Dorset Accessibility Strategy 2025 to 2028

A child or young 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 (Equality Act 2010).

Our vision for children and young people with disabilities is clear and focused. We want them to be:

• healthy, happy and safe
• able to achieve their potential and lead a fulfilling life

We want them to have high aspirations and know their rights. We want them to have and expect the same opportunities in life as other children and young people. This stems from our wider vision set out in our Children, Young People and Families Plan 2023 to 2033.

Some children and young people with a disability may also have special educational needs (SEN). You can read about SEN on our SEND Local Offer.

The Equality Act requires us to have an Accessibility Strategy for the schools we are responsible for. It must focus on how we will:

1. increase the extent to which disabled pupils can take part in the curriculum
2. improve the physical environment so that disabled pupils can take advantage of the education, benefits, facilities, and services offered
3. improve the delivery of information to disabled pupils

We also want to make sure that our way of working reflects the social model of disability. This says that people are disabled by barriers in society, not by their impairment or difference. Barriers can be:

• physical, such as buildings not having accessible toilets
• caused by people's attitudes to difference, like assuming disabled people can't do certain things

Removing barriers empowers people with disabilities and helps them to be as independent as possible.

Schools have a legal duty to write an Accessibility Plan. This must focus on the same points as this strategy.

Early years settings and Further Education (FE) colleges do not have to write an Accessibility Plan, but they must make reasonable adjustments for children and young people with disabilities.

Reasonable adjustments are steps that can be taken to overcome substantial disadvantage faced by children and young people with disabilities. Examples include:

• providing worksheets in a larger font for a child with a visual impairment
• rest breaks for a young person who experiences fatigue
• extra support from a teaching assistant or specialist teacher
• a supportive chair or IT equipment
• allowing extra time to complete tasks

The duty to make reasonable adjustments is anticipatory. This means thinking in advance about what can be done to help children and young people with disabilities.

Read more about reasonable adjustments.

We ask that our schools and settings:

• follow national and local guidance on meeting their legal duties towards children and young people with disabilities
• make sure their Accessibility Plans are forward thinking and relevant to their school
• promote an inclusive and respectful culture towards disability
• follow the SEND Graduated Approach and arrange ordinarily available provision
• implement accessibility recommendations
• provide staff with training in disability awareness
• make appropriate accessibility adaptations in liaison with their Property Surveyors/ Estates Manager (and in line with the funding mechanisms set out in Appendix A of this strategy)
• actively promote and signpost families to accessible events and activities in the community

To develop this strategy, we:

• listened to our children and young people with disabilities
• gathered feedback from parents and carers
• surveyed staff in schools and other settings
• analysed our data
• reviewed what we did during our previous strategy
• worked with colleagues from across Children’s Services and our partner agencies

Our children and young people with disabilities told us what makes a good school day. This included:

• being with friends
• being able to get around the school easily
• going on trips, being outside, attending forest school and playtime 
• support from staff and teachers
• having good health
• attending clubs and activities 

They also told us that it’s good when:

• other children and young people ignore their disability
• they can be as independent as possible
• they don’t get taken out of enjoyable lessons for physiotherapy or appointments

They told us the following things help make a bad day at school better:

• being able to talk to a trusted adult
• having friends around them
• having somewhere quiet to go (and rest if needed)

We asked our children and young people with disabilities what helps when moving to a new school or setting. They told us:

• having a transition day to give them an idea of what the school is like
• having a clear map of the school
• knowing who their teacher is, where their class is, and who they’ll be with
• explaining the rules a bit at a time
• staff knowing about their disability but treating them the same
• a clear and consistent routine
• a place to go where they feel they belong

Through our Children, Young People and Families Plan 2023 to 2033 our children and young people told us they want the place they live to be inclusive, where all young people are treated fairly.

Our parents and carers have regular opportunities to ask us questions or provide feedback through our Let’s Talk SEND online events.

