Implementing the Disability Discrimination Act in schools and early years settings - a training resource for schools and local authorities
Making reasonable adjustments for disabled pupils: requirements and principles
Reasonable adjustments meet the statutory requirements when they:
- Act to prevent disabled pupils being placed at a substantial disadvantage
- Are aimed at all disabled pupils
- Are anticipatory
- Enable pupils to participate in education and associated services
When deciding if a reasonable adjustment is necessary to avoid placing disabled pupils at a substantial disadvantage, schools need to consider the potential impact on disabled pupils in terms of:
- Time and effort
- Inconvenience
- Indignity or discomfort
- Loss of opportunity
- Diminished progress
Schools should be making reasonable adjustments for disabled pupils at different levels of school life:
- For the individual disabled pupil
- In their practices and procedures
- In their policies
To make reasonable adjustments schools will need to:
-
Plan ahead
- Identify potential barriers
- Work collaboratively with disabled pupils, their parents and others
- Identify practical solutions through a problem solving approach
- Ensure that staff have the necessary skills
- Monitor the effects of adjustments on a pupil's progress
Schools are more likely to succeed in their efforts to make reasonable adjustments when:
- Governors
- Head teachers
- SENCOs
- Teachers and all other staff are engaged in the process
Schools will know they are succeeding in making reasonable adjustments when disabled pupils are participating fully in school life:
- In the classroom
- In the 'school curriculum'
- At breaks, lunchtime and beyond the school day
And when:
- Disabled pupils feel part of the life of the school
- Disabled pupils are included by their peers in all parts of school life
- Parents feel their disabled child is part of the life of the school
- Staff feel confident working with disabled pupils
Reasonable adjustments in action
Implementing the Disability Discrimination Act in schools and early years settings shows examples of schools making reasonable adjustments for disabled pupils. All were at different stages: some had long experience; others had only begun the process of making reasonable adjustments.
SEN Duties in Education Act 96
SEN Framework and planning duties
DDA reasonable adjustments:key factors
DDA improving access schools: requirements
DDA improving access schools: key messages
DDA improving access: LA requirements
Page created: 16 February 2007
