Accessibility Plan

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:

1. Not to treat disabled pupils less favourably for a reason related to their disability;
2. To make reasonable adjustments for disabled pupils, so that they are not at a substantial disadvantage;
3. 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:

1. Increasing the extent to which disabled pupils can participate in the school curriculum;
2. Improving the environment of the school to increase the extent to which disabled pupils can take advantage of education and associated services;
3. 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, reviewed and revised as necessary and reported on annually. Attached is a set of action plans showing how the school will address the priorities identified in the plan.

The School’s Context

Casterton College Rutland school is a mainstream 11-16 academy. It is on the government's school rebuilding list and scheduled for Category 2. The school comprises several buildings, some of which are over 80 years old. There is disability access to all classrooms except the main school library and the upper floor of the MFL/Computing block, but classes can be rearranged if necessary and the library stock is available digitally.

We are working within a national framework for educational inclusion provided by:

• Inclusive School (DfES 0774/2001)
• SEN & Disability Act 2001
• The SEN Revised Code of Practice 2014
• The Disability Discrimination Act (amended for schools 2001)
• Code of Practice for Schools (Disability Rights Commission)
• OFSTED

We aim to provide:

1. Full access to the curriculum
2. Full access to the physical environment
3. Full access to information

We aim to ask about any disability or health condition in early communications with new parents and carers as part of our school admission procedure.

All entrances to the school are either flat or ramped and have wide doors, several of which open automatically. There are disabled toilet facilities available, fitted with a handrail and a emergency pull cord. The school has internal emergency signage and escape routes are clearly marked.

We support pupils with both physical disabilities and learning needs to access areas of the curriculum they find difficult. Where PE is a challenge for physically impaired pupils, we seek expert advice for identified individual needs.

We consult with experts when new situations regarding pupils with disabilities are experienced.

If you have accessibility issues, please consult our site plan below which shows our accessible routes and routes or contact the school on 01780 762168 (school hours) or email us at enquiries@castertoncollege.com.

If you are visiting the college and would like to be accompanied on site by a member of staff, we are happy to arrange this with advance notice.