Norfolk schools accessibility strategy

We are committed to ensuring all children and young people attending education settings in Norfolk have every possible opportunity to thrive.

To achieve this, it's essential that educational settings provide inclusive, welcoming, and adaptable learning environments that meet the needs of the children and young people in their community.

This accessibility strategy sets out what education settings need to do to meet the needs of disabled children and young people.

How this strategy was produced

Working together with children and young people with SEND is a key priority of the Norfolk area SEND strategy.

To create this accessibility strategy, we consulted with children and young people, parents/carers, and education settings to better understand what the current accessibility priorities are in Norfolk.

What counts as a disability

Under the Equality Act 2010 definition of disability, a person has a disability if they have 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.

You do not need to have a diagnosis to be disabled, but you do need to have a physical or mental difficulty that makes it much harder for you to do day-to-day things like going out, getting dressed or cooking a meal.

Norfolk parents/carers have provided the following examples to help us understand how living with a disability might impact a child or young person:

• Daily tasks, like getting dressed, might take much longer
• You might find it difficult to go out on your own because you have a phobia, physical restriction or learning disability
• You might find it difficult to talk to people and avoid socialising because you can't always understand what people mean

Read more about what counts as a disability.

Accessibility

Accessibility means that people can do what they need to do in a similar amount of time and effort as someone that does not have a disability.

In an education setting, this means that a disabled student can access the same curriculum, physical environment and information as easily as a student who is not disabled. 

Reasonable adjustments

Reasonable adjustments are changes that make it easier for a disabled person to access or do something.

In an education setting, this could be:

• Changing the way things are done.  For example, arranging for a student who uses a wheelchair to have classes on the ground floor of the building.
• Making a change to the physical environment, such as making signs clear or installing automatic doors.
• Providing extra aids or services.  For example, giving a student with dyslexia a plastic overlay to make it easier for them to read text.

All disabled children and young people have a right to fully take part in all aspects of education.  This includes having full access to the wider opportunities offered by their education setting.  For children and young people to fully participate, they will need to be able to access:

• The curriculum (including visits, trips, events, and school clubs)
• The physical environment
• Information

Read more about disabled students' education rights.

Inclusive practice should be evident in the culture and actions of an educational setting.  It should be shown in the setting's SEN information report, SEND policy, accessibility plan, and other associated policies.

Accessibility plans

An accessibility plan sets out how an education setting will increase access to education for disabled children and young people.

All schools must prepare an accessibility plan - this is a requirement under Schedule 10 of the Equality Act 2010.

It is our ambition that all education settings in Norfolk will have an accessibility plan.  This includes early years and post-16 settings.

The governing body or proprietary body of the education setting is responsible for ensuring that an accessibility plan is in place, carried out, monitored and reviewed.  Support for governors is available from the Norfolk Governance Network.

Download the accessibility plan template and accessibility auditing toolkit from the Norfolk Schools and Learning Providers website.

Medical needs

The Joint Protocol between Health Services and Schools provides guidance on managing pupil absence due to medical reasons.

Government have provided guidance on supporting pupils with medical conditions at school and education for children with health needs who cannot attend school.

Reasonable adjustments

The Equality and Human Rights Commission have provided guidance on making reasonable adjustments for disabled pupils.

The AGCAS Disability Task Group's guide to reasonable adjustments gives advice on making adjustments to support adults with Autism/Autism Spectrum Disorders, Asperger Syndrome, ADHD, Dyslexia, Dyscalculia, Dyspraxia or Tourette's Syndrome.

Educational visits

The Outdoor Education Advisers' Panel has provided guidance on schools visits for people with disabilities.

Web accessibility

The Government's guidance on understanding web accessibility requirements provides detail on making sure that content on websites and in apps works for everyone, regardless of their disability.