Bishop Bewick Catholic Education Trust
Policy Title: Accessibility Policy
Date of Approval: November 2022
Approved by: Trust Board
Date of next review: November 2025
Applies to: All school & Trust settings
1. Principle
1.1. TheBishopBewickCatholicEducationTrustintends,overtime,toincreasethe accessibilityofeveryschoolforalloftheyoungpeoplewhoattendoneoftheTrust’s schools.Wewanteveryonewithineveryoneofourschoolstofeelwelcome,valuedand includedintheschoolcommunity.Wearecommittedtoprovidingafullyaccessible environmenttoenablethistohappen.
1.2. TheEqualityAct2010(TheAct)placesalegalobligationonschoolswhichmakesit unlawfultodiscriminateagainststudents,staffandotherstakeholderswithadisability. ThisActbringstogetherseveraldifferentequalitylawsincludingtheSpecial EducationalNeedsandDisabilityAct2001(SENDA)andtheDisabilityDiscrimination Act1995(DDA).TheActalsoplacesananticipatorydutyonschoolstoconsiderwhat reasonableadjustmentsneedtobemadetoimproveaccesstotheschools’servicesfor anystakeholderwithadisability,includingstudents,staff,parents,andcarersandany othervisitorstoschool,withoutwaitinguntiltheadjustmentisactuallyneeded.
2.
Definition of Disability
2.1. ApersonisdisabledunderTheActiftheyhaveaphysicalormentalimpairmentthat hasa‘substantial’and‘long-term’negativeeffectontheirabilitytoundertake normaldailyactivities.
2.2. Substantialismorethanminorortrivial,e.g.ittakesmuchlongerthanitusually would,orisundertakeninasignificantlydifferentway,tocompleteadailytasksuch asgettingdressed.
2.3. Long-termmeans12monthsormore,e.g.abreathingconditionthatdevelopsasa resultofalunginfection
2.4. Peoplewithprogressiveconditionscanbeclassedasdisabled.Aprogressive conditionisonethatgetsworseovertime.However,someoneautomaticallymeets thedisabilitydefinitionunderTheActfromthedaythattheyarediagnosedwith HIVinfection,cancerormultiplesclerosis.
2.5. SomeconditionsareexpresslyexcludedfromthedefinitionofdisabledbyTheAct. Theseare:
• addictionto,ordependencyon,alcohol,nicotine,oranyother substance(otherthaninconsequenceofthesubstancebeingmedically prescribed);
• theconditionknownasseasonalallergicrhinitis(e.g.hayfever),except whereitaggravatestheeffectofanothercondition;
• tendencytosetfires;
• tendencytosteal;
• tendencytophysicalorsexualabuseofotherpersons;
• exhibitionism;
• voyeurism.
2.6. Theexclusionsalsoapplywherethesetendenciesariseasaconsequenceof,ora manifestationof,animpairmentthatconstitutesadisabilityforthepurposesofthe Act.
2.7. TheActstatesthat,exceptfortheprovisionsinPart12(Transport)andsection190 (improvementstoletdwellinghouses),theprovisionsoftheActalsoapplyin relationtoapersonwhopreviouslyhashadadisabilityasdefinedabove.This meansthatsomeonewhoisnolongerdisabled,butwhomettherequirementsof thedefinitioninthepast,willstillbecoveredbytheAct.Alsoprotectedwouldbe someonewhocontinuestoexperiencedebilitatingeffectsasaresultoftreatment forapastdisability.
3. Scope
3.1. ThispolicyrelatestoanyyoungpersonwhoattendsoneoftheTrust’sschoolsand membersofstaffemployedbyTheTrust.
4. Adjustments
4.1. WheresomeonemeetsthedefinitionofadisabledpersoninTheAct,theTrustwill makereasonableadjustmentstoanyelementsofajob,orsite,whichplacethat personatasubstantialdisadvantagecomparedtonon-disabledperson.
4.2. EveryBBCETschoolmustshowhowitis:
• identifyingpupilsandstaffwithdisabilitiestoenableittogivereasonable assistancetothemandwithoutdiscriminatingagainstthem,
• increasingtheextenttowhichdisabledpupilscanparticipateinthecurriculum,
• improvingthephysicalenvironmentofschoolstoenablethosewithdisabilities totakebetteradvantageofeducation,benefits,facilitiesandservicesprovided; and
• improvingtheavailabilityofaccessibleinformationtothosewithdisabilities.
4.3. Reasonableadjustmentsinrelationtostudentsandparents/carersmightinclude:
• removingmovablebarrierslikefurniture,teachingandholdingmeetingsina different,wheelchairaccessibleroom;
• allowingaguideorhearingdogintotheschool;
• purchasingspecialistequipment,suchasanergonomicchair;
• discountingdisability-relatedsicknessleaveforthepurposesofabsence management;
• providingadditionalsupervisoryguidance/support;
• allowingdifferentstartandendtimestotheworkingdayforstaff.
4.4. FromSeptember2012schoolshavebeenrequiredtoprovideauxiliaryaids(and services)fordisabledpupilstoovercomeanydisadvantageexperiencedinschools.
4.5. Reasonableadjustmentsinrelationtotheschoolsitemightinclude:
• providingstepfreeaccesstoschoolbuildingswherepossible
• whendesigningnewclassroomsorrefurbishingoldbuildings,ensuringthat doorsarewideenoughforwheelchairaccess
• includingadisabledparkingspaceinthecarpark.
4.6. Ifitisclearthattheretheonlyadjustmentsthatcanbemadetoavoida disadvantageareunreasonablethentheydonotneedtobemade.Insuchsituations theschoolmustdocument,indetail,howandwhyithascometothisconclusion.
5. Accessibility Plans
5.1. EveryBBCETschoolmusthaveanaccessibilityplan.
5.2. Everyschool’saccessibilityplanmustinclude:
• howthecurriculumisdifferentiated,andatKeyStage4,whatalternative accreditationisoffered
• howinformationforpupils,parentsandthecommunityisavailablein differentformatssuchasBraille,largerfontorreduced/simplified language,
• actionstoimprovethesignageinthebuildingsandgroundswhereneeded,
• arrangementsthatcouldbeputinplaceifadisabledparentneededsupportto attendaschoolevent,
• planstomaketheschool’ssitemoreaccessiblefordisabledlearners,their parents/carersandstaff.
5.3. Accessibilityplansshouldcoveraperiodof3yearsandthenbereviewedagainatthe endofthatperiodwithanupdatedplanforthenext3years.
5.4. AnexampletemplateforanaccessibilityplancanbeaccessedviatheBishopBewick CatholicEducationTrust’swebsite,www.bishopbewickcet.org
5.5. Theaccessibilityplanmustbepublishedontheschool’swebsite.
6. Monitoring and Review
6.1.Thispolicywillbereviewedinthreeyears’fromthedateofapproval.