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SRC 2026 School Newsletter Information Master

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Dear parents and carers,

Following the sweltering half term, we're in the midst of perhaps the busiest half term at SJA. The school is abuzz with activity - inside and outside the classroom.

The Year 6 pupils have returned from their residential at PGL Liddington, and it has been noted by the staff who attended that their behaviour and enthusiasm was excellent throughout. Even in the face of daily rain showers, their spirits were high and they threw themselves into the activities that challenged and excited them. The PGL staff regularly commented on their excellent manners and team work. The Year 6 pupils who did not attend the residential enjoyed their activity week at school: baking, working with clay, making bug hotels and playing rounders.

Year 4 have started their MTCs (Multiplication Times Tables Checks). These are a national assessment taken by Year 4 children across the country. Our pupils have worked really hard towards this and they are conducting themselves extremely well in the low-key, safe manner that has been set up by our teachers.

As ever, we are working closely with the team at the Southwater Infant Academy. We attended the EYFS Parent Welcome Meeting and the formal transition activities have begun for the Year 2s who will be joining us in Year 3 next year. Miss Cooper and Mr Whetton attended a Year 2 assembly at SIA last week and really enjoyed meeting and presenting to our future cohort.

It was a real shame not to have our sports days this week, but the great British summer didn't play ball! In case you haven't seen the communication, the new dates for these are Monday 22nd June for Year 3 and Year 4, and Wednesday 24th June for Year 5 and Year 6. Fingers crossed for better weather!

Lastly, we have our amazing PTFA Summer Fair this Saturday, 13th June. We hope to see as many of you as possible there. Please see the banner above for more details. If you have any availability to help, please contact the school office.

Kind regards

Mr Dudeney

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Rail Safety Week is an industry-wide and industry-led initiative focused on rail safety for all – the people who work on the railway, the customers who use it, and those who may be affected by railway operations. The aim of the dedicated week is to raise awareness of the importance of rail safety across the industry and wider society, sharing best practice and promoting collaboration.

Rail Forum have released a Children's Colouring Competition for 2026, it’s a bit of fun for the children, free to enter, prizes awarded and a great way for the children to engage with the rail industry, details below.

Submission Deadline: 14th August 2026

Winners Announced: Mid-October

Age groups 7 - 10 year olds

Postal Entries: To Rail Forum, John Ellis and Paul Duval House, Nelson Street, Derby, DE1 2SA

Website: RSW Children’s Competitions – Previous Competitions Showcase – Rail Safety Week

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RSW Children’s Competitions – Previous Competitions Showcase – Rail Safety Week

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Please click on the picture above to read all about this wonderful concert that featured a choir from SJA.

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More than 250 performers - the majority under the age of 18 - took to the stage in Worthing last night for a powerful and moving performance of The Water Diviner's Tale , a rarely staged work by Academy Award-winning West Sussex composer Rachel Portman OBE.

The oratorio, which explores the urgent issue of climate change, was narrated by Elinor Moran and conducted by Adam Barker. It featured five young professional soloists - Lori Grainger, Eve Maxwell, Kristian Thorkildsen, Henry Godwin and Freddie Crowley - alongside West Sussex Youth Orchestra, West Sussex Youth Choirs, Chichester Festival Youth Theatre, and choirs from Felpham Community College, Handcross Primary School, Midhurst Rother College, Storrington Primary School, The Regis School and The Southwater Junior Academy.

Written in 2007 by Rachel Portman in collaboration with poet and novelist Owen Sheers, The Water Diviner's Tale tells a compelling and thought-provoking story about the impact of climate change on the world. This compelling story for massed children's choir, youth voices, soloists and orchestra was originally commissioned for the BBC Proms.

Preparations for the concert began in January, with schools, youth choirs, and orchestra rehearsing independently before coming together for the first time on the day of the performance. The event marked the culmination of months of planning and collaboration between schools, arts organisations and music leaders across the county.

John Randall, Music Centres Manager, who led the event planning, said:
"Bringing together so many young people to perform a work of this scale has been an incredible achievement. From the very beginning, we wanted to create something ambitious and meaningful - both musically and thematically. The Water Diviner's Tale offered the perfect opportunity, a powerful piece of music, a vital message about climate change, and the chance for our young musicians to work alongside emerging professional artists. The dedication and enthusiasm shown by everyone involved has been truly inspiring."

