Introduce
Reasonable adjustments’ are changes those providing services must make so that children aren’t put at a disadvantage compared with others. Settings have a legal obligation to support those who are disabled with reasonable adjustments. They must not discriminate against disabled children.
The Department for Education provides the following examples:
Reasonable adjustments can help level the playing field for disabled pupils in the classroom. For example:
- A visually impaired pupil is seated to accommodate their field of vision
- Traffic light cards are available for a pupil to communicate who needs extra time
- Adjusting your snack policy to let a pupil with diabetes have a high calorie snack
- Coloured paper is provided for a dyslexic pupil
- Adapting your school uniform policy for a pupil with allergies or sensory needs
- Allow a pupil with dyslexia and/or dyspraxia to use a laptop to write
- Letting a pupil go into the dinner hall before other pupils to help their sensory processing
- Providing ear defenders to a pupil who is very sensitive to noise to wear as appropriate
- Allowing a disabled pupil to sit exams in a room for a smaller group of pupils
Develop
A range of needs will need to be accommodated to support children’s sensory needs – some will need a visually rich environment while others will get overwhelmed so need a low sensory environment.
Source: Department for Education
The following videos offer reflections on how settings might make reasonable adjustments:
Reflect
What other low-cost, high-impact adjustments could your school make?