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Accessibility Policy and Plan 2026-2027

Accessibility Policy and Plan

2026-2027

Policy details

Date created - 17/08/2026
Date approved - August 2026
Next review date - August 2027
Policy owner - Co-op Academy Brownhill

1. Our commitment

At Co-op Academy Brownhill, our values reflect our commitment to an inclusive academy with high expectations for everyone. We provide high-quality learning opportunities so that every child can participate, achieve and develop confidence and independence.

Every member of our academy community is important. We promote a culture of care, trust and belonging in which pupils, staff, parents, carers and visitors are treated with dignity and respect. We recognise individual strengths and needs and work proactively to identify and remove barriers to participation.

2. Legislative framework

This Accessibility Plan has been prepared in accordance with the Equality Act 2010, including Schedule 10. It supports the academy in meeting its duties towards disabled pupils and should be considered alongside the duty to make reasonable adjustments.

Under the Equality Act 2010, a person is disabled if they have:

a physical or mental impairment; and
the impairment has a substantial and long-term adverse effect on their ability to carry out normal day-to-day activities.

The academy recognises that disability may include physical, sensory, learning, developmental and mental health impairments. Not every pupil with SEND is disabled, and not every disabled pupil has SEND. Decisions are therefore based on the individual pupil's circumstances and the barriers they experience.

The governing body is accountable for ensuring that the plan is implemented, resourced, reviewed and published. Academy leaders will monitor progress and report to governors.

3. Purpose and statutory aims

Co-op Academy Brownhill is committed to providing an environment that enables pupils, staff, parents, carers and visitors to participate as fully as possible. Accessibility will be considered in advance and not only in response to the needs of people already attending the academy.

This plan sets out how the academy will, over time:

increase the extent to which disabled pupils can participate in the curriculum, including enrichment, clubs, visits and residential experiences;
improve the physical environment so disabled pupils can take better advantage of education, benefits, facilities and services; and
improve the delivery of information that is readily available to pupils who are not disabled, using accessible formats where required.

The academy will make reasonable adjustments and provide auxiliary aids and services where it is reasonable to do so and where these are needed to prevent substantial disadvantage.

4. Principles

In implementing this plan, Co-op Academy Brownhill will:

place the pupil and family at the centre of decision-making;
value parents' and carers' knowledge of their child's disability and respect confidentiality;
seek and respond to pupil voice;
identify barriers early through assessment, observation, discussion and transition information;
use the graduated approach of Assess, Plan, Do and Review where SEND provision is required;
ensure that high-quality teaching and reasonable adjustments remain the responsibility of every teacher;
work with health, social care, Leeds City Council and specialist services when appropriate;
ensure that safeguarding, medical, attendance and behaviour arrangements take account of disability; and
consider accessibility when planning policies, curriculum changes, building work, events, communication and procurement.

5. Links with other academy documents

This plan should be read alongside the academy's:

SEND Inclusion Policy and SEND Information Report;
Equality Information and Objectives;
Positive Behaviour Policy;
Curriculum policies;
Safeguarding and Child Protection Policy;
Health and Safety Policy;
Supporting Pupils with Medical Conditions Policy;
Intimate Care guidance;
Educational Visits Policy;
Emergency and evacuation arrangements;
complaints procedure; and
Academy Development Plan.

6. Consultation, monitoring and review

The plan is informed by site checks, the academy's knowledge of current and anticipated needs, pupil and parent voice, staff feedback and advice from relevant professionals.

Progress against the action plan will be reviewed termly by the SENDCo and senior leadership team. The governing body will receive an annual update. Actions may be amended sooner where a new pupil, member of staff or visitor has an identified access need, where the physical environment changes, or where monitoring identifies an additional barrier.

An accessibility audit will be completed before the plan is renewed. Any longer-term premises work that cannot reasonably be completed during this period will be carried forward and considered through estate and budget planning.

7. Accessibility audit and action plan

A. Improving access to the physical environment

Ref	Barrier or focus	Planned action and success measure	Timescale	Priority	Responsibility	Resources/cost	Review evidence
A1	Routes through the academy may become obstructed.	Complete half-termly checks of entrances, corridors, doorways and circulation routes. Remove obstructions promptly. Success: agreed accessible routes remain clear and usable.	Half-termly and ongoing	High	Site Manager / SLT	Existing resources	Site checks and actions logged
A2	Physical access information needs to remain current.	Complete a documented site accessibility audit covering entrances, thresholds, doors, ramps, steps, handrails, lighting, signage, toilets, changing arrangements and outdoor areas. Success: barriers are identified, prioritised and cost.	Autumn 2026	High	Headteacher / Site Manager / SENDCo	Staff time; costs identified through audit	Completed audit and premises action plan
A3	Individual access and evacuation needs may change.	Identify pupils, staff and regular visitors requiring a Personal Emergency Evacuation Plan or individual access arrangements. Review plans following any change in need. Success: relevant people have an up-to-date plan known to appropriate staff.	On admission/appointment and at least termly	High	SENDCo / DSL / Site Manager	Existing resources; specialist advice if required	Current plans and drill feedback
A4	Signage may not be accessible to all users.	Review key directional, safety and room signage for clarity, contrast, symbols and appropriate positioning. Success: visitors and pupils can navigate key areas more independently.	Spring 2027	Medium	Site Manager / SENDCo	To be costed	Audit, pupil and visitor feedback
A5	Future premises changes could create new barriers.	Include accessibility in the specification and approval of refurbishment, furniture purchases and changes to room use. Success: accessibility implications are documented before decisions are finalised.	Ongoing	High	Head of School / Site Manager / Trust Estates	Within project budgets	Project records and equality considerations

