Accessibility Plan – Co-op Academy Grange

Policy Amendments October 2022 ResponsibilityAcademy Headteacher

Date of next Policy Review 3 Years* Responsibility All/as above

* To be reviewed every three years or subject to any building/ curriculum or statutory amendments

1. PRINCIPLES

1.1. We are committed to the inclusion of all students. Every individual is valued and their achievements celebrated.

1.2. We support the entitlement of all students to a broad and balanced curriculum.

1.3. Each student is helped to achieve their maximum potential by identifying and meeting their needs and by overcoming potential barriers to learning.

1.4. This plan sets out the proposals of how Coop Academy Grange will seek to increase access to education for students with special educational needs and disabilities in the three areas required by the planning duties in the Equality Act, 2010:

− increasing the extent to which these students can participate in the Academy curriculum;

− improving the environment of the Academy to increase the extent to which these students can take advantage of education and associated services;

− improving the delivery to these students of information, which is provided in writing for students who are not disabled.

2. LEGISLATION

2.1. This Policy takes account of:

− Special Educational Needs Code of Practice 2015

− Children’s and Families Act 2014

− Education Act 2011

− Education (Special Educational Needs Co-ordinators) (England) Regulations 2014

− The Equalities Act 2010

− Keeping Children Safe in Education, September 2020

2.2. The Special Education Needs (SEN) and Disability Act 2001 extended the Disability Discrimination Act 1995 (DDA) to cover education. Since September 2002, the Governing Body has had three key duties towards disabled students, under Part 4 of the DDA:

a) not to treat students with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) less favourably for a reason related to their disability;

b) to make reasonable adjustments for SEND students, so that they are not at a substantial disadvantage;

c) to plan to increase access to education for SEND students.

3. ASSOCIATED POLICIES

3.1. This Policy should be read in conjunction with the following Trust Policies: − SEND

− Academy Admissions Policy

− Complaints

− Educational Visits

− Equality Policy (Students)

− Examinations Procedures

− First Aid

− Health and Safety

− Managing and Administering Prescribed Medications

− Intimate Care

− Positive Discipline

− PSHCEE

− SMSC

− Teaching and Learning

POLICY DEFINITIONS4.1 Chapter 20 of the Children and Families Act (2014) states that:

(1) A child or young person has special educational needs if he or she has a learning difficulty or disability which calls for special educational provision to be made for him or her.

(2) A child of compulsory school age or a young person has a learning difficulty or disability if he or she— (a) has a significantly greater difficulty in learning than the majority of others of the same age, or

(b) has a disability which prevents or hinders him or her from making use of facilities of a kind generally provided for others of the same age in mainstream schools or mainstream post-16 institutions. 

(3) A child under compulsory school age has a learning difficulty or disability if he or she is likely to be within subsection (2) when of compulsory school age (or would be likely, if no special educational provision were made).

(4) A child or young person does not have a learning difficulty or disability solely because the language (or form of language) in which he or she is or will be taught is different from a language (or form of language) which is or has been spoken at home. 

4.2 A person has a disability for the purposes of the Act if he or she has a physical or mental impairment and the impairment has a substantial and long-term adverse effect on his or her ability to carry out normal day-to-day activities.

See Chapter 1, Section 6, Equalities Act 2010

5 The Co-op Academy Grange CONTEXT

5.1 The Co-op Academy Grange is a secondary 11-16 academy with around 1500 students delivering an outstanding mainstream education. It is located at Haycliffe Lane, Bradford, BD5 9ET.

5.2 Accessibility by public or private transport is by car (there is a carpark on site) or by buses.

5.3 All areas are fully accessible by lifts and/or ramps. All fire exits have accessible assembly points.

6 ACCESS TO THE CURRICULUM

6.1 Coop Academy Grange will seek to increase the extent to which students can access the curriculum by:

6.1.1 Providing a thorough student induction process, linking closely with feeder schools and external services to support and accommodate the needs of students,

6.1.2 Ensure all staff adhere to Trust Policies regarding personalisation within the classroom and the continued review of Student Learning Plans,

6.1.3 Ensuring all students with SEND are appropriately accommodated during the completion of examination and assessments, for example, the provision of additional time, the provision of a scribe or a laptop etc,

6.1.4 Ensure enrichment activities are as inclusive as possible and plans for educational visits take into account individual student needs.

6.2 In order to make continuous improvements for students The Co-op Academy will:

6.2.1 Monitor and review those areas of the curriculum which are normally difficult for SEND students to access and make all required reasonable adjustments, for example, issuing a lift key or re-rooming classes etc.

6.2.2 Scrutinise the data about SEND students after every assessment point and the sharing of findings at Senior Leadership Team level, followed by implementation of intervention strategies (where appropriate).