For this strategy, we undertook a survey of parents and carers in February 2025. We asked them how welcome and included they and their child felt at school, on a scale of 1 to 5. We found that:

• 31% rated this as 5 (very welcome and included)
• 15% rated this as 4
• 8% rated this as 3
• 23% rated this as 2
• 23% rated this as 1 (not very welcome and included)

We asked what the school could do to make them, and their child feel more welcome and included. Our parents and carers suggested:

• better communication – keeping in touch regularly
• a better understanding of disabilities, differences, and the barriers faced
• more training about disabilities
• treating children and young people with disabilities as individuals
• sharing information about needs and support with all staff
• positive representation of disability around the school

We asked our parents and carers to rate the school’s understanding of their child’s disability. We found that:

• 25% rated this as excellent
• 15% rated this as good
• 25% rated this as satisfactory
• 35% rated this as poor

We asked what schools could do to improve understanding of disabilities. Our parents and carers recommended:

• training for all staff about the disability, its impact and how to support the child/ young person
• listening to parents and carers
• talking to children and young people to understand their lived experience
• reducing attainment pressures and celebrating all successes, no matter how small

We asked our parents and carers whether their children could take part in everything they want to at school. We found that:

• 27% said Always
• 19% said Often
• 38% said Occasionally
• 17% said Never

We asked what could help their children to take part in more activities, clubs and trips. Our parents and carers said:

• better planning and thinking outside of the box
• more adult support/ adults who have disability awareness training
• work on improving children and young people’s confidence
• a range of activities including outdoor opportunities
• SEND specific activities/ groups

We undertook a survey of education settings for the purposes of this strategy in February 2025. The survey was open to all staff, and we had responses from:

• Headteachers
• SENCOs
• Teachers
• Teaching assistants
• Office/ administrative staff

The majority (80%) of respondents were based in mainstream schools but we also received responses from early years settings, post 16 settings and special schools.

Of those people who responded, all were either ‘extremely confident' or 'somewhat confident' in their understanding of accessibility.

The majority (75%) of respondents had read their school’s Accessibility Plan and were aware of the actions within this.

We asked how often accessibility discussions took place at the school or settings. Some had these weekly (16%) or monthly (25%). 34% had them when reviewing or updating their Accessibility Plan.

Only a small percentage of respondents (4%) did not know who to talk to about improving accessibility at their school or setting. Most respondents said they knew who to talk within the school/ setting and the Local Authority.

Only 34% of respondents had read our online guidance about Accessibility Plans.

Respondents told us they would like more training or guidance on supporting children and young people with:

• social, emotional and mental health needs
• physical disabilities
• dyslexia

75% of respondents felt that disabilities were ‘extremely well’ or ‘somewhat well’ represented in their resources, curriculum and information.

43% of respondents said there are regular opportunities for children and young people with disabilities to raise concerns about accessibility. 47% said there are informal arrangements within their school or setting to do this.

We asked what schools and settings felt their biggest challenge to improving accessibility was. They told us:

• staffing and capacity
• costs/ funding
• limitations of the building, such as a lack of space or barriers such as stairs
• lack of staff knowledge about improving accessibility

Our schools and settings told us about the work they had done to promote disability awareness and good accessibility. Highlights included:

• inclusive sports events with visits from paralympic athletes
• adopting therapeutic thinking (a positive approach to developing relationships and supporting behaviour)
• listening to their pupils who have a disability
• holding regular assemblies to celebrate ‘uniqueness’
• overhauling library materials to be more inclusive
• setting up internal hubs for pupils who find mainstream lessons hard due to social, emotional and mental health needs
• normalising adjustments, such as having ear defenders available in every classroom

47% of the schools and settings had read our online guidance about accessible PE. Schools and settings asked that we provide similar guidance for:

• Science and Technology subjects
• Music, Art and Drama
• Cooking
• Computing

A number of respondents were not signed up to receive our Education Bulletin for schools and settings.

Approximately 11% of children and young people in the UK have a disability (Family Resources Survey 2021/22).

In Dorset, children and young people aged 0 to 19 years make up 20% of the total population. Approximately 15% of our children and young people access SEN Support in education. Around 4.8% are supported through an Education, Health and Care (EHC) Plan.

SEN Support is a category of support identified by the school or setting. These children and young people receive extra help called special educational provision.

An EHC Plan is for the children and young people who need more help than can be given at SEN Support. The EHC Plan sets out their needs, identified outcomes and the support they require. 

Read more about SEN Support and EHC Plans on our Local Offer.

In Dorset, the most common types of need/ disability at SEN Support are:

• speech, language and communication needs
• specific learning difficulties
• social, emotional and mental health needs

Our Dorchester locality has the highest percentage of children and young people at SEN Support (19%). This is followed by Chesil (18%) and West Dorset (16%).

The most common types of need/ disability with an EHC Plan in Dorset are:

• autism  
• social, emotional and mental health needs
• speech, language and communication needs

Our Chesil locality has the highest proportion of children and young people with an EHC Plan; this is followed by our North and East localities.

