Since 2002, each school has needed an accessibility plan. These plans have helped schools make big changes in level access and toilets.
But the plans are much more than that. They are a tool for improving inclusion for every single learner.
One common way of doing accessibility plans is to download a free template and add your school details.
It is OK to use free templates, but only if the goals and actions are also your own. Simply changing the school details is unlikely to be transformational.
nasen Live 2026
This article accompanies the presentation at nasen Live 2026: “Accessibility planning that drives inclusion, not just compliance.”
Who should lead the accessibility plan?
Most of your plan is about tackling barriers to learning. Therefore, it should be led by a leader who is responsible for educational improvements. The days of giving it to the school business manager are behind us.
How some schools approach their accessibility plan
A school might approach their accessibility plan by following these five steps:
- Visit a website
- Download a template
- Add the school details
- Upload it to the school’s website
- In three years, repeat steps 1 to 4
That approach meets the letter of the law. It does not meet the spirit of it. And it is not an effective way to improve outcomes for disabled learners.
A better approach: Six steps to an exemplary accessibility plan
A plan that actually works starts with six questions:
- Who is our reader?
- What is our vision?
- What are our goals?
- What do our inputs tell us?
- What actions will we take?
- Do it and review it.
This guide takes you through those 6 steps.
1. Choose a reader
Think of a parent that you find hard to engage. When you write your plan, write it as a letter to them. This will help you to avoid writing in a style like ‘terms and conditions of home insurance,’ and instead writing a love letter to transforming inclusion.
2. Choose your vision
The best accessibility plans start with a single child in mind.
For primary schools: Imagine a baby born at 26 weeks. The birth was sudden and complex. The baby spent weeks in hospital. The early damage may lead to a learning difficulty or cerebral palsy. Nobody knows yet.
For secondary schools: Imagine a Y4 child in one of your feeder schools. They struggle with reading words like boat, soap, load. They often struggle socially. In lessons, their head is often on the desk.
We want our school to be fantastic for that child when they first come through our doors.
That is your vision. It is powerful. It reminds everyone in school why the plan exists.
Your final plan will include improvements for others, but start with just one pupil in mind.
3. Set goals in three areas
The Equality Act requires schools to improve three areas.
- Increase curriculum access
- Improve physical access
- Improve written information
Examples of ambitious goals:
1. Curriculum access
- Every pupil leaves able to read as well as an average 11-year old.
- Every pupil leaves able to read as well as an average 16-year old.
- Every autistic pupil has at least one positive autistic role model.
- There is no bullying of any pupils because of their SEND.
- Every pupil with SEND makes safe choices when online.
2. Physical environment
- Acoustic panels mean pupils with speech, language and communication needs can speak and hear in the dining hall.
- All cloakroom bottlenecks have been removed or reduced.
- All displays and classroom labels can be read from four metres away.
3. Written information
- Every pupil has a way to give their views without relying on adult support.
- All safeguarding information for students has a reading age of 11 or below.
- All fire signs use symbol-supported text.
All of these goals are about transforming outcomes or access for your learners.
4. Check your inputs
Before writing any actions, look at what the data tells you. Good inputs include:
- SEND register data (e.g. which types of SEND are most common)
- EHCPs (Is there provision in these plans that we need to improve?)
- Assessment data and attendance data
- Pupil, parent and staff views
- Reports from external professionals (for example, educational psychologists). Are there any common themes that you could tackle with staff training?
- Your last Ofsted report
- Your school improvement plan
Your accessibility plan should respond to what these inputs tell you. If they are not shaping your actions, you are guessing.
5. Write actions in three areas
1. Access to the curriculum
Good curriculum actions are specific and explain the reason behind them. For example:
- We will train Year 4 to Year 6 teaching assistants how to use Microsoft Word’s speech-to-text. This is so that dyslexic pupils can complete longer tasks without adult support.
- We will review how we deliver outdoor and adventurous activities in PE. This is so that we improve social skills for SEND learners.
- We will add an after-school badminton club for older pupils. This is so that more SEND pupils are physically active.
2. Physical environment
Think beyond physical disability. Consider neurodiversity and social, emotional and mental health (SEMH) needs too. Areas to review include:
- Inclusion base environment
- Acoustics in your lunch areas
- Signs and labels
- Cloakrooms and bottleneck areas
- Playgrounds and outdoor spaces
- Changing rooms
3. Written information
The goal is for every pupil to access information as independently as possible. Actions might include:
- Rewriting SEND plans in language that our SEND cohort can understand.
- Adapting pupil voice templates so every pupil can use them independently.
- Buying books that reluctant readers will love to read (graphic novels or high-interest sports titles).
- Teaching pupils how to choose books at the right reading level using the five finger rule.
6. Do it and Review it
This speaks for itself.
Your impact stands upon the effort you make.
What must governors do?
The governing body must make sure the school has published an accessibility plan.
The governing body must also make sure the plan is:
- Put into practice
- Reviewed and revised
- Given money and staff time
This duty is set out in law: The Equality Act 2010, Schedule 10, Section 3. Therefore, making sure it is implemented, revised and resourced is a legal duty that governors must follow.
Do Ofsted look at accessibility plans?
Ofsted inspectors consider how well your accessibility plan meets the requirements of the Equality Act 2010 (State-funded school inspection toolkit, 2025, page 12).
Inspectors also explore the steps a school has taken to meet the duty to make reasonable adjustments for disabled pupils (School inspection operating guide for inspectors, 2025, Part 2: Understanding the school’s context and priorities for improvement).
The truth is that inspectors have lots to look at when they inspect schools. What their guidance says and what this looks like on the ground may not match.
Either way, a school should not deliver an accessibility plan because the Ofsted handbook mentions it. Do it to transform inclusion.
Practical tips for accessibility plan success
- Give it to the right person. The SENCo or their line manager should lead the plan. It needs someone with a foot in the education side of school life.
- Give it money. The plan needs a budget. This can come from the SEN budget or capital funding.
- Call it an Inclusion Plan. The name signals what it is really for. Inclusion, not just accessibility. You can subtitle it: “Also known as an accessibility plan”.
- Ask whether you still need a separate SEND development plan? In many schools, one strong plan can do the work of two.
- From autumn term 2026, some of your accessibility plan content can feed into your new Inclusion Strategy. Plan ahead so the work is not done twice.
Get the free accessibility plan template
9000 Lives has a free template you can use as a starting point.
The template is only a starting point. The goals and actions must be your own.
More free advice
The Department for Education and Council for Disabled Children have a free handbook to help schools write their accessibility plan.
ALLFIE (Alliance for Inclusive Education) researched Accessibility Plans way back in 2019. Their excellent research report used focus groups of professionals, parents, and pupils across England. It also reached a further 200+ participants via its online survey.
Other interesting reads
Take a look at these articles or pick your own.
Need help with inclusion in your council, trust or school?
- Check out our feedback or get in touch.
- To get support to write accessible documents or policies, contact us.
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