Accessibility Policy and Information
Accessibility Plan
2023-2024
School Vision:
Our school vision is that all children will achieve a deep understanding of their world and their place in it. We believe that life has a purpose and that we each have an important unique role to play. We will celebrate together, value each person equally and live life with eyes wide open to opportunity, embracing new challenges with positivity and fearless endeavour!
School Motto:
‘Achieve, Believe and Celebrate’
Jeremiah 29v11 ‘For I know the plans I have for you declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you a hope and a future’
Statement of Intent
This accessibility plan outlines the proposals of the governing body of Criftins C of E Primary School to increase access to education for pupils with disabilities in the three areas required by the planning duties in the Equality Act 2010.
A person is regarded as having a disability under the Act where the person has 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.
The plan aims to:
- Increase the extent to which pupils with disabilities can participate in the school curriculum.
- Improve the environment of the school to increase the extent to which pupils and staff with disabilities can take advantage of education, benefits, facilities and associated services provided.
- Improve the availability of accessible information, which is readily available to other pupils, to pupils with disabilities.
The above aims will be delivered within a reasonable time frame and in ways which are determined after taking into account the pupil’s disabilities and the views of the parents/carers and pupil. In preparation of an accessibility strategy, the governing body must have regard to the need to allocate adequate resources in the implementation of the strategy.
The governing body also recognises its responsibilities towards employees with disabilities and will:
- Monitor recruitment procedures to ensure that persons 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 to access the workplace.
The plan will be resourced, implemented reviewed and revised regularly in consultation with:
- The parents/carers of pupils
- The headteacher and other relevant members of staff
- Governors
- External partners
This plan is reviewed annually to take into account the changing needs of the schools and its pupils and where the school has undergone refurbishment.
Review November 2023
Action plan
Aim 1
To increase the extent to which disabled pupils can participate in the school curriculum
Our key objective is to reduce and eliminate barriers to access to the curriculum and to ensure full participation in the school community for pupils and prospective pupils with a disability.
Short term targets | |||||||
Target | Strategies | Who | When | Outcome | Review | ||
Ensure that the school’s environment is accessible. | Review of physical environment. | Health and Safety audit committee SENDCo and Headteacher | Autumn 2023 | School is aware of accessibility barriers to its physical environment and will make a plan to address them | Annual Autumn Review | ||
Ensure that all children regardless of disability to access a broad and balanced curriculum. | Whole school discussion SENDCo to monitor children on SEN register and Plan Do Reviews, Pupil progress meetings. Make reasonable adjustments when needed. | SENDCo and headteacher to draw up and circulate PDR's after consultation with parents. | Autumn Spring Summer | All children will have equal access to a broad and balanced curriculum and the outcomes for children with disabilities will be closely monitored by SENDCO and SLT | Termly Accessibility log kept | ||
Continually review PE curriculum to make PE accessible to all. | Gather information about PE and Sports for children with disabilities
Attend inclusive sporting events | Head teacher, SLT H & S SP sports lead, governor | Autumn Spring Summer | All children are able to access PE Pupils can access School games | Annual Summer 2024 Survey to parents | ||
Ensure that all staff have relevant training to be able to adapt the curriculum to the needs of children with disabilities. | Staff audit to identify training needs. Audit of teaching resources available to teachers and TAs | Head and SENDCo | Autumn Spring Summer | Raised awareness and expertise of staff. Wider range of appropriate IT resources used to support engage and enable children with disabilities | Staff audit annually | ||
Ensure that all children have equal access to lunchtime and after school activities | Survey participation and make sure TA support is available at lunchtime. | Headteacher SLT and SENDCo. All class teachers | Spring 2024 | Equality in access for pupils. High priority for pupil premium strategy. | Club registers review | ||
Ensure that all children have access to school visits. | Ensure that planning process for school trips includes provision for children with disabilities. Update EVC Policy | Headteacher, SLT, SENDco and all class teachers. | Autumn 2023 and as required. | All school trips are accessible. Personal care plans for the visit are jointly drawn up with parent, child and school input. | During planning process | ||
Medium term targets | |||||||
Target | Strategies | Who | When | Outcome | Review | ||
Future policies updated to include access to pupils with disabilities. | Build accessibility considerations into all curriculum policies and review annually | All curriculum lead teachers | At next policy review date as per schedule | All updated policies include provision for accessibility | Annually in line with policy review strategy | ||
Provide advice to parents/ carers of children with disabilities on how they may support their learning in the core curriculum | Regular meetings as part of PDR review to agree targets to overcome barriers to learning. Personal care plans in place to ensure that all members of staff have relevant information. | All staff | Termly PDR meetings with class teacher and more frequent meetings with SENDCo if needed. | Parents are well informed and involved with their children’s learning. All staff have a very clear understanding of the specific needs of a child with a disability and factor this in to any medium and short term curriculum planning. | Termly by class teachers and monitored during Pupil progress meets with SLT | ||
Long term target | |||||||
Target | Strategies | Who | When | Outcome | Review | ||
Staff to receive appropriate training as highlighted by audit
New staff to have training as part of induction. | Staff meeting CPD timetabled over the course of 2023/24 to build staff knowledge. External agencies involved in delivery of training | All staff | 2023/24 | All staff will be familiar with accessibility needs of children with disabilities. | Annually through performance management | ||
Aim 2
To improve the physical environment of the school to increase the extent to which disabled pupils can take advantage of education and associated services.
