Accessibility Policy John Hampden Federation of Schools

Tetsworth Primary School is a small, friendly, fun-loving school where we believe learning rooted in enquiry, first-hand experiences and led by children’s interests is key.

Our motto is Small School Big Ideas. We are proud of our inclusive family ethos and delighted by the support that we receive from our parents and members of the local community.

We aim to support children sympathetically and encourage positive attitudes to learning, school and life.

We believe that the higher the expectations we have of the pupils, the greater their achievement will be.

Working closely with parents and community, we want all children to develop their full potential and to acquire knowledge, understanding, and skills in a wide variety of subjects and activities.

We also trust that they will find enjoyment and satisfaction in learning and working with other children and adults.

Purpose of Plan

The aim of this plan is to set out the commitment of the Governing Body to the principles of inclusive education by removing barriers to progress and making reasonable adjustments to reduce disadvantage. This plan shows how Tetsworth Primary School intends, over time, to increase the accessibility of our school for disabled pupils, staff, parents/carers and visitors.

It is a requirement that the school’s accessibility plan is resourced, implemented, reviewed and revised as necessary. The tables below outline the action plan showing how the school will address the priorities identified in the Access plan.

Definition of Disability

The Equality act 2010 and the Equality Duty 2011 place responsibility on schools to remove discrimination against pupils with disability. The Equality Act and the Disability Discrimination Act 1995 define disability as when a person has a physical or mental impairment which has a substantial and long-term adverse effect on that person’s ability to carry out normal day-to-day activities.

The definition includes a wide range of impairments including sensory impairments and those affecting sight or hearing. The definition can also include hidden impairments such as Autism, Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and speech and language impairment.

Some disabled pupils may also have special educational needs (SEN) and may be receiving support via school-based SEN Support or have a Statement/Education Health Care Plan. The fact that a disabled pupil has SEN does not remove the duty to make reasonable adjustments for them; some disabled pupils with SEN will still require reasonable adjustments to be made in addition to any support they receive through SEN provision.

The Equality Act requires school to make “reasonable adjustments” to their policies, procedures and practice to accommodate pupils with disability in school life.

The three key areas for the Accessibility Plan are:

• Increasing access for disabled pupils to the school curriculum (this includes teaching and learning and the wider curriculum of the school such as participation in school run after-school clubs, leisure and cultural activities or school visits)
• Improving access to the physical environment of schools (this includes improvements to the physical environment of the school and physical aids to access education)
• Improving the delivery of written information to disabled pupils, using formats which give pupils better access to information. The information will take account of pupils’ disabilities and pupils’ and parents’ preferred formats and be made available within a reasonable timeframe

Our School

Tetsworth Primary School has been in its current location since 1847 and consists of two main buildings. The main building consists of an entrance way leading to the office, staffroom and stairs to the second floor. This building has 2 classrooms, a staffroom, kitchen, hall and various office areas. The second building has 2 classrooms; one of which has been designed to provide an our younger pupils with an EYFS outdoor learning. All classrooms can be accessed by wheelchair users.

All access to the school is via ramps or flat surfaces. There is one playground in the middle of the two main buildings, an enclosed garden with steep incline for the Foundation Stage children, and a fenced grass area with Trim Trail adjacent to the playground.

At present we have no wheelchair dependent pupils, parents or members of staff.

Current Range of Known Disabilities

The school has children with a range of disabilities to include moderate and specific learning disabilities, emotional difficulties, ADHD and Autism.

We have a small number of pupils and parents who have visual, hearing and physical impairments.

Action plan 2019-2022

Action 1: Increasing the extent to which disabled pupils can participate fully in the curriculum

At Tetsworth Primary School we believe that all pupils should be enabled and encouraged to participate fully in the life of the school. Improving teaching and learning lies at the heart of the school’s work. Through self-review and Continuous Professional Development (CPD), we aim to enhance staff knowledge, skills and understanding to promote excellent teaching and learning for all children. We aim to meet every child’s needs within mixed ability, inclusive classes. Teachers at Tetsworth plan and deliver engaging lessons aimed at motivating all pupils. Planning is differentiated to meet the needs of individual pupils including those with disabilities. High expectations are evident throughout all curriculum areas. All teachers and teaching assistants have the regular and relevant training to enable them to teach and support pupils with a variety of disabilities. It is a core value of the school that all children are enabled to participate fully in learning and demonstrate our core values of Respect, Pride, Bravery and Justice in school and the wider community. All children have always been permitted to attend age relevant after school clubs, leisure and cultural activities and educational visits.

