Lord Blyton Primary School
Accessibility Plan
Contents:
- Legal framework
- Roles and responsibilities
- The Accessibility Audit
- Planning duty 1: Curriculum
- Planning duty 2: Physical environment
- Planning duty 3: Information
- Monitoring and review
Statement of intent
This plan outlines how Lord Blyton Primary School aims to increase access to education for pupils with disabilities in the three areas required by the planning duties in the Equality Act 2010 (i.e. the curriculum, physical environment and information).
A person is regarded as having a disability under the Equality Act where they have a physical or mental impairment that has a substantial and long-term adverse effect on their ability to carry out normal day-to-day activities.
This plan aims to:
- Increase the extent to which pupils with disabilities can participate in the curriculum.
- Improve the physical environment of the school to enable pupils with disabilities to take better advantage of education, benefits, facilities and services provided.
- Improve the availability of accessible information to pupils with disabilities.
The above aims will be delivered within a reasonable timeframe, and in ways which are determined after taking into account pupils’ disabilities and the views of parents and pupils. In the preparation of an accessibility strategy, the LA will have regard to the need to allocate adequate resources in the implementation of this strategy.
The governing board also recognises its responsibilities towards employees with disabilities and will:
- Monitor recruitment procedures to ensure that individuals with disabilities are provided with equal opportunities.
- Provide appropriate support and provision for employees with disabilities to ensure that they can carry out their work effectively without barriers.
- Undertake reasonable adjustments to enable staff to access the workplace.
The plan will be resourced, implemented, reviewed and revised in consultation with:
- Pupils’ parents.
- The headteacher and other relevant members of staff.
- Governors.
- External partners.
This plan has due regard to all relevant legislation and statutory guidance including, but not limited to, the following:
- Human Rights Act 1998
- The Special Educational Needs and Disability Regulations 2014
- Education and Inspections Act 2006
- Equality Act 2010
- Education Act 1996
- Children and Families Act 2014
- The Equality Act 2010 (Specific Duties and Public Authorities) Regulations 2017
- DfE (2014) ‘The Equality Act 2010 and schools’
- DfE (2015) ‘Special educational needs and disability code of practice: 0 to 25 years’
This plan operates in conjunction with the following school policies:
- Equality Information and Objectives Policy
- Early Years Policy
- Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) Policy
- Equality, Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Policy
- Admissions Policy
- Behaviour Policy
- Supporting Pupils with Medical Conditions Policy
- Administering Medication Policy
- Health and Safety Policy
- Data Protection Policy
The governing board will be responsible for:
- Ensuring that all accessibility planning adheres to and reflects the principles outlined in this plan.
- Approving this plan before it is implemented.
- Monitoring this plan.
The headteacher will be responsible for:
- Ensuring that staff members are aware of pupils’ disabilities and medical conditions.
- Establishing whether a new pupil has any disabilities or medical conditions which the school should be aware of.
- Consulting with relevant and reputable experts if challenging situations regarding pupils’ disabilities arise.
- Working closely with the governing board, LA and external agencies to effectively create and implement the school’s Accessibility Plan.
The SENCO will be responsible for:
- Working closely with the headteacher and governing board to ensure that pupils with SEND are appropriately supported.
- Ensuring they have oversight of the needs of pupils with SEND attending the school, and advising the headteacher in relation to those needs as appropriate.
Staff members will be responsible for:
- Acting in accordance with this plan at all times.
- Supporting disabled pupils to access their environment and their education wherever necessary, e.g. by making reasonable adjustments to their practice.
- Ensuring that their actions do not discriminate against any pupil as a result of their disability.
The governing board will undertake an annual Accessibility Audit. The audit will cover the following three areas:
- Access to the curriculum – the governing board will assess the extent to which pupils with disabilities can access the curriculum on an equal basis with their peers.
- Access to the physical environment – the governing board will assess the extent to which pupils with disabilities can access the physical environment on an equal basis with their peers.
- Access to information – the governing board will assess the extent to which pupils with disabilities can access information on an equal basis with their peers.
When conducting the audit, the governing board will consider all kinds of disabilities and impairments, including, but not limited to, the following:
- Ambulatory disabilities – this includes pupils who use a wheelchair or mobility aid
- Dexterity disabilities – this includes those whose everyday manual handling of objects and fixtures may be impaired
- Visual disabilities – this includes those with visual impairments and sensitivities
- Auditory disabilities – this includes those with hearing impairments and sensitivities
- Comprehension – this includes hidden disabilities, such as autism and dyslexia
The findings from the audit will be used to identify short-, medium- and long-term actions to address specific gaps and improve access.
All actions will be carried out in a reasonable timeframe, and after taking into account pupils’ disabilities and the preferences of their parents. The actions that will be undertaken are detailed in the following sections of this document.