At St James Academy, we have always ensured that every one of our students does matter. We strive to meet every individual's needs by personalising learning. To achieve this, some children may be identified as needing more individual support and monitoring. Support in the classroom is a strength of the academy and we also have a strong Pastoral team that works across the academy to ensure that children should never feel that support isn’t readily available.

All learners, including those with Special Educational Needs and Disability (SEND), those who are disadvantaged, “looked after” or from minority ethnic groups, will be encouraged to apply for leadership roles.  As a leader they will be expected to recognise, acknowledge and celebrate the achievement of others and to act in a way that is conducive to a culture where success is celebrated, including taking part in assemblies and reward events. 

We take a whole school approach to supporting learners with identified SEND needs.  The Special Educational Needs Coordinator (SENCO) works across all curriculum areas to ensure learners get the right support. This may include in-class support, individual one-to-one support, or specialist intervention programmes. Support will be provided by different people according to need; this may involve a class teacher, learning support assistants, academic mentors, behaviour/emotional mentors or outside agencies.

Learners who have English as an additional language are fully integrated into all lessons and receive in-class support to develop confidence and competency in their language use.