Rossett School Accessibility Plan

The accessibilty 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.

Definition of Disability

Disability is defined by the Disability Discrimination Act 1995 (DDA) as follows "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, prospective pupils and our adult users with a disability. This aim is in accordance with the ambitions of the school development plan and our mission statement ‘opening doors for your child’

Principles

Compliance with the DDA is consistent with the school's aims and Equiality, Diversity & Community Cohesion 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 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 2000 framework, 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 individual and groups of pupils.



This plan will contribute to the review of the school development plan and to related school policies including:

• Access and Inclusion policy
• Equal opportunities policy
• Teaching and Learning Policy

Activity

This section outlines the main activities that Rossett has undertaken and is planning to undertake, to achieve the key objective

a) Delivery of the curriculum

School staff receive training in making the curriculum accessible to all pupils, and are aware of its importance. The school will continue to seek and follow the advice of LA services, such as specialist teacher advisers and SEN inspectors/advisers, and of appropriate health professionals from the local NHS Trusts.

b) Physical environment

We have already made the site more accessible with the provision of new automatic opening doors, an extra disabled toilet, and signs which comply with DDA regulations. There are two lifts available for wheelchair users making the vast majority of the site accessible. The school will take account of the needs of pupils and other users with physical difficulties and sensory impairments when planning and undertaking future improvements and refurbishments of the site and premises, such as improved access, lighting, acoustic treatment and colour schemes, and more accessible facilities and fittings.

c) Provision of information in other formats

The school is aware of local services, including those provided through the LA, for providing information in alternative formats when required or requested.

The plan was approved by the Full Governing Body September 2006 and was reviewed in September 2009. It is also available in various formats, on request to the headteacher: email; enlarged print version; other formats by arrangement.