St James-the-Less Roman Catholic Primary School, Rawtenstall
Voluntary aided primary school in Rossendale (Lancashire).
Location
iSchool location from Get Information about Schools. Nearby schools are coloured by phase. Open Map+ for a full-screen map with neighbourhood deprivation (England only).About
Our mission statement, in the graphic above, was written by children and agreed by all stakeholders of our school. It is known and lived by our children and staff and sets out what is minimally expected in this school.
At St James the Less we believe that children should feel safe and secure in a friendly environment which is a credible witness to its Catholic mission and the teachings of Jesus Christ.
Our mission is that all our children should feel:- The mission statement at the top of this web page was written in consultation with our entire community but is mostly the words of our children who fully understand the importance of living out our mission as a faith school.
Of course, all our children want to feel safe and secure but their understanding of this moves far beyond fences, walls and CCTV but into the relationships they want in their school. Any visitors to our school will witness the importance of these high-quality relationships between all members of our community.
In the school’s own words, from the school website.
Enrichment
2 activitiesiFound on the school website by WhatSchool. Not verified by Governance Register; the school website is the authority.- Cricket
- Forest School
Key facts
- URN
- 119665
- Type
- Voluntary aided school
- Phase
- Primary
- Ages
- 5 to 11
- Gender
- Mixed
- Religious character
- Roman Catholic
- Sixth form
- Does not have a sixth form
- Nursery
- No Nursery Classes
- Local authority
- Lancashire
- Constituency
- Rossendale and Darwen
- Setting
- Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
Governing body (11 current, 2 former)
Maintained school governing body.
Leadership
| Name | Role | How appointed | Term |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mrs Berni Nightingale | Chair of Governors | Appointed by GB/board | since 2023 · until 2027 ends 2027 |
Full governing body
| Name | Role | How appointed | Term |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mrs Sue Casey | Governor | Appointed by GB/board | since 2026 · until 2030 |
| Mrs Lisa Spencer | Governor | Parent appointed by GB/board due to no election candidates | since 2025 · until 2029 |
| Mrs Holly Langan | Governor | Elected by school staff | since 2025 · until 2029 |
| Mr Julian Brandon | Governor | Parent appointed by GB/board due to no election candidates | since 2025 · until 2029 |
| Mrs Jean Ronnan | Governor | Appointed by GB/board | since 2024 · until 2028 |
| Mrs Helen Templar | Governor | Appointed by GB/board | since 2024 · until 2028 |
| Mrs Laura Cavill | Governor | Appointed by GB/board | since 2024 · until 2028 |
| Headteacher Jessica Bell-Shaw | Governor | Ex-officio by virtue of office as headteacher/principal | since 2023 · until 2027 ends 2027 |
| Mrs Lucy Cunningham | Governor | Appointed by GB/board | since 2023 · until 2027 ends 2027 |
| Father Simon Stamp | Governor | Ex-officio foundation governor (appointed by foundation by virtue of the office they hold) | since 2012 |
| Mrs Susan Casey Former | Governor | Appointed by GB/board | since 2022 · term ended 2026 |
| Katie Lyons Former | Governor | Nominated by LA and appointed by GB | since 2021 · term ended 2025 |
Source: Department for Education, Get Information about Schools (governance records, as at 1 November 2026). Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Names are shown as published; there are no addresses or contact details. Current and former are worked out from term end dates when the page loads. Object or ask for removal · Report an issue with this record