B. Improving access to the curriculum

Ref	Barrier or focus	Planned action and success measure	Timescale	Priority	Responsibility	Resources/cost	Review evidence
B1	Adaptive teaching and reasonable adjustments must be consistently implemented.	Use learning walks, planning reviews, work scrutiny and pupil voice to evaluate adaptive teaching for pupils with SEND and disabilities. Provide coaching and follow-up where needed. Success: agreed adaptations are visible and pupils can explain how support helps them learn.	Termly	High	Teaching and Learning Lead / SENDCo	Leadership release time	Monitoring records and follow-up actions
B2	Pupil passports must translate assessment into classroom practice.	Review pupil passports termly with pupils, parents/carers and relevant staff. Ensure strengths, barriers, reasonable adjustments, targets and provision are specific and current. Success: staff know and consistently apply the agreed strategies.	Termly	High	Class Teachers / SENDCo	Existing resources	Passport quality assurance and pupil progress reviews
B3	Intervention should be purposeful and demonstrate impact.	Audit intervention provision, entry criteria, dosage, staff training and impact. Amend or stop provision that is not improving identified outcomes. Success: provision maps show clear need, delivery and measurable impact.	Autumn 2026; review termly	High	SENDCo	Possible resource or training costs	Provision map and impact analysis
B4	Staff knowledge must reflect the academy's current profile of need.	Deliver a planned programme of SEND and disability CPD, including communication and interaction, cognition and learning, SEMH, sensory/physical needs, reasonable adjustments and effective TA deployment. Success: staff confidence and consistency improve through evaluation and monitoring.	Across 2026–27	High	SENDCo / External Professionals	CPD budget as required	Attendance, evaluations and monitoring impact
B5	Disabled pupils may face barriers to enrichment, educational visits and residentials.	Consider access at the earliest planning stage; consult families and pupils; obtain specialist advice; make reasonable adjustments to transport, activities, staffing, equipment and risk assessments. Success: disabled pupils participate wherever reasonably possible and exclusions from activities are challenged and recorded.	For every activity	High	Visit Leaders / EVC / SENDCo	Activity-specific	Visit documentation and participation data
B6	Assistive technology and specialist equipment may not be consistently available or used.	Identify individual need, source appropriate advice and equipment, train staff and pupils, and review impact. Success: agreed aids are available, maintained and used to increase access and independence.	As needs arise; termly review	Medium	SENDCo / Computing Lead	Needs-led	Equipment register and pupil review
B7	Accessibility needs can be missed during transition.	Strengthen information-sharing for new starters and transition between year groups or settings, including meetings where needs are complex. Success: reasonable adjustments are ready from the pupil's first day wherever possible.	Before admission/transition	High	SENDCo / Class Teachers / Admissions Staff	Existing resources	Transition records and family feedback

C. Improving the delivery of accessible information

Ref	Barrier or focus	Planned action and success measure	Timescale	Priority	Responsibility	Resources/cost	Review evidence
C1	Pupils and families may require information in alternative formats.	Record communication needs and provide information, where reasonably required, in formats such as large print, simplified text, symbols, audio, translated text or through an interpreter. Success: essential information is available in an effective format without avoidable delay.	As required and ongoing	High	Office Team / SENDCo	Translation or production costs as required	Requests and response times logged
C2	Digital documents and website content may create access barriers.	Review key statutory and parent-facing documents for readable structure, headings, colour contrast, meaningful links, image descriptions and compatibility with assistive technology. Success: priority documents meet the academy's agreed accessibility checklist.	Autumn 2026; then ongoing	High	Website Lead / Office Team	Existing resources; specialist support if required	Website/document audit
C3	Families with English as an additional language may not fully understand key information.	Prioritise translation and interpretation for safeguarding, SEND, attendance, admissions, medical and consent information. Avoid relying on pupils to interpret sensitive information. Success: families can understand and respond to essential communications.	Ongoing	High	Office Team / Pastoral Team	Translation/interpretation budget	Parent feedback and communication records
C4	Classroom information may be inaccessible to pupils with visual, hearing, communication or processing needs.	Use pupil-specific adjustments such as enlarged text, reduced visual clutter, accessible fonts, pre-teaching, visual timetables, captioning, seating and repetition or chunking of instructions. Success: adjustments recorded in pupil passports are evident in lessons and resources.	Daily; reviewed termly	High	Class Teachers / SENDCo	Needs-led	Learning walks, pupil voice and passport review
C5	Staff may be uncertain how to request accessible formats or specialist support.	Publish a simple internal process identifying who to contact, expected timescales and available services. Success: staff know how to secure accessible information promptly.	Autumn 2026	Medium	SENDCo / Office Manager	Existing resources	Staff briefing and confidence check