St James' School Page

Click here for our Mission Statement

Our School

2009 saw our church school celebrate 150 years of service to the community, with a special service where over 300 people connected with the school attended. 

Our church school has excellent accommodation,up to date resources and extensive grounds.  The school has seen significant growth in its population this year and as at September 2009 it has 285 pupils on roll.  In July 2009 Ofsted judged us to be a ‘good’ school.

Church /School Links
Below are some examples of the excellent links that exist between the church and the school:

• Father Peter is The Chairman of Governors of the school and provides advice and support to staff on Religious Education and worship issues in addition to his priestly duties  and pastoral care for the whole school community
• The school contributes a monthly article to the Parish Magazine
• The school takes part in a variety of charitable events during the year that are linked with church activities
• Pupils take part in a variety of church services from time to time
• The church helps to provide bibles for Year 6 leavers and some financial support for some families in need
• The school offers its excellent facilities for Parish use e.g Harvet Supper, Talents evening
• The Headteacher provides an annual update for the P.C.C. and report to the annual meeting
• The church welcomes the whole school community to celebrate key festivals in the parish church at least 3 times a year
• The church and clergy are used as important resource for Religious Education and cross-curricular learning
• The church holds regular ‘Messy Church’ activities in school for pre-school pupils and their families

School Worship
Worship takes place each day in our school.  There are planned themes for each week and Father Peter leads our worship on a Wednesday morning.
The Parish Mass is celebrated in the school hall every Friday morning at 9.00am  during term time, to which the congregation, parents, friends and the wider community are invited. Each week a class takes a major part in the service and fellowship continues after the mass with refreshments afterwards.
Religious Education
The majority of Religious Education in school has a focus on Chrisitianity.  There is some teaching of Judaism and Islam. 

Would You Like To Get Involved?
A number of members of the congregation and other community members help out in school and we always welcome more.  Please contact the Heateacher, Jeff Graham, if you are able to help out on a regular basis in school. No special qualifications are necessary – just patience and understanding and an interest in young people. The safety and well-being of the pupils in our care is the highest priority and any helpers in school must have an enhanced Criminal Records Bureau assessment undertaken. 
And finally ..............

Panoramic view of the school site

Mass being celebrated in School

A Brief History of St James' School

In 1859 a Sunday school for boys and girls was built in St. James's parish in a lane, later Guildford Road, off East Hill. A Church day school for infants was opened c.1836 in East Street. Attendance there rose from 52 in 1839 to 95 in 1846, but the school was short of money and, although it survived in 1852, it seems to have closed soon after. A new infant school, under the patronage of Margaret Round, was opened c.1864 in a hired building in East Street. In the 1870s it was usually attended by c.140 children, and from 1878 it received annual government grants. The building was condemned in 1891, and in 1894, when the National branch school vacated its East Hill building, St. James's infants moved there. In 1899, to prevent the establishment of a board school in the parish, the Rector, Fr C.C. Naters, started a girls school and soon afterwards a boys school in the East Hill building, and moved the infants to St. Anne's mission, Harwich Road. In 1906 he closed St. James's boys department, which was threatened by the building of East Ward council school, and moved the infants back to East Hill. In 1930 St. James's Church of England school was reorganized for juniors and infants. In 1949 it was granted Aided status and moved in 1961 to a new building for 120 children, opposite the old one. Seven new classrooms were added between 1962 and 1971 to accommodate c. 345 children.

Saint James' C of E Voluntary Aided Primary School
Guildford Road
Colchester
Essex CO1 2RA

Phone: 01206 865747
Fax: 01206 791589

http://www.st-james-colchester.essex.sch.uk

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