Manor Wood Primary School (MWPS) Education and Health Plan

Disability is defined by the Disability Discrimination Act 1995 (DDA): 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 his or her ability to carry out normal day to day activities. The SEN and Disability Act 2001 extended the Disability Discrimination Act 1995 (DDA) to cover education. Since September 2002, the Governing Body has had three key duties towards disabled pupils, under Part 4 of the DDA:

• not to treat disabled pupils less favourably for a reason related to their disability
• to make reasonable adjustments for disabled pupils, so that they are not at a substantial disadvantage
• to plan to increase access to education for disabled pupils.

This plan sets out the proposals of the Governing Body of the school to increase access to education for disabled pupils in the three areas required by the planning duties in the DDA including:

• Increasing the extent to which disabled pupils can participate in the school curriculum
• Improving the environment of the school to increase the extent to which disabled pupils can take advantage of education and associated services
• Improving the delivery to disabled pupils of information which is provided in writing for pupils who are not disabled

It is a requirement that the school’s accessibility plan is resourced, implemented and reviewed and revised as necessary. Below is a set of action plans showing how the school will address the priorities identified in the plan.

The purpose and direction of the school’s plan: vision and values

The aim of this policy is to set out the commitment of the Governing Body of MWPS to the principles of inclusive education and the responsibilities of the school team of staff and governors to ensure that all pupils, staff, parents and governors, whatever their age, gender, ethnicity, disability, attainment or background are all treated inclusively. MWPS fulfils the requirements of the National Curriculum and other statutory requirements. In addition the Code of Practice for Special Educational Needs (SEN) informs provision and practice in terms of meeting the needs of children with SEN and other disabilities. The recommendations of Health Plans are followed and there is a full commitment to inclusion and equal opportunities. As a result, pupils’ varied life experiences and needs are taken account to ensure they will achieve their full potential. High expectations for all are a key belief of the school and at MWPS children with disabilities are expected to participate and achieve in every of school life. However, exceptions are made if the child is a danger to themselves or others, or participation in an activity could be harmful or unpleasant for the child. We are committed to setting appropriate learning challenges, responding to pupils’ diverse needs, overcoming potential barriers to learning and employing quality assessment to inform planning and next steps in learning.

Context and Provision

MWPS is a large campus with a nursery, Children’s Centre, (CC) babies and 2 year old provision. There are a number of staircases and no lift. However, although the internal stairs preclude easy access for children with disabilities and / or wheelchairs, ramps and paths outside the school building enable all areas in school to be accessed. There is a care suite in the CC which is used by the school and various meeting rooms provide work spaces for individual children with special needs. All reasonable adjustments are made for children who require them including effective interventions, differentiated lessons, the purchase of specialist equipment, specialist diets and clothing and annual training where appropriate, for staff. Where it is difficult to fully include children in class lessons advice is sought from specialist teams and areas are created to provide a sense of belonging for the child. Currently MWPS benefits from weekly support from a Speech Therapist and a Play Therapist who are employed by the local cluster of schools in addition to LA funded specialists.

The progress of children with disabilities is vigorously tracked and comparisons are made between the achievement and attainment of these children and their peers. Where necessary, adaptations are made to the curriculum and equipment is made available to ensure full access. Modifications are made to timings, playtimes, lunchtimes, school trips, after-school clubs etc. to meet the needs of children with specific needs. Appropriate data for pupils with Health Plans and funding is submitted to the Local Authority (LA) annually so that comparisons with similar pupil groups can be made.

Home visits prior to children joining Nursery, Reception and the Two Year Old Provision provide valuable information regarding any disabilities which can be addressed prior to the child starting school. At MWPS we regularly liaise with parents and professionals involved with the children to ensure we provide the appropriate care for their needs.

At MWPS the individuality of all our children, irrespective of differences such as ethnicity, attainment, age, disability, gender, sexual orientation, background or any other difference is promoted. We want all our children to have a sense of belonging to a large and varied family and to celebrate the positive views and beliefs of others. MWPS recognises our duty to protect our students from indoctrination into any form of extreme ideology which may lead to the harm of self or others.  Our definition of extreme ideology is ‘a set of ideas which could justify vilification or violence against individuals, groups or self.’  Our core mission of diversity permeates all we do. We place a strong emphasis on the common values that all communities share such as self-respect, tolerance and the sanctity of life. We work hard to broaden our students' experience, to prepare them for life and work in contemporary Britain. We teach them to respect and value the diversity around them as well as understanding how to make safe, well-considered decisions.

We want to give all of our children every opportunity to achieve the highest of standards and offer a broad and balanced curriculum. The achievements, attitudes and well-being of all our children are a priority and we actively seek to remove the barriers to learning that can hinder or exclude individual pupils, or groups of pupils. This means that equality of opportunity must be a reality for our children.