Moorfield Primary Accessibility Plan 2021-2024

Moorfield Primary School has high ambitions for all its pupils and expects them to participate and achieve in every aspect of school life. Our commitment to equal opportunities is an important aspect of our overall commitment to be a fully inclusive school. This plan identifies how the school meets the needs of disabled pupils in response to the Special Educational Needs and Disabilities Code of Practice 2014: 0 to 25 years. This will be reviewed every three years by the Governing Body.

Definitions of SEND

‘A child or young person has SEND if they have a learning difficulty or disability which calls for special educational provision to be made for them.

A child of compulsory school age or a young person has a learning difficulty or a disability if they:

has significantly greater difficulty in learning than the majority of others of the same age or
has a disability which prevents or hinders him or her making use of facilities of a kind generally provided for others of the same age in mainstream schools or colleges.’

(SEND code of Practice 2014)

‘Many children and young people who have SEN may have a disability under the Equality Act 2010- that is’… ‘a physical or mental impairment which has a long-term and substantial adverse effect on their ability to carry out normal day-to-day activities’.

The definition provides a relatively low threshold and includes more children than many realise: ’long-term’ is defined as ‘a year or more’ and ‘substantial is defined as ‘more than minor or trivial’. This definition includes sensory impairments such as those affecting sight and hearing, and long-term health conditions such as asthma, diabetes, epilepsy and cancer. Children and young people with such conditions do not necessarily have SEND, but there is a significant overlap between disabled children and young people and those with SEN. Where a disabled child or young person requires special educational provision they will also be covered by the SEND definition.’ (SEND code of Practice 2014)

The Equality Act 2010

‘The Equality Act 2010 sets out the legal obligations that schools, early years providers, post-16 institutions, local authorities have towards disabled children and young people:

They must not directly or indirectly discriminate against, harass or victimise disabled children and young people.
They must make reasonable adjustments, including the provision of auxiliary aids and services, to ensure that disabled children and young people are not at a substantial disadvantage compared with their peers. This duty is anticipatory- it requires thought to be given in advance to what disabled children and young people might require and what adjustments might need to be made to prevent that disadvantage.
Public bodies, including FE institutions, LA, maintained schools, maintained nursery schools, academies and free schools are covered by the public sector equality duty and when carrying out their functions must have regard to the need to eliminate discrimination, promote equality of opportunity and foster good relations between disabled and non-disabled children and young people. They must publish information to demonstrate their compliance with this general duty and must prepare and publish objectives to achieve the core aims of the general duty. Objectives must be specific and measureable.’ (SEND code of Practice 2014)

The duties cover discrimination in the provision of services and the provision of education, including admissions and exclusions. (SEND code of Practice 2014)

The Accessibility Plan should be read in conjunction with-

The LA admissions policy.
The School Prospectus.
The Equality Policy.
The Behaviours for Learning Policy.
The Special Educational Needs and Disabilities policy.

All policies will be checked to ensure that they do not, unintentionally, treat pupils with disabilities less favourably.

The Accessibility Plan

All providers must make reasonable adjustments to procedures, criteria and practices and by the provision of auxiliary aids and services. Most providers must also make reasonable adjustments by making physical alterations. Schools and LA education functions are not covered by this last duty but they must publish accessibility plans’….’setting out how they plan to increase access for disabled pupils to the curriculum, the physical environment and to information.’ (SEND code of Practice 2014)

‘Where a child or young person is covered by SEN and disability legislation, reasonable adjustments and access arrangements should be considered as part of SEN planning and review.’
(SEND code of Practice 2014).

The full range of needs and required support for all pupils identified as SEND Support or with an EHCP will be reviewed on a termly basis. The discussions will involve staff, parents and children plus outside agencies, as necessary.

