School Ethos
To provide all our children with the best possible education promoting knowledge, independence and respect for others with the understanding we are ‘Growing and Learning together’. Educational experiences are stimulating and awe inspiring with Christian Values at their heart. Our small school is 'like a small mustard seed, which is smallest of all seeds on earth. Yet when planted, it grows and becomes the largest of all garden plants'. (Mark 4:30-32)
Introduction
The governors of Bildeston Primary and Whatfield CEVC Primary Schools are committed to improving access to education and the educational standards achieved by pupils who are disabled. This plan seeks to address the statutory requirements of the Equality Act 2010, and to support our ethos by continuing to improve all aspects of the curriculum, physical environment and information shared so that all SEND pupils can take full advantage of the education and associated opportunities provided by the School.
This plan identifies the Governors’ aims in fulfilling this commitment and the action points needed to achieve these aims.
Definition (Equality Act 2010)
“A person has a disability if he or she has a physical or mental impairment that has a substantial and long-term adverse effect on his or her ability to carry out normal day to day activities”
The term “disabled” applies to students, staff, Governors, parents and visitors.
Whatfield School acts to:
- Promote equality of opportunity between disabled persons and other persons.
- Identify who are disabled.
- Monitor policies and practice and make “reasonable adjustments” to ensure disabled people are not disadvantaged.
- Eliminate harassment of disabled persons that is related to their disability.
- Promote positive attitudes towards disabled persons.
- Increase disabled people’s participation in the curriculum.
- Improve the environment for disabled people.
- Monitor disabled learners progress, attainment, attendance and exclusions for any differential outcomes.
- Encourage participation by disabled persons in public life.
- Take steps to take account of disabled persons’ disabilities, even where that involves treating disabled persons more favourably than other persons.
- Publish a disability equality scheme and accessibility plan demonstrating how it intends to fulfil its general and specific duties.
- Involve disabled people in the development of the scheme.
- Annually review and report on the scheme and revise it every three years.
Whatfield CofE VC Primary School site - Current Situation
Whatfield School is a very small rural primary school, serving the local and surrounding villages. Being single storey, Whatfield CEVCP School does have reasonable access for all adults and children. It is accessible for wheelchairs. In addition it has toilet facilities suitable for disabled persons who need to use a wheelchair. The village hall, which is rented for school use, is also accessible, and has a disabled toilet as well as a hearing loop in place. Presently all pupils, disabled or not, take part in all the activities of the school, and the school has a strong equalities ethos.
Aims:
Our school’s accessibility plan aims to:
- Increase the extent to which SEND pupils can participate in the curriculum
- Improve the physical environment of schools to enable disabled pupils to take better advantage of education, benefits, facilities and services provided
- Improve the availability of accessible information to SEND pupils.
We recognise the need to provide adequate resources for implementing plans and will regularly review them. Priorities in this plan may change to accommodate the changing needs of individuals. This plan has been drawn up after consultation with governors, as well as discussions with disabled visitors, staff and parents of disabled children.
Links with Other Agencies:
- Excellent liaison already exists between Whatfield CEVCP School and local early years providers. This liaison involves staff visits, discussions about children, home visits, and parents meetings, all of which help to minimise disruption caused by transfer.
- Staff at Whatfield School ensure that they share any programmes already in place for children with special educational needs with the transfer school, thus enabling a smooth transition to take place.
- Children who transfer to other schools have detailed records passed on to the receiving school.
- Help is provided by outside agencies as appropriate (e.g. speech therapists, occupational therapists, Advisory Teachers for Learning Support and Hearing and Visual Impairment as well as Educational Psychologists).
Recent school developments:
- 2020 – Sound field installed in Acorn class room.
- 2022 – Staff took part in Mental Health Training
- 2022 – Teacher Assistant taking part in Thrive training.
- 2022 – Senior Lead Mental Health Course
- 2025 – Increased work with SES (Specialist Educational Support) to support our growing SEN role.
Associated Documents:
- Building and School Development Plans, Equality policy, SEND policy.
Date of Review: