Supporting Pupils with Disability

Supporting Pupils with Disability

/ Special Educational Needs

Guidance on Organising Outdoor Education, Adventure Activities and Off-site Educational Visits

INTRODUCTION

Pupils with a wide range of disabilities and special educational needs are increasingly being included within mainstream settings. This guidance will be helpful when considering how to ensure that off-site school activities and visits to outdoor centres are accessible to all children.

Schools need to be planning from the outset to ensure that all children have the opportunity to participate. When you are making initial arrangements with a venue either visit or phone to talk through the implications for any children with disability or special educational needs. Any practical difficulties should be solved early in the planning process with extra help made available if needed.

Each pupil will have individual needs and the adjustments that facilitate access will vary from one child / young person to the next. Hence it is important to involve the child / young person and their parents in discussions about how the pupil will be able to get the most from the activity or visit. Schools may wish to involve the relevant Support Service in the planning stage and / or to seek advice regarding any equipment that may be required.

The following checklists have been devised to support schools in planning school visits. Not all items will be relevant to each pupil, but the lists will be a useful starting point for discussion and planning between the Educational Visit Co-ordinator, school staff, parents and pupil. The aim is to provide some general strategies that will help schools support access for buildings, curriculum and general information.

Please always remember that:

all maintained schools have a duty not to treat disabled pupils less favourably for any reason relating to disability

you must take 'reasonable steps' to ensure that pupils are not placed at a substantial disadvantage compared to their able-bodied peers

you should ask parents to complete the Oxfordshire ‘Out and About’ 3 guidelines form OA2.

if you send out a letter / leaflet about a school visit to parents you should have first explored all implications regarding accessibility for individual pupils who may have a disability or special educational need

Supporting Pupils with Physical Disabilities or Down’s Syndrome and Complex Medical Needs:

Organising School Visits

Accommodation for Residential Visits

Is the venue accessible?

Can the coach or minibus stop outside the door, if not, how far is the coach park from the accommodation?
Is there a ramp to the door?
If there are steps and no ramp, please state how many, how wide each step is and how deep.
If there is not a ramp to the main entrance, is there another access point that can be used that is more suitable? Please state where.
Does the hotel/youth hostel/motel have bedrooms on the ground floor?
If no, is there a lift?
Is the restaurant on the ground floor?
If, no is there a lift?
Is there a disabled toilet near the restaurant?
Is the bathroom suitable to use a manual hoist if necessary?
Is there enough room for a wheelchair to be easily moved around the room and into the bathroom?
How wide is the corridor?
Is there enough room between the tables in the restaurant to move the wheelchair easily?
Every toilet that is to be used must be large enough for the student in the wheelchair as well as 2 trained manual handlers (minimum of 165cm x 210cms). In the minimum sized toilet the actual toilet should be centrally placed especially if it is on the shortest wall. In any larger toilet there must be enough room for a manual handler to stand either side of the actual toilet. Are accessible toilets separate from the single gender toilets so that the helpers can be either male or female? Are they easy to get to? If a manual hoist must be used, is there sufficient room?
Activities planned: When considering the suitability of activities please state whether they take place on the ground floor or upstairs. Are they outside or in the building, are there ramps/lifts? If outside, are the hills/slopes very steep, how many of them are there, several or just one? Are the paths wide enough for an adult to walk alongside the wheelchair user? Have the activities been planned to take account of those who might have other special needs (e.g. visually impaired or hearing impaired?)
List the activities that can be adapted fully or partially and those that are inaccessible. What alternative activities will be planned?
Is the site suitable for wheelchairs? What is the state of the paths or roads, please give as detailed a picture as possible. Where are the accessible toilets for disabled pupils situated and is there access to all facilities (e.g. Dining Room, Lounge, Bathroom)? Where applicable, is the site well lit?

Emergency Evacuation

What are the emergency procedures for evacuating a disabled person in the event of a Fire?
Is there an 'Evacu chair' available for manual handlers to use? (You would need to bring this procedure to the attention of the pupil concerned). What is the risk? low/medium/high
What further action is required to make the visit as safe as possible
A copy of the Risk Assessment, signed and dated, should be completed, ideally prior to arrival at the venue

Is the transport wheelchair accessible?

Consider all the modes of transport that are to be/could be used on the visit. How long is the journey? Will you have toilet stops and will the toilets be suitable (see below)? How are the students going to transfer from one mode of transport to another? Are the necessary ramps/lifts in place?
Extra costs might be incurred in hiring a minibus/coach with special access. How will this be paid for?
Getting onto the coach can be impossible, low liners are better and failing that, borrowing or swapping mini buses for one with a tail lift
Getting in and out of cars can be difficult
Organise for non-disabled pupils to travel with the pupil with a disability if you are required to use a separate vehicle. This might include obtaining permission from parents.
Check the accessibility of comfort stops on the journey - motorway services are good, a phone call prior to departure will ensure that the accessible facilities are open.
As a last resort, parental support might be required regarding transport

Is the support organised?

Disabled pupils often do require an enabler, therefore 1:1 support may be needed. Two enablers may be required for intimate care support. If this is a residential visit two people will be needed to enable staff to have breaks.
Explore the possibility of using volunteers from within the school community but remember that any person supporting in transfers or moving must have attended a manual handling and moving course.
It may be necessary to explore alternative sources of support and this will need to be planned in advance.
What are the financial costs involved? These might include additional staffing, alternative transport, additional residential costs and hiring of special equipment (e.g. manual hoist, wheelchairs)

Have curriculum activities been planned?

Have curriculum links been established with the Outdoor Centre or other provider?
Pre-planning should include consideration of whether curriculum materials will require modification or differentiation.
The visit is an educational priority and every effort should be made to gain maximum benefit for curriculum access.
Access to computers is also available at the Outdoor Centre, but personal computers and other individual equipment should accompany the pupil if available and appropriate.
Some activities may lend themselves to differentiation, some may not and it is worth planning alternatives or contingencies in advance

What are the Health and Safety issues?

Educational Visits Co-ordinator (EVC) would need to ensure that any possible risks to staff and pupils are identified before and during trip or residential visit. Risk assessments will need to be completed to reduce risks to a minimum - forms are available on Health & Safety website - with clear guidelines drawn up. Much of the necessary documentation will be written up as a part of normal school practice.
NB Manual handlers should not be involved in lifting a pupil to/from a wheelchair at any time, without a full Risk Assessment being completed.
It may be necessary to take some additional equipment in good working order and staff may need to be trained in its use.
Support Services and therapy services are able to advise on what equipment may be required.
Decisions regarding accessibility should remain with the trained Educational Visits Co-ordinator (EVC) organising the visit and it is that teacher who must communicate with the pupil and parents directly.
The EVC will need full written documentation from parents and school records regarding any medical conditions or issues; special diets; sleeping habits; possible anxieties and clearly labelled medication with information regarding dosage and times for administering

December 2016