At Rufford Primary and Nursery School we are committed to ensuring equality of opportunity for all of our pupils, staff and members of our community who use the school’s facilities.

We believe that all of our pupils have the right to access good quality educational opportunities and fully participate in all of school life regardless of any disability they may have. We aim to create an ethos of inclusion and diversity and have strong role models who have disability as a regular and key part of our school.

Defined by the DDA:

“A person has a disability if he or she has a physical impairment that has a substantial and long-term adverse effect on his or her ability to carry out normal day-to-day activities”.

Since September 2002 all school governing bodies must fulfil 3 key duties stated in the SEN and disability discrimination act (DDA) 1995:

The accessibility planning for disabled pupils is replicated in the equality act 2010.

• Not to treat disabled pupils less favourably for a reason related to their disability (this now includes not discriminating by association e.g. if a pupil is a carer and late to school every morning they should not be reprimanded).

• To make reasonable adjustments for disabled pupils, so that they are not at a substantial disadvantage (this now includes supplying auxiliary aids and services to disabled pupils where these are not supplied through SEN statements).

• To plan to increase access to education for disabled pupils.