Accessibility Statement

Accessibility Policy and 3 year Plan

1. Introduction

This Accessibility Policy outlines the commitment of the School to ensure that all pupils, staff, parents, and visitors have equal access to the school environment, curriculum, and information. The School recognises its duties under the Equality Act 2010 to:

• Not treat disabled people less favourably;
• Make reasonable adjustments to ensure disabled children and adults are not placed at a substantial disadvantage;
• Prepare and implement an Accessibility Plan that sets out how the school will improve accessibility over time.

This policy supports our values of inclusion, equity, and personalised provision, ensuring every pupil can participate fully in school life in a primary special school context.

Definition of Disability

Disability is defined by the Disability Discrimination Act 1995 (DDA):

“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.”

2. Aims

We aim to:

• Remove barriers to learning and participation for all pupils at Delamere with a wide range of additional needs;
• Improve the physical environment to increase access for disabled pupils and adults;
• Improve the delivery of information to pupils, parents, and visitors with disabilities;
• Ensure accessibility considerations are embedded across the School’s policies, practices, and culture.

3. Scope

This policy applies to:

• The school site and all facilities;
• Curriculum planning, teaching, and learning;
• Information sharing with parents, pupils, and staff;
• Extra-curricular activities, school trips, and wider school life.

4. Legal Framework

This policy is written in accordance with:

• The Equality Act 2010;
• SEND Code of Practice 2015;
• Children and Families Act 2014;
• DfE Guidance on Accessibility Plans.

5. Roles and Responsibilities

Governors:

• Approve and monitor the Accessibility Plan; ensure compliance with equality duties.

Headteacher:

• Overall responsibility for the implementation of the Accessibility Plan.
• Ensures staff receive support, training, and resources.

Deputy Head:

• Leads on curriculum accessibility and specialist support.
• Coordinates external professionals such as SALT and OT.

All Staff:

• Implement reasonable adjustments in daily practice and contribute to reducing barriers.

Accessibility Plan: 2025–2028

The following Accessibility Plan sets out the school’s priorities across three key areas:

1. Improving access to the physical environment.

2. Increasing access to the curriculum.

3. Improving the delivery of information.

Objective 1: Improving Physical Access

• Conduct annual accessibility audits of the school site.

• Complete reconfiguration of the school carpark to improve safety and access for all pupils, parents and staff.

• Explore options for reconfiguring internal spaces to support pupils with sensory / emotional overwhelm due to increased class sizes.

Objective 2: Increasing Curriculum Access

• Provide all staff CPD (particularly new members) on adaptive teaching, relational approaches and communication strategies.

• Ensure all enrichment activities, clubs and educational visits include appropriate reasonable adjustments for disadvantaged groups.

In line with our invisible child focus ensure that every child is given the personalised support and attention they need to thrive.

Objective 3: Improving Information Accessibility

• Review and improve end of year transition procedures including information for parents to support their child over the summer holiday.

• Complete re-accredition with National Autistic Society.

Monitoring and Evaluation

Progress will be reviewed termly by the Senior Leadership Team and annually by Governors. Adjustments will be made based on accessibility audits, incident reports, and feedback from pupils, parents, staff and visiting professionals.