to be bored.’ Maths is celebrated for all in numeracy days, and plenty enter the primary school Maths Challenge (doing notably well). Literacy encouraged by the well-stocked library and an emphasis on Shakespeare, with a school-wide Shakespeare festival a highlight of the year. Philosophy studied weekly by all encourages reasoned debate. French taught from year 3, but, more distinctively, Sanskrit, the ancient and classical language of India, is learnt from reception. ‘It’s useful at getting to the base of language, opening up the heart and mind as well as the intelligence,’ says its teacher. ‘It’s a great base to go forward and study other languages.’ Children enjoy it (and enjoy competing in the annual Sanskrit speech competition). ‘The teacher makes it so much fun. It’s very relaxing.’ Parents approve of the broad curriculum. ‘It really caters to children’s curiosity,’ said one. ‘Most schools today are deliberately a-religious and into the void goes mass popular culture, but St James really opens their eyes to classical culture. The kids are so into it.’

Warmly inclusive of difference, the school is well adapted to supporting a range of difficulties from partial sight to mild autism. ‘It’s very import to have a diverse community,’ says the head. St James, however, is a mainstream school, and while it copes well with dyslexia, dyspraxia and mild ADHD, it looks carefully at how a child’s behaviour will affect the others. (‘If we feel it will have too big an impact, we would need to ask them to look elsewhere.’)

The ’extracurricular’ is fundamental to St James’s holistic approach. Art, taught in a lovely bright art room, is cross-curricular (First World War planes translated into ceramics, for example), collaborative (with a whole-school reworking of a painting in the National Gallery), and of high quality. One of the head’s first initiatives was to make it more prominent, bringing it out into the corridors with colourful work now adorning every corner. Weekly music lessons teach pupils to sing (including opera), read music, play the ukulele, compose and produce music through music technology. Instrumental lessons taught by peripatetic teachers on offer from reception and skills are put into practice in regular concerts, daily singing, and weekly Celebration Assemblies when all are invited to perform. Drama given equal encouragement in a spacious performance space shared with the senior school. ‘They love being on stage,’ says the head. ‘They really discover themselves.’ Cookery, taught by professional chef (and telly star), Allegra McEvedy in a kitchen designed on professional lines is another outlet for creativity. ‘As well as learning how to feed themselves and others, cooking teaches them about teamwork, timekeeping and seasonality,’ she says. Growing their own vegetables in the class patch in the playground further spotlights the path from field to fork.

Located behind a gated entrance down a quiet road in the shadow of Olympia, St James is housed in a rangy building originally opened as a school in the 19th century and rebuilt in 1930s. The gate opens onto an attractive courtyard providing a cloistered tranquillity and abundant light to the surrounding classrooms. To the rear is a generous playground, with benches for those who want to sit it out and a net screening football fanatics from those who prefer a quieter life. PE takes place in a large, well-equipped gym four days a week, while a broad range of sports – cross country, netball, football, rugby, athletics, cricket and swimming – are conducted off site, with regular matches. The recently added nursery has its own cheerful home a two-minute walk from the main building.

More often, perhaps, than elsewhere, parents select St James for its ethos. ‘It’s incredibly gentle and nurturing and cultivates a sense of tolerance,’ said one mother. ‘I don’t think I’ve ever heard my children say a bad word about another child or a teacher.’ ‘If you’re looking at the whole child, a happy and confident child, I can’t think of anywhere better,’ said another. ‘It’s a very moral culture, which emphasises kindness.’ Every lesson begins and ends with ‘a moment of stillness’, ‘a pause’ for reflection. ‘It allows the mind to join the present moment, refresh and engage.’ ‘Mrs Wyatt likes it quiet’, another guiding principle, adds to the pervasive sense of calm. Wellbeing given close attention by teachers (through initiatives such as a ‘listening box’ in the playground), and the librarian – a qualified mental health first aider – collects children in the lunch hour to talk through concerns. ‘We want children to speak and share their feelings,’ says the head, who also welcomes those who wish to discuss matters personally into her study (guarded by the school rocking horse). ‘One year 1 child came in recently, for example, and asked if she could sing a song in assembly.’

Children are extremely well behaved (‘Expectations are high,’ says the head. ‘If they mess about in the day, they go on the behaviour chart. Three strikes and … but no one ever gets there’); manners surprisingly traditional for London. On the day we visited, our pupil guides changed back into uniform from mufti, shook hands firmly and introduced themselves by name. Pupils have ‘a big voice’ with all year 6 now given positions of responsibility and the school council providing a comprehensive outlet for requests (for hot chocolate, for instance). St James has been vegetarian from its foundation, but there’s nothing hair-shirt about the offering – the only criticism we heard from a pupil was about ‘the length of the lunch line because everyone loves the food so much. The dining room is a welcoming haven with proper grown-up china, and the head has recently launched ‘tea and toast’ (‘The smell of toast releases good endorphins’), a soothing afternoon ritual where older pupils polish their table manners – no elbows on the table, serve thy neighbour, and clear up silently afterwards to develop non-verbal communication and teamwork.

A truly cosmopolitan school, with families from the UK, Europe, Asia and the Middle East – alongside some recent arrivals from Ukraine. Settling in is not a problem. ‘It was a joy entering here,’ said one recent arrival. ‘There’s an incredible mix of people from around the world and my kids immediately found friends.’ Alongside the usual bankers and lawyers, English parents (including numerous alumnae) often have a slightly alternative perspective. Some can be protective (concerns over homesickness mean residential schools trips do not necessarily attract full attendance), most consider the school ‘a hidden gem’. ‘I heard about it by word of mouth and felt it offered a wonderful alternative to the usual London school trap,’ said one mother. ‘It’s a very special school,’ said another. ‘It gives everything to the child to succeed.’ Pupils are bright-eyed, polite and love the school. ‘There are lots of things I enjoy, so it is hard to choose,’ said one, when asked to specify. ‘They can’t wait for the holidays to be over or Monday morning to come,’ commented a parent.

Money matters

Means tested bursaries – of up to 100 per cent – are available.

The last word

A kind and gentle place, which instils a love of learning and an unusual sense of calm in a turbulent world. Not for the super-competitive, but undoubtedly ‘the hidden gem’ many parents consider it.

Special Education Needs

Underlying the ethos of St. James is the vision of the realisation of the potential of each child. The aim is to maximise strengths and minimise the barriers to full participation in both classroom and school as a whole. The approach is to discover the specific barrier through observation and testing and then, together with family and teachers, adopt the most intelligent way forward. St. James is committed to providing learning support for all pupils accepted into the School.