POLICY STATEMENT FOR CHILDREN WITH DISABILITIES
"A person has a disability if he or she has a physical or mental impairment that has a substantial and long-term adverse effect on their ability to carry out normal day-to-day activities." (A1.1)*
"Pupils may have either a disability or special educational needs or both. The SEN framework is designed to make the provision to meet special educational needs. The disability discrimination duties, as they relate to educational establishments, are designed to prevent discrimination against children in their access to education." (4.10)
Our key duties are to ensure that there is no discrimination against disabled pupils. These are:
- Not to treat disabled pupils less favourably; and
- To take reasonable steps to avoid putting disabled pupils at a substantial disadvantage, known as the reasonable adjustments duty." (3.6)
- To plan for increased access to the curriculum, to cover teaching and learning and the wider curriculum such as after school clubs, leisure and cultural activities and school visits.
- To plan to improve access to the physical environment of the building including the environment and physical aids to access education.
- To plan to improve the delivery of written information to disabled pupils including planning to make written information more accessible.
- Plan to take account of all relevant legislation (Secion 11, Code of Practice)
At Branksome Heath Middle School, the governing body will work in partnership with the LEA to ensure that the Disability Rights Commission, Code of Practice is followed from September 2002.
We will:
Ensure there is no unreasonable discrimination:
- In relation to admissions
- In relation to education and associated services
- In relation to employment
- Take account of a disabled persons wishes when disclosing information or recording information about them
- By excluding a pupil inappropriately (4.20)
- Produce an accessibility plan, to run for 3 years from April 2003, published and shared with the LEA to compliment their accessibility strategy
Regularly monitor the policy and evaluate our provision
- The school will take reasonable steps to allow access for all children.
- Staff will be trained by relevant professionals as appropriate when working alongside a child with a disability.
- Liaison with appropriate professionals will take place to ensure access.
- Time will be given to adapt resources where this is necessary to allow a child to access the curriculum.
- Full risk assessments will be made prior to any visit or unusual activity, which includes access for a child with a disability.
- With parental permission, good practice about working with a particular child with a disability will be spread amongst all staff, in order to ensure a favourable treatment throughout the school.
- Consider all complaints according to the current policy.
*This covers physical and mental impairments, including sensory impairments, such as those affecting sight or hearing.
All quotes refer to the point from Disability Rights Commission Code of Practice for Schools (July 2002). [1] |
