Wigton Moor Primary School

Accessibility Plan

Introduction

The 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 pupils, under Part 4 of the DDA:

 not to treat disabled pupils less favourably for a reason related to their disability;
 to make reasonable adjustments for disabled pupils, so that they are not at a
substantial disadvantage;
 to plan to increase access to education for disabled pupils.

This plan sets out the proposals of the Governing Body of the school to increase access to
education for disabled pupils in the three areas required by the planning duties in the DDA:

 increasing the extent to which disabled pupils can participate in the school
curriculum;
 improving the environment of the school to increase the extent to which disabled
pupils can take advantage of education and associated services;
 improving the delivery to disabled pupils of information which is provided in writing for
pupils who are not disabled.

It is a requirement that the school’s accessibility plan is resourced, implemented, reviewed

1. The purpose and direction of the school’s plan: vision and values
The aim of this policy is to set out the commitment of the Governing Body of Wigton Moor
Primary School to the principles of inclusive education and the responsibilities of the
school team of staff and governors to ensure that all pupils, staff, parents/ carers, visitors
and governors, whatever their age, disability, gender identity, faith, race, sex, sexual
orientation, attainment or background are all treated inclusively.

A wide range of pupils have special educational needs, many of whom also have
disabilities. Lessons are planned to ensure that there are no barriers to every pupil
achieving. In many cases, such planning will mean that these pupils will be able to study
the full national curriculum. The Special Educational Needs and Disability Code of Practice
includes advice on approaches to identification of need which can support this. A minority
of pupils will need access to specialist equipment and different approaches. The SEN and
disability code of practice is clear about what should be done to meet their needs.

With the right teaching, that recognises their individual needs, many disabled pupils may
have little need for additional resources beyond the aids which they use as part of their
daily life. Teachers plan lessons so that these pupils can study every national curriculum
subject. Potential areas of difficulty should be identified and addressed at the outset of
work.
Wigton Moor Mission Statement ;

everyone learns, everyone achieves, everyone matters

 Our aim is that pupils will learn, achieve and develop as positive, healthy,
responsible and caring members of our community, in school and out.
 We want pupils to feel safe, secure, enjoy their learning and belong to a purposeful,
stimulating school environment.
 We want each member of our school community to feel valued and respected, free
from any form of discrimination and to celebrate diversity.
 We want to provide excellence in all we do.
 We want teaching to inspire a life-long love of learning that engages pupils and
gives them pride in their achievements.
 We promote resilience, ambition, endeavour, healthy lifestyles, creativity and
respect for all.

The school has set the following priorities for the development of the vision and
values that inform the plan:
 To sustain and develop access to the curriculum for disabled pupils.
 To improve access to the school building.
 To improve the delivery of written information to disabled pupils.

2. Context

Wigton Moor is a larger than average 2 form entry primary school with 450 children. In
September 2015 we took on an additional 30 pupils to facilitate a bulge year cohort. The
intake is very diverse with half the children coming from white British backgrounds and just
under half representing a range of minority ethnic groups. Of the pupils who speak English
as an additional language most are advanced bi-lingual learners. We are situated to the
north of Leeds between Shadwell and Alwoodley in an area of socio economic advantage.
However, demand for places has meant that we take children from outside the original
catchment, depending on parents’ choice. We have served the community for many years
and a number of our children have parents who attended our school in the 70s and 80s.

We have fifteen classes, ranging from 29 to 31 children. All year groups contain two single
age classes, with an additional class from September 15. Our building, formerly a separate
Infant and Junior school, opened in 1965 and has 15 classrooms, two halls and a purpose
built ICT and library suite. The school was extended in 2016 to facilitate the bulge year
group. We continue to work towards improving the fabric of the building to make it fit for
purpose as a 21st century school.

Extended services are managed through a cluster based approach, although we do have a
‘before and after school’ club on site, and offer a varied menu of activities outside of the
school day.

3. Definition of disability under the Equality Act 2010

You are disabled under the Equality Act 2010 if you have a physical or mental impairment
that has a ‘substantial’ and ‘long-term’ negative effect on your ability to do normal daily
activities.
 This Plan will contribute to the review and revision of related school policies including :

 School Improvement Plan

The school currently have no pupils who are classed as disabled. If we did this policy
would be reviewed and the school would liaise with the Leeds City Council Access Officer
to agree any adaptations that were required.

To sustain and develop access to the curriculum for disabled pupils, the school will:

 continue to make additional provision as part of our special needs and inclusion
policies;
 continue to liaise with outside agencies such as the hearing impaired, visually
impaired and physically disabled services to ensure our provision is appropriate;
 use D.f.E.S. and Q.C.A. guidance on curriculum planning, teaching and learning for
pupils with disabilities;
 provide appropriately differentiated teaching styles and learning activities for disabled
pupils;
 continue to make use of Leeds City Council guidance on curriculum provision for
disabled pupils
 ensure that the school’s inclusion policy is reflected in its practice;
 develop curriculum subject audits and action plans to include a review of inclusion
and accessibility issues;
 identify disability as a theme in its assembly/collective worship programme and within
the PSHE curriculum;
 provide training for staff working with pupils with disabilities.

4. Access
To improve access to the school building, the school will liaise with Leeds City Council to
identify accessibility issues and how improvements can be made. This should enable the
following issues to be addressed in the school:

To provide:

 ramps alongside the steps around the outside of the school building;
 additional signage and in different formats;
 additional handrails;
 a split-level counter and induction loop in the reception area;
 purchase of hearing aid equipment as recommended;

5. Improving the delivery of written information to disabled pupils

To improve the delivery of written information to disabled pupils the school will continue to:
 liaise with the visually impaired and hearing impaired services to obtain advice, loan
resources and develop practice;
 adapt resources, books, worksheets and activities so that pupils can access them;
 provide training for staff working with pupils with disabilities in how written information
can be presented to them in an appropriate format.
 Statutory access arrangements are followed during the carrying out of the KS1 and
KS2 SAT’s.

6. Management, coordination and implementation

The plan is agreed at the Teaching and Learning committee to be reviewed every 3 years.
The governors, staff and interested parents/carers will review this plan and revise it as part
of our self-evaluation programme.

The plan will run throughout various school policies/inspections including:

 Premises Development Action Plan

The school will co-ordinate with external agencies including social services, health
agencies and access the skills of professionals via both the ARM Cluster and outside
agencies as required to ensure the health needs of disabled pupils are met in school.
They will also access external support and arrange for disabled pupils to attend events eg
Deaf friends and attendance at adapted performances.

The school budget is set taking into consideration the needs of all staff and pupils in
school paying particular attention to the one to one requirements where appropriate. The
school financially supports the cost of teaching assistants even when the funding for
inclusion and notional SEN funding does not fully fund this. The notional SEN funding is
also used to purchase equipment for disabled pupils as recommended by healthcare
professionals. This is monitored regularly through budget reviews and termly SEN
reviews.

The School Sports Premium employs sports coaches during lunchtime to encourage all
pupils to participate more in sport and physical activity, irrespective of gender, race or
ability. By having a register for each day Soccer Juniors and the school are able to record
how many children are taking part.

The plan will be placed on the school website under Key Information / Policies where it can
be accessed. A paper copy can be provided upon request.

Dated : April 2020