Curriculum

Obtaining data on future pupil population to facilitate advanced planning. This includes liaison with the Local Authority (LA) SEND team.
Liaising with external service and agencies regarding individual pupils (physical, sensory, learning, behaviour).
Using specialist teachers to support learning and to give pastoral and inclusion support.
Organising Teaching Assistant (TA) deployment to cover a mix of curriculum and learning needs.
Ensuring that where appropriate, pupils have access to national and internal assessments facilitated by provision of extra time, readers etc.
Provision of a bank of disability specific, specialist resources, available to support individual pupil needs.
Setting clear learning questions that are appropriately differentiated for individual pupils.
Ensuring that parents/pupils are included in the target setting process.
Using Pivots where appropriate to measure progress and achievement of individual pupils, and to facilitate the setting of individualised targets with an element of challenge.
Encouraging the use of clear, well-presented visual aids to the support learning of all pupils.
Taking full advantage of the opportunities available outside school to provide educational visits that are accessible to all pupils.
Developing an outdoor learning ethos.
Developing areas around school to further enhance and develop learning.
Using a range of teaching methods and styles to facilitate access for all pupils, for example: collaborative learning, high level questioning, self and peer assessment, reflection etc.
Using ability groups to target additional needs, with TAs to support learning.
Buddy schemes to support vulnerable pupils.
Making every effort to enhance inclusion at all times.
Creating a culture of understanding and tolerance so that all ability groups and all disabilities are accepted as part of our school community.
Development of mutual support and understanding between colleagues when working with pupils with challenging disabilities.
Targeted interventions to support emotional well-being e.g. Pastoral 1:1 and group sessions, ELSA, Play Therapy, Counselling through Turn the Page Counselling.
Close workings with the Virtual Schools team for looked after children.
All staff are Team Teach trained to support children's social and emotional development.

Physical Access

The school building is fully accessible for pupils with physical difficulties.
The outside play areas are flat and accessible for wheelchair users.
2 disabled car park spaces by the ramped entrance to the front door of the School.
4 drop off car-parking spaces.
Disabled toilet facilities available in the Kaleidoscope building, with wheelchair access.
Adapted/specialised furniture provided to meet individual needs.
Space for small group work and individualised work for targeted learners.

Information Access

Visual timetables and information supported by signs/symbols for targeted pupils.
Provision of verbal or large print information for targeted pupils.
Dojo, Emails and messages for communication.

The following details specific anticipatory activities aimed to increase accessibility for pupils with SEND to the curriculum, the physical environment and to information.

Objectives	Tasks	Resources	Lead	Monitor
To ensure that all staff have a clear understanding of SEND provision and any subsequent updates.	Training provided by the Inclusion Lead in staff meetings. Inclusion Lead to attend termly LA SENDCo network meetings.	INSET & Professional Development Time	GS	Evaluation of Inclusion Plan. Head teacher report to Governors.
To ensure all staff are trained to support pupils with additional needs.	Training for all new members of staff. Updates and rolling programme of training for all staff.	Professional Development Time	GS	As above.
To ensure staff are trained to support pupils with medical conditions.	Update staff training annually in Asthma Epilepsy Diabetes and as required in other specific conditions. Update Medical Conditions policy annually and ensure annual parents return is gathered.	Professional Development Time	GS/GP	As above.
To continue to provision map to meet individual needs within each cohort.	GP to provision map and adjust TA support to meet individual/ group needs	GP time	GP	As above.
To improve accessibility for pupils with dyslexia.	Purchase a range of acetate coloured slides, tinted paper and arrange of writing tools.	£100	GP	As above.
To continue to support children's social and emotional development.	To continue to deliver pastoral 1:1 and group sessions, ELSA, Play Therapy and counselling for identified children.	Staff costs	GP	As above.
To ensure that staff are trained to support pupils with social and emotional needs.	Staff are trained by the Inclusion Service in ‘TEAM Teach – Care and Control’. All the staff are trained every 3 years in TEAMTeach and new staff attend sessions at other schools.	INSET every 3 years Cost for new staff to engage in training in other schools	GS	As above.

The performance of individuals continues to be monitored on a termly basis through progress meetings with the Head and Deputy Headteacher.

The Head teacher maintains a ‘Incident Record’ which details any reported incidents of discrimination, including disability discrimination, and the subsequent action that has been carried out by the staff. All such incidents are included in the termly report to Governors.