SCHOOL ACCESSIBILITY
1. Introduction
1.1 This plan is drawn up in accordance with the planning duty in the Disability Discrimination Act 1995, as amended by the SEN and Disability Act 2001 (SENDA). It draws on the guidance set out in “Accessible Schools: Planning to increase access to schools for disabled pupils”, issued by DfES in July 2002.
2. Definition of Disability
2.1 Disability is defined by the Disability Discrimination Act 1995 (DDA):
“A person has a disability if he or she has a physical or mental impairment that has a long-term adverse effect on his or her ability to carry out normal day to day activities”.
3. Key Objective
3.1 To reduce barriers by working to eliminate them.
3.2 To enable all pupils to access the full curriculum.
3.3 To enable all legitimate parties to participate fully in the school community.
4 Principles
4.1 Compliance with the DDA is consistent with the principles of the school’s aims and equal opportunities policy, and the operation of the school’s SEN policy.
4.2 The school recognises its duty under the DDA (as amended by SENDA):
- not to discriminate against disabled pupils
- to take reasonable steps to make the school accessible to the wider community
- to publish an Accessibility Plan
4.3 In performing their duties, governors and staff will have regard to the Disability Rights Commission (DRC) Code of Practice (2002).
4.4 The school recognises and values parents’ and carers’ knowledge of their child’s disability and its effect on his/her ability to carry out normal activities, and respects the parents’ and child’s right to confidentiality.
4.5 The school provides all pupils with a broad and balanced curriculum, differentiated and adjusted to meet the needs of individual pupils and their learning styles, and endorses the key principles in the National Curriculum which underpin the development of a more inclusive curriculum:
- setting suitable learning challenges.
- responding to pupils’ diverse learning needs.
- overcoming potential barriers to learning and assessment for individuals and groups of pupils.
5. Implementation
5.1 The school continues to seek and follow the advice of LEA services such as specialist teachers or advisers and SEN inspectors or advisers, and of appropriate health professionals from the local NHS Trusts.
5.2 Every effort has been made to ensure that:
a). staff have a general understanding of the legislation.
b). staff have a specific understanding of the needs of pupils in school.
5.3 The school will take account of the needs of pupils and visitors with physical difficulties and sensory impairments when planning and undertaking future improvements of the site and premises, such as improved access, lighting, acoustic treatment and colour schemes, and more accessible facilities and fittings.
5.4 The General Purposes Committee of the Governing Body will exercise responsibility for auditing, monitoring and evaluating the school’s premises so that they meet, as effectively as possible, the needs of all users of the building, in the context of the Disability Discrimination Acts. The Headteacher and appropriate Governing Body Committee will annually review the school’s Accessibility Plan, in consultation with colleagues in school, and will report to governors. In line with this commitment, the Headteacher and Leadership Team, together with the General Purposes Committee, will review the financial implications of the school’s Accessibility Plan as part of the normal budget review process. The objective is that over time the Accessibility Plan will become integrated into the School Improvement Plan.
5.5 The school will make itself aware of local services, including those provided through the LEA, for providing information in alternative formats when required or requested.
5.6 The school’s Headteacher, liaising with the SENCO, will ensure that the needs for access for all pupils with recognised disabilities are met.
5.7 This policy and the Accessibility Plan will contribute to the review and revision or related school policies and programmes, such as governor training and the SEN policy.
Review
This policy is to be reviewed biennially, unless legislation changes significantly within that time, in which case the Governing Body will take advice from the Headteacher and Child Protection Co-ordinator as to the review process and timing.
Signed…………………………………………………………………………………………….Chair of Governors
Signed ……………………………………………………………………………………………Headteacher
Date…………………………………………..