Reviewed January 2015 Ysgol Llandeilo Reviewed January 2015 Ysgol Llandeilo Reviewed January 2015 Ysgol Llandeilo
CONTENTS
INTRODUCTION THE PRIORITIES OF OUR VISION OUR FOCUS – UPON ALL PUPILS WITH A DISABILITY AND THE ACCESSIBILITY OF OUR SCHOOL OUR CURRENT STRENGTHS AND NEEDS AS A SCHOOL IN WORKING WITH DISABLED PUPILS HOW OUR SCHOOL’S ORGANISATION IMPACTS UPON DISABLED PUPILS THE OUTCOMES FOR DISABLED PUPILS IN OUR SCHOOL OUR PRIORITIES FOR IMPROVING THE INFORMATION AND DATA TO SUPPORT THE ACCESSIBILITY PLAN THE VIEWS OF THOSE CONSULTED IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF OUR PLAN OUR MAIN PRIORITIES IN OUR ACCESSIBILITY PLAN: Increasing the extent to which disabled pupils can participate in our school curriculum Priorities for curriculum access Improving the physical environment of the school to increase disabled pupils opportunities to take advantage of education and associated services The delivery to disabled pupils of information that is provided in writing for pupils who are not disabled.
TURNING OUR PLAN INTO PRACTICE Reviewed January 2015 Ysgol Llandeilo
Introduction
This plan sets out the proposals of the Governing Body of Llandeilo Primary School to increase access to education for disabled pupils in the three areas required by the planning duties in the Disability Discrimination Act. This plan takes account of the local authority’s Single Education Plan, Accessibility Strategy, Inclusion Strategy, Equality Statement and Children and Young People’s Plan.
Llandeilo Primary School values the individuality of all our children. We are committed to giving all of our children every opportunity to achieve the highest of standards. We do this by taking account of pupils’ varied life experiences and needs. We offer a broad and balanced curriculum, and have high expectations for all children. The achievements, attitudes and well- being of all our children are of the utmost importance. This policy helps to ensure that this school promotes the individuality of all our children, irrespective of ethnicity, religion, attainment, age, disability, gender or background.
The Disability Discrimination Act (DDA) of 1995 aims to end discrimination against people with disabilities and to improve access in all areas of life. Since 2002 it has been unlawful for school and Local Education Authorities to discriminate against pupils with disabilities in admissions and exclusions, and in associated services.
Our Accessibility Plan details the changes required to our buildings and to other aspects of our school, so that we fulfil our legal requirements, and remove barriers to inclusion for all pupils and staff with disabilities.
We recognise that the duties within the plan need to be known and understood by all staff.
We have involved all staff in contributing to and or commenting on the plan.
We aim to ensure the plan is owned by all adults within the school.
We have set out to be explicit about what the duties under the DDA mean in this school.
We recognise that every member of staff has a duty to remove barriers to learning for disabled pupils.
We wish to involve disabled pupils and their parents and carers in our development and implementation and review of this plan.
The priorities of our vision
Our school aims to be an inclusive school in respect of pupils, staff and parents. We actively seek to remove the barriers to learning and participation that can hinder or exclude individual pupils, or groups of pupils. This means that equality of opportunity must be a reality for all our children, and this of course includes pupils with disabilities.
We will ensure that pupils with disabilities have the same opportunities as non-disabled pupils to benefit from the education our school provides.
We will not treat a pupil with a disability less favourably than others because of the nature Reviewed January 2015 Ysgol Llandeilo of their disability. Reviewed January 2015 Ysgol Llandeilo
Our focus – upon all pupils with a disability and the accessibility of our school
Our understanding of the: -
profile of pupils in our school who meet the disability criteria: At present we only have seven statemented children within our school who meet the criteria and we have all relevant documentation in place to support these pupils.
profile of the school’s future intake: - We are unaware at present that we would have any pupils meeting this criteria in the next three years. It is reasonable to assume that it is a possibility and as such we would be addressing any requirements on entry.
