Catholic Life

At St. James, our mission statement forms the absolute heartbeat of our school.

“We treat each other as Jesus teaches us.”

At St James, Faith Shapes Our Future

At the heart of St James is our deep Catholic identity - the cornerstone of everything we do. We are committed to nurturing the wellbeing and success of every child who walks through our doors.
Every member of our Catholic community is a unique gift from God. We passionately support and inspire each individual to discover and develop their own special talents and gifts.
Rooted in Gospel values, we foster a culture of care, respect, and kindness - living out Jesus’ teachings in every corner of our school life. Prayer, worship, and liturgy are not just traditions here; they are meaningful, uplifting experiences that connect and enrich our entire community.
Join us at St James, where faith and learning come together to empower the whole child - mind, body, and spirit.

RE Ambassadors at St. James

St James are embracing the Year of Hope 2025: A Journey of Renewal and Faith

The Year of Hope 2025 is a powerful Jubilee declared by Pope Francis - a special time dedicated to forgiveness, renewal, and reconciliation. Centered around the inspiring theme “Pilgrims of Hope,” this Holy Year calls us to embrace hope amid the world’s challenges, from conflict and climate change to the ongoing effects of the pandemic.

Beginning on Christmas Eve 2024 and continuing through January 6, 2026, this sacred season invites us all to walk a path of faith and optimism. The opening of Holy Doors in basilicas and cathedrals worldwide symbolizes new beginnings and the chance to experience God’s mercy in profound ways.

At St James, we celebrate this Jubilee by encouraging our community to be true pilgrims of hope - living with courage, compassion, and a renewed commitment to building a brighter, more loving future for all.

Big Lent Walk

Thank you to all of our children, staff and volunteers who took part in the The Big Lent Walk in aid of CAFOD.

CAFOD are the official aid agency for the Catholic Church in England and Wales. they reach out to people living in hard-to-reach places, in war zones and those who are discriminated against.

CAFOD believe that if one of us is hurt, hungry or abandoned, we all are hurt, hungry and abandoned. No one should be beyond the love and support they need to live a dignified life. Together we raised more than £100 for this very special cause!

Thank you to Mrs Scott and our Mini Vinnies for helping promote this event with their artwork and posters. We would also like to thank all of the Staff and students at St. Joseph’s Catholic Academy for accompanying our children on their walk and being so welcoming and kind to us all, it was lovely to visit our Bishop Chadwick Catholic Education Trust family school again. We must also say thank you to all of the folk in Hebburn who tooted their horns and cheered us on throughout our walk! FANTASTIC WORK EVERYONE!

Our Jubilee Pledge – St. James Pledge Day

As part of our Year of Hope we have been celebrating our Pledge Day. At St. James we have made a whole school pledge to:

Support CAFOD charity work and campaigns
Help our families who use the Justice of Peace Refugee Centre in Newcastle
Take part in the Oscar Romero award to become Agents of Change

Our Faith in Action team led Celebration of the Word, we participated in prayer stations, we went on a pilgrimage around the school grounds and created a Pledge Day collage. Our St. James family ‘hope’ our pledges change the future.

Harvest at St James

We give thanks to God for his great abundance and blessing through the celebration of harvest. At St James our community always shows generosity to those who are less fortunate than ourselves.

This year as part of our CAFOD pledge the Mini Vinnies are collecting non-perishable foods for the Justice and Peace Refugee Centre in Newcastle.

CAFOD family fast

Our staff celebrated family fast day by sharing a simple meal together. Thank you to Mrs Conroy and family for making the most incredible soups and to Mrs Scott for supplying the bread. Together staff raised just over £50 for CAFOD

Celebration of Pilgrimage

As part of our year of hope we have have worked hard to display our places of Holy pilgrimage around the world. This helps us to explore different Faith and Holy places. Pilgrimage is a sacred journey and helps us find meaning, purpose, values and truth.

Y5 Residential to Youth Village in Concert YMT

Well done to all of the Year 5 children who attended the Youth Village, you were exceptionally behaved and represented St. James wonderfully! Thank you to the St. James staff who volunteered their time to accompany the children and to all of the staff that made this happen for the children and to the ever warm and welcome Youth Ministry Team.

Hebburn Living Well with Dementia

The children in Year 6 were invited to sing at the Alzheimer’s VE Day Party at St. Aloysius Church Hall.

