Head of College: Mr Castle
Deputy Head of College: Ms Gibson
College Pastoral Manager: Ms Body
Cyril Lionel Robert James was born in Trinidad in 1901. He spent his early years as a sports journalist focusing on cricket. He became an icon of black liberation struggles and in 1933 moved to London and began campaigning for the independence of the West Indies from Britain. In 1942 he worked with groups supporting Black Civil Rights in America, but in the 1950s was expelled from the USA for his political views. James was probably most famous however as an author, publishing books on a mixture of political, social and sporting issues. His novel Minty Alley was the first novel by a black Caribbean ever to be published in the UK. His semi-autobiographical account of cricket and colonial life in the West Indies, ‘Beyond a Boundary’, has been voted the greatest ever book about cricket and the third greatest book about sport. By the 1960s James had become a teacher and later a university professor. He lived in Brixton from 1968 until 1989, the year of his death.
How will CLR James help build the identity of our College?
CLR James never lost his faith in the ability of a group of people to bring about change. James College, as a group of people, is dedicated to supporting students improving their life chances, by making positive steps in their learning.
CLR James valued education and the way this empowered people to stand up for what they believed. We also believe in the power of education and the sharing of our knowledge.
CLR James held strong values, which shaped his actions. In a similar way, James College believes in ensuring that every student has the opportunity to achieve. Our beliefs will strengthen and underpin all of our actions.
We believe that every student in James College will experience the feeling of success when achieving something for the first time, in the same way that CLR James became the first black Caribbean author to have a book published in Britain.
Finally, CLR James valued the collective identity of people all over the world, as well as the strength brought by independence. In our College this translates into us developing as individuals, positively influencing others, as well as contributing to the underlying identity of The Elmgreen School and wider society.