Your child’s future starts today.
An independent remedial school in Parkview, Johannesburg.
Therapy and learning support, built into every school day.
Every child learns differently.
Japari is an independent remedial school in Parkview where teaching and therapy are part of the school day. Small classes, an individual education plan (IEP) for every child, and sixty years of experience supporting each child to reach their full potential.
A mainstream experience with the necessary support.
The CAPS curriculum
Grade R to Grade 7, the national CAPS curriculum, reports, homework, Friday cycle tests in Grades 4 to 7, and a Grade 7 year that ends with the same benchmark shared assessment exams mainstream private schools write.
A full school routine
A navy and grey uniform. School starts at 07:30. Assembly, break, sports day, extra murals and more.
Sport and extra murals
Cricket, soccer and swimming in established leagues against other schools. Extra murals include netball, chess, sewing, board games, cultural activities and a gardening club.
Every child known
About 100 children, so everyone is known, and every child finds classmates who understand them.
Aftercare until 17:30
Supervised homework and play, Monday to Thursday until 17:30 and Friday until 17:00, during the term.
Small classes
A maximum of 15 pupils per class, so a teacher notices the morning your child is not themselves, and can do something about it.
Therapists on site
Speech therapists, occupational therapists, a physiotherapist and educational psychologists work on site, in the school day, in collaboration with the class teacher. Therapy serves the learning, so the rest of the day stays lessons, friends and play.
An individual education plan (IEP)
Every child has an individual education plan (IEP): a working document that sets out learning goals and is updated as your child progresses.
Teachers trained for this
Remedial teaching is a specialised field, designed to target unique learning needs. Our teachers are trained to teach children who learn differently, and to build their confidence along the way.
Support for mainstreaming
Our Grade 7s write the Independent Schools’ Mathematics and English shared assessment exams every November, which prepares them for Grade 8. When a child is ready for a mainstream high school, we help you choose one and assist with the process.
A child who is known, and ready.
Therapy is the method. A mainstream experience, with the necessary support, is the point. Mainstream high school is where it leads.
Will my child be okay?
Children here are known, and they are taught the way they learn.
Classes are small, therapy happens in the school day rather than after it, and every child has an individual education plan (IEP).
Usually the first change is not in the marks. It is a child who wants to go to school again, who comes home talking about a friend, a teacher, a goal at break. Confidence comes back first. The marks follow.
- A first term spent getting to know your child: how they learn, what gets in the way, and what helps.
- An individual education plan (IEP), with goals that are updated as your child grows, not a label that stays.
- One team supporting your child: teachers and therapists who collaborate, with termly parent team meetings.
Will they be ready for high school?
This is our aim.
Our Grade 7s write the same shared assessment exams as learners at mainstream private schools, so you know where your child stands before high school, not after. Japari learners go on to mainstream high schools, ready to cope with the work.
- Shared assessment exams in Mathematics and English every November, written alongside mainstream private schools.
- Guidance in choosing a high school that suits your child, and support as they prepare for the move.
Ask us at your visit which high schools our Grade 7s have gone on to.
Who it is for
Neurodiverse children of average to above-average ability who learn differently: dyslexia, attention difficulties, language or motor delays, or a confidence that has slipped.
What it costs
Fees are paid over twelve months and include group speech and occupational therapy in Grades 1 to 5.
See the 2027 feesHow to start
Book a private visit with our psychologist. It takes about an hour, during a school day. Or call Val on 011 646 2132.
Book a visitWhy families choose Japari
We specialise in an environment where children who don’t fit traditional learning models can flourish, and leave well prepared for the next step.
Personalised learning
An individual education plan (IEP) for every child, set in the first term and updated with you as your child grows.
A caring environment
Small classes, teachers who know every child by name, and classmates who share their way of learning.
Specialised programmes
Remedial teaching, with speech and occupational therapy, physiotherapy and educational psychology, during the school day. Specialist programmes and tools include Rave-O, CEA, Cogmed and Numicon.
Proven over sixty years
Since 1966, generations of Japari learners have discovered how they learn best and moved on with confidence.
One fee. The school and the support.
Many families end up paying for school, paying again for speech and occupational therapy, and spending their afternoons driving between the two. At Japari, teaching, therapy and the team who plan it come together during the school day.
Therapy in the fees
From 2027, children in Grades 1 to 5 receive group therapy and rotating individual speech and occupational therapy as part of the school fee.
Your afternoons back
Therapy is timetabled during the school day. Aftercare is available until 17:30, Monday to Thursday, if you need it.
One team, one plan
Teachers, therapists and psychologists collaborate around your child’s individual education plan (IEP), so everyone works towards the same goals.
Making your fees go further
- Extra one-on-one therapy, beyond what the school’s team recommends, is arranged privately with the therapist and can often be claimed from your medical aid, depending on your plan.
- Take advantage of our annual advance payment option: settle the year’s fees early and save up to 10% on the annual fee. Invest upfront, save substantially.
What families tell us
A team of teachers who saw her not through the lens of her learning difficulties, but through the lens of her potential.
“The kid who was too afraid to cross the pedestrian crossing every morning… the witty, confident young man he’s become now.”
“This year has been transformational.”
Sixty years of changing children’s lives
Dr Sonia Machanick, a doctor and educational psychologist, opened Japari in 1966, when a learning difference was too often mistaken for a lack of ability. She named the school after her four children: Janice, Paul, Roy and Ian.
Sixty years on, the idea is the same: understand how each child learns and give the right support early, during the school day. Generations of children have gone on to cope, and thrive, at mainstream high schools.
Take a walk through the school
Classrooms, therapy rooms and the field. Press play for the full Japari 2026 film, with sound.
A remedial school in Johannesburg: your questions
Is Japari a remedial school?
Yes. Japari is an independent remedial school in Parkview, Johannesburg, for Grade R to Grade 7. Teaching and therapy are part of the same school day, classes have a maximum of 15 pupils, and every child has an individual education plan (IEP). Japari was founded in 1966 and is accredited by Umalusi.
Who is Japari for?
Neurodiverse children of average to above-average ability who learn differently: dyslexia, attention difficulties, language or motor delays, or a confidence that has slipped. Japari offers a mainstream experience with the necessary support, and the aim is a confident move to a mainstream high school.
How much does Japari cost in 2027?
For 2027 the annual fee is R187,440 for Grades 1 to 3, R179,080 for Grades 4 and 5, R175,340 for Grades 6 and 7, and R110,000 for Grade R, paid over 12 months. Settling the year early saves up to 10% for Grades 1 to 7. See the 2027 fees.
Is therapy included in the fees?
From 2027, children in Grades 1 to 5 receive group therapy and rotating individual speech and occupational therapy as part of the school fee. Speech therapists, occupational therapists, a physiotherapist and educational psychologists work on site, during the school day.
How big are the classes?
A maximum of 15 pupils per class, with about 100 children in the school, so every child is known.
Which curriculum does Japari follow?
The national CAPS curriculum from Grade R to Grade 7, with reports, homework and Friday cycle tests in Grades 4 to 7. Grade 7s write the Independent Schools’ shared assessment exams in Mathematics and English every November, alongside mainstream private schools.
Do Japari children go on to mainstream high schools?
Yes, that is the aim. Japari children go on to mainstream high schools, and we help families choose one and prepare for the move. Ask at your visit which high schools recent Grade 7s have gone on to.
How do I apply?
Start with a private visit with our psychologist, during a school day. It takes about an hour. Book a visit or call Val on 011 646 2132.
Ready to begin your child’s journey?
Different doesn’t mean less capable. Book a private visit during a school day, or call Val on 011 646 2132.
