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Education

8.5.15 Access to the Curriculum

Part of the school accessibility plan should include aims and proposals to increase the extent to which disabled pupils can participate in the school curriculum.

Schools are responsible for providing a broad and balanced curriculum for all pupils and have a key role in planning to increase access to the curriculum for disabled pupils. Schools already provide additional specific provisions to enable pupils with learning difficulties to access the curriculum through the SEN framework.

When reviewing access to the curriculum, the following questions should be asked: (source: DfES/0462/2002: Identifying Barriers to Access).

Do you ensure that teachers and teaching assistants have the necessary training to teach and support disabled pupils?
Are your classrooms optimally organised for disabled pupils?
Do lessons provide opportunities for all pupils to achieve?
Are lessons responsive to pupil diversity?
Are all pupils encouraged to take part in music, drama and physical activities?
Do staff recognise and allow for the mental effort expended by some disabled pupils, for example using lip reading?
Do staff recognise and allow for the additional time required by some disabled pupils to use equipment in practical work?
Do staff provide alternative ways of giving access to experience or understanding for disabled pupils who cannot engage in particular activities, for example some forms of exercise in physical education?
Do you provide access to computer technology appropriate for students with disabilities?
Are school visits, including overseas visits, made accessible to all pupils irrespective of attainment or impairment?
Are there high expectations of all pupils?
Do staff seek to remove all barriers to learning and participation?

The answers to the above questions will be helpful in highlighting areas where steps could be taken to make the curriculum more accessible to all participants.

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