6.2.3 To further investigate avenues for supporting students with SEND external to the academy.

6.2.4 Provide a suitable transition process to provisions outside of The Co-op Academy, for example, college, apprenticeship or other specialist SEND provision.

6.2.5 Local Governing Body meetings to consider the progress and performance, finance and provision for students with SEND.

7 ACCESS TO PASTORAL SUPPORT

7.1 Coop Academy Grange will provide a bespoke pastoral structure for all students.

7.2 An Assistant Principal will be the Senior Lead for the Pastoral strand within the Academy.

7.3 Students may work with a Learning Support Assistant (LSA) as necessary to provide appropriate support and challenge both in relation to their personal and academic life.

7.4 Coop Academy Grange will ensure that students with an Education Health and Care Plan (EHCP) receive the provision to which they are entitled and that all staff are aware of those students’ needs.

7.5 In order to make continuous improvements for students The Co-op Academy will:

7.5.1 Ensure all staff receive appropriate training and development to meet the needs of the students with whom they work, appropriate to their individual roles and responsibilities.

7.5.2 Provide quarterly reviews of performance data with specific reference to the performance outcomes of SEND students.

7.5.3 Ensure there are timely reviews of Individual student risk assessments and any issues are appropriately investigated in a timely manner

8 SITE ACCESSIBILITY

8.1 Coop Academy Grange has in place full disabled access to all areas.

8.2 Designated parking for Blue Badge Holders is available at the front of the academy, close to the front of the building.

8.3 Additionally, there is sufficient washroom facilities throughout the site designed specifically for disabled individuals to access.

8.4 There is a dedicated, multi-faith prayer room available for all staff and students to use.

8.5 Coop Academy Grange will continue to take into account the needs of its students, staff and visitors when planning and undertaking future site developments, for example, improvements to access, facilities, lighting, acoustics and colour schemes.

8.6 In order to make continuous improvements for students, The Co-op Academy will:

8.6.1 Conduct an annual review of incidents reported via the Operations Manager regarding required site improvements, incidents and near misses, and also essential maintenance works.

8.6.2 Provide termly reviews to the Local Governing Body regarding Estates and Safety matters.

8.6.3 Ensure that all areas have a full and in date risk assessment and that a dynamic risk assessment is carried out at the very least when conducting ad hoc works.

8.6.4 Ensuring all students receive a Personal Emergency Evacuation Plan (PEEP) in order to safely evacuate a building in the case of an emergency.

8.6.5 Ensure compliance with the Trust Managing and Administering Prescribed Medications Policy

9 ACCESS TO INFORMATION

9.1 The Co-op Academy will provide access to information and performance updates in a variety of ways including:

9.1.1 Academy Newsletter

9.1.2 Virtual Learning Environment (VLE)

9.1.3 The Co-op Academy Grange website

9.1.4 Google Classrooms

9.1.5 Open Days

9.1.6 Parent/Carer and/or curriculum evenings/meetings

9.1.7 Meetings with parents/carers

9.1.8 SEND review processes

9.2 In order to make continuous improvements for students The Co-op Academy will:

9.2.1 Produce all college literature in the correct size font and on the appropriate colour background to assist visually impaired students.

9.2.2 Investigate alternative ways of providing access to information, software and activities.

9.2.3 Investigate ways of communicating with SEND parents/carers and other adult users of the site.

9.2.4 Make full use of external providers of support including those provides through the Local Authority for providing information in alternative formats (for example Braille or audiotape) if required.

9.2.5 Seek to use text alerts and Google Classroom notifications to communicate with specific user groups.

10 CONSULTATION

10.1 All sections of the The Co-op Academy Grange community will be included in the development of this accessibility plan with specific input sought from:

10.1.1 Students voice

10.1.2 Parents/Carer

10.1.3 SENDCo

10.1.4 Staff

10.1.5 Students

10.2 Feeder schools will be contacted to assist with the planning and information gathering of incoming Year 6 students.

10.3 All students with an EHCP will have an annual review where students and parents/carers are consulted about the provision they are offered and are able to contribute to an evaluative commentary.

11 MONITORING AND REVIEW

11.1 The Accessibility Action Plan will be monitored at each Local Governing Body meeting.

11.2 This policy will be reviewed every three years by the Local Governing Body.

12. PROFESSIONAL CONFIDENTIALITY

12.1 Confidentiality is an issue which needs to be understood by all those working with students, particularly in the context of safeguarding. The Trust recognises that the only purpose of confidentiality in this respect is to benefit the student.

Objectives:

Improve information delivery so that those who cannot access written English is improved

Information given is given in various languages.

Parents regularly contact school for support and information

Headteacher December 2023