Short term targets | ||||||||||||
Target | Strategies | Who | When | Outcomes | Review | |||||||
Audit of site to highlight needs. | Site visit to identify areas of need in terms of access for children with disabilities. | Headteacher H& S, governor SENDCo, building services | Spring 2024 Or as required for new people. | Accessibility issues identified and prioritised | Annually as part of site development | |||||||
Ensure that all disabled pupils and staff can be safely evacuated. | Put in place Personal Emergency Evacuation Plan(PEEP)as part of termly drill review | Headteacher, Building services H& S governor SENDCo | Autumn 2023 | All children with disabilities can be safely evacuated | On admission of a child/member of staff with high needs and/or annually. | |||||||
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Medium term targets | ||||||||||||
Target | Strategies | Who | When | Outcome | Review | |||||||
Improve ease of accessibility for physically disabled including wheelchair users and those with impaired movement. | Consider access into school from playground. Ensure lift is maintained annually. Review entrance door to reception | Headteacher, Building services, H & S governor SENDCo | Autumn 2023
Autumn/spring 2023/2024 | All areas of the school will be accessible and welcoming.
Ease of access for all. | Annually
As required | |||||||
To ensure school grounds are accessible and available and steps can be successfully negotiated. | Two ramps into KS1 and hall. Lift into main corridor. | Headteacher, Building services, H&S governor, SENDCo | Autumn 2023 | All areas of the school will be accessible and welcoming | Annually | |||||||
Ensure that the site is accessible to those with hearing and sight disabilities. | Site survey to incorporate accessibility into health and safety audit and update accessibility policy as a result of this annual audit. | Headteacher, H&S governor, SENDCo | Autumn 2023
Spring 2024 | All areas of the school will be accessible and welcoming Staff development to include - the challenges of living with disabilities. | Annually | |||||||
Long term targets | ||||||||||||
To regularly review the physical environment | Site survey to incorporate accessibility into health and safety audit and update accessibility policy as a result of this annual audit. | Headteacher SENDCo H & S governor Building services. | September 2024
Summer 2024 | School is accessible to all | Annually and weekly through the H/S monitoring form. | |||||||
Aim 3
To improve the delivery of written information to disabled pupils and families
Short term targets | |||||
Target | Strategies | Who | When | Outcome | Review |
Availability of written materials in different formats | Parents asked if written material is accessible. Pupil registration forms to include needs of parents/pupils. Staff to identify specific needs of individual pupils. Statutory test format adjusted appropriately for children with specific needs. Adaption of in lesson material. | Admin staff- admission forms. EYFS staff - EYFS induction forms. Class teachers to audit needs of pupils with disabilities and share with SENDCo for inclusion on PCP. | Autumn 2023
As required | All children and parents able to access written information | July 2024 |
Medium term targets | |||||
Target | Strategies | Who | When | Outcome | Review |
Continually review of website to ensure that all information on the website is accessible and signposting to Local Offer is effective. | Review of information delivery procedures and signposting to Shropshire Local Offer
Review how information is presented to make it accessible for all. | SENDCO and Headteacher SEN governor | Ongoing | School is aware of accessibility gaps in information delivery on the website and website is fully accessible | Annually |
Long term targets | |||||
Develop an inclusion leaflet, giving advice to families when necessary | Use Shropshire Local Offer website to source information and internet-based research to underpin pedagogy | SENDCo/ Headteacher | Spring 2024 | Increased information available at local level to families of children with disabilities | Review Annually |
Review provision annually to ensure that it reflects the needs of children within the school | Use admission information to screen for disability needs. Set up early meetings with EYFS admissions to explore specific needs Seek advice from inclusion services | SENDCO EYFS teacher Headteacher | Autumn 2023
and as required | Accurate and up to date information about the needs of the children in school drives regular audit and improvement cycle | July 2024 |