Our current strengths and needs as a school in working with disabled pupils
The level of our staff’s awareness of their duties under the Disability Equality Duty within the Equality Act 2010.
The pupils who may have not gained access to the school in the past.
The presence of disabled pupils in school.
The level of participation of our disabled pupils in the wider curriculum in school.
The engagement of our disabled pupils in off-site activities.
How our school’s organisation impacts upon disabled pupils
We will endeavour to improve provision for disabled pupils and staff by developing the physical environment of the school, within the limits of the resources available.
We use teaching strategies to enhance learning and participation in a broad and balanced curriculum. We find ways in which all pupils can take part in sport, music and drama. We plan our out-of-school activities and school visits in such a way that pupils with disabilities can participate.
We use language that does not offend, and we make staff and pupils aware of the importance of language.
Our School regularly reviews the way resources are matched to the needs of the children. If necessary, to improve our provision, adjustments will be made to classroom organisation, the deployment of support staff, timetabling and staff training.
Many of the adjustments we make are dependent upon individual needs, and more individualised approaches. Individual Education Plans are effective and manageable.
We seek and respond to guidance from staff, parents and the children. Reviewed January 2015 Ysgol Llandeilo
Our school has an effective anti-bullying policy in place.
Risk assessments are in place for any children with a disability along with a personal emergency evacuation plan. These are completed as necessary.
Health care plans are completed where appropriate which will include the administration of any medicines.
Information normally provided in writing will be made available in alternative formats that are clear and user friendly when necessary.
We always take account of disabilities, be they the pupils’ or parents’. For example, communication with a parent who is visually impaired may need to be by telephone contact rather than by letter. As our KS 2 classes are difficult to access via a wheelchair for parents, we hold meeting in the adult education center which is a room on the school site.
The outcomes for disabled pupils in our school
Our detailed analysis of outcome data
All pupils are assessed and tracked on an individual basis.
All pupils attending the school regardless of disability access the whole curriculum.
Our priorities for improving the information and data to support the accessibility plan
Annual Review of policies and procedures
Consult with interested parties
Organise training sessions for staff and governors
The views of those consulted in the development of our plan
Our plan is informed by the views and aspirations of: -
Our disabled children and young people, through questionnaires which can be found in the appendix
The parents and of carers of our disabled pupils
Other disabled people and voluntary organizations such as Plant Dewi, CYCA & the visual impairment team Reviewed January 2015 Ysgol Llandeilo
The priorities of the local authority Our main priorities in our accessibility plan
Increasing the extent to which disabled pupils can participate in our school curriculum
We recognise that curriculum development work is very time intensive. We are therefore planning the developments outlined below over the lifetime of the plan. We aim to focus on key areas of the curriculum, namely: -
Extra curricular activities School visits Sporting and cultural visits ICT development
These developments reflect our wider school improvement priorities and will be lead by those with the relevant specialist curricular expertise in:
Literacy Numeracy plc
We are drawing upon a range of external partners to assist us in our approach namely: -
Members of area teams o Advisers o Family support groups: Palny Dewi, CYCA, TAF o Educational psychologists o Education Welfare Officers o School social worker
Specialist advisory teachers in: o Autism o Dyslexia o Speech, language and communication o Hearing impairment ICT o Visual impairment ICT o Attachment
Colleagues from health including: o Speech and language therapists o Occupational therapists o Physiotherapists o Community Paediatricians, Health visitors, Reviewed January 2015 Ysgol Llandeilo
We recognise that disabled pupils have the right to access activities outside the formal taught curriculum including: -
Recreation times Movement around the school Special events Extra curricular activity School trips
Priorities for Curriculum Access Our priorities for increasing curriculum access are outlined in the School’s Improvement Plan which is updated on a regular basis. The priorities are the same for all children at this present time; improved attainment in Literacy and numeracy.
