Accessibility Plan and Policy

Date of issue: September 2022

Date of review: September 2023

Ratified by Academy Governing Council on:

Co-op Academy Oakwood is committed to safeguarding every student. We acknowledge that safeguarding is everyone’s responsibility and ensure all of our staff are trained to be vigilant and aware of the signs and indicators of abuse and understand and follow safe working practices.

The viewpoints and voice of students is of paramount importance to our Academy and we will always listen to their wishes, thoughts and feelings, as well as identifying and supporting their needs. We will work alongside students to develop trusting, consistent and professional relationships and show we care by advocating the early help processes where possible. We will identify any difficulties or concerns early in order to act preventatively. We will always provide support and advice for families and parents/carers, whilst acting in the best interests of the student at all times and doing what matters most. Safeguarding also includes ensuring we work in an open and honest way, enabling our students to feel safe by providing a secure learning environment, are equally protected regardless of any barriers they may face and are able to grow and develop in the same way as their peers.

Co-op Academy Oakwood safeguards students by:

• Maintaining a secure site and ensuring that all visitors to the Academy are recorded, monitored and clear about how to raise a safeguarding concern should one arise.
• Ensuring that safer recruitment practices are followed to prevent those who pose a risk to children gaining access to our students.
• Filtering and monitoring all internet traffic into the Academy to ensure that students cannot be exposed to harmful material and communication.
• Ensuring that all staff employed by the Academy have received Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) clearance which is recorded in the Single Central Record
• Providing regular training and briefings for all staff in child protection and ensuring that all staff and visitors know who our designated safeguarding officers and designated senior lead are.
• Ensuring that admission and attendance procedures are robust to protect students, ensure that they are safe and prevent students from going missing from education.
• Empowering young people to identify risks both within the Academy and in their community; ensuring that they have the skills and confidence to help and protect themselves and others.
• Making sure that all students understand the importance of reporting concerns about themselves and peers and giving them the confidence to discuss sensitive issues.
• Providing pastoral and inclusion support to ensure that all students have access to guidance and advice, and when needed referrals for additional agency support to meet their needs.
• Sharing information when appropriate with other agencies and services to ensure that students, children and their families have support to meet their needs and prevent students from harm or further harm
• Taking immediate action and contacting the appropriate agencies when we believe that a student is in danger or is at risk of harm.

Co-op Academy Oakwood is committed to safeguarding and promoting the wellbeing of all of our pupils. We expect our staff, governors, wider professionals, volunteers and all other stakeholders to share this commitment. All of our policies are underpinned and linked to our safeguarding policy through this commitment.

. Aims

Schools are required under the Equality Act 2010 to have an accessibility plan. The purpose of the plan is to:

• Increase the extent to which disabled pupils can participate in the curriculum

• Improve the physical environment of the school to enable disabled pupils to take better advantage of education, benefits, facilities and services provided
• Improve the availability of accessible information to disabled pupils

Our school aims to treat all its pupils fairly and with respect. This involves providing access and opportunities for all pupils without discrimination of any kind.

At Oakwood we encourage everyone to follow the ‘Ways of Being Co-op’ within a safe environment where education can prepare all children to be ready for life.

The Ways of Being Co-op’:

• Do what matters most
• Be yourself, always
• Show you care
• Succeed together

The Staff and governors at Coop Academy Oakwood believe that:

• Each human being is special, gifted, unique
• We should value others for what they are – not just for what they do
• We should balance high self-esteem with respect for others
• Good relationships are fundamental for both our own individual good and for the good of the community as a whole

Based on this the Staff and governors at Coop Academy Oakwood will:

• Nurture all children in a safe and stimulating environment
• Provide for them a style of education that inspires the will to learn
• Prepare them for making wise choices throughout their lives
• Enable them to face their lives with courage and compassion

The Accessibility Plan will be made available online on the school website, and paper copies are available upon request.

Our school is also committed to ensuring staff are trained in equality issues with reference to the Equality Act 2010, including understanding disability issues. Please refer to our Equality Statement.

The school supports any available partnerships to develop and implement the plan.

Coop Academy Oakwood is proud to be part of the Coop Academies Trust and works with them to ensure that all children have the best education ensuring that all children have access to a road and balanced curriculum that prepares them for their future lives. As a school in Leeds we work with the Local Authority, particularly the SEND teams to ensure accessibility for all pupils.

Our school’s complaints procedure covers the accessibility plan. If you have any concerns relating to accessibility in school, this procedure sets out the process for raising these concerns.

We have included a range of stakeholders in the development of this accessibility plan, including: pupils, parents, staff and governors of the school.

2. Legislation and guidance

This document meets the requirements of schedule 10 of the Equality Act 2010 and the Department for Education (DfE) guidance for schools on the Equality Act 2010.

The Equality Act 2010 defines an individual as disabled 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 undertake normal day to day activities.

Under the Special Educational Needs and Disability (SEND) Code of Practice, ‘long-term’ is defined as ‘a year or more’ and ‘substantial’ is defined as ‘more than minor or trivial’. The definition includes sensory impairments such as those affecting sight or hearing, and long-term health conditions such as asthma, diabetes, epilepsy and cancer.

Schools are required to make ‘reasonable adjustments’ for pupils with disabilities under the Equality Act 2010, to alleviate any substantial disadvantage that a disabled pupil faces in comparison with non-disabled pupils. This can include, for example, the provision of an auxiliary aid or adjustments to premises.

This policy complies with our funding agreement and articles of association.

3. Action plan

This action plan sets out the aims of our accessibility plan in accordance with the Equality Act 2010.

4. Monitoring arrangements

This document will be reviewed every 3 years, but may be reviewed and updated more frequently if necessary.

It will be approved by the headteacher.

5. Links with other policies

This accessibility plan is linked to the following policies and documents:

• Risk assessment policy
• Health and safety policy
• Equality information and objectives (public sector equality duty) statement for publication
• Special educational needs (SEN) information report
• Supporting pupils with medical conditions policy

Appendix 1: Accessibility audit