The idea for the concert was first proposed nearly a year ago, with the aim of uniting West Sussex Music's youth ensembles, school choirs and partner organisations in a large-scale creative performance. The Water Diviner's Tale was chosen not only for its musical richness and relevance, but also for the opportunity it offered young performers to engage with the work of a living, locally connected composer.

In a special surprise for the performers, the piece's composer Rachel Portman came to the concert and enjoyed the show, she said: " What an incredible inspiring musical event last night in Worthing. 250 young singers sang so brilliantly together with the fantastic West Sussex Youth Orchestra and Choir! So moving to see them all coming together singing their hearts out, making music for climate change."

For more information about West Sussex Music and the singing opportunities on offer to young people, go here.

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More than 250 performers - the majority under the age of 18 - took to the stage in Worthing last night for a powerful and moving performance of The Water Diviner's Tale, a rarely staged work by Academy Award-winning West Sussex composer Rachel Portman OBE.

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Dear parents and carers,

Welcome to the first summer edition of our bulletin. It is always such a busy term, so please look out for the many updates to come to this page.

Looking back at the last week before the Easter holidays (which seems a long time ago), we had a choir of children singing at the Worthing Assembly Hall alongside other schools, choirs and a live orchestra. Please see the link in the SJA News column to read more about this. Also from that last week was the celebration of Year 6 Spring Awards - the names of these will be added to the bulletin soon.

I'm sure you've enjoyed seeing our latest inhabitants of the school site. They were discovered by our Explorers group, who will be documenting their progress. Thankfully, there is a small hole in the shed for us to view them through!

There is so much to come this term from residentials, to SATs, to trips and more. Watch this space!

Mr Dudeney

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Thank you to everyone that has engaged with our Google Survey and the sticker board that was out at parents evening. We have 100 respondents to our Google Survey so far, and it would be great to hear feedback from more of our parents - please follow this link to share your views:

https://forms.gle/V8XkpeyLrgNwVAJz7

Watch this space for further information...

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Southwater Warden Monthly Report May 2026

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Dear parents and carers,

As we approach the half way point of the second spring term, it is finally starting to feel like spring is on its way! Not that continual rain has dampened spirits or aspiration at SJA over the past few weeks.

With the first of our parents’ evenings finished, we look forward to the second date next week. Miss Cooper, Mrs Toogood and I particularly enjoy welcoming and directing parents to meetings and then hearing the feedback and seeing the relieved faces of the pupils on the way out! Thank you to all parents that filled out feedback forms on their way out - this information is so important as it fuels our ongoing improvement and high standards.

A key feature of this parents’ evening has also been the attendance of Rob Long, a dedicated parent, governor and lead for ‘Smartphone Free Childhood’ from Heron Way Primary School. In case you haven’t been yet, or had to rush past on your way to your next appointment, he will be back at Tuesday’s consultation evening too. He has a selection of ‘brick’ phones with him for children to play with, stickers and activities for children and parents to take part in.

Apart from parents’ evening, a real highlight of the past week was the Horsham District Schools Dance Festival. Our dancers performed on the biggest stage around, The Hawth, and to say they did us proud is an understatement. They were absolute superstars, seemingly as comfortable at The Hawth as they are in the SJA hall!

Another highlight for our Year 3 pupils has been their visit to Preston Manor in Brighton. All four classes visited over two days, learning about the lives of servants in a beautiful manor house. They were especially keen and able when cleaning and tidying bedrooms!

We have also had a wonderful World Book Day with a focus on poetry and the enjoyment of reading. The variety of costumes was as impressive as always, and the children in pyjamas looked incredibly comfortable. Photos and videos will be uploaded over the coming days, so look out for for them!

Mr Dudeney

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office@southwaterja.co.uk

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This website is brimming with advice and guidelines about supporting your child to be safe around AI tools.

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How to use AI safely with children | Internet Matters. Find tips and advice on using AI tools like chatbots safely with your child.

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Dear parents and carers,

Welcome to the updated bulletin. As you will see from the pictures in the pupil work gallery, we have had a great start to 2026.

New bulletin content, as well as the Pupil Work Gallery, is to be found in our community news section, which contains several links to Family Learning in Southwater.

Please look out for the upcoming communication about parents evenings and pupil reports. The parents evenings are scheduled for Thursday 5th March and Tuesday 10th March.

Half term will be on us in no time at all. Please note that the Monday after half term (23rd February) is an INSET day, so the school will be closed to pupils on that day.

