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St James Senior Boys' School A GSG School

What says..

Hearing some of the younger boys sing in the chapel stopped us in our tracks. Singing is, in fact, so established here that when we asked some of the boys if they enjoyed it, they looked confused - as if we’d asked them if they enjoy getting dressed. Although not as distinctive and different as it was in the SES-focused days of old, this relatively small school is still set apart from the norm, with spiritual principles influencing every aspect of curricular and extracurricular life. That’s not to say it isn’t academic ...

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What the school says...

St James Senior Boys School in Ashford, Surrey, offers a distinctive education, uniting a philosophical approach to the development of life-skills with academic excellence. The approach aims to unfold the twin powers of love and reason so that a boy may grow into a man who knows what he thinks, does what he says and is a friend to all. The school selects boys on the basis of the interview with the Headmaster; the exam results are considered to give only a partial picture of the candidate's suitability - character, interests and ability to speak about them, thoughtfulness, curiosity, brightness and cheerfulness are strong pointers. ...Read more

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What The Good Schools Guide says

Headmaster

Since 2013, David Brazier BA MSc PGCE. Studied English and American literature at the University of Kent; MSc from Reading University. Previously head of Long Close School, Slough, where application numbers tripled during his six-year reign (and which some boys left to follow him to St James). Prior to this, he was head of English and drama at Crosfields School in Reading and assistant headmaster at Davenies in Beaconsfield, Bucks.

Chatty and amiable, he makes no secret of his clear intention to advance the school dramatically, particularly academically. ‘The previous head was Margaret Thatcher’s speechwriter, so he wasn’t an educator, whereas my background is in school improvement,’ he says. So far, so good – applications for year 7 doubled within his first three years and there is a waiting list for...

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Please note: Independent schools frequently offer IGCSEs or other qualifications alongside or as an alternative to GCSE. The DfE does not record performance data for these exams so independent school GCSE data is frequently misleading; parents should check the results with the schools.

Who came from where

Who goes where

Special Education Needs

St James provides a special educational support programme where necessary. Tutorial sessions and in-class support may be arranged. Close communication between deputy headmaster, form master, SENCo and parents is required for this; arrangements will be co-ordinated thereafter. We provide a baseline level of care after which we ask parents for a contribution towards additional learning support costs. The headmaster, parents and SENCo will discuss fees for these additional arrangements.

Condition Provision for in school
ASD - Autistic Spectrum Disorder Y
Aspergers Y
Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorders Y
CReSTeD registered for Dyslexia
Dyscalculia Y
Dysgraphia Y
Dyslexia Y
Dyspraxia Y
English as an additional language (EAL) Y
Genetic
Has an entry in the Autism Services Directory
Has SEN unit or class Y
HI - Hearing Impairment
Hospital School
Mental health
MLD - Moderate Learning Difficulty
MSI - Multi-Sensory Impairment
Natspec Specialist Colleges
OTH - Other Difficulty/Disability
Other SpLD - Specific Learning Difficulty Y
PD - Physical Disability
PMLD - Profound and Multiple Learning Difficulty
SEMH - Social, Emotional and Mental Health
SLCN - Speech, Language and Communication
SLD - Severe Learning Difficulty
Special facilities for Visually Impaired
SpLD - Specific Learning Difficulty Y
VI - Visual Impairment

Who came from where

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