Improving the physical environment of the school to increase disabled pupils opportunities to take advantage of education and associated services We recognise that whilst we have achieved a great deal, much remains to be done. At the same time we acknowledge that we cannot do everything at once and so we are focussing upon meeting the accessibility needs of those pupils already in the school and those likely to come here over the next three years.
Disabled toilets in Infant building with changing facilities. Access to all curriculum areas Access to after school clubs To liaise with Local Authority when pupils with disabilities transfer to the school.
We appreciate that we will achieve some improvements as we maintain the fabric of our school and upgrade our facilities e.g.
Purchasing relevant software when reviewing our ICT requirements. Currently purchasing 2 ipads for pupils with a disability, ‘Splashtop’ and have put a ‘Soundfield’ system in for a pupil with audio processing difficulties
We recognise that the physical environment of our school impacts differently upon different groups of disabled pupils. We have set out to prioritise our approach to reflect the needs of our current and future pupils.
We can make low key adaptations from our own delegated budget including small improvements and we work with the local authority for major works such as new steps, yellow edging curbs, moving of a main door to create a wider platform before accessing steep steps
Our priorities for physical improvements to the school to increase access are:
To inform Local Authority when pupils with disabilities transfer to/from the school so that adaptations can be carried out. All future developments to the school environment will comply with disability requirements. Reviewed January 2015 Ysgol Llandeilo
The delivery to disabled pupils of information that is provided in writing for pupils who are not disabled. We recognise that a standard print format will not be accessible to all of our pupils.
We appreciate the need to use the best medium possible to ensure our pupils can gain equal access to key information such as:-
Handouts, success criteria grids, Timetables Worksheets Notices Information about events
We aim to provide information in accessible formats e.g:-
Providing simplified language versions for pupils with learning difficulties. Offering picture/symbol systems for pupils with language and communication difficulties. Using large print formats for pupils who experience difficulties with standard prints. Providing audio taped instructions for some pupils.
We appreciate that some pupils require specialised formats e.g. Braille. Where this is the case we will link closely with the Carmarthenshire’s Sensory Impaired Service to secure this format.
Turning our plan into practice
Our management, co-ordination and implementation process
The governing body takes responsibility for the school accessibility plan and sets a clear direction for it.
We will monitor the progress of our plan annually and review and revise it every three years.
We will ensure that disabled pupils, their parents and carers, the staff, visiting professionals, and those from the voluntary sector can contribute to our review.
In terms of the evaluation of our plan and its impact we will invite colleagues from the local authority’s Area Team to support us in the evaluation of our plan and play the role of the critical friend offering objective feedback.
We will expressly draw upon the views of the key stakeholders in our plan and we will link this with our school performance data.
Clearly the Accessibility Plan does not stand alone, it is inextricably linked with our wider planning processes, namely our:-
School improvement plan Reviewed January 2015 Ysgol Llandeilo
Equality plan Inclusion policy Health and Safety policy Self Evaluation plan
We recognise the need to ensure our plan takes account of the work of other services particularly Health.
In terms of the detailed implementation of our plan we have set out this in a planning format on the next pages. Reviewed January 2015 Ysgol Llandeilo
ACCESSIBILITY ACTION PLAN Short Term: 2012-2013
Objective Barriers Action Outcome
Raise awareness of legislation Interested parties Organise training sessions for Increased staff and governor knowledge with and obligations regarding not included in the staff and governors to attend regards to disability pupils with disabilities consultation process LA training and disability conference.
Review Inclusion Policy Updated policies and procedures not adopted An Annual review Inclusive school ethos Document or implemented by relevant parties nua l revi ew Policies and Procedures Updated policies Audit existing policies Annual review All school documentation and procedures not procedures reflects equal opportunities adopted or for all implemented by relevant parties Ensure the safety of pupils Potential barriers to To follow L.A and All Wales Pupils with disabilities to take part in all school and staff during school individual pupils guidance for Learning outside activities. trips/extra curricular accessing activities the classroom/Educational activities/leisure, sporting and Visits. cultural visits including pupils Ensure staff carry out the with disabilities necessary risk assessments.
