St James Church of England First School
Academy converter primary school in Wimborne (Dorset).
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
We follow Jesus' example by valuing and cherishing all God's children in an ever-changing world. We are loved so we can love. St James First School and Nursery is a wonderful village school, set in idyllic scenery, just outside the heart of Wimborne.
We believe that success is all down to high expectations and aspirations for every child and we aim for excellence in everything we do. School should be a joyful experience for all children; they only have one shot at primary education and the greatest responsibility we have is to get it right for them at the very beginning.
A huge thank you to Mrs Ryan who taught Hedgehogs, Foxes and Nursery how to make spring rolls for Chinese New Year. Our two youngest year groups gathered in the hall to try rice, noodles, prawn crackers before performing a dragon dance with scarves and masks!
In the school’s own words, from the school website.
Enrichment
8 activitiesiFound on the school website by WhatSchool. Not verified by Governance Register; the school website is the authority.- Computing
- Dance
- Gardening
- Music
- Rugby
- Sewing
- Forest School
- Philosophy for Children (P4C)
Awards
2 awardsiFound on the school website by WhatSchool. Not verified by Governance Register; the school website is the authority.- Eco SchoolsEnvironment
- Eco Schools Green FlagEnvironment
Key facts
- URN
- 148300
- Type
- Academy converter
- Phase
- Primary
- Ages
- 2 to 9
- Gender
- Mixed
- Religious character
- Church of England
- Sixth form
- Does not have a sixth form
- Nursery
- Has Nursery Classes
- Local authority
- Dorset
- Constituency
- Mid Dorset and North Poole
- Setting
- Smaller rural: Nearer to a major town or city
- Opened
- 2021
Governing body (5 current, 3 former)
iAcademy trust: local governing body and trust board.Leadership
| Name | Role | How appointed | Term |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mr Cliff Beard | Chair of Local Governing Body | Appointed by foundation/Trust | since 2024 · until 2028 |
Full governing body
| Name | Role | How appointed | Term |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mrs Rosiland Nash | Local Governor | Appointed by foundation/Trust | since 2026 · until 2030 |
| Mr James Leigh | Local Governor | Elected by parents | since 2025 · until 2029 |
| Mrs Anna Swift | Local Governor | Elected by parents | since 2024 · until 2028 |
| Mrs Liz Barnard | Local Governor | Appointed by foundation/Trust | since 2023 · until 2027 ends 2027 |
| Mr Daniel Lawford Former | Local Governor | Ex-officio by virtue of office as headteacher/principal | since 2022 · term ended 2026 |
| Miss Laura Roberts Former | Local Governor | Elected by school staff | since 2022 · term ended 2026 |
| Mrs Rosalind Nash Former | Local Governor | Foundation/sponsor members | since 2022 · term ended 2026 |
Source: Department for Education, Get Information about Schools (governance records, as at 25 October 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