St James School

St James suits a child who asks awkward questions and likes a moment to think before answering. It is an independent day school taking pupils from 11 to 18 on two sites, one at Kensington Olympia in west London and one on Church Road in Ashford, Surrey. Neither boards. Until now Olympia has taught girls and Ashford boys, but from September 2027 both admit girls and boys into Year 7 and Year 12, moving up year by year until they are fully co-educational in 2031/32. The school notes the change is subject to Department for Education approval, so it is a firm plan rather than a done deal.

St James was founded in 1975 by members of the School of Economic Science, and although the two are now legally separate the roots still show in how a day runs. Lessons open and close with a pause, a few minutes of stillness to settle attention, and nothing is asked of a child beyond being quiet. Philosophy is taught to everyone and threads through other subjects rather than sitting beside them. Sanskrit is on the timetable, taught for its grammar and its literature. Lunch is vegetarian and cooked on site, a decision that goes back to the founding.

The Good Schools Guide describes a happy, united atmosphere, and parents talk about strong pastoral care and an 'embracing of quirkiness'. This is a school that does well with a child thought eccentric elsewhere. Both are small, so a child is known within weeks rather than terms. The Ashford buildings were a girls' school until 2009, so girls arriving in 2027 will not be the first there. It suits a child who would rather be known than noticed.