St James Preparatory & Nursery School

We are an independent, co-educational prep school and nursery for children aged 2-11 located in Kensington, Olympia in London.

Our aim is simple. We want our children to arrive at school with a song in their heart and leave fizzing with what they have learned. We are ambitious for our pupils. This means we want them to have fun as they learn because we know happy children succeed.

We aim to be a vibrant learning community where everyone can flourish. We do this by balancing the academic, pastoral, sporting, creative and spiritual elements of our curriculum so they work in harmony to support growth and wellbeing.

An oasis of calm in bustling Kensington, the school has enviable outside space, a forest school, teaching kitchen, science labs and a new ICT Suite. We are strong in sports, with over 18 different sports taught including handball, cross-country running and squash, alongside team sports. Girls are taught football, rugby and cricket and both genders compete regionally and nationally – our Year 6 girls recently won the ISA Regional Netball Championships.

Our staff are strongly supported in their pastoral role. All pupils are valued and valuable members of the community and are encouraged to speak about their worries – no matter how small. St James offers chances for every child to succeed and celebrates when they do which boosts self-assurance and the ability for pupils to care for themselves and others.

Lessons start and end with a mindfulness moment, ‘The Pause’. We encourage a love of learning so pupils get great results for the right reasons, without a hothouse atmosphere. Pupils can progress to the St James Senior Girls’ or Senior Boys’ Schools (entry is automatic) and we also support pupils who wish to go on to other senior London day schools or boarding schools.