We have over 320 early years providers in Dorset. These include:

• nurseries
• pre-schools
• registered childminders

Some of our nurseries and pre-schools are run by the private, voluntary, or independent sector whilst others are managed by a school.

We have 159 schools in Dorset. These include:

• first and infant schools
• junior and primary schools
• middle schools
• secondary and upper schools
• one all through school

We have one Further Education (FE) provider based in Dorset and 15 of our schools offer sixth form provision.

Wherever possible, we provide education for children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) in their local communities. This enables them to:

• thrive locally
• have a sense of place
• feel that they belong

This priority is set out in our SEND Strategy 2024 to 2027. As such, most children and young people with a disability will attend a local mainstream school. But we know that some children and young people require more specialist provision. In Dorset, we have:

• 15 specialist resource provisions attached to a mainstream school
• 6 special schools
• 4 pupil referral units

Our resource provisions support a range of needs including:

• complex communication and interaction
• social, emotional, and mental health
• physical disabilities

We are continuing to develop local SEND provision so that we can provide the best education for Dorset children and young people. Our plans include:

• expanding our existing special schools
• developing more facilities in our mainstream schools

Our previous Accessibility Strategy linked closely to our SEND Strategy. Our SEND Strategy Impact Report 2023 to 2024 sets out the progress made towards this.

Information on progress towards the other actions set out in our previous Accessibility Strategy are highlighted below.

Local authority guidance for schools

In 2024, we overhauled our Accessibility Plans guidance for schools and placed this online in a series of webpages. The main page has had over 1,100 views since being introduced.

Schools have told us these pages are “very helpful” and “very concise and informative”. But our survey to schools and settings for this strategy showed that this guidance is not reaching as many people as we would like.

Accessibility plans monitoring group

In 2024, we set up a termly monitoring group to review school Accessibility Plans. The group celebrates good practice and recommends improvements to schools. Advice is tailored to the needs that schools have identified within their Accessibility Plan.

Raising awareness of accessibility planning

In early 2024, we launched an online training course for Children’s Services staff about accessibility planning in schools. This course is advertised in our staff training handbook and has been completed by various professionals including:

• Specialist Teachers
• SEN Provision Leads
• Family Workers
• Education Challenge Leads

Feedback from those completing the course has been positive. However, we would like to get more of our staff to complete this training and repeat this on a regular basis.

Training for schools

Over the past 3 years, we have advertised a wide variety of training for schools and settings about supporting those with disabilities. This has included training about supporting:

• Autism and social communication difficulties
• Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)
• Maths, reading and literacy
• mental health needs
• emotionally based school avoidance
• physical disabilities

We have also offered:

• Therapeutic thinking training
• Signalong (sign supported communication)
• Portage accredited training for supporting SEND in the early years

All training provided or commissioned by the Local Authority is quality assured to ensure that it meets need and has a positive impact on our children and young people. We will continue to keep our training offer under review.

Dorset Graduated Approach

In 2022, we said we would promote an inclusive and flexible response to SEND by promoting the Dorset Graduated Approach in our work with schools and settings.

Our schools have told us that our existing Graduated Approach guidance was difficult to navigate. As such, our specialist teachers and advisors are currently updating this guidance and getting this online in a series of easy-to-read webpages.

Our new Graduated Approach guidance will be clear about the ordinarily available provision schools and settings are expected to provide from within their own resources. It will be available later in 2025.

Good quality early years places

More of our young children with SEND are accessing good quality early years and childcare places. This is reflected in the high number of settings judged as Good/ Outstanding by Ofsted. This is closely monitored by our Best Start in Life Advisors.

SENCO networking

We facilitate termly network meetings for Special Educational Needs Coordinators (SENCOs) where they can:

• meet in-person within their locality area
• share good practice
• keep up to date with new developments

Topics covered are based on suggestions from SENCOs and time is built in for solution circles (problem-solving). Feedback from SENCOs indicate that they:

• value connections made with other SENCOs
• benefit from new ideas and resources
• feel supported and more confident to support pupils with SEND

Our Best Start in Life Advisors also provide termly training for early years SENCos, as well as 'Team around the setting' (TAS) meetings to provide advice and support.

As we move forward, we will look to align support for our early years and school SENCOs.

