Inclusion

The JESS community includes families from many countries, with a wealth of backgrounds, beliefs, abilities and experiences. We value this diversity, as it creates a rich environment for all our students to thrive.

As an inclusive school, we fully embrace our mission to “discover the brilliance in every individual”. We are proud of the diversity among our student body and truly believe that it takes all kinds of minds to make the world work.

Within our school population, there may be students whose individual learning profile requires curriculum adaptation and personalised support. This includes children who are exceptionally able as well as those for whom learning presents some challenges. It is the shared responsibility of all our staff to work collaboratively to support these students on their individual journeys through their education at JESS and beyond.

Identification

The need for additional care and support may have been recognised prior to a child’s entry to JESS, identified during school-based assessments, and/or confirmed by an external specialist report. All staff are committed to early identification to proactively understand and meet children’s needs, allowing them to be supported and challenged to ensure appropriate progress in learning.

Care and Support

At JESS, provision is designed to promote confident, independent learners, ensuring all students make appropriate personal and academic progress.

Every measure is taken to allow students to maximise their potential within the common classroom, curriculum and assessment framework. Where necessary and appropriate, The Oasis (our Learning Support department) may co-ordinate and implement additional in-class support, personalised learning programmes, a modified or reduced curriculum, alternative assessment frameworks or an individual education plan (IEP). This takes a collaborative approach, with parents as key partners in the process.

Our Counselling team offer play-based counselling sessions, friendship group formation and guidance and support to parents and teachers.

All care and support programmes are graduated and adaptive and are provided as part of our Standard School Service. In some instances, students may also access specialist support from external agencies.

Communication

Open, honest and timely communication is key to any child’s success. Effective teamwork regarding any additional needs (developmental, academic, or wellbeing) is essential to foster high levels of progress, engagement and trust. Positive relationships with staff, parents and the students will allow relevant information to be held sensitively within the existing school systems and shared with the teachers concerned, specialists included.

Inclusion should be integral to any community and as such individuality and diversity should always be celebrated. By valuing the uniqueness of our students, we recognise that they are all able to make a difference in the world.

Our JESS Provision for Students of Determination Policy and our Admissions Policy will explain more about our joining processes and how we support students of determination.

Admissions Policy

For specific information regarding our admissions policy, please view it here.

VIEW POLICY

Students of Determination Policy

For the JESS Provision for Students of Determination Policy, please view it here.

VIEW POLICY

Occupational Therapy Services

For the Occupational Therapy Services, please view it here.

VIEW SERVICES

Speech and Language Services

For the Speech and Language Services, please view it here.

VIEW SERVICES

Gifted and Talented Programme

PRIMARY AND SECONDARY

At JESS, we set high expectations for all our students, with the majority of our cohort working above national curriculum standards. Furthermore, we run a ‘Gifted and Talented’ programme for students of exceptional intellectual, creative, verbal and/or physical abilities, where teachers ensure the maximum potential of each student is reached within and outside the classroom.

Exceptional abilities are typically identified by triangulating information from a variety of sources including:

Aptitudes and ability (e.g. CAT-4 data, psychoeducational assessments)
Attainment (e.g. Standardised progress tests, curriculum progress)
Gifted learner characteristics as observed and reported by teachers (e.g. high levels of creativity, communication, task commitment, critical thinking and leadership)

Our outstanding teachers, once they have identified a gifted or talented pupil, work to stretch and extend their learning through a planned, enriched programme offering the appropriate pace and challenge for each individual.

Beyond the classroom, we engage in an extensive programme of opportunities across all areas of learning and performance. Students may be invited to take part in some or all of the following: