St James CE Junior School. Section 1. The School

St James CE Junior School Section 1 The School 1.1 Welcome to St James' 1.2 The School Staff 1.3 The School Governors 1.4 The Aims and History of St James School 1.5 School Links 1.6 The School Day 1.7 Term Dates 1.1 WELCOME TO ST JAMES Welcome to St. James' CE Junior School. We pride ourselves on running a happy and friendly school. Our school has served the community in the St. James area since 1860. Our mission is to develop happy, healthy, confident and fulfilled children who strive to be the best they can in all that they do, gaining skills that will last a lifetime. As a Church School, we believe this happens in a caring Christian environment and is based on the values of co-operation, courage, honesty, forgiveness, trust and friendship, where each one of us is respected and we understand our responsibility to ourselves, each other and the wider community. We have high expectations for all our children at St James' C.E. Junior School but above all, we want our pupils to be happy and successful individuals. We endeavour to help all of our children achieve, whether they are academic high flyers or in need of a little more support. We believe that learning should be enjoyable and that children are happy when

gaining success in a secure and reassuring environment. We recognise and value the important role that parents play and see effective education as a partnership between home and school. Our aim is to help children in our care become self-confident and independent individuals who respect all members of our school community and recognise their growing responsibilities as citizens. This is a summary of the school prospectus. Much of the information is available elsewhere on the school website. If you require any additional details, or wish a printed copy of our prospectus please contact the school office and we will be pleased to provide it. Front cover: The symbol of St. James' CE School is made up of an amalgamation of part of the Rochester Diocesan symbol (the shield containing the red cross) and the scallop shell of St. James. The scallop shell, la coquille St. Jacques, was formally used by pilgrims to collect alms in and can be seen carved all along the old roads. John Tutt 1.2 STAFF OF ST JAMES CE JUNIOR SCHOOL (2014/2015) Teaching Staff Headteacher Mr John Tutt Deputy Headteacher Mr Jonathan Smith Assistant Headteacher Mrs Jayne Ingman Mr Jonathan Smith Mrs Jayne Ingman Mrs Helen Featherstone Mrs Fiona Schone Mrs Liane Sparks Mrs Gill Waller Miss Harriet Butler Miss Lauren Spoor Mrs Anne Holwell Miss Holly Mallion 6S 3I 3F 3S 3S 4W 4B 4S 5H 5M

Miss Vicky Baker Mrs Judy Waters Mrs Rachel Raistrick Mrs Kathy Burke Mrs Victoria Hemsley 6B SENCO Teaching Assistants Mrs Jean Crane Mrs Katrina Gilman Miss Sue Gibson Mrs Janet Holdstock Mrs Jane Simkins Mrs Mandy Lewis Mrs Sarah Moriarty Mrs Beverley Watson Mrs Dawn Johnson Mrs Teresa Woolgar Mrs Carmel Matthews Mrs Elizabeth Harris 6B 5M 4S 4W 6S 3S 5H 3F 4B 3I 3I & 5H Non-teaching staff Mrs Angie Denman Mrs Juliet Walters Mrs Anne Stark Mr Shaun Littlechild Mrs Jean Diplock Mrs Helen Friend Mrs Maria Looke Office Administrator Finance Officer Admin Officer Caretaker Midday Supervisor Midday Supervisor Midday Supervisor 1.3 THE GOVERNORS OF ST JAMES' CE JUNIOR SCHOOL (2013/2014) Mr Stephen Francis Mr Stephen Pollard Community Governor (Chair) Community Governor (Vice-Chair)

Mrs Liane Sparks Mr John Tutt Mrs Jean Crane Mrs Jan Rodemark Mrs Sally Chandler Mrs Sally Boorman Mrs Jessica Austen Mrs Caroline Lees Mrs Yvette Lloyd Mr Tony Phillips Mrs Parvin Stewart Mr Mike Phillips Mr Jonathan Smith Mrs Jane Simkins Teacher Governor Headteacher Staff Governor Community Governor Community Governor Foundation Governor Foundation Governor Associate Governor (Deputy Headteacher) Clerk to the Governing Body Any communication with the Governing Body should be addressed to the Clerk of Governors, at the school. 1.4 THE SCHOOL 1.4.1. Aims of St James Junior School Mission and Values St James s Junior School Mission and Values Our mission is to develop happy, healthy, confident and fulfilled children who strive to be the best they can in all that they do, gaining skills that will last a lifetime. As a Church School, we believe this happens in a caring Christian environment and is based on the values of co-operation courage honesty forgiveness trust friendship where each one of us is respected and we understand our responsibility to ourselves, each other and the wider community.