Environmental adaptations

Our specialist teaching and advisory services continue to work with colleagues in Assets and Property to provide schools and settings with advice about:

• improving the physical environment
• the financial responsibilities for any adaptations
• organising accessibility adaptations (for the schools we are responsible for)

Recent projects include: 

1. Re-arranging the layout, repurposing classrooms and installing ramps within a primary school to ensure appropriate access for children with physical difficulties. This included creating safe outdoor play areas.
2. Working in collaboration with a neighbouring local authority to improve physical accessibility at a secondary school, with a focus on allowing children and young people to be as independent as possible.
3. Installing acoustic panels in a first school to improve the experience for children with a hearing impairment.

These adaptations have all meant that children and young people with disabilities can attend their local school and have their needs met. 

Accessible information 

Our specialist teaching and advisory services continue to provide advice and guidance to schools about delivering information in a range of ways. 

Our Vision Support Service provides guidance on large print resources, assistive technology and braille. Our children and young people have told us that this helps them “to see work clearer”, “helps [them] to see the board and PowerPoints”, helps them “access books” and “read books on a screen which is better”. 

Our Specialist Teachers have provided recommendations to support pupils with dyslexia, such as making sure:

• key words and instructions are displayed clearly on the table 
• instructions are supported with visual aids 
• worksheets and reading materials are enlarged, simplified, and printed on pastel coloured paper using a dyslexia friendly font
• extra time is given for pupils to consider instructions

They have also provided recommendations to support pupils with language difficulties, such as making sure:

• verbal information is broken down into small, simplified chunks and supported with visual/ concrete aids
• teachers model activities 
• time is given to pupils to process the language used 
• subject specific vocabulary is pre-taught and revisited 

These small changes mean that pupils with disabilities can access the information that is available to their peers.

Education Services Brochure

Our schools and settings have had access to an Education Services Brochure since 2022. This explains the support services provided by the council, and how they can access these. Increasingly, our support services are moving this information online.

Plain English

In 2022, we said that we would use plain English in our communications and invest in accessible formats. We also said we would encourage our schools and settings to do this. We have made progress towards this by:

• providing plain English training to our workforce
• updating our Education, Health and Care (EHC) Plan template
• ensuring our strategies meet national web accessibility guidelines
• issuing more easy read communications, such as our Dorset Council Plan 2024 to 2029
• informing our schools and settings about the SCULPT for accessibility guidelines

Improved SEND Local Offer

In 2022, we said we would provide an improved published Local Offer which is easier to navigate and find the support needed.

In 2023, we launched our new look SEND Local Offer, following testing with local parents and carers. In response to their requests, we have included more detail about who to contact and when. We have also made sure that we use clear language within the Local Offer.

We continue to keep our SEND Local Offer under regular review and update this in response to feedback.

Building accessibility into our wider plans

In 2023, we updated our Children, Young People and Families Plan 2023 to 2033. There is a strong focus on strengthening links with our partners, and the voluntary and community sector. The plan has a focus on making sure accessibility and inclusivity are embedded in:

• our places and spaces
• the services and organisations that families interact with
• information we share about activities and opportunities for children and young people

In 2024, we introduced our Education Strategy 2024 to 2027. This includes a focus on providing accessible and inclusive education for all and our pledge to students. It also encourages every Dorset school to become a Rights Respecting School.

In 2024, the Dorset Council Plan 2024 to 2029 was launched with a strategic priority around ‘communities for all’. There is a focus on creating communities where everyone can thrive, and services are accessible. One of the targets of this plan is to increase the number disability friendly environments within Dorset.

Celebrating UK Disability History Month

Dorset Council celebrates UK Disability History Month (November to December) and uses this opportunity to raise awareness of disabilities and their impact.

In 2024, employees with disabilities shared their lived experiences of daily barriers with colleagues through a video. One viewer described this as “a real eye opener of the challenges different disabled people face with tasks we take for granted, such as opening doors or getting a drink”.

Training our workforce

Dorset Council offers varied training to staff about supporting children and young people with disabilities. Recent training opportunities include:

• Signing workshops
• Understanding and supporting ADHD
• Youth Mental Health First Aid
• An introduction to Learning Disabilities
• Understanding and supporting autistic young people

All training is quality assured to ensure that it meets need and is kept under review.

