Welcome to St James Senior Girls’ School
St James Senior Girls’ School is an independent day school in Kensington, Olympia in London for girls aged 11-18. We offer an education which nurtures and enriches the physical, intellectual, emotional and spiritual development of our pupils
Our curriculum is academically demanding and wide. It is designed to encourage intellectual enquiry but is tailored to suit a range of ability. Our strong through-school focus on pastoral care equips our pupils with a wealth of mindfulness techniques and consequently they exhibit remarkable calmness under pressure. Last year 56% of our A Level results were either A* or A grades and 76% of our GCSE results were grades 9-7. We are strong in sports, with our main focus on lacrosse, netball, athletics and football and we also regularly enter cross-country running competitions.
Our pupils flourish because they are supported by our fantastic teaching team in a warm and caring environment. One of the hallmarks of a St James education is the strength of the friendships you make. Our active alumni community is a testament to that. We think your daughter would thrive here and, if you agree, then we would love to meet you!
Mrs Sarah Labram, Headmistress
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Why St James Senior Girls’ School?
At St James we take the view that the best education is one that inspires, challenges and enthuses by providing depth, breadth and access to the best quality material available. We are fortunate to have teachers who are not only very well qualified but passionate about their subjects and extremely generous with their time.
The school’s two-form entry, means that every girl is genuinely known by her teachers and our pupils really value the sense of being part of a ‘big family’. They look after each other by acting as ‘buddies’, either to new girls or within one of our four Houses. Regular opportunities for stillness and quiet enable pupils to learn to be at ease with themselves, to appreciate the value of being fully present and to develop their ability to concentrate.
Our pupils are mainly drawn from South West, West and North London and the transport links are excellent, so getting to us is easy. Our main school building is set back in a large, securely gated, garden courtyard; just a 3 minute walk away from the main school building is our Sixth Form Centre with its own lovely garden and large Common Room.
Our leavers go on to a wide variety of academic courses and disciplines – everything from mechanical engineering to modern European studies, Liberal Arts to geological sciences. The majority of recent leavers are at Russell Group universities and leading art schools, with some at Oxford, reading mathematics and Sanskrit.
Co-Curricular
We are strong in sport and our PE lessons take place either in the gym or playground on-site or on the excellent playing fields in West London at Kings House Sports Ground, Chiswick or Barn Elms in Barnes. Our main sports are lacrosse, netball, athletics and football and we also regularly enter cross-country running competitions.
We offer the Duke of Edinburgh award and have over 50 extra-curricular clubs. There is something for every girl as they include choirs and orchestras, a wide range of different sports (karate, kickboxing, yoga, gymnastics and dance), LAMDA, debate and creative writing. Some of our newest clubs include Zoology, psychology, postcolonial studies and a Female Lead Society.
Enriching the curriculum is important so we make the most of being in London, with plenty of trips to national museums, theatres and art galleries. At the end of the Summer Term, year groups usually go to France, Florence, Siena and Pisa, the Netherlands, Krakow and Auschwitz. We also enjoy close links with our Boys’ School which is based not too far away, in Surrey. We hold joint activities throughout the year, including Enterprise days, musical and dramatic events, leadership workshops and Sixth Form dinner dances.
Headmistress
Bertie Cairns Deputy Head (Academic)
Charlotte de la Pena (Deputy Head Pastoral)
Pupil 1
Pupil 2
Pupil 3
Pupil 4
