Template for a school accessibility plan
The Template for a school accessibility plan is designed to support schools in reviewing and developing their accessibility plan. Before using the Template it is important to be clear about:
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Who is disabled
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Other duties, in addition to the planning duties, that are owed to disabled pupils
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Who the plan is for
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Other duties under the Disability Discrimination Act
There is a set of explanatory notes which should be read before using the template, which provide some pointers and references on to more detailed sources of guidance on these issues.
The Template proposes a number of sections that should be included in a school accessibility plan. In each section a number of key issues are discussed. By addressing these issues, and undertaking the related development work, schools can have reasonable confidence that they will have an effective accessibility plan.
A number of key messages emerged from the development process to help inform the further development of schools' plans.
The Template with notes
Different versions of the Template provide different levels of detail and support. The Template with notes provides brief notes on each section of the plan:
- Showing how schools might develop that aspect of their plan
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Highlighting some of the key issues in accessibility planning
The Template in detail
The next section of the materials, The Template in detail is more discursive and provides:
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More detailed guidance
- Examples of how other schools have approached particular aspects of accessibility planning
- Reference on to guidance and other tools, in the References section
You can also download a blank Template.
Resources to support accessibility planning
Published materials which will be made available in 2006 will include a range of resources to support schools and local authorities in accessibility planning. These will include:
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Brief summaries of official guidance
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Summaries and extracts from national reports
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Useful tools, case studies and guidance developed by APP partners
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Relevant information from a variety of other sources, such as research studies
The resources are grouped according to the particular part of the plan or strategy to which they are most directly relevant.
Don't know where to start?
Schools who are not sure of the relative strengths and weaknesses of their plan and don't know where to start may want to assess the quality of their plan. The criteria will help schools to judge:
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Which areas of their plan work well
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Which areas of their plan may need developing