Supporting our partners

In 2022, we said we would work with our partners to:

• create a suitably trained and responsive workforce
• help strengthen health care pathways for children and young people with neurodevelopmental disorders

Partners are now working together to make sure support is more accessible and can meet needs early. Progress includes:

• the launch of the Dorset Neurodiversity Hub in March 2024
• 13 Dorset schools receiving a support package from the Partnership Inclusion Neurodiversity in Schools project
• identifying future schools to participate in the Partnership Inclusion Neurodiversity project
• commissioning short-term additional capacity to see approximately 420 children and young people who have been waiting the longest for Community Paediatric input

Priority 1 Increase the extent to which children and young people with disabilities can take part in the curriculum

To achieve this priority, we will continue to:

• promote our Accessibility Plans guidance to schools and keep this up to date
• ask our support and advisory services to refer to the school’s Accessibility Plan in discussions with schools and settings
• provide or promote training opportunities to schools and settings, and ensure there is a focus on supporting social, emotional and mental health needs
• offer training on accessibility planning to Children’s Services staff and monitor uptake

We will also:

• finalise and promote our new SEND Graduated Approach with schools and settings - to ensure they can meet the needs of most children and young people though the delivery of high quality, ordinarily available provision
• improve settings’ readiness to support children and young people with disabilities and embed accessibility within this, starting with the early years
• develop new guidance for schools and settings about using assistive technology/ ICT to support learning
• have our Education Challenge Leads cover accessibility planning in discussions with schools, in line with the new Ofsted framework and central policy. This will be embedded into the School Improvement Offer for maintained schools
• make sure our local taught PSHE curriculum has a focus on disability awareness and disability rights
• offer locality based ‘spotlight on schools’ meetings on a half termly basis with support from locality services and a focus on inclusion
• promote and encourage sign up to our Education Bulletin
• highlight accessibility planning at information sharing events with our school leaders, such as LEADs and SENCO Network Briefings
• ensure our Accessibility Strategy links to our wider SEND and Inclusion Strategy programme

Priority 2: Improve the physical environment of schools and other education settings so that children and young people with disabilities can take advantage of the education, benefits, facilities, and services offered

To achieve this priority, we will continue to:

• promote our Accessibility Plans guidance to schools and keep this up to date
• provide recommendations on accessibility adaptations on an individual basis
• work with the schools for which we are responsible to plan and procure any individual accessibility adaptations costing more than £2,500

We will also:

• provide an ‘Inclusive Classroom’ toolkit for schools and settings, which considers therapeutic learning environments
• provide schools and settings with specific guides to improving accessibility for visual impairments, hearing impairments and physical disabilities
• encourage schools and settings to provide floorplans/ maps and photos of their sites to help ease school transfers and enable children and young people with disabilities to plan their journey around the settings
• make it clearer to schools and settings who is financially responsible for accessibility adaptations

Priority 3: Improve the delivery of information for children and young people with disabilities within schools and other education settings

To achieve this priority, we will:

• promote our Accessibility Plans guidance to schools and keep this up to date
• provide specialist advice and guidance on an individual basis (where referral criteria are met) about delivering information in a range of ways
• use plain English in our communications and encourage the use of accessible formats
• encourage the use of accessibility features within commonly used ICT

Priority 4: Advocate for accessibility within Children’s Services, across the wider council and beyond

We will achieve this by:

• continuing to raise awareness of the barriers to accessibility within Children’s Services, the wider council and with our partners
• influencing policies, plans and practices within Children’s Services and the wider council, so that they include accessibility considerations
• having our Senior Leadership Team become accessibility champions

As part of this work, our leadership team will:

• continue to build on the Dorset Children Thrive Model to support children and families in the communities in which they live, learn, and grow
• encourage welcoming and inclusive communities, services, processes, and businesses
• focus on ‘place’ by advocating for accessible parks, leisure facilities, beaches and countryside walks
• make sure children and young people with disabilities are represented in our communications and publications
• offer training opportunities to our workforce to build skills and confidence to support children and young people with disabilities
• share ‘five principles to guide accessibility planning’ (see Appendix B) with the wider council, our partner agencies and the voluntary and community sector

We will use a range of measures to check whether this strategy has a positive impact on children and young people with disabilities. These include:

• talking to our children and young people, including our Unstoppables Group, about their experiences and whether they feel an improved sense of belonging in their school and community
• listening to the views of our parents and carers by building accessibility discussions into future Let’s Talk events
• having open and honest accessibility discussions with our schools and settings
• monitoring school Accessibility Plans to ensure that they are relevant and of high quality
• evaluating training provided to schools and settings, and to our workforce to ensure this is relevant and makes a difference to our children and young people
• reducing the number of pupils with ASD and SEMH who are out of school - either due to exclusion or emotionally based school avoidance (EBSA)

The Accessibility Strategy falls under the responsibility of the Children’s Services Senior Leadership Team.

