I am delighted to welcome your child as a new learner in September 2025 at St James Academy, part of Dudley Academies Trust. As the Principal, I am extremely proud of what we have to offer and I am confident that our provision is of high quality. Above all, I am committed to ensuring that your child will have the best possible life chances as a result of a first-class educational experience.

In June 2024, St James Academy underwent a rigorous Ofsted inspection, which highlighted numerous strengths of our school. The outcome of the inspection was that Ofsted rated St James Academy as 'Good', reflecting our commitment to providing a high-quality education. The report praised St James Academy as an inclusive and welcoming environment where pupils are encouraged to be themselves. Our pupils are consistently courteous and polite, and prejudice is deemed unacceptable by everyone in our community. This nurturing atmosphere ensures that all pupils feel safe and supported. One particular highlight of the inspection was our careers programme, which is a testament to our vision of 'Dreaming big'. We are dedicated to prioritising reading for all pupils across the school, fostering a love for literature and enhancing their academic growth.

Your child’s move from Year 6 to Year 7 is a very exciting time. However, I recognise that it is a period of great change and that your child may understandably experience some anxiety. I can reassure you that our transition process is highly effective and places all new learners’ wellbeing at the heart of all that we do.

You are likely to have questions about many aspects of the transition from primary school to secondary: for example, uniform and equipment, school lunches and learning support. I can confirm that all this information and much more will be provided by our Transition Lead in due course. In July, we will hold Induction days for our new learners to meet their Year 7 teachers and classmates, followed by an evening event for parents/carers. Information will also be available via our academy website and social media platforms.

I very much look forward to meeting you and your child in the near future.   

Please see attached a leaflet regarding free gifted uniform items and free school meals at the bottom of this web page.

I am delighted that your child has been offered a place at one of our secondary academies in September 2025. It is my pleasure to inform you that your child will be gifted a blazer and tie as a way of welcoming them into our Trust. You will receive information about how to obtain these items of uniform in the coming weeks.

I would like to take this opportunity to share some information about Dudley Academies Trust and the exciting work that we are doing to provide the very best education for all our learners. The vision for our Trust is that our family of schools will be the first choice for young people and parents/carers.
We are a values driven Trust which means that our five core values run through everything that we do. Our school communities are, first and foremost, safe places where all learners can flourish. A culture of aspiration encourages them to Dream Big and to progress to positive post sixteen destinations. We have a strong and sustained track record of examination results. All our schools continue to improve on the gold standard GCSE measure of Grade 5 plus in both English and Mathematics and there is a year-on-year increase in the number of learners achieving the higher grades, 7 to 9.

We invest in staff development to ensure that our teachers and associate staff enjoy their work and are excellent practitioners. We are constantly refining our teaching methods to inspire our learners and enable them to make strong progress. We also have a highly effective behaviour and relationships policy. All schools promote a positive climate for learning which is further enhanced by our commitment to providing a high-quality learning environment We have invested over £15 million in school buildings and IT, with more exciting plans for the future.

I am confident that all our academies will continue to build on their success to offer a first-class education. I believe that your child will have every opportunity to thrive with us and to develop as a well-rounded and confident young person. We want your child to ‘Dream big’ and to know that positive life choices are within their reach. Working with you, we will do everything in our power to make that a reality.

May I wish your child every success and an enjoyable experience during their secondary school years. I look forward to meeting you in the near future.

We understand that transition can be particularly difficult for our SEN learners so if you require any additional support for your child with SEN needs please contact our SENCO, Mr Wallworth by emailing [email protected].

If you require any additional information or have any questions, please contact our Transition Lead, Mr Palmer via emailing [email protected] or telephoning 01384 685200. In the meantime, please follow us on our social media platforms, where you will gain a great insight into the life of our learners at St James Academy.