Target / Aim	Actions	Time scale	Responsibility	Success Criteria / Outcomes
Ensure the school curriculum is fully accessible to all pupils including those with a disability.	Audit school population (pupils/parents/staff) to identify those with a disability and specific needs in order to identify those who may need additional or different provision.	Winter 2019/20	SENDCo/ Head of Learning	Disability and medical records are up to date for current school population and parents and appropriate provision and adjustments are in place where necessary.
	Set up a system of individual access plans for disabled pupils when required. Ensure all staff are aware of disabled children’s curriculum access.	Winter 2019/20 and ongoing adaptions as required.	SENDCo/ Head of Learning	All staff aware of individuals needs and plans as appropriate.
	Increase confidence of all staff in differentiating the curriculum through relevant CPD and specialist input	Ongoing and as required.		Raised staff confidence in strategies for differentiation and increased pupil participation and progress.
.	Ensure classroom support staff have specific training on disability issues	Training programme to be devised annually.		Lesson observations demonstrate improved skills in using a range of strategies to support children’s needs.
	Make sure necessary software is installed where needed and appropriate training given. Use ICT software to support learning	As required.		Wider use of SEN resources in classrooms
Disabled pupils are encouraged and supported to attend after school activities, school trips and play times.	Carry out audit of clubs attended, trips and visits by disabled pupils. Involvement in school community and wider school life (School Council etc.)	Spring 2020	SENDCo	Disabled pupils attend a variety of after school clubs and play an important role in the school community. Children with disabilities access school trips, special events and are supported at play times. Disabled pupils feel safe and well supported as an active member of school life.
	Designated TAs are used to support an individual’s SEND needs (school run after school clubs, playtimes)		All staff	Disabled pupils attend a variety of after school clubs and play an important role in the school community. Children with disabilities access school trips, special events and are supported at play times. Disabled pupils feel safe and well supported as an active member of school life.

Action 2: Improving the physical environment of the school

We have a wide range of equipment and resources available for day to day use. We continually review resourced provision in light of needs. To meet individual, specific needs, provision will be adapted based on assessment, advice and guidance of health and other professionals. In order to ensure that the school is fully accessible we continue to consult with specialist teachers, advisors and professionals when considering the purchase of specialist equipment or investment in structural changes.

Target / Aim	Actions	Time scale	Responsibility	Success Criteria / Outcomes
To ensure that access needs of pupils, staff, governors, parents and visitors with disabilities are known and met.	To create access plans for individual disabled pupils as part of the SEN Profile process when required	Beginning of the academic year.	SENDCo/ Headteacher	All staff, parents, pupils and governors feel confident their needs are met at school.
To ensure that the physical and visual environment is engaging, informative and suitable for all	Be aware of staff, governors and parents’ access needs and meet them as appropriate. Consider the needs of pupils, staff and visitors with physical difficulties and sensory impairments when planning improvements.	Ongoing.	SENDCo/SLT	Parents have full access to all school activities.
	Displays and signs are clear and concise - following guidelines for a Dyslexia friendly school	Ongoing	All pupils All staff	Visually impaired people feel safe and confident to access and negotiate the school grounds.
Ensure all pupils can be safely evacuated in the event of a fire or other emergencies.	Playground, step, fire exit signs and markings need to be clear and regularly refreshed. Put in place Personal Emergency Evacuation Plan (PEEP) for all pupils who require this.	Beginning of the academic year.	SENDCo /Head of Learning / Site Manager	All disabled/SEN pupils and staff working alongside them are safe in the event of a fire. All fire drills are successful and children are evacuated efficiently

Action 3: Improving access to information for disabled pupils/parents

As a school we plan to make written information available to pupils, parents and staff with disabilities in a way that makes it accessible to them. The school identifies agencies and sources of materials and resources in order to be able to make the provision when required. The schools ICT infrastructure enables us to access a range of materials supportive to need. Staff share information with pupils with disabilities and/or SEN in a variety of ways including, face to face discussion, simplified and modified language, use of symbols, pictures or signs. In planning to make written information available the school will take account of pupils’ disabilities and pupils’ and parents’ preferred formats and be made available within a reasonable timeframe.

Target / Aim	Actions	Time-scale	Responsibility	Success Criteria / Outcomes
Review information to parents/carers to ensure it is accessible.	Provide information and letters in clear print and clear, simplified English.	Ongoing	School Office/ all staff	All parents receive information in a form that they can access.
	Meetings with parents include a mixture of communication methods.	Ongoing	School Office	All parents receive the necessary support in completing forms and accessing information.
	Ensure website and all document accessible via the school website can be accessed by the visually impaired.	By Summer 2020	Head of Learning/ Website manager
	Increase the variety of ways parents can access communication from school e.g. text messages and school Facebook page	Ongoing	Head of Learning/ Website manager	All parents understand what are the headlines of the school information
Ensure all staff are aware of guidance on accessible formats	Guidance to staff on dyslexia and accessible information	Ongoing	SENDCo	Staff feel confident to produce their own information/ documents that follow these guidelines

Plan agreed: 13.11.19

Plan Review: November 2020

Lead members of staff: Luci Watson – SEND Co-ordinator

Alison Charlton – Head of Teaching and Learning