Reasonable Adjustments

Reasonable adjustments are the changes that are made to a child’s school life, so they are not at a disadvantage compared to others.

The term reasonable adjustments is often used in a general way to apply to all children with SEND. But in law, it is specifically about the changes made to support a disabled child.

The term disability is quite broad and some children and young people who have special educational needs may have a disability too.

Any reasonable adjustments required will depend on a child’s needs. They might include making changes to things like school uniform and behaviour policy to meet the needs of a child, as well as the kind of support offered day to day in school.

The law about reasonable adjustments

Some children and young people who have special educational needs may have a disability.

The Equality Act 2010 says that someone has a disability if they have:

“A physical or mental impairment, which has a long term and substantive adverse effect on their ability to carry out normal day to day activities.”

Long Term means it has lasted a year or more.
Substantial means it is not minor.

The legal duty to make reasonable adjustments means a school should take positive steps to make sure that disabled pupils can:

• Take part fully in education.
• Enjoy the other benefits, facilities and services for pupils, including school trips.
• Many reasonable adjustments cost little or nothing and instead mean a change in practice rather than expensive pieces of equipment or extra staff.
• A school’s duty to make reasonable adjustments is an anticipatory one. Anticipatory means that schools need to think in advance about what a disabled pupil might need and what changes need to be made for them.

Disabilities can include:

• Hearing and sight.
• Longterm physical or mental health conditions such as epilepsy, anxiety and depression.
• Conditions that change, so sometimes symptoms are minor and at other times they are more severe, such as rheumatoid arthritis, ME, and chronic fatigue syndrome.
• Conditions that affect development, such as autistic spectrum condition (ASC).
• Learning disabilities.
• Brain injuries.

Legal Duty

The Equality Act 2010 also sets out the obligations that schools, early years providers, colleges, local authorities and others have towards disabled children and young people.

There are three parts to the legal duty to make reasonable adjustments. That means a school or other education provider, or the Local Authority, must make reasonable adjustments in all three areas of need if required.

• Provisions, criteria, and practices
  
  This is about the way in which a school operates daily, including their decisions and actions. For example, the school uniform policy would fall within this part and so a school would need to make adjustments to this policy for pupils with an allergy to synthetic materials who would need to wear cotton clothing.
  
• Auxiliary aids and service
  
  This is any additional support or help for a disabled pupil, such as a piece of equipment or support from a member of staff. It would include things such as coloured overlays, pen grips, adapted PE equipment, adapted keyboards, and computer software.
  
• Physical features
  
  This is the physical make up of the buildings. Schools must make buildings accessible for disabled pupils as part of their overall planning duties.

Important points about reasonable adjustments

• Reasonable adjustments are not just for children with an Educational, health and Care Plan (EHCP). Children and young people with SEND who are receiving SEN support can have reasonable adjustments made for them too.
  
• A child with SEND does not need to have a diagnosis for reasonable adjustments to be made. Changes made in nursery, school and college should be based on need.
  
• Sometimes schools may need to call on specialist advice to assist with the planning of reasonable adjustments, but most reasonable adjustments consist of changes to policies and practices. Often these changes cost little or nothing to put in place.
  
• The basis of reasonable adjustments is that they anticipate (expect) something may cause a disadvantage and make a change to prevent or limit that happening.
  
• Making reasonable adjustments is a great way for a child /young person, their parents and staff to work together to find solutions that can meet the child’s needs. For example, talking to school staff about what works well at home, for example, what comforts a child and helps them to become calm will be helpful to understand what reasonable adjustments can be made in school.
  
• There are many creative and inspiring examples of reasonable adjustments that are made in schools. Often schools are doing what they think needs to be done to ensure children can join in all benefits of the school with their peers.

Involving children and young people in reasonable adjustments

• In making decisions about reasonable adjustments, the best place to start is with the child/young person themselves. By listening to what a child/young person is saying and checking you have understood will help find creative solutions.
  
• A child’s views, wishes and feelings are important. Sometimes it may not be possible to do what a child or young person feels is right for them, but it is important for them to know why it is not possible and what can be done instead.

Plymouth’s Graduated approach to Inclusion (GATI)

Plymouth’s Graduated Approach to Inclusion (GATI) has information on reasonable adjustments on its website.

You will find a video, a presentation and a word document giving examples of reasonable adjustments possible at school.

Resources

Download this page as a factsheet:

• Reasonable Adjustments (PDF – 249KB)