2027 Reception September

1. Reception September 2027 Open Morning:

Thank you to all those parents who attended our dedicated Reception 2027 open morning with our Headteacher and Senior Leadership Team.  For those parents who were unable to attend please find attached a presentation that was provided, key highlights include:

• St James's is Ofsted Outstanding in all 5 key areas (Oct 2024) - below are just a few examples of Ofsted observations were:

“The school has a relentless focus on providing the highest possible quality of education.”

“Pupils consistently demonstrate excellent attitudes to their learning. They are extremely focused and engaged during lessons. Children in the early years are highly motivated.”

“The school has developed an extremely ambitious curriculum for all pupils.”

“The school have developed a thoughtful and well-planned personal development programme…Pupils all have access to a rich set of wider opportunities.”

• At St James's, every child is known.
  • Kindness and respect underpin every relationship.
• Outstanding pastoral care supports children's wellbeing.
• High expectations with compassionate support.
• Celebrating every child's unique gifts, talents and achievements.
• Developing confident and independent learners.
• A happy community, where children flourish spiritually, personally and academically.

• St James's is a Catholic school in which each individual grows in the knowledge and love of Christ. In partnership with parents and the whole community, our purpose is to provide a high standard of education, giving the maximum opportunity to realise each person’s potential.

• At St James's, we believe the best outcomes for children are achieved when school and home, work together.
• Parents are our partners.
• Open and approachable communication.
• A welcoming school community with opportunities for parents to be involved in school life.
• Regular updates on learning and progress.
• Shared values and mutual respect.
• Supporting the whole child through collaboration on academic, social, emotional and spiritual development.
• Strong links with our parish and wider community.​​​​​

​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​St James's supports working families - all Reception 2027 children are guaranteed a wraparound place at STJ Extra before school and/or after school provision (term time only).

2. Key Dates for Reception 2027 Entry:

3. Reception 2026 Cohort Profile Analysis: 

4. Application process overview:

To apply for a Reception place at St James’s Catholic Primary School, you must complete two key steps:

5. Children from all faiths & communities are welcome

St James’s is a Catholic school in which each individual grows in the knowledge and love of Christ. In partnership with parents and the whole community, our purpose is to provide a high standard of education, giving every child the opportunity to realise their full potential. As a Catholic school, the faith is central to our daily life and pupils are encouraged to take part in the religious and spiritual activities of the school.

The definition of Catholic:

Catholic' means a member of a Church in full communion with the See of Rome This includes the Eastern Catholic Churches. This will normally be evidenced by a certificate of baptism in a Catholic Church or a certificate of reception into the full communion of the Catholic Church. 

Baptised Catholic children whose primary residence is within one of our four Catholic parishes:

We warmly invite applications from baptised Catholic children whose primary residence, reside witin our four serving parishes.

St James's serves the following parishes:

• St Margaret's (East Twickenham)
• St James (Twickenham)
• St Francis de Sales (Hampton Hill)
• St Theodore's (Hampton)

In recent years, we have been able to offer places to all baptised Catholic children from these parishes. Please refer to the parish boundary maps to assess if your child's primary residence is within or outside (please note place of worship does not determin parish - it must be your child's primary residence). 

A supplementary information form and copy of your child's baptism certificate needs to be provided at the point of application.

• St Francis de Sales Parish Boundary.pdf
• St James's Parish Boundary.pdf
• St Margaret's on Thames Parish Boundary.pdf
• St Theodore's Parish Boundary.pdf

Baptised Catholic children who reside outside of our Catholic parishes:

We warmly invite applications from baptised Catholic children who reside outisde of the four parishes.  In recent years, we have been able to offer all baptised Catholic children who reside out of the four parishes, a place. Please refer to the parish boundary maps to assess if your child's primary residence is within or outside (please note place of worship does not determin parish - it must be your child's primary residence).

A supplementary information form and copy of your child's baptism certificate needs to be provided at the point of application.

Baptised Christian children:

We warmly invite applications from children who are have been baptised in a Christian faith, for example Orthodox, Catcheument, Anglican, Church of England etc...A supplementary information form and copy of your child's baptism certificate needs to be provided at the point of application.

Other faith children:

We warmly invite applications from children who attend other faiths.  A  supplementary information form and a letter from your faith leader confirming your child's regular participation/attendance of that faith, should be provided at the point of application.

Children of no faith:

We warmly invite applications from children who have no faith. You will not be required to provide any additional documentation to the school.