Accessibility Plan

Aims

Ashfield Junior School is an inclusive school and our values reflect our commitment to a school where there are high expectations for everyone. We aim to treat all pupils fairly and with respect, and this involves providing access and opportunities for all pupils without discrimination of any kind.

Everyone in our school is important and included. Children are provided with high quality learning opportunities so that each child attains and achieves all that they can. We promote an ethos of care and trust where every member of our school community feels that they truly belong and are valued.

Legislation and Guidance

This document meets the requirements of schedule 10 of the Equality Act 2010 (legislation.gov.uk) and the Department for Education (DfE) guidance Equality Act 2010: advice for schools – GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

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.

Definition of Special Educational Needs

Special Educational Needs refers to a learning difficulty that requires special educational provision. The SEND code of practice: 0 to 25 years – GOV.UK (www.gov.uk) says children have a learning difficulty or disability if they:  

  • have significantly greater difficulty in learning than the majority of children of the same age; or
  • have a disability which prevents or hinders them from making use of facilities of a kind generally provided for children of the same age in mainstream schools or post[1]16 institutions; and
  • are under compulsory school age and are likely to fall within either of the definitions above when they reach compulsory school age or would do so if special educational provision was not made for them.

Children must not be regarded as having a learning difficulty solely because the language or form of language of their home is different from the language in which they will be taught.  Under the 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.

Accessibility Plan is to be reviewed in March 2026.  Our Special Educational Needs Policy and Information Report outlines the school’s provision for supporting pupils with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND), and the School’s Equality Plan outlines the how we ensure equal opportunities for all our pupils, increased access to the curriculum, physical access to the school and access to information particular to students with SEND.

This Accessibility Plan provides an outline of how the school will manage this part of the SEND provision. 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.

Schools are required under the Equality Act 2010 to have an accessibility plan. The Ashfield Junior School Accessibility Plan will:

  1. Increase the extent to which disabled pupils can participate in the curriculum
  2. Improve the physical environment of the school to enable disabled pupils to take better advantage of education, benefits, facilities, and services provided
  3. Improve the availability of accessible information to disabled pupils

The Accessibility Plan will be published on the school website.  Click on the Ashfield badge below.

The Ashfield Junior Accessibility Plan should be read in conjunction with the following school policies:

  • SEND Policy and Information Report
  • Teaching and Learning Policy
  • Behaviour Policy
  • School Improvement Plan
  • Equalities Scheme
  • Administering Medicine Policy