Mr Dudeney

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Please follow this link for a wealth of advice for parents about the online world.

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Back to school online safety guides | Internet Matters. Help your child prepare for new school year’s online opportunities and challenges.

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Dear parents and carers,

It has been a long and busy autumn term at SJA and there is much to look back on with pride. Most notably, the hard work, resilience and kindness of pupils at SJA.

We are currently in the midst of Christmas performances and preparations for the end of term, and looking back, events such as curriculum evenings, trips to Brighton, cross country and parents' evenings seem like a long time ago! As ever, the children have settled and thrived in their new year groups and are a credit to themselves and their families.

The Year 4 Christmas performance last week opened the season perfectly. Even the most reluctant Christmas participants amongst us were more than ready for the season after the spectacular singing that was on show. Year 5 have just wowed the audience in their morning show - Christmas is well and truly here now. I won't say any more as there is another performance to come this evening, which I'm sure will be equally joyous. Year 3 have had their dress rehearsal in front of eager members of Year 2 from SIA and are now looking forward to their chances to shine tomorrow.

From all at SJA, we wish you a happy and healthy last few days of the term, and a wonderful break when it arrives.

Mr Dudeney

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On Saturday 29th November, we were very proud to see our Year 6 pupils singing in Lintot Square. Thank you to our Year 6 members of staff for facilitating this and to all parents who were able to drop off their children on a wet Saturday morning and to those who were able to stay and enjoy the festivities!

As you can see in the photo above, we were also honoured to have two of our pupils actually turning on the Christmas lights after winning a competition! Mila and Gabriella designed beautiful baubles to be awarded the chance to push down the plunger.

Rehearsals are well underway in school for our Year 3, 4 and 5 Christmas productions, and we can't wait to have parents and carers in to watch.

Mr Dudeney

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We would like to announce that our new hall and music room sound systems have been funded by the Southwater Academies PTFA. The money they have raised, with our parents' support, has made this happen in plenty of time for our Christmas performances. Thank you!

If you are interested in working with our PTFA to raise further funds, and are able to support at the upcoming Christmas fair, please sign up here: https://volunteersignup.org/W3CML

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This is a reminder that due to large numbers of pedestrians using the layby after school, we ask that parents and visitors to the school not leave their parked bay until it is safe to do so. This is usually when the last class has been dismissed. Please do not attempt to drive into the lay-by after 3.20 pm or leave before 3:30 pm in order to safeguard our SJA community.

Please also note that there are three disabled flagged bays that are set aside for blue badge holders.

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Breakfast & Afterschool Club Availability

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Breakfast & Afterschool Club Availability

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Our breakfast and afterschool club ‘SJC’ has spaces available.

Please send enquiries or booking requests via email to:

office@southwaterjunioracademy.co.uk

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Use this link to access all of the above!

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Use this link to practise your tables and earn rockstar status!

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Times Tables Rock Stars – Times Tables Rock Stars

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If you would like to practice your Spanish further, please use this site. The username and password were emailed out on 1/10/24 but if you need them again, please contact the school office

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Dear Parents and Carers,

We are well into the second half term now, and dare I say it, Christmas is on the horizon. The children have begun to prepare for the various Christmas extravaganzas, and we can't wait to invite you in to see them.

Putting that aside for now - it is still only November - the school has been the usual hive of activity. The Wonder Dome brought Year 5's Space topic to life, the second hand clothing sale was a huge success, and we have welcomed Year 2 parents in to tour the school during our two open mornings. Our varied and full curriculum has also continued with high quality learning going on in the classrooms and sporting successes happening all around Sussex - please see our Facebook page for updates on these!

High attendance is the key to success and we are very pleased to share with you our attendance award. It is truly "our" award as it is the partnership we have with you that enables this to happen. When children come to school every day, they get the best chance to learn and grow. Regular attendance helps them build strong reading and maths skills, join in exciting lessons, and feel confident. It also means they can make friends and enjoy being part of the class community—school is always more fun when everyone is there!

Mr Dudeney, Miss Cooper and Mrs Toogood

To keep you informed, the bulletin board will be updated at regular intervals with relevant information, photos, links and useful documents, so keep an eye out for links to it in emails from us or visit it on our website: https://www.southwaterjunioracademy.co.uk/News/Newsletters/

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Interested in playing instruments with others?

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Interested in playing instruments with others?