Why it matters now
Every school’s responsible body in England must prepare an accessibility plan, and a new one at each prescribed time (Equality Act 2010, Schedule 10, para 3). The next prescribed time is 1 March 2027, and the plan covers 1 April 2027 to 31 March 2030 (SI 2005/3221, reg. 3). The plan must cover curriculum access, the physical environment and information for disabled pupils, be in writing, be implemented, and be kept under review. Maintained schools and academies must put information about the plan in their SEN information report, which must be on the school website. For maintained schools, academies, PRUs, non-maintained special schools and s.41-approved independent special schools, the SEND Code of Practice (statutory guidance) says schools must publish the plan.

What’s included

• 00 Cover and contents (PDF, 2 pages): contents, and a one-page plan for running the pack in a single meeting
• 01 Leaders’ guide (PDF, 3 pages): what the law requires and who is responsible, why 1 March 2027, a six-week timetable counting back from your governor meeting, weak and strong targets, and what to publish
• 02 Barrier audit and consultation (Word, 4 pages): prompts for each of the three strands, questions for pupils, parents and staff, who to ask about children who may join, and a priorities table
• 03 Plan template (Word, 2 pages, editable): a review of your 2024–27 plan, then targets, actions, owners, resources, dates and success criteria for each strand, monitoring and SEN information report wording
• 04 Worked example (Word, 3 pages): a completed plan for a fictional primary school, with ten targets, five of them with direct costs (£9,300 over three years), that passes file 06
• 05 Governor paper (Word, 2 pages): the legal background, nine scrutiny questions and minute wording to approve, approve with amendments or defer
• 06 Pre-publication check (PDF, 1 page): every line labelled legal duty, statutory guidance or editorial advice

Who it’s for
SENCOs, headteachers, business managers and governors in England: maintained schools, academies, pupil referral units and independent schools.

What it’s based on
Equality Act 2010, Schedule 10; the Disability Discrimination (Prescribed Times and Periods for Accessibility Strategies and Plans for Schools) (England) Regulations 2005, regulation 3, continued under the Equality Act; Children and Families Act 2014, section 69; the SEND Regulations 2014, regulation 52; the SEND Code of Practice 0 to 25 (2015); and DfE, Equality Act 2010: advice for schools. Sources were checked on 6 November 2026.

Please note
This is not legal advice or official guidance. The worked example describes a fictional school.