Policy details

• Review Date - 26/06/26
• Date approved by Trust Board - July 2026
• Next review date - 10/07/2027
• Policy owner - Mr Alex Bottomley

Co-op Academy Strinesdale

529 Huddersfield Road, OL4 3NY

Academy Telephone Number - 01616205859

Email Address - strinesdale@coopacademies.co.uk 

Academy Website Link - www.strinesdale.coopacademies.co.uk

Vision:

At Co-op Academy Strinesdale our vision is to ensure that every student succeeds. Our motivation is to ensure that positive relationships are at the core of what we do every day, along with high quality teaching and pastoral care overseen by strong and passionate leadership. Our ambition for students with SEND is the same for all students. We want to ensure students with SEND have the same equal access to high quality teaching, enrichment opportunities, educational visits and trips, and where required provided with bespoke tailored support.

ACCESSIBILITY PLAN

1.       Purpose of this Policy and Accessibility Plan

At Co-op Academy Strinesdale we are committed to ensuring equality of opportunity for all.

We aim to develop a culture of inclusion and diversity in which people feel confident about disclosing their disabilities in the knowledge that they will receive a positive and supportive response which facilitates their full participation in the range of activities offered by the school.

At Co-op Academy Strinesdale we believe that diversity is a strength, which should be respected and celebrated by all those who learn in, work in, and visit our community

2.           The Disability Equality Duty (DED)

Background Information

Definition of Disability

The Disability Discrimination Act of 1995 defines a disabled person as someone who has 'a physical or mental impairment which has a substantial or long-term adverse effect on his or her ability to carry out normal dayto-day activities'.

The Special Educational Needs and Disability Act (SENDA) 2001 extended the Disability Discrimination Act (DDA) of 1995 to cover education.

The Equality Act 2010 provides a single, consolidated source of discrimination law.

Schools are legally obliged as follows:

i. Not to treat disabled pupils less favourably for a reason related to their disability

ii. To make reasonable adjustments for disabled pupils to ensure that they are not at a substantial

disadvantage, and

iii. To plan to increase access to the physical environment, the curriculum and written information

(documented in an Accessibility Plan).

The Disability Discrimination Act of 2005 extended the definition of disability to include people with a hearing or visual impairment, cerebral palsy, muscular dystrophy, mental health issues and incontinence. People with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), autistic spectrum disorder, Down’s syndrome and hydrocephalus are included. Medical conditions such as cystic fibrosis, severe asthma, diabetes, cancer, multiple sclerosis, epilepsy, sickle cell anaemia and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) are deemed disabilities. Facial disfigurement, severe dyslexia, gross obesity and diagnosed eating disorders are all included. If a person has been disabled in the past (for example, those who have recovered from cancer, or people with a history of mental illness), then they are still covered by the legislation for the rest of their life.

The Equality Act 2010 extended protection against discrimination to pupils who are pregnant or have recently given birth, or who are undergoing gender reassignment.

3.           The Duty

The Equality Act 2010 places a general duty on schools, requiring them to have due regard to the following when carrying out their functions as employers, as providers of education and associated services and as providers of services to the wider community:

• Promoting equality of opportunity between disabled persons and other persons
• Eliminating discrimination that is unlawful under the DDA
• Eliminating harassment of disabled persons that is related to their disability
• Promoting positive attitudes towards disabled persons
• Encouraging participation in public life by disabled persons
• Positive Action
• Positive Action provisions allow schools to target measures that are designed to alleviate disadvantages experienced by, or to meet the particular needs of, pupils with particular protected characteristics. Such measures will need to be proportionate way of achieving the relevant aim.

4.       Protected Characteristics:

It is unlawful for a school to discriminate against a pupil or prospective pupil by treating them less favourably because of their:

•                 sex

•                 race

•                 disability

•                 religion or belief

•                 sexual orientation

•                 gender reassignment

•                 pregnancy or maternity

5.           Unlawful Discrimination

Co-op Academy Strinesdale will ensure that discrimination is avoided in:

•                The selection, appointment and promotion arrangements for staff;

•                Staff conditions of service;

•                Staff training;

•                The arrangements for determining pupil admission;

•                The terms on which admission is offered;

•                Refusing or deliberately omitting to accept an admission application;

Provision of education or associated services (including educational visits, extra-curricular activities and youth service activities);

•                Exclusions

6.           Aims

Co-op Academy Strinesdale aims to provide appropriate support, resources and facilities to meet individual needs and to encourage all pupils/students to achieve.