We will achieve this through Providing a Creative and Thorough Curriculum Our school celebrates excellence in academic studies, languages, sport, music and the arts, and ensures that every child enjoys, and gets the most out of, their learning experience. We aim to engage our students' creativity through an open and varied curriculum both in and out of the classroom, and, as a Church School, through an understanding of the Christian story. Promoting Good Relationships and Behaviour At our school, we expect all children and staff to have respect for each other. Politeness and good behaviour are rewarded, and problems are dealt with firmly, fairly, consistently and sensitively. We try to know all the children really well and recognise the individuality of each one, and to create a calm, safe environment where each child can focus on learning. Being a Community School and Supporting our Staff Our school community includes children, staff, governors, parents, neighbours and friends. It is part of the St James' ward of Tunbridge Wells, closely connected to St James' Church and St James' Infant School, but also involved in the wider community, including other local schools, church and community groups. We provide our staff with all the support and equipment they need to do their work effectively. Having Buildings and Resources Fit-For-Purpose We aim to have spacious, light, comfortable classrooms, and well-used and wellresourced, dedicated library, music, IT and science rooms. We organise and carefully look after all our resources, to ensure we use them effectively and efficiently, to create a smart, safe and professional environment for all our children. All this leads to Our children becoming happy, confident individuals, proud of themselves and their school, with strong values and self-belief; and a sense of belonging to and remaining part of the St. James Community. St. James' C.E. (Controlled) Junior School is a Christian community with governors, parents and staff working together for the benefit of the children. From this shared relationship we aim to lay strong academic, moral, social, and cultural foundations for all pupils. To assist every child to achieve their potential in terms of academic, social and cultural development within the school, in the context of the learning process through primary and secondary education. To maintain and develop in pupils lively, inquiring minds. To acknowledge the importance of language, mathematics, science, humanities, aesthetic and physical areas of learning, and to provide appropriate opportunities for each child to gain competence in them. To help pupils to develop personal, spiritual and moral values and an understanding of religions and beliefs with a tolerance to others and other ways of life.

To encourage pupils to understand that they are part of a larger community, in particular that of the St. James area of Tunbridge Wells, to appreciate the diversity of community life and the needs of the area.

1.4.2. The History of the School St. James' School has a long and important association with Tunbridge Wells. It was established in 1866 as the school for the children living in the parish of St. James. The school was originally situated in Quarry Road and moved to its present buildings in 1973. It occupies an attractive site shared with the St. James' Infant School. The school is in the midst of an expansion programme and the number of children here will rise to 360 by September 2016. A new classroom block is being built to the rear of the school. Other additions to the original building are a fully equipped information technology room connected to the school network, a performing arts room, two small group rooms and a dedicated science room. These new classrooms are used primarily by our support teaching staff to teach groups in all areas of the curriculum but particularly focussing on maths and science. The extensive grounds comprise a hard play area, sports pitches, a wild ecological area, two pond areas and space used for growing fruit and vegetables as well as plentiful play space. 1.4.3. Organisation The school is organised into ten classes (eleven from September 2015), three for years 3 and 5, and two for years 5 and 6. The classes in each year group are parallel in age and in ability. Most children join automatically from St. James' Infant School. At this point the classes are carefully arranged taking into account advice from the Infant School together with friendships and parental wishes. The classes will then usually progress through the school in these groupings. Their "class teacher" will teach the children most of the time. The children are currently set in maths in years 5 and 6. All teachers are responsible to the Headteacher for the pastoral care and organisation of the children in their class. Our stated admissions number is 68 children per year group (90 in Years 3 & 4) making a nominal maximum of 316 children. 1.5 SCHOOL LINKS 1.5.1. Church Links Close links exist between the school and St. James' Church which are valued and continue to develop. At Christmas, Easter and a leavers' services are held in the church to which parents are invited. There is also a leavers service at the end of the school year. The vicar or curate visits the school each week to lead school assemblies. Our status as a Church Controlled School allows representatives of the Church places on the Governing Body. The Vicar of St. James Church, or his representative, is an exofficio member. 1.5.2. School Links We are concerned that each child's education should be a continuous experience. We have very good relationships with St. James' Infant School and ensure that the transition from an infant to a junior is a smooth experience. 7

Our school is fully involved in the Tunbridge Wells Primary Schools Local Collaborative Trust (TWPSCT) and the TAWKE Teaching School Alliance, and we benefit from working together and collaborating closely with our partners. Although our children transfer to as many as twelve different secondary schools each year, we ensure that each child has had the opportunity to visit their new school and if possible, meet their new form teacher. We also ensure that we send to each secondary school the most complete records available for all of our children to make this transition as effective as we can. 1.6 THE SCHOOL DAY The school day starts at 8.55. Children are expected to arrive punctually each morning but not before 8.45, as no supervision will be available before this time. School closes at 3.20. Once children are dismissed from the classroom at this time, unless they are staying for organised after-school activities, they become the sole responsibility of their parents. Lunchtime is from 12.00 until 1.10 The total taught week is 23 hours 30 minutes. 1.7 ACCESS TO ADDITIONAL INFORMATION Additional information is available on the school website, or through contacting the school office. ------------------------------------------------ The headteacher, staff and governors of St James' CE Junior School will always strive to ensure that your child is happy, well educated, well mannered and self-motivated to succeed. As always we look to you to support us in our work. If this brochure has left you with further questions, please do request an appointment to see the headteacher or make your request known to the school secretary. e- mail: office@st-james-junior.kent.sch.uk 8