Our service
Our Access Consultant will visit your school on a day and time agreed and conduct an 'Access Audit'. Upon signing in at reception and producing an Enhanced DBS Certificate, our Access Consultant will then proceed with the Access Audit. This usually starts outside with inspections of the approach to the school, the entrances, the car park, the routes to reception, signage, and playgrounds. Then the Access Consultant will make their way into the building having a detailed look at routes within the school and internal circulation. The audit also includes classrooms, hall, corridors, doors, toilets, reception, staffroom and staff areas and emergency exits.
Our Access Consultants have all worked in educational settings and are discreet, ensuring there is no disruption to the classes.
The on-site audit takes anywhere from 3 hours to a whole day, depending on the size of the school. Once this is complete, the Accessibility Plan is then written off-site and sent to the school within 2 weeks.
Whilst the on-site Access Audit only considers the school building, this in fact only accounts for 1/3 of the School Accessibility Plan. Off-site, we look at all school literature, including website, as well as a 'Pre-Audit Questionnaire' from the school. Focusing on 'reasonable adjustments' that can be made in order to make your school more accessible, your School Accessibility Plan will cover:
Access to the building
Access to the curriculum
Access to information (the written word)
Many companies are qualified to perform an access audit of a building, following a checklist, such as the ones which can be found on the internet. These checklists usually refer to any building and are not bespoke for schools. We are the only company in the UK specialising in performing access audits for schools and writing accessibility plans.
Your School Accessibility Plan
We will write and send your School Accessibility Plan within 2 weeks which will detail how to improve accessibility for special educational needs pupils, visitors and staff. More specifically, it will outline how you can:
• improve the physical environment
• make improvements in the provision of information
• increase access to the curriculum
It is important to note that we understand budget restraints and lack of funding in schools. We are experts at assessing what would be considered a 'reasonable' adjustment and finding the most cost-effective solution.
Our service does not end with the production of your School Accessibility Plan, we remain available for consultation throughout the 3 year life of the plan. We will also remind you when your School Accessibility Plan needs renewing.
