This Accessibility Plan has been composed based on the EHCP needs of students, in consultation with staff, parents, and students of The Brook Academy, and covers the period from September 2024 – September 2025.
The plan takes account of The Brook Academy’s public sector equality duty set out in Section 149 of the Equality Act 2010.
We are committed to providing an environment which values and includes all pupils, staff, parents and visitors, regardless of their educational, physical, sensory, social, spiritual, emotional, and cultural needs. We are further committed to challenging attitudes about disability and accessibility, and to developing a culture of awareness, tolerance, and inclusion.
The Brook Academy’s layout and facilities:
The Brook Academy is committed to making reasonable adjustments to allow disabled pupils to access educational provision at the Academy. The Brook Academy has accessible classroom and toilets and has lift access to the upper floor.
We plan, over time, to increase the accessibility of provision for all students, staff and visitors to the Academy in the following areas:
· Increase the extent to which disabled pupils can participate in the Academy curriculum
· Improve the physical environment of the Academy to increase access to education by disabled pupils
· Improve the delivery of information to pupils, staff, parents and visitors with disabilities.
Please see Appendices for the three action plans relating to the above. These will be reviewed as and when necessary. It is acknowledged that there will be need for ongoing awareness training for all staff in the matter of disability discrimination and the potential need to inform attitudes on this matter.
The Accessibility Plan should be read in conjunction with the following policies, strategies, and documents:
· Health and Safety Policy
· SEND Policy & Report
Welcoming and preparing for disabled students:
Where it is practicable to make reasonable adjustments to enable a prospective student to take up a place at The Brook Academy, and to satisfy the current admissions criteria, the Academy is committed to providing those reasonable adjustments.
In order to meet the needs of disabled pupils, the Academy requires full information. All students will have an Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP); the Academy will work with the Local Authority (LA), who create and maintains the EHCP, to ensure the identified provision is delivered in an appropriate manner.
We provide IT equipment to support disability where required.
The Accessibility Plan will be monitored through SLT and the Academy Council. There will be a full review of the Plan in 2027, when a new Plan will be produced to cover the next three years.
Objective 1: Increasing the extent to which disabled students can participate in the School’s Curriculum.
Objective 2: Improving the physical environment of the Academy to increase access to education by disabled students.
Objective 3: Improving the delivery of information to disabled students.
Key points to consider when completing this table:
· Do you provide information in simple language, symbols, large print, on audiotape or in Braille for students and prospective students who may have difficulty with standard forms of printed information? Yes if required
· Do you ensure that information is presented to groups in a way which is user friendly for people with disabilities e.g. by reading aloud overhead projections and describing diagrams? Yes – as a special school delivery of information is carefully considered to ensure the needs of students are met.
· Do you have the facilities such as ICT to produce written information in different formats? Yes – we produce visual timetables
· Do you ensure that staff are familiar with technology and practices developed to assist people with disabilities? Yes – training provided on in class screens which are adjustable to support height restrictions and have voice technology.
