Accessibility Policy

SOUTH WONSTON PRIMARY SCHOOL

ACCESSIBILITY POLICY

Introduction

This policy 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.

Definition of Disability

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 substantial and long-term adverse effect on his or her ability to carry out normal day to day activities.’’

Key Objective

To reduce and eliminate barriers to access to the curriculum and to full participation in the school community for pupils, and prospective pupils, staff, volunteers and visitors with a disability.

Principles

• Compliance with the DDA is consistent with the school’s aims and single equalities policy, and the operation of the school’s SEN policy;
• The school recognises its duty under the DDA (as amended by the SENDA):
• Not to discriminate against disabled pupils in their admissions and exclusions, and provision of education and associated services
• Not to treat disabled pupils less favourably
• To take reasonable steps to avoid putting disabled pupils at a substantial disadvantage
• To publish an Accessibility Plan.
• In performing their duties, governors and staff will have regard to the Disability Rights Commission (DRC) Code of Practice (2002);
• The school recognises and values parents’ 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;

·    The school provides all pupils with a broad and balanced curriculum, differentiated and adjusted to meet the

     needs of individual pupils and their preferred learning styles; and endorses the key principles in the National

     Curriculum 2014 framework, which underpin the development of a more inclusive curriculum:

• Setting suitable learning challenges
• Responding to pupils’ diverse needs
• Overcoming potential barriers to learning and assessment for individuals and groups of pupils.

Activity

1. Education & related activities

• The school will continue to seek and follow the advice of LEA services, such as specialist teacher advisers and SEN inspectors/advisers, and of appropriate health professionals from the local NHS trusts.
• The school’s SENCO, in conjunction with class teachers, has the day-to-day responsibility for monitoring the progress and attainment of pupils with disabilities, and ensuring that reasonable adjustments are made to enable them to access the curriculum, and wider school activities. This may include the deployment of teaching assistants as appropriate to facilitate participation.
• Staff will be provided with appropriate training to enable them to devise a curriculum which seeks to remove potential barriers to learning and addresses the needs of all pupils. The curriculum will also include opportunities to raise awareness of disability in order to promote understanding.

b) Physical environment

• The school will take account of the needs of pupils and visitors with physical difficulties and sensory impairments when planning and undertaking future improvements and refurbishments of the site and premises.

In our school community this year (2016/17) we have 5 pupils with an EHCP and 51 pupils on the SEND register who all have Individual Pupil Support Plans. Parents of 74 children have notified the school that their child has a medical condition that could either affect their learning or their health. In the majority of cases, this is an intermittent or remediable medical condition such temporary hearing difficulties, allergies and asthma, or poor vision corrected· The school provides all pupils with a broad and balanced curriculum, differentiated and adjusted to meet the needs of individual pupils and their preferred learning styles; and endorses the key principles in the National Curriculum 2014 framework, which underpin the development of a more inclusive curriculum:

• Setting suitable learning challenges

• Responding to pupils’ diverse needs

• Overcoming potential barriers to learning and assessment for individuals and groups of pupils.

Activity

1. Education & related activities

• The school will continue to seek and follow the advice of LEA services, such as specialist teacher advisers and SEN inspectors/advisers, and of appropriate health professionals from the local NHS trusts.
• The school’s SENCO, in conjunction with class teachers, has the day-to-day responsibility for monitoring the progress and attainment of pupils with disabilities, and ensuring that reasonable adjustments are made to enable them to access the curriculum, and wider school activities. This may include the deployment of teaching assistants as appropriate to facilitate participation.

• Staff will be provided with appropriate training to enable them to devise a curriculum which seeks to remove potential barriers to learning and addresses the needs of all pupils. The curriculum will also include opportunities to raise awareness of disability in order to promote understanding.

b) Physical environment

• The school will take account of the needs of pupils and visitors with physical difficulties and sensory impairments when planning and undertaking future improvements and refurbishments of the site and premises.

In our school community this year (2016/17) we have 5 pupils with an EHCP and 51 pupils on the SEND register who all have Individual Pupil Support Plans. Parents of 74 children have notified the school that their child has a medical condition that could either affect their learning or their health. In the majority of cases, this is an intermittent or remediable medical condition such temporary hearing difficulties, allergies and asthma, or poor vision corrected