An Action Plan will be developed to check on the progress of this strategy. This will be reported on annually. The progress of this strategy will be reviewed at the Dorset SEND Inclusion Partnership Board.

The Accessibility Strategy will be kept under regular review and revised if necessary. It will be updated after 3 years.

Adaptations costing up to £2,500 (all schools and settings)

In Dorset, all schools and settings are expected to fund accessibility adaptations with a cost of up to £2,500.

Schools/ settings should arrange for these adaptations to take place before the child/ young person starts, or as soon as possible if they are already on roll. 

Schools belonging to the Building Maintenance Indemnity Scheme (BMIS) can receive support from their Dorset Council Regional Property Surveyor with this.

Adaptations costing more than £2,500 (Dorset maintained schools including maintained foundation or voluntary controlled schools)

Dorset Council is financially responsible for the full costs of adaptations which cost more than £2,500 at maintained schools. The council will usually organise these on behalf of the school.

Dorset Council will use the Schools Access Initiative (SAI) budget, which is part of the council’s capital budget, to fund these works.

Where works are agreed as appropriate, the Dorset Council Assets and Property Team will usually lead on the project and liaise with the school/ setting to agree what will happen and when. Works are typically undertaken during a school holiday period. 

Adaptations costing more than £2,500 (Academies and voluntary aided schools)

The academy trust or diocese is responsible for funding and organising accessibility adaptations that cost more than £2,500 at academies and voluntary aided schools.

Department for Education (DfE) advice is that academies and voluntary aided schools may:

• use their School Conditions Allocations (SCA) funding
• bid for funding via the Condition Improvement Fund (CIF)
• use their Devolved Formula Capital (DFC) funding for this purpose 

The school’s Estates Manager or equivalent person should be able to manage this process on behalf of the school.

Early years settings

Dorset Council has no responsibility to fund adaptations at early years settings unless they are a statutory part of a maintained school.

Further Education (FE) colleges

Dorset Council has no responsibility to fund accessibility adaptations at FE Colleges. 

FE Colleges are responsible for the buildings and space they use for education and training. Their governing bodies are responsible for the management of their estates. 

FE Colleges can use capital funding to repair, upgrade or expand their buildings, facilities and equipment. 

Process

All schools and settings are expected to undertake general accessibility audits themselves; this is not the role of the Local Authority. Our Accessibility Plans guidance for schools contains an audit tool for this purpose.

Where an individual child or young person with a disability requires adaptations to access a school or setting successfully, a site visit will normally be undertaken by someone already working with them. This might be someone from:

• NHS Children’s Therapy Services
• Hearing Support Service
• Vision Support Service
• Physical and Medical Needs Service
• Assets and Property Team

An Accessibility Visit Report will be written by the relevant service following the visit. 

For maintained and voluntary controlled schools, the Assets and Property Team will determine whether the recommended works can be undertaken. Factors considered during this decision-making process include:

• evidence of need
• how effective the adaptation would be at overcoming disadvantage
• cost
• feasibility
• other alternatives
• whether it is the catchment school
• proximity of alternative accessible schools
• the impact on others

If SAI funding is agreed, the Assets and Property Team will manage the works and keep the school and relevant services informed of when these are due to take place. 

If funding is not agreed, the Assets and Property Team will liaise with the services working with the child or young person about next steps.  

Decisions for academies and voluntary aided schools will be made by the academy trust or the diocese. 

1. Increase awareness of disabilities and remove barriers to accessibility by providing training and regular updates for all staff; this could be online or in-person training and could involve local disability groups or representatives.

2. Involve those with disabilities in the work that you are doing or the services you offer; listen to their views about what works well and what does not and ask them how to make improvements. Use their lived experience to inform your work or services.

3. Ensure that those with disabilities have access to the right support and/ or aids to access your service, whether this be in the form of specialist equipment or help from a member of staff. Be willing to adapt for individual circumstances.

4. Communicate in a manner which everyone can understand; use simple and clear language in written communications, provide text to speech options and consider the use of pictures and symbols to aid communication. Advertise services widely.

5. Represent those with disabilities in any resources or materials you provide; this helps people with disabilities to feel included and increases awareness amongst those who do not have a disability.