St James Academy

 

We would like to welcome you and your child to Sunshine’s class page. We feel privileged to be a part of your child’s school journey and look forward to supporting your child to thrive! We pride ourselves on being an inclusive setting which accommodates a variety of needs and supports children to achieve and succeed to the very best of their ability. Your child’s happiness is our top priority, and we endeavour to do all that we can to make sure your child enjoys school. In addition, we will work hard with your child to support their emotions, communication, independence and social skills.

 

As a team we feel that it is important to have the right environment to support your child with having a sense of belonging and feeling regulated and calm. Our staff are all empathetic, kind, caring and patient which allows children to build strong relationships with all staff members where they feel cared for, valued and respected. We continually spend time reviewing our classroom environments and spend time developing and improving our areas to make sure we are meeting our children’s needs within our class.

 

Our class teachers are Gabby, Annie (currently on maternity leave), Georgia and Sarah. 

 

In Sunshine we have …

 

• - a cosy dinosaur reading cave where the children can snuggle up inside the tent with cushions and a blanket to read a story independently or with a friend.

• - a sensory room which we have an open-door policy on. Two children at a time are allowed to access the sensory room at any point in the day around their learning time. In our dark sensory room, we have a range of sensory lights, liquid light up floor tiles, a mini sofa with sequin cushions, textured sensory squares, mirrors, liquid timers, coloured panels and sensory fidget toys.
• - a sensory circuit area with a range of equipment including a hop scotch mat, yoga ball, spinning chair, trampoline, bubbles, target throwing boards and sensory activity cards.
• - several choosing stations which the children can access freely in between learning which aim to support children’s different skills, consolidate learning, encourage regulation and encourages social interactions with friends.
• - a selection of tablets which the children can use in between lessons. We understand that for many children with SEND having a tablet allows them to self-soothe or engage in repetitive, predictable videos that help them process and regulate sensory input.
• - a calm area which we call ‘Space to Think’. Children may choose to sit in this area if they want some quiet time. A teacher may also ask a child to relax in this area to help regulate themselves if they are struggling with their emotions. In this area there is a space tent with cushions, fidget toys, a mirror and emotions pictures for children to identify how they are feeling.

 

 

 
Every morning staff are available at our entrance door for you to pass on quick messages or questions. If you need a more private moment or need to speak to your child’s teacher at length, then you are welcome to make an appointment.
 

Our SRP children do wear a uniform; this is to help them feel part of our St James family. Our uniform consists of:

• - A sky blue polo t-shirt
• - A royal blue sweatshirt
• - Grey trousers / skirt / pinafore
• - Black school shoes

 

Thank you for supporting us in helping to keep the children looking smart and having pride in their school. We do understand that some SEND children have sensory needs when it comes to materials and clothing so please don’t worry if wearing a uniform is an issue for your child. We are happy to discuss this with you and support you with what is best for your child.

 

PE for our SRP children will be on a Friday morning. Our PE kit includes:

• - plain black shorts, leggings or joggers
• - plain white t-shirt
• - plain black hoodie or school jumper
• - trainers or pumps

Children in SRP may arrive at school wearing their PE kit if they wish to. 

 

Please can your child bring a named water bottle in to school every day. We do encourage the children to drink water to help with hydration and concentration. If your child struggles to drink water, then can you bring to school a labelled bottle of squash so that we can refill your child’s bottle when required.  

 

Each child will be given their own book bag. This book bag needs to be in school EVERY DAY. At St James we aim for each child to have a love of books and reading. We will be encouraging children to read each day in school. To support your child’s reading at home, we ask that they read to an adult at home 3 or more times a week. We ask that you record each time they read in their reading record to enable them to work towards and achieve their rainbow reading badges, which we will be starting in September 2026. Signatures will be counted every Thursday.

 

Red – 25 reads
Orange – 50 reads
Yellow – 75 reads
Green – 100 reads
Blue – 125 reads
Purple – 150 reads
 
Following this the children become champion readers and are given a book mark with a sticker for every 25 reads after this.  
 
Spellings
 
Sunshine children will have a spelling folder which will be updated each Monday with their new spellings for that week. Please can your child practise their spellings at home to support them with feeling prepared for their spelling test which takes place on a Thursday afternoon.
 
Homework Book

We will set homework on a Friday for your child to complete each week. Can homework be completed by the following Friday please and can homework books be returned every Friday at the latest.
 
Thank you for your continued support.