April 2013 Reviewed January 2015 Ysgol Llandeilo
Ensure that the learning Pupils failing to Classroom On going Progress and achievements of needs of disabled pupils succeed due to disabled pupils monitored to are met within the accessibility issues observations, tracking pupil ensure quality of opportunity classroom progress, consulting with pupils and parents/carers To identify training needs Pupils failing to Audit current training On going Teachers and Teaching of staff regarding succeed due to needs of staff and include Assistants are able to fully differentiation accessibility issues findings in SDP meet the requirements of disabled children with regards to accessing the curriculum.
Ensure that the The procedures do Audit current needs in line Health care plans Health care plans in place for procedures for the not comply with local with WG documentation. reviewed as and all pupils who require administration of and national ‘Access to Education and when required. medication. Appropriate staff medicines to pupils are in guidelines. support for children and training for specific medical line with local and young people with Medical needs. Pupils, staff and national guidelines needs’ parents/carers confident that correct procedures are followed. To ensure Refurbishment All correspondence inviting Annual premises Parents/Carers with disabled priorities as part of parents/carers to attend review disabilities able to visit the parents/carers have the budget school functions to indicate school. suitable access to any special premises e.g. concerts, requests. consultation Adjustments made to evenings enable disabled
To inform LA when Key information not Consult with LA premises On LA capacity to prioritise pupilswith disabilities access by interested management officer and LA going physical adaptations to to/from transferthe school. parties preventing surveyor. school. Accessibility pupils becoming improved. pupils fully involved in the school community Ensure that changes Key information not Consult with LA premises On Improved disabled access and to the Reviewed January 2015 Ysgol Llandeilo
school environment access by interested management officer and LA going improved environment for withcomply disability parties preventing surveyor and LA health and disabled pupils. requirements pupils becoming safety officers pupils fully involved in the school community To ensure inform Key information not All correspondence sent to On going Written information in provided ination access by interested parents/carers to include a alternative formats provided. formats. parties preventing sentence enquiring whether Improved home/school links pupils becoming written materials in different for disabled parents/carers pupils fully involved formats are required. Liaise and pupils. Parental in the school with staff from LA to ensure satisfaction. community that parent/carer needs can be met. Reviewed January 2015 Ysgol Llandeilo
Medium Term: 2013-2015
Objective Barriers Action Timescale Outcome
Develop policies and Policies and procedures fail Integrate accessibility plan September 2013 – Accessibility planning procedures to ensure to be regarded as ideas into SDP and self evaluation onwards embedded in the annual consultation with acted upon by the school procedures review of school progress. stakeholders and sharing of relevant information to promote accessibility Develop the use of ICT to Pupils with ALN may Audit training needs of January 2013 - Pupils with disabilities will enable pupils with require support to access staff. Explore suitable ICT ongoing be able to access the disabilities to access the ICT curriculum. software. Request advice curriculum. Broad balanced curriculum from ICT Advisor Greg curriculum for all pupils. Morgan. Reviewed January 2015 Ysgol Llandeilo
Long Term: 2015 - Onward s
Objective Barriers Action Timescale Outcome
To provide a designated Budget constraints Consult with L.A. 2015 onwards Designated parking area parking space for visitors Premises provided so increased with disabilities management officer physical access for and disabled visitors L.A. Surveyor To provide consistent Possible disjointed strategic Work with 2016 onwards Coherent working policies and procedures plan for accessibility partnership/cluster within partnership/cluster schools to develop schools consistent working practices and procedures relating to accessibility that are coherent and To address the needs of Maintain good 2016 onwards continued professional working practices development and procedures and