Accessibility Plan

   2024-2025

Accessibility Plan

Introduction

The Accessibility Policy takes careful account of the Equality Act 2010 and is compliant with current legislation and requirements as specified in Schedule 10, relating to Disability, of the Equality Act 2010.

Co-op Academy Priesthorpe is an inclusive school where all students are made to feel welcome and valued. Our Academy vision is for our school to inspire all to love learning and leave equipped and motivated to fully contribute to life in their communities. Through this we want to ensure that pupils experience and enjoy a high quality learning experience enabling them to attain outstanding outcomes. All children have skills, talents and abilities and as an academy we have a responsibility to develop these to the full.

Aims

The Academy and its Community Council (Governing body) recognises the need to ensure that students can access their school fully. As a result we aim to:

1. Ensure that all students with disabilities can fully participate in the school curriculum and attain success in line with their ability, making reasonable adjustments to ensure that this happens.

2. Improve the environment of the school to increase the extent to which pupils with disabilities can take advantage of education and associated service;
3. Improve information delivery to students with disabilities.

The Academy and its Community Council recognises the need to ensure access to the school, information and events for parents, carers and other family members with disabilities and will:

• Ensure that information is clear, timely and accessible for all and use creative means of contacting family members to pass on or present information when necessary
• Ensure that events are accessible, physically and cognitively, for family members
• Ensure that family needs are taken into account when arranging meetings

The Community Council also recognises its responsibilities towards employees with disabilities and will:

• Monitor recruitment procedures to ensure that persons with disabilities are provided with equal opportunities
• Ensure that employees with disabilities are supported with special provision to ensure that they can carry out their work effectively without barriers.
• Undertake reasonable adjustments to enable staff to access the workplace.

The plan will be resourced, implemented, reviewed and revised in consultation with the: parents, employees, Community Council Members and external agencies.

Current Provision

1. Ensure that all students with disabilities can fully participate in the school curriculum and attain success in line with their ability, making reasonable adjustments to ensure that this happens.

Co-op Academy Priesthorpe offers a broad and balanced curriculum for all students. We provide specialist provision to support students with learning difficulties to access the curriculum.

• All pupils on our SEND register have a Pupil Passport, written by gaining the views of the student and their parents. The Pupil passport informs colleagues of the specific learning needs of pupils so that necessary adjustments can be made in lessons.
• Staff work with colleagues from the SEND Department to develop strategies for inclusion as well as contribute to the review of pupil progress.
• All students take part in all aspects of the curriculum including physical activities. Where this is not possible a risk assessment is completed drawing on advice from relevant professionals. An alternative plan will be devised with the pupil and parents.
• Where it is identified that students need a more specialist provision it is provided through our Partnership or Bridge provisions and an alternative GCSE pathway is provided for students in years 9-11 where required.
• Academy visits are accessible to all students irrespective of attainment or impairment.
• Staff continue to receive regular updates on students on our SEND register through staff meetings, emails, updates on Arbor and New Staff Induction CPD programme.
• The Academy has a strong transition programme to allow pupils identified by primary schools the opportunity to make additional and personalised transition visits.
• The Academy is able to screen pupils taking into account reading ages and other assessments to enable us to identify students who require intervention or access arrangements for formal assessments.
• Extra-curricular activities are inclusive.
• The Academy offers SEND friendly classrooms with all resources in a dyslexia friendly font and other strategies implemented as part of the universal offer.

2. Improve the environment of the school to increase the extent to which pupils with disabilities can take advantage of education and associated service.

Co-op Academy Priesthorpe aims to remove physical barriers and aims to improve access to the physical environment, adding specialist facilities as necessary.

• Ramps allow access to the ground floor of the building.
• Fire and evacuation procedures for pupils and staff are in place that take into account what happens when lifts are inaccessible.
• Classrooms have sufficient space for all children and young people. Adjustments such as desk height for those students who require wheelchair access can be made where necessary.
• Lessons on the upper floors can be re-roomed to the ground floor for pupils who cannot access the upper floors.

3. Improving information delivery to students with disabilities

Co-op Academy Priesthorpe considers the needs and requirements of all abilities and with varying needs when communicating information, both verbally and in writing.

• MYCAT (Meet Your Coach and Teacher) days are key events, with all students and parents encouraged to attend, with phone calls made to individual families when needed. There are always members of the SEND team available on these evenings.
• Parents of SEND students have the opportunity to attend additional meetings with the SENCO.
• The Academy writes and reviews Pupil Passports with pupils and parents.These are regularly reviewed to ensure pupil needs are catered for.
• Effective examination access arrangements allow for effective access in examination situations.
• Careers and options packages are carefully planned to ensure that information is delivered effectively to pupils, parents and carers.

Plans and areas for development

Co-op Academy Priesthorpe will continue to make “reasonable adjustments” to ensure that disabled students, parents or visitors attending the school are not discriminated against. Making reasonable adjustments could include:

• Changes to practices and procedures
• Changes to physical features
• Changes to how learners are assessed
• Providing extra support and aids (such as specialist teachers or equipment)