This was such a wonderful opportunity for us to celebrate 80 years since Victory in Europe and share this important time with our friends in the parish. Well done Year 6 you brought so much JOY to the community!

Pope Leo

HABEMUS PAPAM We join together with Catholics across the world to welcome our new Pope. A truly historic moment for the Catholic Church! Pope Leo XIV has been elected as the new Pope. His leadership will guide millions in faith, ethics, and global responsibility.

Let us pray – “Lord, we thank You for guiding the Church in this sacred moment. Bless our new Pope with wisdom and strength, so he may lead Your people with faith and compassion. May his service bring unity and hope to believers everywhere. Amen.

Coffee Afternoons at St. James

We hold regular coffee afternoons in school. These are a great way to meet other parents, chat with friends, feel supported and feel involved in school life. Our wonderful kitchen staff prepare cakes and donations are used to support our coffee afternoons.

Catholic Union Magazine

We were proud to have recently featured in Catholic Union Magazine as school of the week.

St. James School of the Week

The Headteacher of St. James’ is Mrs Francesca Heslop, in the Diocese of Hexham and Newcastle. The school is part of Bishop Chadwick Catholic Education Trust, which has thirty schools across East Durham, South Tyneside, and Sunderland.

History: Our school was built in 1972, and we hosted some wonderful fiftieth anniversary celebrations in 2022. We are a friendly and traditional single form entry school for children aged 4 to 11 years, we currently have 172 pupils. Every member of our school is a gift from God, and we want everyone to do their best. As a Catholic School, we care for each other, and treat each other as Jesus teaches us, in all areas of school life.

Motto: We treat each other as Jesus teaches us.

Notable Alumni: Simon Bartram and Jennifer Bartram both attended our School. Simon is an award-winning illustrator and author of children’s picture books. Jennifer is a Senior Presenter for the BBC.

Happy Tu BiShvat

Today we would like to wish all of our Jewish brothers and sisters a happy Tu BiShvat.

Tu BiShvat is a “birthday” for all of the trees born in the previous year. It is a “new year” for the trees. Many people celebrate it by gathering together for a Tu BiShvat seder with figs, dates, and other delicious Israeli fruits.

Remembrance Sunday

The whole school remembered those who sacrificed their lives for us in the Great Wars. The whole school reflected on the occasion with two minutes of silence and prayers.

Alzheimer’s Christmas Party

Our children were invited to St. Aloysius Church to sing at the Alzheimer’s Christmas Party. It was a wonderful opportunity to bring Christmas Spirit to our friends at the parish.

The children performed beautifully, their behaviour was as always exceptional and their understanding toward the audience was heart warming!

“To bring joy to a person is to learn the song in their heart, and sing it to them when they have forgotten.”

Feast of Christ the King

On Sunday 24^th November we celebrated the Feast of Christ the King at St. James Church.

This is a very important feast day in our Catholic calendar and were delighted to see many of our children and families attend the mass.

Children have been learning the chorus of a new version of the Apostles Creed and were delighted to showcase their talent to the parishioners.

It was a joyful event where the children represented the school and their families beautifully with their fantastic responses and outstanding behaviour.

Travelling Crib

As it is Advent we invite our families to take part in the Travelling Crib project. Each day a child is selected to take a Travelling Crib home. As a family you are invited to place the crib scene in your home, switch on the candle and take a short time to pray together.

The travelling crib has everything you will need, including a short prayer, hymn and information on how to use the set for the evening. We kindly ask that the set is returned to school the following day so that it can be passed on to another child.

We would be delighted to receive photos, drawings, prayers or writing about the crib. These could be brought into school or emailed to the office.

We are very much looking forward to you sharing your Travelling Crib stories throughout Advent.

Reception, Year 1 and Year 2 Christmas Performance

Yesterday was the last of our Christmas Performances and what a showstopper it was. Thank you to Reception, Year 1 and Year 2 for their fabulous rendition on “Wriggly Nativity” YOU WERE ALL AMAZING!

Year 3 and Year 4 Christmas Performance

Well done to Year 3 and Year 4 who all performed beautifully for their parents and carers. The children have worked tirelessly to practice and perfect their narration, acting and singing. Well done to all involved in creating this fabulous performance.

Year 5 and Year 6 Christmas Performance

Well done to Year 5 and Year 6 who all performed beautifully for their parents and carers. The singing, dancing and narration all made for a perfect show. Well done to everyone involved in creating this heart warming performance.