The Independent Grammar School: Durham
ACCESSIBILITY POLICY (ESH WINNING SITE)
Under SEN and Disability legislation schools have a three-fold responsibility towards pupils with disabilities. These are:
· 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 school to increase access to education for disabled pupils in the three areas required by the planning duties in Disability Discrimination legislation:
· 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 and revised as necessary and reported on annually. The School Board will review this policy accordingly.
We are committed to doing all we reasonably can to facilitate the above aims. We want to be a school which welcomes children of all abilities and encourages and enables them to do their very best.
The following is taken from the DfE published advice on Independent School Standards:
Although the production of an accessibility plan is not part of the requirements of the independent school standards, it should be noted that there is a requirement for such a plan to be prepared, published, reviewed, revised and implemented by the proprietor of an independent school under paragraph 3 of Schedule 10 to the Equality Act 2010 and inspections may report on the performance of the duties here. Accessibility plans should include intentions for improving the physical environment of the school for the purpose of increasing the extent to which disabled pupils are able to take advantage of education, benefits, facilities and services provided or offered by a school. Plans must also cover matters other than premises relating to participation in curriculum by, and delivery of information to, disabled pupils, for instance by appropriate provision of equipment.
IGS: Durham now operates two Accessibility Plans – one for the Claypath Site and the other relating to the proposed new site at Esh Winning. The Esh Winning version is placed here but the Accessibility Policy relating to the Claypath site is available on request. Both plans are based on the same underlying principles.
Premises
Subject to DfE approval, IGS: Durham will occupy (summer 2024) a recently partly-refurbished church building in the village of Esh Winning, about 5 miles from the centre of Durham. The refurbishment work has been approved by Building Control (11 June 2024) so meets all current building standards. Access to the school is by way of a pathway which is safe and convenient for all, including wheelchair users.
The new premises are superior to those at Claypath especially in the provision of considerable outdoor space and a sensory area.
The general suitability of the school for those with disabilities, including those in wheelchairs, is good although limited to the upper floor. We seek to do all we can to make our school accessible to all.
The school timetable is designed to ensure that relevant classrooms are accessible to all children.
We will create a sensory area in the building and this will allow us to cater effectively for the growing number of SEND children with sensory issues within our school. To further cater for such children, we have designed toilets and washrooms without electric hand dryers, as the noise generated represents significant sensory overload for several of our pupils.
Wheelchair-bound children have access to a suitable hoist and a Stander chair. Our school nurse will train at least two staff to operate both devices once they are in situ.
The school has an EVAC chair, which a number of staff have been trained to use, and this will be suitably positioned in case it is needed.
Two accessible toilets are installed, one on each floor.
PEEPs (personal emergency evacuation plans) have been developed for all children who would require them in the event of a fire.
Curriculum
We remain committed to small classes, and this enables teachers to provide a greater level of attention to SEND children. Such children have many opportunities to join intervention groups. We have deliberately invested significantly in the last year to enable this to take place to an even greater extent and our imminent recruitment of two more TAs will enhance this considerably.
We are particularly conscious at the moment of the growing problems many children have with anxiety and we believe that our small, friendly school environment provides a safe place for many such children. Parental feedback has been pleasing, and confirms that in many cases children who previously were unable to go into school are now flourishing.
Last year, several of our staff completed a four-week twilight course in autism, enabling us to cater more effectively with the increasing number of children diagnosed with that condition.
For several years, we have organised at least one whole-school assembly per year on ASD. This enables all children to understand the needs of affected children.
This year our newly-appointed SENDCO (Mrs De Cruz) has completed training with the University of Bath on autism and will complete similar modules on separation anxiety and early years trauma. She has also established a link with a school in southern England and has begun to share learning around early years trauma.
We keep in regular contact with parents of SEND children – both those with an EHCP and those with an in-school Individual Education Plan, and through those discussions will attempt to do what we can to improve access still further and make any improvements which are reasonably possible.
As we establish ourselves in the new premises (subject to a successful Material Change request outcome), and better understand our new premises, we will do what we reasonably can to increase and improve access for all children. This policy will therefore be reviewed in January 2025.
IGS: Durham
June 2024
Next Review: January 2025