By the Education Act 1902 the management of Saint James the Great National School was transferred from the National Society for the Education of the Poor in the Principles of the Established Church to the new Devonport Local Education Authority, which was actually the Education Committee of Devonport Borough Council.  Although the transfer was supposed to have taken place on Wednesday April 1st 1903, it actually happened on Monday June 1st 1903.  Saint James the Great Church of England Elementary School* had accommodation for 181 boys, 141 girls and 121 infants.

In 1914 Mr Hubert Philip Treglohan was the master of the boys' school; Miss Elizabeth Bailey the mistress of the girls' school; and Miss Elsie F Hamblyn the mistress of the infants' school.  The average attendance at that time was 184 boys, 136girls and 118 infants.

On and as from November 9th 1914, when Devonport was amalgamated with Plymouth, the School came under the management of the Plymouth Local Education Authority.

The Education Act 1918 raised the school-leaving age to the fourteenth birthday.

In 1937 Mr F S Nelson was head master of the junior mixed and infants' school.

The Education Act 1944 raised the school leaving age to the fifteenth birthday as from Tuesday April 1st 1947 and created Primary schools for the 5 to 11 years olds and Secondary Modern, Grammar and Technical Schools.