Welcome to St John & St James'

Our school’s vision is deeply rooted in the Bible, and in Jesus’ teaching. We have embedded one of Jesus’ greatest commandments into our school ethos, ‘Love your neighbour as yourself’. By treating others how we wish to be treated, we promote a school culture ingrained in mutual respect, understanding and compassion for those around us.

Primary Advantage Governors have adopted the anti racist statement drafted by Hackney Headteachers at their conference held on 18th March 2022. As Hackney Headteachers, we jointly affirm our full commitment and continued action to the best possible safeguarding of every child in our care, ensuring a safeguarding first approach always applies. We know that we have already been doing work to eliminate racism in our schools, but recognise that there is much work to be done. We recognise that Black and Global Majority children face racism in Hackney and beyond: we are committed to and will act on taking forward anti-racist practice. In Hackney we are ambitious, caring and inclusive in working for every child. As educationalists we will work jointly, with our children, their families, our staff and with other professionals, particularly with our Black and Global Majority stakeholders, in building on the strong work already in our schools, towards being a beacon of excellence in inclusion and anti-racism. We are committed to revisiting staff training and guidance to ensure that all staff: - feel confident that their duty to safeguard the children in our care comes above any other need, - understand, and are able to counteract, any assumptions or actions that may lead to children being treated unfairly or unjustly. - are able to act to protect children in crisis as if they were our own, seeking senior leader support if needed. We are committed to supporting and challenging each other to ensure this happens.

The school enjoys an active partnership with the local parish church, St John at Hackney. We have an assembly with prayers every day, and frequently visit the church for services. Local clergy also regularly come into school to lead whole school assemblies. We celebrate important Christian festivals such as Christmas and Easter in Church together.

Jo Smith, our Headteacher, leads teaching and learning in the school and is supported by a strong Senior Leadership Team. The Senior Team acts as the point of contact for parents, children and staff.

Here at SJSJ we are incredibly proud of our achievements and awards. Have a look at some of the things that we have achieved in recent years...

Our school is committed to inclusion and believe that all children have a common entitlement to a broad and balanced curriculum which is accessible to them. A number of children in the course of their school career will experience periods when they have difficulty in keeping up with their peers. Pupils develop at different rates especially in primary education. St John & St James’ is committed to identifying and supporting any child in this position under the Special Educational Needs System.

As an inclusive school we ensure all pupils have equal access to the curriculum. We have the highest of expectations and ambitions for all our pupils and ensure all pupils make excellent progress from their starting points. Where children are recognised as having a special educational need, provision is tailored accordingly and a programme of intervention and additional support is co-ordinated in relation to pupil progress. This is developed by the SEND Leader, who liaises with multi agencies, parents and carers as necessary. All teachers, are teachers of SEND pupils and we provide all our staff with high quality CPD to upskill which gives them the best skills and knowledge to support our pupils. The external support that teachers and subject leaders access from our specialist teacher, EP, WAMHS and SaLT clinician provide our SEN children with individualised resources to support their learning and develop strategies to become independent, resilient learners working alongside their peers. Our dedicated team work collaboratively to put appropriate provision and challenge in place for all pupils, irrespective of their starting points, ensuring that they reach their potential and are happy in our school.

We are committed to placing the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child at the heart of our core values and ethos; believing children’s participation is integral to all aspects of school life. The result is a raised sense of security and self-confidence which allows them to take the next step in advocating the rights of children everywhere.

Are you looking for a venue for an event or a space to hire for an activity?

Here you will find details of current vacancies across the Primary Advantage Federation.

Children and young people across the country have experienced unprecedented disruption to their education as a result of coronavirus (COVID-19). Those from the most vulnerable and disadvantaged backgrounds will be among those hardest hit. The aggregate impact of lost time in education will be substantial, and the scale of our response must match the scale of the challenge. Schools’ allocations will be calculated on a per pupil basis, providing each mainstream school with a total of £80 for each pupil in years reception through to 11. As the catch-up premium has been designed to mitigate the effects of the unique disruption caused by coronavirus (COVID-19), the grant will only be available for the 2020 to 2021 academic year. It will not be added to schools’ baselines in calculating future years’ funding allocations.

Each year, the school senior leadership team work in collaboration with our governors to identify our school development priorities. These priorities are decided upon based on results and outcomes and ongoing monitoring processes which are constantly reviewed. Our School Development Priorities underpin everything that we do and are used to inform planning and curriculum content as well as our financial budgeting. Below you will find a list of our priorities for 2021-2022.