SEND

At Southwater Junior Academy we believe that all children should develop their individual potential.  However, we also recognise that some pupils may experience difficulties on their journey.  We work together with parents/carers and family members to ensure that each child is viewed holistically in order to best meet their needs. We also work with a range of agencies such as the speech and language service, the school nurse and the educational psychology service to best support our pupils. 

What provisions are in place to support learners?

We pride ourselves on being inclusive and being able to offer a wide range of support and interventions for children. From extra support with reading to emotional wellbeing help with our specially trained Emotional Literacy Support Assistant (ELSA), we aim to ensure that interventions are personalised to meet the needs of each pupil. Interventions can take the shape of small group work, 1:1 support, or additional resources within the classroom.

Some of the specialist interventions that we provide at SJA are:
- Early morning sensory circuits
- Lego Therapy
- ELSA support
- Narrative Therapy
- Speech and Language support
- Family Link Worker support 

What our pupils say about the support at Southwater Junior Academy:

All the adults help me with my learning and make things easier for me to understand.

 Year 3 pupil.

Learning is really fun at SJA!

Year 3 pupil.

Sometimes I can find learning really hard. My teacher and LSA help to give me more confidence.

 Year 4 pupil.

I love spending time in Iggy’s Room and the Nurture Room. Miss Rumble and Mrs Watts really help me when I am feeling worried. This helps me to focus more on my learning.

 Year 6 pupil.

I find reading really tricky. I do some extra reading in school every day and I am getting better. I didn’t like reading books, but my teacher helped me find books that I enjoy. Now I love reading!.

 Year 5 pupil.

What to do if you have a concern about your child?

If your child is already at our school, you can contact your child’s class teacher to share your concerns. Alternatively, you can contact Miss Rumble, the school’s SENCo, via the school office for further information.

What are Special Educational Needs?

Special Educational Needs or SEN means that a child has needs that are different from, or additional to, the majority of children of their age and that they may need extra help at school to achieve their full potential. This could be for a number of reasons and we will support these needs in a variety of ways. There are four main areas of SEN. These are cognition and learning; communication and interaction; social, emotional and mental health; and/or physical or sensory. At Southwater Junior Academy, we support children who experience any of these needs.

What is a Disability?

Under the ‘Equality Act 2010’ a disability is defined as a physical or mental impairment that has a ‘substantial’ and ‘long-term’ negative effect on your ability to do normal daily activities. At Southwater Junior Academy, we aim to consider the individual needs of each child and work together to provide the correct support so that children can access the curriculum fully.

The SJA SEND documents can be found within our Policies, please click this link.