Primary school selection: This Wigan Catholic school has so much to offer for pupils starting in Sept 2025
If you’re looking for a school to develop the whole child, which has strong academic and sporting successes, a rich and varied extra-curricular programme and a strong link to its Parish then St James’ School is the perfect choice.
As one of the top performing state primary schools for many miles around for SATS results the staff, parents and pupils of St James’ School, Wigan, are justifiably proud of the academic achievements – but this is just one measure of success.
We are one of the highest achieving primary schools in the area, and regularly in the top schools for our SATS outcomes through highly effective teaching and strong pastoral systems” said headteacher Gary Hayes.
We achieve all this whilst still having a curriculum to develop the whole child – we want our pupils to thrive academically but also personally, spiritually, morally and socially.
Beyond literacy and numeracy
Teaching young people to read, write and understand mathematics are core subjects for primary school teaching and act as a firm foundation for learning. But St James’ Primary School, at St James’ Road, Orrell, offers a much wider spectrum, taking in many subjects which students will go on to study at secondary school. The varied and interesting curriculum encompasses history, science, geography, art, British values, computing, design and technology, modern foreign languages, music, physical education, financial education and personal, social, health and economic (PSHE) learning.
In-class lessons are supported and enhanced by visits from outside speakers to the school, from a broad range of backgrounds, specialist workshops and other enrichment opportunities.
Pupils are also offered visits outside the school grounds to places of interest and learning including trips to places like Jodrell Bank Observatory, the Liverpool World Museum, or trips to the seaside to enhance geography studies, for example. There are also Residential visits in Year 4, 5 and 6.
“We do an awful lot of enrichment to make the curriculum as vibrant as possible,” added Mr Hayes.
Parents at heart of learning
The parents and carers of pupils are part of the school community from day one, and the school works hard to develop and maintain strong links between school and home.
“We always say to parents that they were the first people to educate their children,” said Mr Hayes, and that education does not stop at the school gates. “We work in partnership with them but they continue to be the first educators of their child.”
Pastoral care and supporting children with additional educational or emotional needs is a strong part of school life at St James’.
Wrap-around care
Parents who work or have other responsibilities can be secure in the knowledge that there is a strong ethos of before and after-school activities and care set up at the school. Breakfast club begins at 8am and after school there is a huge range of after-school clubs covering a variety of subjects, as well as a partnership with a local childcare provider offering after-school care from 3.30pm to 6pm.
After-school and extra-curricular activities are as broad-ranging as the curriculum, with arts clubs, sports clubs, mindfulness, languages, design technology and more on offer. Many clubs are run by dedicated teaching staff, whilst some are offered through partnerships with external providers.
Mr Hayes says sport is particularly strong in the school, which has won the prestigious Platinum Award for schools sports and has had success at local, regional and national level.
Mr Hayes himself is a keen cricket fan, and the school is the leading state primary school for cricketing success in Lancashire. The school team has won at county level seven times in the past decade.
History and faith
St James’ School, has a proud history from its beginnings in 1848, as a parish school with 60 pupils, attached to the Parish Church. It was enlarged in 1871 and began to move to its new site in 1964 – a move that took until 2008 to fully complete. In 2012 the school expanded again when another four classrooms were added. It currently has a two-form intake and teaches pupils from the age of four to 11.
The school continues to have the same strong links to the Parish of St James’ Catholic Church in Orrell. Pupils attend mass at the church regularly, there is daily collective worship and the Parish Priest is a regular visitor to school and part and parcel of school life. The spiritual needs and development of pupils here are as much a part of school live as all other aspects of learning and development.
Choosing your child’s school
Parents and carers have until January 15 to decide which schools to put down as their preferred choice for school starters for September 2025. Check out the school’s website and admissions section for more details.
Visit the site here