St James' Church, Cooling was restored in the 19th century, when a vestry was added, and the porch was rebuilt. It was declared redundant on 19 November 1976 and vested in the Churches Conservation Trust on 31 May 1978. It is now cared for by a group known as the Friends of St James' Church. The church is open daily to visitors. The churchyard provided the inspiration for the opening chapter of Charles Dickens' book "Great Expectations", in which the hero of the story, Pip, meets the convict, Magwitch. In 2005 the musician Jools Holland married the sculptor Christabel McEwan in the church. St
The Charles Dickens School the sixth form have the option to study from a range of A Levels, and further BTECs. Some sixth form courses are offered in conjunction with St George's CofE School. Following an Ofsted report of 2011 which found The Charles Dickens School generally overall Grade 2 'Good', in 2014 it was judged Grade 4 'inadequate' and placed in 'Special measures' with ongoing monitoring inspections. The Charles Dickens School The Charles Dickens School is a mixed high school and sixth form, located in Broadstairs in the English county of Kent. The school is named after Charles Dickens, the 19th century writer