Priorities
The priorities in this Accessibility Strategy are realised through the Local Authority's SEND Accessibility Action Plan, a living document which sets out desired outcomes, the actions to achieve them and how progress is measured.
A key aspect of the action plan is how educational settings are supported by the Accessibility Audit Tool.
Priority 1
Ensure compliance of the Local Authority and all educational settings for which it is responsible with the requirements of Schedule 10 of the Equality Act 2010.
Awareness of the Equality Act:
Everyone working in and alongside all educational settings should be aware of the Equality Act and its implications for children and young people, their families and the wider community and aware of their duties within the Act.
Equality Act and Accessibility Training:
The Accessibility Action Plan sets out how the LA provides and signposts training on the Equality Act, diversity and disability for educational settings.
Provision of the Accessibility Audit Tool and support for educational settings:
The Accessibility Audit Tool supports educational settings in assessing their compliance with the relevant legislation. Through provision of the Audit Tool and accompanying support, the LA will support settings with:
- celebrating the strengths of all children and young people
- ensuring the inclusivity of their overall policies and practices as well as oneoff events and activities
- encouraging the development of inclusive attitudes and actions
- writing an Accessibility Plan and SEN Information Report in partnership with stakeholders
Priority 2
Maximise inclusion and the feeling of inclusion for all children and young people with SEND in their educational setting and the wider community.
- ensure all children and young people have a voice, e.g. including those with SEND in the school council and asking pupils what works well now and what would improve confidence, independence and access in the future
- arrange personalised and creative support so that all children and young people can access all activities
- ensure the inclusion of children and young people with medical needs
- ensure that transition from setting to setting is carefully planned and personalised for children and young people with SEND.
Priority 3
Increase the extent to which children and young people with SEND can participate in the curriculum in all educational settings, including the enrichment curriculum. All children and young people should have access to high quality teaching that focuses on inclusive practice and breaks down barriers to learning.
Provision of the Accessibility Audit Tool and support for educational settings:
Schools and other educational settings are responsible for providing a broad and balanced curriculum and play a key role in planning to increase access to the curriculum for all pupils. Through provision of the Audit Tool and accompanying support, the LA will support settings in ensuring that they are:
- using a graduated approach when meeting the needs of children and young people with SEND, using the `assess, plan, do, review` cycle to inform this
- providing staff with the opportunity for regular and updated training relating to additional needs, e.g. physical education staff being trained in including children and young people with disabilities in the curriculum
- using auxiliary aids effectively to ensure children and young people can be included in the curriculum e.g. providing coloured layovers for pupils with dyslexia
- prioritising and monitoring staff planning for children and young people with SEND
- deploying staff effectively to provide flexible support and facilitate independent learning
- thinking creatively about how children and young people with SEND can be involved in activities, trips and residential stays
- involving children and young people and their families in the review of individual plans regarding curriculum access.
Core services offered by Southend Council through the SEND Team
Southend Council will ensure that core and bespoke training in meeting individual needs continues to be made available. As part of this offer, assessment, advice and support will be made available including signposting to a range of accredited training. Structured school support will continue to be offered, to build the capacity of educational settings.
Southend will aim to:
- Continue to support the good links between mainstream and special schools, providing opportunities for sharing expertise and knowledge;
- Continue to support the SENCO network and cluster groups as a mechanism to share good practice and enhance skills of SENCO's
- Provide SENCO's with the opportunity to undertake accredited training;
- Continue to offer training for all schools from agencies such as SETSA, on a range of curriculum and specialist topics;
- Continue to offer specialist training for teachers who wish to specialise in teaching pupils with visual or hearing impairment;
- Work with schools to remove any barriers to achievement and educational access;
- Ensure all policies, advice and support to schools reflects the requirements of the Equality Act 2010 and subsequent legislation in relation to DDA and SEND;
- Support clusters of schools to develop practice and self-evaluation;
- Provide accessible information on the range of services offered by the Department for People;
- Develop further the multi-agency links, particularly those with Health and the voluntary sector.
Priority 4
Improve the physical environment of all educational settings to increase the extent to which children and young people with SEND can take advantage of education.
All children and young people should be able to attend an educational setting with an accessible environment that enhances their ability to take part in the curriculum and does not put them at a disadvantage compared to their peers.
Supporting Schools to Improve Accessibility:
All schools as part of their Dedicated Schools Grant Element 1 and 2 funding arrangements are provided with resource to enable them to improve access for pupils and meet the statutory requirements of the Equality Act, 2010.
Any significant Capital funding requirements of schools to make them more accessible can addressed to SBC for consideration where this may be a priority.
Southend Borough Council Capital Projects Funding requests are considered by SBC and funding allocation decisions are made on a child-centred basis.
In some cases, rather than making building adaptations, accessibility issues can be `managed` at a school level, for example swapping an inaccessible upstairs classroom with a ground floor classroom rather than installing an expensive lift. SBC work closely to ensure; early identification of need, accessibility and effective use of resources.
Provision of an Accessibility Audit Tool and support for educational settings:
The Accessibility Audit Tool supports settings in ensuring that they can:
- identify adaptations needed, including adaptations for children and young people with sensory needs
- create solutions to accessibility issues if adaptations are not possible, such as moving groups to accessible areas
- use consultation effectively, asking children and young people about physical accessibility, e.g. access to toilets and changing facilities
- think creatively about classroom interiors, e.g. making calm, low-sensory stimulation areas available, thinking about the use of curtains to reduce noise levels, removing clutter etc.
Priority 5
Enhance the delivery of information, advice and guidance to all children and young people with SEND and their families.
Information, advice and guidance should be readily available in an accessible format for all children and young people with SEND and their families. In addition to ensuring that LA documents consistently follow the corporate standards of plain English and the availability of alternative formats, effective provision of information, advice and guidance will be available as follows.
Provision of information through the Local Offer:
Southend's Local Offer sets out in one place the support available to families of children and young people with SEND in Southend. It also gives information about the support available for educational settings to enable access.
To ensure the effectiveness of the Local Offer SBC:
- encourages educational settings to link their Accessibility Plan and SEN Information Report to the Local Offer
- reviews and updates the Local Offer regularly, responding to feedback from professionals, children and young people and their families
- makes the Local Offer available online and through Libraries
The Local Offer responds to the needs of the community. Professionals and children and young people with SEND and their families are invited to comment at any time on the effectiveness of the Local Offer. The comments are published several times a year in a `you said, we did` format.
Provision of support and guidance by commissioning:
Southend IASS (the Special Educational Need and Disability Information, Advice and Support Service) is commissioned by the SBC to provide information, support and advice to children and young people with SEND and their families. It also supports educational settings by providing advocacy, independent advice and encouraging partnership working.
Provision of an Accessibility Audit Tool and support for educational settings:
- through the Audit Tool, settings are encouraged to ensure that, among other things: all of their written information is accessible to all pupils, considering print size, plain English, symbols, verbal explanations, additional/different approaches, etc.
- signposting to information, advice and guidance is effective, for example the Southend Local Offer, Southend SENDIASS and the Southend Council website.