Co-op Academy Strinesdale aims to:

•                Comply with the requirements of all the legislation within the Equality Act 2010.

•                Have due regard to the need to eliminate discrimination and other conduct prohibited by the Act.

•                Advance equality of opportunity between people whom have a shared characteristic and people who do not share it.

•                Foster good relations across all characteristics, between people whom share a protected characteristic and people who do not share it.

•                Ensure there are no practices which could result in unfair, less favourable treatment on the basis of race, ethnicity, sex, gender, sexual orientation and religion/belief.

•                Promote positive attitudes towards people with a disability.

•                Encourage disabled people to play an active part in the Academy community.

7.           Pupils

Every effort will be made to ensure that ‘reasonable adjustments’ are made to accommodate disabled pupils and young people, whilst bearing in mind the interests of other pupils and young people. The school is required to make under the terms of SENDA 2001;

•                Improvements in access to the curriculum for disabled pupils and young people;

•                Physical improvements to increase access to education and associated services (e.g. extra – curricular activities); and

•                Improvements in the provision of information in a range of formats for disabled pupils and young people

•                The Equality Act extends the reasonable adjustment duty to require schools to provide auxiliary aids and services to disabled pupils

•                There is an additional requirement for schools to explore whether or not pupils with behavioural issues may or may not have an underlying disability leading to this. For example, the following can be underlying reasons for poor behaviour; mental illness, mental health problems, learning difficulties, dyslexia, diabetes, and epilepsy.

•                The school will consider all these requirements when considering the inclusion and treatment of disabled pupils in the school.

(N.B. Behaviour difficulties arising from social or domestic circumstances are not covered by the Act.)

8. Pupils - Education and Associated Services

The Academy will examine each individual case to determine the best adjustments that can be made to accommodate every individual’s needs.

The Academy aims to fulfil the requirements of the legislation to make ‘reasonable adjustments’ for pupils and young people with disabilities, to enable them to have access as far as is reasonably practicable to the school premises, facilities, curriculum and associated services.

All relevant information is recorded on the individual’s school record (staff or pupil). A review will be held at least annually as part of the annual Performance Management programme in the case of staff, or as part of the whole school review process and the annual special needs review in the case of pupils. Risk assessments will be carried out on behalf of staff, pupils and visitors with disabilities on an annual basis, and as circumstances change. These risk assessments will be the responsibility of;

• HR in the case of a new member of staff
• Head of Year with the Assistant Headteacher/Special Educational Needs Co-ordinator (SENDCo) or delegated staff member as appropriate for pupils
• The member of staff that the visitor has come to see or whom they will be working with.

9.       Action on Transfer into the School

At transfer to Co-op Academy Strinesdale, additional liaison time is allocated for pupils with a disability and their families to ensure that the pupil’s educational needs and the school’s requirements are fully understood by staff at the feeder school, parents/carers, and pupil, and to ensure that there is a smooth transition.

10.   Monitoring Equality Issues

Co-op Academy Strinesdale will aim to:

• Review the Equalities objectives annually.
•  Ensure staff receive appropriate training on the Equality Act 2010.
• Review Academy data to identify any areas of inequality which may need to be addressed.
• To review other policies in light of this duty, including Behaviour, Anti- Bullying, Collective Worship and Communication with Parents/Carers.

11.   Roles and Responsibilities

The South Pennines Trust is responsible for ensuring that Co-op Academy Strinesdale complies with legislation and that this policy and its related procedures and action plans are implemented.

A member of the Governing Body of each Academy should have a watching brief regarding the implementation of this policy.

The Academy Principal is responsible for implementing the policy and for ensuring that all staff are:

• Aware of their responsibilities and are given appropriate training and support.
• Take appropriate action in any cases of unlawful discrimination.

A senior member of staff at Co-op Academy Strinesdale should have day-to-day responsibility for co-ordinating implementation of the policy.

