Reasonable adjustments to help children and young people learn
Schools must make reasonable adjustments for children and young people with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). This is to support them to fully take part in learning and get the most from their education.
What do we mean by SEND
Children and young people may have:
- Special educational needs (SEN)
- Disabilities
- Both special educational needs and disabilities (SEND)
Reasonable adjustments help children and young people across a range of different needs.
More about what we mean by SEND and the difference between SEN and disabilities.
What are reasonable adjustments
Reasonable adjustments are changes made to remove or reduce any disadvantage faced by a child or young person due to SEND.
These changes help children and young people with SEND get the same benefits from school as those without SEND.
When should schools make reasonable adjustments
Schools must make reasonable adjustments across all aspects of learning, including:
- In the classroom
- Homework
- School trips
- School policies and procedures
This does not apply to physical features like adding ramps. This is because making the building accessible is part of a school's planning duties.
Examples of reasonable adjustments
Reasonable adjustments in school can include:
- Fidget toys
- Noise cancelling headphones
- Large font/different coloured handouts
- Changing seats to be closer to the front of the classroom
- Printing out information to read and process in advance
- Leaving lessons earlier to avoid busy corridors
- Laptop/tablet to help with writing/dexterity
- Using a Dictaphone to record lessons
- Coming in through the school reception to avoid busy areas
- Moving the classroom to the lower ground for someone with mobility problems
- Change to school trips
- Support assistant to help someone in a wheelchair get around the school
- Support with low blood sugar levels and insulin injections
- Amendments to school policies
Accessibility plan
Schools must describe what reasonable adjustments they are making in their accessibility plan.
The accessibility plan covers how they will:
- Help learners with disabilities take part in the curriculum
- Improve the physical environment for disabled learners
- Make information accessible for disabled learners
Deciding if an adjustment is reasonable
When deciding whether an adjustment is reasonable, schools must consider:
- How effective will the adjustment be in preventing disadvantage
- How practical is the adjustment
- How much will the adjustment cost
- Their resources and size
- Their finances and availability of financial support
What if a school doesn't make reasonable adjustments
There may be justifications for a school to not make reasonable adjustments. This is if they decide that it will not improve a pupil's learning experience.
If you are concerned that the school is not taking positive steps to include your child:
- Talk to the SEND coordinator (SENDCo) in the first instance
- If you can't reach an agreement, try disagreement resolution
- Contact the SEND and inclusion support line
