Admissions
Why apply to St James's?
We are a three-form entry school accepting 90 pupils in Reception and 52 in Nursery. The Catholic ethos of St. James’s permeates every aspect of school life, with our key focus being that every individual child grows in the knowledge and love of Christ. We have been judged Outstanding by OFSTED (Jan 2015) and the Diocese of Westminster (June 2014).
Our SATs results are consistently above the national and local authority averages at Key Stages 1 and 2. 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 child's potential.
A larger school has many benefits for the children including:
Dedicated, specialist staff (e.g. Music, French, Learning Support)
A wealth of experience amongst staff and opportunities for collaboration and sharing best practice
Excellent facilities:
large playing fields
separate playgrounds for children of different age groups
ICT suite
two school halls
Dedicated specialist subject class rooms for art, music, languages and learning support
Innovative approaches to teaching and learning.
The teaching of 'thinking skills' is an important part of the curriculum and we have been accredited as a 'Thinking School' by Exeter University
On-site breakfast and after-school clubs
A large and active parent body which raises significant funds to provide additional facilities for our children, as well as providing many social opportunities
We look forward to welcoming your child to St James's and helping them realise their potential. Our warm and caring environment and excellent teaching staff mean that children settle very quickly into life at St James's.
Which Parishes do we serve?
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)
We warmly invite applications from practising Catholic families in these parishes. In recent years, we have been able to offer places to all practising Catholic children from these parishes. Please refer to the parish boundary maps.
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. For the purposes of this definition, it includes a looked after child living with a family where at least one of the parents is Catholic.
How places have been offered on National Offer Day (90 places):
(2023 Data not yet available)
2020 | 2021 | 2022 | |
Number of applications | 258 | 229 | 227 |
Places allocated to: | |||
Baptised Catholics as follows: | 90 | 81 | 85 |
Looked after or previously looked after children | 1 | 1 | 0 |
Siblings | 40 | 43 | 36 |
Non-siblings within designated parishes | 39 | 33 | 39 |
Non-siblings outside designated parishes | 11 | 5 | 10 |
Christian children of other denominations | 0 | 9 | 5 |
Number of appeals heard | 2 | 0 | 0 |
Number of successful appeals | 1 | 0 | 0 |
There is a waiting list | Yes | Yes | Yes |
School Tours
We are pleased to advise that school tours have now recommenced and are held every Friday at 9.30 am. Please contact the office to book a place on the next available tour.
Admissions: September '24 Reception
The September 2024 Reception Admissions Process has now closed.
- Tuesday 16 April All on-time applicants will be sent an email from the Local Authority during the evening (National Offer Day) informing them of the result of their application.
- Tuesday 30 April Date by which parents must accept or decline their offer Friday 17 May to the Local Authority. Closing date for submission of appeals to be heard in the main round for schools in Richmond using the Richmond Independent Appeals Service.
Admissions: September '24 Nursery
Please refer to our September 2024 Nursery Admissions Page, for our Nursery provision.
Admissions: GTC
Please look to the GTC page for specific GTC school tours and the admission process.
Admissions: '24 In-Year
The In-Year Admission Process is open all year round.
Parents/Carers must complete an online Local Authority In-Year Admission application and in addition, complete the St James's supplementary Information Form and if available: provide a copy of the child's Baptism Certificate and Certificate of Catholic Practice.
Please download the In-Year 2023/2024 Admissions Documents.
A Certificate of Catholic Practice can downloaded from the Diocese of Westminster website.
Please note that the Certificate of Catholic Practice must be signed by your own parish priest.
A Certificate of Catholic Practice can downloaded from the Diocese of Westminster website.
Please note that the Certificate of Catholic Practice must be signed by your own parish priest.
Admissions: Consultation Reception 2025-2026
Please see below the proposed Reception 2025-26 Admissions Policy.
Comments should be made in writing info@st-james.richmond.sch.uk. The consultation period will run until 22nd December 2023.