All members of staff of each Academy are expected to:

•            Promote an inclusive and collaborative ethos in their classroom.

•            Deal with any prejudice-related incidents that may occur.

•            Support pupils in their class for whom English is an additional language.

•            Keep up-to-date with equalities legislation relevant to their work.

12.   Recruitment of Staff

Co-op Academy Strinesdale should ensure that policies and procedures will benefit all employees and potential employees, for example in recruitment and promotion, and in continuing professional development. This should apply:

•                Whether or not they are disabled.

•                Whatever their ethnicity, culture, religious affiliation, national origin or status.

•                Whatever their sex (gender) and sexual orientation.

•                Whatever their gender identity.

When relevant, this should also apply in respect of pregnancy/maternity, age and marriage/civil partnership.

13.   Educational Opportunities available to pupils with a disability at Co-op Academy Strinesdale

·              Disabled parking areas in place for pupils being dropped off and ramped access to the building

·              Alternative provision to access to all areas of curriculum teaching will be put in place if a pupil is physically unable to go to class.

·              The Academy has two lifts installed to allow pupils to access all floors and all curriculum areas.

·              Ramps are in place to allow continuous access to areas such as outside sporting facilities

·              We will endeavour to ensure that all pupils have equal access to educational visits/trips.

·              All pupils have the right to attend all trips and residential visits. This will be achieved through         careful consultation with parents/carers, planning, funding and adequate staffing of visits.

·              In all teaching and learning activities a full range of teaching and learning styles will be employed to ensure that no pupil is excluded from learning.

·              Access arrangements will allow equal access to examinations, so that pupils can fulfil their potential.

·              Pupils will be entered for the level of examination which is appropriate for their level of ability.

14.   Parents with Disabilities

• The Academy will meet the needs of parents and carers with disabilities wherever possible, for instance by providing documentation in alternative formats if requested.
• Parents’ Evenings will be held on ground level where no lift access is needed. Where parents are asked to go to classrooms, there is accessibility via the lift.

15.   School Facility Lettings

Co-op Academy Strinesdale makes facilities and resources available on a lettings basis to all members of the community. (There is a managed system of hiring facilities and only buildings with 100% DDA access are available to hirers.)

16.   Discrimination in Admissions

The Governing Body ensures that disabled pupils, young people and adult pupils are not discriminated against:

•         Through the criteria determined for admission to the Academy, or

·                     By refusing an application from a disabled person for admission to the Academy, based on their disability

17.   Membership of the Academy Community Council

All nominations received to become a member of the Academy Community Council of Co-op Academy Strinesdale are treated equally. Disabled representatives are welcome and proceedings are made accessible. The SEND Governor is available to parents and their contact details may be obtained from the Clerk to the Governors.

18. Liaison with Parents

The governors will make available to parents/carers information relating to:

•             The Accessibility Plan;

•             How the Academy helps pupils with disability gain access to the curriculum; what the school does to ensure fair treatment for disabled pupils.

Co-op Academy Strinesdale will continue to ensure close liaison with families of all pupils with disability through the provision of designated staff (e.g. SENDCO, Pastoral Staff, Heads of Years). Wherever possible, information for home will be provided in different formats if requested.

19. Training

Appropriate training for staff, pupils and young people to further understanding and implementation of the DDA and SENDA will be provided. The SENDCO and SLT are responsible for organising whole school training on DDA and SEND/A issues. Staff working with pupils with individual needs will have access to suitable and relevant training as necessary.

Staff will be given, as relevant, advice from external agencies regarding the learning needs of individual pupils.

Accessibility Plan

Introduction

Co-op Academy Strinesdale is committed to increasing access to the school for students, staff, parents, governors and visitors. This accessibility plan has been written in accordance with the planning duty under the Special Education Needs and Disability Act 2001 (SENDA) and updated with regard to the Equality Act 2010. Please see information above for key areas.

Developing participation in the curriculum for students with disabilities:

To improve the physical environment to enable disabled students to take better advantage of educational opportunities:

To improve the availability of accessible information for parents/carers and students with disabilities:

To ensure appropriate arrangements for admission of students with disabilities:

To ensure the facilities we provide help students with disabilities to access the school: