Reasonable adjustments at school for disabled pupils: what parents can ask for

What this means

Reasonable adjustments come from the Equality Act 2010. They are about removing or reducing disadvantage caused by disability. A child may have special educational needs, a disability, both, or neither; the legal tests are not identical.

For schools, adjustments can include changes to policies or routines, different ways of accessing teaching or assessment, extra support, auxiliary aids or equipment, and changes to how a pupil takes part in school life. The right adjustment depends on the individual pupil and the disadvantage they face.

The school reasonable-adjustment duty does not generally require a school to alter physical features of buildings in the same way as many other service providers. Schools instead have separate accessibility-planning duties. For day-to-day parent discussions, focus on the barrier your child faces and what practical change would reduce it.

What to do today

1. Write down the specific situation in which your child is disadvantaged.
2. Explain how the disability affects participation, learning, communication, behaviour, attendance or access in that situation.
3. Ask the school to consider a specific adjustment, or several options if you are unsure what will work best.
4. Ask who will implement the adjustment, from what date, and when it will be reviewed.

Examples might include advance warning of changes, a quieter transition, adapted instructions, assistive technology, movement breaks, an alternative way to record work, communication support, or an agreed approach to a disability-related difficulty. These are examples only; what is reasonable is fact-specific.

What to collect

• A short description of the barrier and when it occurs.
• Examples showing the impact on your child.
• Any relevant professional advice already available.
• What has already been tried and whether it helped.
• Your proposed adjustment and how you think it would reduce the disadvantage.

Reasonable adjustments are not the same as an EHCP

An EHCP is a statutory plan under the Children and Families Act 2014 for children and young people who need special educational provision through a plan. Reasonable adjustments arise under equality law. A school should not respond to an Equality Act issue simply by saying that a child does not have an EHCP.

Likewise, having an EHCP does not replace the Equality Act duty. A pupil with an EHCP may also need reasonable adjustments.

Who to contact

Start with the class teacher, SENCO and, where relevant, the school’s disability or inclusion lead. Put important requests in writing. If you believe disability discrimination has occurred, check the current route and time limits for raising the issue; specialist advice may be useful.